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Gucci Mane’s Ex Mac Bre-Z Claims Rapper Owes Her Unpaid Royalties

November 4, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Gucci Mane’s business dealings have been called into question. The rapper’s ex-girlfriend, and former label signee, Mac Bre-Z, had some harsh words for him on November 4. She claimed that she worked on several Gucci Mane albums over the years, and has yet to be financially compensated for said work. She claims that the work she did dates back two decades, and she wants her unpaid royalties. Mac Bre-Z has not been shy about her disdain for Gucci since they parted way. As such, she also leveled accusations of violence at the East Atlanta Santa.

Mac Bre-Z took to IG to make her gripes known. She detailed her in-depth connection to Gucci Mane in a lengthy post. Not only did Mac Bre-Z and Gucci date, but Mac was the first artist signed to Gucci’s 1017 record label. She also alleged that she worked on Gucci’s debut studio album, Trap House, and showed support for him during the rapper’s 2015 murder trial. “You loved collaborating with me on your albums & mixtapes,” Mac Bre-Z stated. “But I would love to get paid for my writing credits.”

Gucci Mane Punched Mac Bre-Z During A 2005 Concert

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A post shared by Lavaneka aka Mac Bre-z Da Kandi Lady (@dakandilady)

Mac Bre-Z pointed to Gucci Mane’s post-prison rebrand as the reason why he should right this alleged wrong. “They say you changed for the better,” she noted. “So why haven’t you done the right thing & just compensate me for everything I’m entitled to? Everybody eating off these records but me.” Mac asserted that she did not attempt to ruin Gucci Mane’s career at any point, despite allegedly having the material to do so. The rapper claimed that she was physically abused by Gucci during their relationship, and kept it a secret to protect his freedom.

“When you punched me in the face I could’ve snitched & had you arrested while you was on bond for the murder case of Jeezy artist,” Mac Bre-Z claimed. The rapper posited that she had given Gucci Mane the benefit of the doubt for long enough. “I never bad mouthed you in the media,” she concluded. “Enough is enough.” Mac Bre-Z recounted the incident in which Gucci Mane punched her during a 2022 interview. Footage of the altercation went viral, further bolstering the rapper’s claims. Gucci has yet to respond to the new allegations regarding unpaid royalties, however.

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Missy Elliott Grabs Victory Over Fellow Songwriter For Aaliyah Royalties

August 28, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Back in mid-November 2018, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, as well as Aaliyah’s estate, were all taken to court by songwriter, Terry Williams. Specifically, the latter sued them for not receiving any royalties for the late R&B legend’s track, “Heartbroken”. Williams claimed that he co-wrote the song with Missy sometime in between 1994-1995. For those curious, “Heartbroken” would go on to release in 1996. He asserts that the only way that Aaliyah got her hands on the record was because Missy sneakily sold the record to her behind his back. Furthermore, Williams says that him and the legendary femcee signed a deal to share the profits from “Heartbroken”.

With that background information in hand, let’s fast forward to today because we have a new update from AllHipHop. After tons of disproving from Elliott and lots of hard thinking from Judge Quiñones Alejandro, the latter is giving the win to the rapper. There is a three-year statute of limitations on issues like these, and Alejandro says that Williams didn’t “exhibit reasonable diligence in recognizing the alleged infringement”. It’s worth noting that Williams also took Missy to court over records penned going back to 1993, too.

Missy Elliott Is Getting Full Royalties For Her Work With Aaliyah

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 19: Missy Elliott speaks onstage at 2023 Black Music Honors at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on May 19, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Nykieria Chaney/Getty Images)

In Judge Alejandro’s statement, he says, “Williams commenced this action against Elliott on November 14, 2018, over twenty-two years after the release of ‘Heartbroken.’ Under these circumstances, this Court further finds that Williams has failed to offer evidence that he exercised due diligence. As such, Williams’ co-ownership claim based on the song ‘Heartbroken’ released by Aaliyah is barred by the three-year statute of limitations”. However, this just one of many disputes, as Williams sued her for multiple other artists’ records. But she can still celebrate this one, and its perhaps the most important for Missy.

What are your thoughts on Missy Elliott winning the royalties battle in court over the Aaliyah track “Heartbroken”? How much longer do you think it will take for her and Terry Williams to resolve all of this? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Missy Elliott. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.

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Juicy J Claims He Makes Money From 90% Of New Songs Due To Samples

August 28, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Juicy J has been making music since 1987. He is a legend in the game, and his work with Three 6 Mafia continues to have an impact on the current wave of artists. There’s no ASAP Mob without Three 6, nor is there dozens of Southern acts who grew up listening to them. Juicy J reflected on his impressive legacy during a Spring Hill interview with Wiz Khalifa. If the rapper is to be taken at his word, his impact on music is even more substantial than we realized. Juicy J claimed that he makes money off a whopping 90% of new rap songs.

The whole thing came about from a simple question. Wiz Khalifa asked Juicy if he keeps tabs on the new wave of artists. The latter confirmed that he did, but not for the reasons one would expect. Juicy J knows who’s popping and who’s not because he gets tons of sample clearance requests on a daily basis. “I feel like the new trends is the old trends,” he explained. “Everybody’s sampling Three 6 Mafia, so I’m already in.” Juicy J went on to estimate that he gets 5-6 sample clearance requests a day from younger artists.

Juicy J Claims To Clear 5-6 Sample Requests A Day

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“On some real sh*t,” he told Wiz Khalifa. “5 to 6 samples a day. I get paid off of pretty much every song. Like 90% of the songs that’s out right now.” Juicy J made it clear that he wants younger artists to sample his music and build on his style. “It’s a blessing,” he asserted. “I love when people sample… I just keep doing what I’ve been doing.” This isn’t the first time Juicy J had shown love to artists who continue to pay homage to Three 6 Mafia. The rapper hopped on Twitter in 2023 to express how grateful he was to still be considered a relevant musical force.

“Peace & love to Three6Mafia,” he wrote. “Great to witness our Music still going strong like it never left. People across the world sampling & remaking the songs we are grateful thank you All.” Juicy J is dead on when he noted that his style still sounds fresh today. The rapper just dropped a new solo album, Ravelite Social Club, and it’s one of his best to date. Juicy pushes his sound into a smoother, jazzy area, and it led to some absolute standout moments.

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TikTok & Universal Music Group Strike Agreement In Royalty Dispute: What We Know

May 2, 2024 by newhiphopnews

After months of negotiations, Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have announced a breakthrough licensing agreement. As music technology continues to progress, this marks a significant moment in the music industry. This multi-dimensional agreement promises to benefit UMG’s extensive roster of artists, songwriters, and labels. Moreover, this also reinstates their music catalog on TikTok’s expansive platform.

Strategic Collaboration For Mutual Benefit

UMG’s music is coming back to TikTok.

Surprise, surprise.

– Better payment for UMG artists
– Buy-in on ethical AI practices
– More artist-centric tooling

Or, at least that’s what the press release says.

UMG may need TikTok more than TikTok needs UMG, but they’re better… pic.twitter.com/gtBWm1gjc3

— Rob Abelow (@AbelowRob) May 2, 2024

The strategic collaboration aims to enhance the creative and commercial prospects of UMG’s roster. Both parties have expressed a shared commitment to leveraging TikTok’s advanced technology. Through the platform, UMG plans to enhance its marketing prowess to deliver improved remuneration for creators. As a result, they plan to enhance engagement opportunities for their music.

Fans on TikTok can anticipate the return of UMG’s extensive recorded music and publishing catalogs soon. The platform now offers them access to diverse musical content from renowned artists and songwriters. Additionally, fans can explore music from promising emerging talent. This development intends to reignite creativity among TikTok users, enabling them to create videos set to the backdrop of their favorite tracks.

Exploring New Monetization Opportunities + Online Safety Protection

umg tiktok — In this photo illustration, Universal Music Group (UMG) logo is seen on a smartphone and pc screen. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

As part of the agreement, UMG and TikTok will collaborate to explore new avenues for monetization. As issues regarding royalties became prominent, UMG and TikTok’s partnership leverages the social media platform’s e-commerce capabilities. Additionally, joint campaigns supporting UMG’s artists across various genres and territories are on the agenda. This indicates a concerted effort to maximize the commercial potential of UMG’s music catalog on the platform.

TikTok has committed to investing significant resources in developing artist-centric tools aimed at empowering UMG’s artists to thrive on the platform. These tools include features like “Add to Music App,” enhanced data analytics, and integrated ticketing capabilities, all designed to enhance artists’ financial prospects and expand their global fan base. Moreover, this new deal prioritizes stringent online safety protections for artists and their fans, ensuring a secure and enjoyable experience for all users.

An essential aspect of the agreement involves collaboration on responsible AI development within the music industry. Both UMG and TikTok have pledged to ensure that AI tools are developed ethically, safeguarding human creativity and the economic interests of artists and songwriters. They promised to implement measures to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, while also improving artist and songwriter attribution to uphold their rights and recognition.

Expeditious Implementation

UMG and TikTok are working swiftly to implement the terms of the agreement, with plans to reintroduce music by UMG’s artists and songwriters to TikTok in the near future. This proactive approach reflects the commitment of both parties to restoring normalcy and fostering a mutually beneficial partnership.

In conclusion, the resolution of the royalty dispute between UMG and TikTok heralds a new era of collaboration in the music industry, characterized by mutual respect, innovation, and commercial opportunity. As we witness the digital landscape’s evolution, partnerships like this are vital in ensuring the continued success and sustainability of the music ecosystem.

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Danny Brown Reveals The Lesson Jay-Z And Ye Taught Him About Songwriting Credits

April 15, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Danny Brown’s podcast has become one of the must-stop places for rappers to appear. Brown himself is a hilarious host with opinions on nearly every subject you can imagine and a seemingly endless well of wild stories from both his time in the music industry and before. His most recent guest was ScHoolboy Q. Q recently dropped his new album Blue Lips, his first new project in 5 years since 2019’s CrasH Talk. During the podcast, they touched on a variety of subjects, including the way that sampling and interpolation can affect songwriting credits.

In particular, he discussed his 2013 single “Dip.” The song currently sits with over 16 million streams on Spotify, but Danny hasn’t seen much of the payout from that. “With ‘Dip,’ JAY-Z and Kanye killed my ass. They own that whole muthaf*cka. And that’s one of my biggest songs. I don’t get shit from that muthaf*cka!” The song contains an interpolation of Ye and Jay-Z’s “N*ggas In Paris” and the pair received songwriting credits on the song as a result. “I’ll never use a n*gga hook again, man. I learned my lesson, man. Skylar be mad at me to this day, like, ‘Yeah, that was one of the biggest ones, man. We f*cked up.’ Because you know, he made that beat. We don’t get sh*t from that muthaf*cka.” Brown explained. Check out the full new episode of his podcast below.

Danny Brown Isn’t Making Money From “Dip”

Last year, Danny Brown released two new albums. Early in the year he shared a full collaborative project with fellow underground rap darling Jpegmafia. Later in the year he followed it up with the long awaited release of Quaranta. He spoke publicly on his struggles to get the album released multiple times in various episodes of his podcast.

What do you think of Danny Brown having to give songwriting credits to Jay-Z and Kanye West for “Dip?” Are you surprised he makes almost no money off of one of his biggest songs? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Spotify Declares Unpopular Songs Won’t Earn Royalties Anymore, To Help Some Artists And Stop Others From ‘Gaming The System’

November 21, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Getty Image

Spotify officially announced some changes to their royalty system today that will be affecting artists: The streaming service will adjust the goalpost for the number of streams needed to start earning royalties.

Starting in early 2024, a song would need to reach at least 1,000 streams within the past 12 months before it can start to earn money. For comparison, the current royalty system finds Spotify paying $.03 a month to any song that earns between 1 and 1,000 plays.

As the company pointed out in a statement, this money reportedly doesn’t even typically reach the artist between the fact that “labels and distributors require a minimum amount to withdraw” and “banks charge a fee for the transaction.” In total, these small royalty payments add up to about $40 million per year.

However, Spotify brings up that “99.5% of all streams are of tracks that have at least 1,000 annual streams, and each of those tracks will earn more under this policy.” The post also notes, “We also believe the policy will eliminate one strategy used to attempt to game the system or hide artificial streaming, as uploaders will no longer be able to generate pennies from an extremely high volume of tracks.”

Spotify is also adding other changes, like devaluing noise tracks: Tracks with just “whale sounds” or “static” will need to be at least two minutes to be eligible for royalties.

More information on the changes can be found here.

Spotify To Remove Royalties From Majority Of Music On The Platform: Report

November 4, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Spotify is facing major backlash against a policy change that will eliminate royalties from a majority of its musical catalog. According to a report from Music Business Worldwide, Spotify is raising the threshold that needs to be reached before artists can earn royalties on their music. Songs will now have to reach around 200 annual streams before Spotify will pay the artist. If that threshold isn’t reached, any money the artist would have earned will be diverted back into Spotify’s general revenue pool. Essentially, bigger artists would earn the money created by smaller indie artists. Furthermore, while 200 streams a year doesn’t sound like a lot, MBW explained that the figure is a lofty goal for many small, independent artists. Furthermore, when multiplied across the low-play songs on the platform, Spotify is saving tens of millions dollars a year.

Spotify argues that the change will be negligible. The company argued small creators often don’t see the revenue regardless. However, it is a widely hated change. Some have gone as far as to call it a reverse Robin Hood scenario. In essence, Spotify is taking from smaller artists to pay bigger ones. “Right now, streams and revenue are effectively synonymous, but by this time next year, they will mean very different things. [Smaller artists] will be othered, their revenue becoming a new black box for the biggest artists to share between themselves,” theorized industry analyst Mark Mulligan. Spotify said in a statement that nothing had been finalized yet.

Spotify’s Full 2024 Changes

Spotify will no longer distribute royalties to songs that do not meet a minimum number of annual streams starting in 2024. https://t.co/nuiD59Ar85

— Talk of the Charts (@talkofthecharts) October 25, 2023

While the royalties was the biggest and most controversial change, it wasn’t the only thing that Spotify proposed changing next year, citing two other potential changes. The first is a widely welcomed change, bringing fines to distributors who enable fraudulent activity on tracks they own and distribute. Streaming fraud, be it through bots, click farms, imposter tracks, or ghost artists, has become a widespread issue. A crackdown on the practices that enable the fraud is seen as long overdue by the industry.

Elsewhere, Spotify also plans to crack down on royalties for “noise tracks”, i.e. such as background noise like rain or white noise. Currently, Spotify grants royalties on playtime over 30 seconds on these tracks. However, this has led to a spate of creators releasing full albums comprised of 31-second tracks to maximize their revenue. The new change will raise the minimum playtime from 30 seconds to an unspecified number.

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Nipsey Hussle’s Brother Faces Intimidation Accusations Amid Royalty Legal Battle

October 26, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Nipsey Hussle’s legacy will never fade, and though recent developments when it comes to his catalog seem disheartening, hopefully they can resolve to honor the respect he showed other artists. Moreover, in a legal battle concerning songwriting credit and royalties, his brother faces accusations of mishandling the whole ordeal. For those unaware, the rapper’s family member is in control of his estate, which means he has a say in his discography. In this specific case. Tasleema Yasin motioned to receive profit shares of the song “Hussle & Motivate” shortly after Nip’s passing in 2019, alleging that she helped write it three years prior. Also, she claimed to additionally perform an “ascending four-note vocal phrase featured throughout the song’s runtime, as well as a countermelody in [her] higher register featured prominently during the song’s chorus.” Both parties previously indicated that they reached an agreement last year.

However, in new court documents reportedly obtained by Radar Online, Yasin apparently accused Nipsey Hussle’s brother of not following up on their settlement. “Regrettably, the opposing party has thus far delayed the fulfillment of their obligations under the contract,” the lawsuit allegedly reads. “They are in breach of its terms. Hence, Yasin is under no ongoing obligation to refrain from submitting her claims against the aforementioned parties and estate. The original agreement with the Estate is deemed void due to multiple breaches. Ms. Yasin no longer seeks enforcement of this breached agreement. Instead, she is seeking damages as a result of these breaches and wishes to negotiate a new agreement that will protect her interests moving forward.

Nipsey Hussle At The 2019 Grammys

Nipsey Hussle Brother Intimidation Royalties Songwriting Hip Hop News — LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 10: Nipsey Hussle attends the 61st Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Furthermore, Yasin claimed that Nipsey Hussle’s brother attacked her with “profanity, insults and derogatory language.” In addition, she alleged that he used “pressure tactics such as threats, intimidation, verbal abuse, insults, gaslighting.” Back in April of this year, the Los Angeles MC’s estate dodged Yasin’s $5 million lawsuit over this. While she initially filed this in December of last year, a judge dismissed it when she didn’t respond to a court order to explain why authorities should hear her out. “The file in this case lacks the papers that would show it is being timely prosecuted, as reflected below,” Judge Stephen V. Wilson ruled. “Accordingly, the Court, on its own motion, hereby orders plaintiff(s) to show cause in writing no later than April 4, 2023 why this action should not be dismissed as to all remaining defendants, for lack of prosecution.

Regardless of all this conflict, the Crenshaw legend still serves as a model of inspiration and praise. Hopefully this reopening of this matter results in proper compensation and preservation of these artistic integrities. If not, we could be in for a nasty redo. For more news and the latest updates on Nipsey Hussle, keep checking in with HNHH.

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R. Kelly & UMG Ordered To Pay $500K In Victim Restitution From Royalties

August 24, 2023 by newhiphopnews

It seems like, despite R. Kelly’s failure to comply with victim restitution, the court is still able to get the money victims deserve. Moreover, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, a judge signed an order into effect that garnished $500K from the convicted singer’s royalties amid his twenty-year prison sentence for sex crimes. Apparently, Universal Music Group held a lot of his royalties and hadn’t yet paid this amount in victim restitution, for which legal authorities had to intervene. In addition, reports suggest that much of these unpaid royalties stem from the R&B artist’s older hits that UMG hadn’t cashed in yet. Specifically, the company has over $567K in royalties.

Furthermore, this would cover R. Kelly’s outstanding debt of $506,950.26 to victims- and then some. Of course, these royalties mostly relate to his past material because, when it comes to new music, the Chicago native did not see a lot of success. Labels and imprints quickly dropped him among his trials and controversies. Regardless, many fans still hold on to his classics and big tracks, and even with all of this legal reckoning in mind, they still hold a lot of weight for listeners.

R. Kelly In Court

R Kelly Garnish 500K Royalties Victims Hip Hop News — CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 17: Singer R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on September 17, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Kelly is facing multiple sexual assault charges and is being held without bail. (Photo by Antonio Perez – Pool via Getty Images)

In fact, the 56-year-old’s chances of ever returning to the musical realm seem quite slim. While many support him in terms of still listening to and praising his music, they also acknowledge that things are too far gone. Dame Dash is one of many industry titans who spoke on the R. Kelly situation and thought justice came to light. “I think he’s where he belongs,” the Roc-A-Fella affiliate explained. “I know Aaliyah, so I know what he did, I can’t be objective about that, you know what I’m saying? But he definitely seemed like he needed some help.

“I couldn’t believe [Jay-Z] did a project with R. Kelly knowing that he had r*ped my girl,” he added. “I was like, ‘Just don’t put my name on that, I don’t want no money from that. If it is, put it to Aaliyah foundation.’ Like, they did this s**t twice.” For more news and the latest updates on R. Kelly, come back to HNHH.

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Charleston White Speaks Up About Lil Uzi Vert Sample Use

July 6, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Speaking on the We Are Florida podcast, YouTube personality and comedian Charleston White opened up about the current events in pop culture, especially the hip-hop community. After dismissing the 2023 BET Awards — “I ain’t into that bullsh*t” — they got onto the topic of Lil Uzi Vert. His latest album, Pink Tape, dropped recently. The second track on the list, “Suicide Doors,” features a rant White did speaking on Lil Uzi. “But I know he a sissified-looking n*gga that put fingernail polish on his motherfucking nails and wear dresses,” White says in the intro to the song.

While Lil Uzi Vert could’ve been really mad about Charleston White going after his manhood, he instead used it as the intro to one of the most important tracks on his album. Not only that, he has to pay him royalty checks for using his voice. “Yeah, I’m happier than a b*tch,” White says on the podcast when asked about his reaction. He explains that Vert’s people contacted him for permission to feature his rant on the song, and they ended up cutting White a “pretty nice check,” with future publishing checks on the way.

Charleston White & Lil Uzi Vert Collab

Charleston is incredibly grateful for the rapper including him on the tracklist, saying that he really blessed his game. “Shout out to [Lil Uzi Vert],” Charleston White said on the pod. “Cause I wasn’t speaking [favorably] of him, right? So he could’ve got [offended] and be like, ‘Nah, f*ck that [guy].” Getting paid by a guy you were dissing not too long ago? That’s one hell of a flex by the number-one rapper in the world right now.

The podcast episode features a lot of White-hot takes, including being out on award shows. Charleston White is also not a fan of football or basketball. Considering he just had five shows in Jacksonville, FL, it seems like he’s too busy to worry himself about other areas of popular culture. However, he’s overall pleased to be on a Lil Uzi Vert track. (Especially if the money keeps pouring in.)

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