major labels

Joyner Lucas Says Atlantic Records Was “A F***ed Up Scam” After Being Promised To Work With Artists Like Cardi B

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Before Joyner Lucas became a star rapper, he was doing big things independently. However, like most artists who are trying to grow even larger, signing with a major label is the way to go. Unfortunately, for the Massachusetts artist, the opposite was true. Joyner Lucas signed to one of the biggest names in the industry in 2016, Atlantic Records, releasing one project under them. That was 508-507-2209, which spawned one of his first massive hits, “Ultrasound.” Outside of that though, his experience was not all that great and was not what he was promised. Joyner detailed what went on behind the scenes for him in a recent interview on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion podcast. According to HipHopDX, the major takeaway was that it was a scam in his eyes.

Joyner Lucas went onto roughly describe how Atlantic Records tried to sell him anything he wanted. As you will come to learn, he was looking forward to working with the label’s biggest names like Cardi B and Ed Sheeran. However, it was a, “f***ed up scam.” “They find an artist. They do a little research. They’ll have the artist come in. Everybody at the table will make it seem like they’ve been rocking with this artist for so long,” Lucas said.

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Joyner Lucas Feels Atlantic Records Is “A Big Sham”

He then went onto to say how they wrapped up his walk-through. “Then they walk you through the f***ing building, they got all these n****s on f***ing big a** pictures. It’s like a museum. You see all the hottest, popping artists. “And then when you’re walking down that hall, at the end they got a picture of you. And they say, ‘Look, this could be you right here. All we missing is you!” Lucas concluded by revealing that they never fulfilled those promises, “It’s a big sham, n****… As soon as you leave, everyone’s like, ‘[laughing] we got them n****s!’”

What are your thoughts on Joyner Lucas speaking this negatively about Atlantic Records and other major labels in general? Do you think his stories are true or fabricated and why? What major artists would have you liked to see him work with from Atlantic? Do you think he made the right move by going independent? Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Joyner Lucas. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on around the world of music.

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The post Joyner Lucas Says Atlantic Records Was “A F***ed Up Scam” After Being Promised To Work With Artists Like Cardi B appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Fat Joe Called The Major Label System A Ponzi Scheme

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Fat Joe thinks major labels are a scam. Recently, the rapper made an appearance at The Future of Everything Festival by the Wall Street Journal on May 4th, where he criticized the major label system and described it as a “Ponzi scheme.” Although he was previously signed to Atlantic Records, he is now an independent artist. During the festival, Fat Joe reflected on his past experience in the industry and how it led him down his current path. In fact, he has been independent for quite some time. He left Atlantic in the mid-2000s before the release of his 2006 album, Me, Myself & I.

To begin with, Fat Joe expressed his skepticism towards the major label system, stating “I don’t believe in these people.” He then elaborated, saying “For one, I feel like the major label system is a Ponzi scheme and they do funny math.” This is not a rare opinion of the major label system, as many artists have called them out for their 360 deals and other shady business practices. Fat Joe continued, emphasizing the issue with their accounting methods: “Whenever you try to see something in life, they say numbers don’t lie. If you look at a chart and the numbers are so clear where you could say, ‘The price of this is this, the price of this is this…’” Joe continued, “And then when you look at [their] chart and they say 62.1%, 1.2… it’s funny math.”

Fat Joe Recalls Being Pitted Against T.I.

At the festival, Fat Joe continued to share more stories about his time with major labels. He even brought up how other artists had told him they had the same issues. “I was talking to [Jennifer Lopez] about it and you know, J. Lo is a megastar and she was like, ‘Man, you know these guys, they only give you this. You never recoup, you know,’” Joe said. Even a megastar like Jennifer Lopez can’t seem to escape the shady dealings of major labels.

At one point, a label executive even insulted Fat Joe to his face. The rapper was outsold by T.I., and the label took it as an opportunity to tell Joe that he was nothing in comparison. “[Atlantic’s president] tells me in my face, ‘Man, you’re a failure. You only sold a half-a-million. Look at this guy.’ And it was T.I. ‘He sold two million records. He’s the guy.’ Bro, they changed the six-story poster to T.I. so fast,” Joe said. What do you think of Fat Joe’s opinion of major labels? Sound off in the comments below!

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