steve stoute

Nicki Minaj Goes Off On Music Exec Steve Stoute Over Tidal Claims

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Nicki Minaj and JAY-Z are not on good terms these days. The rapper called out Hov for failing to pick her mentor, Lil Wayne, as the Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner. She also criticized the Roc Nation founder for not paying what she felt she was owed for her Tidal deal in 2015. She made her frustration with these situations clear via social media. Former Interscope CEO Steve Stoute tried to shed light on the Tidal deal during a recent podcast appearance, but Nicki Minaj didn’t want to hear it. She doubled down on her issues and instead turned her ire towards the music executive.

Steve Stoute discussed Nicki Minaj’s dubious Tidal deal on The Pivot Podcast. He claimed that she failed to make the money she felt she was owed because paperwork wasn’t properly filled out. “You didn’t sign the f**king paperwork,” Stoute explained. “That’s the reason why you left millions of dollars on the table, that man didn’t do nothing to you.” Stoute defended JAY-Z’s role in the Tidal deal, and proceeded to call out Nicki Minaj for behaving in a manner he considered “wrong.” Minaj was not swayed. She felt she was mislead by Hov and the rest of the Tidal team. She said as much on Twitter.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Reacts To Eve’s “Groundbreaking” Admission About Working With Her On “Barbershop”

Nicki Minaj Claims She Was ‘Scammed’ Out Of $1 Million

“I received a call advising Tidal was sold,” Nicki Minaj tweeted after Stoute’s podcast comments. “And they made no money on the deal so all they could offer me was a million dollars. But wait, there’s more. The lawyer advised that Desirat advised him that I HAD TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT IN 24 HOURS IF I WANTED THE 1MM or the offer was off the table.” The rapper proceeded to tell her fans that Hov and company basically scammed her out of a sizable payday. A payday she was promised well before the streaming platform sold in 2021.

“I was scammed & offered a million dollars to be silenced,” Nicki Minaj alleged. “I declined. The grace of God is sufficient. I didn’t need their hush money…” Minaj has been widely criticized for her public attacks on JAY-Z. As evidenced by these tweets, however, she remains steadfast. She even tweeted lyrics from a 2014 song of her that seemingly addressed her “difficult” reputation. As far as she’s concerned, she’s in the right as long as sticks with people that are loyal to her. JAY-Z and Steve Stoute do not make the cut.

Read More: The Weeknd Shows Love To Nicki Minaj After She Praised His “Sweet” Falsetto

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Nicki Minaj Viciously Slammed Steve Stoute After He Refuted Her Claim About Deal With Jay-Z’s Former Streaming Platform Tidal

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Apparently, Nicki Minaj’s tension with Jay-Z runs much deeper than most initial thought. After Kendrick Lamar was announced as the Apple Music Super Bowl 2025 Halftime Show headliner, the “FTCU” rapper took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast Jay-Z for having a hand in “snubbing” Lil Wayne.

According to Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z never paid her for their business deal involving his former streaming platform, Tidal. Yesterday (September 20), during an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, record executive Steve Stoute claimed that wasn’t the full story as she “never signed the paperwork” sent to her. Now, Nicki Minaj has slammed Steve Stoute for inserting himself into the matter while providing more details about the highly publicized deal.

“Every day a new man pushing 60 years of age gets fingered in the bussy then made to come on this internet & lie on me,” she wrote. “God is in control. Bookmark this. I’d advise y’all to never mention my name again.”

She then shared insight regarding reports that she received a payment after the streamer was purchased. “I received a call advising Tidal was sold, and they made no money on the deal so all they could offer me was a million dollars,” she wrote. “But wait, there’s more. The lawyer advised that Desirat advised him that I HAD TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT IN 24 HOURS IF I WANTED THE $1M or the ‘offer’ was off the table. Listen to the end of “Fractions” for what my response was.”

Nicki also reposted a clip (viewable here) of Cam’Ron and Mase where they made a similar claim about reports that they entered a partnership with Fanatics, another venture linked to Jay-Z.

Watch the full episode of The Pivot Podcast featuring Steve Stoute above.

Nicki Minaj Seemingly Calls Diddy Jay-Z’s “BFF” While Blasting Steve Stoute’s TIDAL Claims

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You probably already witness how Nicki Minaj engaged in various rants against Jay-Z and company over the past two weeks or so. These stem from the Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime show, since she defended Lil Wayne, accused Hov of being a hater, and even talked smack about her TIDAL deal with him that she allegedly never saw proper payment for. But Roman isn’t done yet. On Saturday (September 21), she saw how Steve Stoute and others have tried to disprove her claims and paint her to be a liar. Then, the Trinidadian MC went scorched Earth and even mocked Jay for his proximity to Diddy amid the latter’s legal scandal.

“I love knowing you’re always thinking about me,” Nicki Minaj shaded to a mystery target to start things off on Saturday afternoon (Eastern Time). “I’m such a tease. the morning of every show you pop up trying to taste my pussy. But no. You may not. Ugly.” Afterwards, she went into alleged details of the TIDAL fallout. “I received a call advising tidal was sold & they made no money on the deal so all they could offer me was a million dollars. but wait, there’s more! The lawyer advised that Desirat advised him that I HAD TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT IN 24 HOURS IF I WANTED THE 1MM or the ‘offer’ was off the table. Listen to the end of ‘Fractions’ for what my response was.”

Read More: Steve Stoute Claims Drake Turned Super Bowl Down Twice, But Defends Jay-Z

Nicki Minaj’s Latest Diddy/Jay-Z/Steve Stoute Twitter Tirade At Press Time

“So Barbz, thank you for supporting something I was a part of,” Nicki Minaj continued in another tweet. “I love you. But I was scammed & offered a million dollars to be silenced. I declined. The grace of God is sufficient. I didn’t need their hush money. #GagCityLosAngeles TONIGHT & TMRW NIGHT! My documentary was also…” “lol. Word,” she responded to a Shade Room report of TIDAL partners’ payouts. “One of the blogs that they ‘reportedly’ have lots of control of. Why is my photo there? Oh. ‘Reportedly’ huh? Lol yall im rlly laughing @ how ppl who aren’t rlly smart always believe they are out smarting smart ppl. No, it’s just that we know karma spins. It rlly spins.” “Every day a new man pushing 60 years of age gets fingered in the bussy then made to come on this internet & lie on me,” Nicki added.

More Tweets From The Rant

Finally, Nicki Minaj seemed to dismiss Steve Stoute’s claims that she just didn’t sign the proper TIDAL paperwork. In her final series of tweets (at press time), she referenced the Diddy scandal. “They gotta keep the conversation on me so that no one asks about these charges against their BFF. I mean it seems the 30 year old tea here is FAR from stale. Patterns. Yet. SAS, UGLY ALIEN, STOUT, d**k breath, etc all talking about Onika ? Why they talking bout Oniqua?!?!?!” “Worried about the tea of a 15 year old child who was railroaded but no comments on the tea & baby oil that’s been going on for decades & as recent as months ago?!?!!! If 15 year olds need to be held accountable & told they can’t ever move past their past, then what about the 30 year olds who groomed & groomed, sat by & was silent, etc. oh right. Let’s keep the blogs focused on Oniqua. Short & Stoute d**k don’t wanna talk bout him friend dem??! LMFAO.”

Read More: Nicki Minaj Appears To Address Jay-Z Feud By Tweeting Old Lyrics

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The post Nicki Minaj Seemingly Calls Diddy Jay-Z’s “BFF” While Blasting Steve Stoute’s TIDAL Claims appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Steve Stoute Claims Drake Turned Super Bowl Down Twice, But Defends Jay-Z

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Steve Stoute was the most recent guest on The Pivot podcast, where he and the co-hosts discussed a lot of business topics and their overlap with the music industry and other entertainment businesses. Of course, they had to touch on the Super Bowl halftime show controversy at some point, with some still arguing between Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne. However, Stoute focused instead on the rumors that Drake turned down the headlining slot in the past, and also defended Jay-Z’s decision-making and what he perceives as selflessness in the way that he handles the selection process.

“I will confirm: Drake was offered the Super Bowl twice,” Steve Stoute began. “Drake did turn down the Super Bowl twice. And I’m sure if Drake would’ve said yes, he would’ve brought Lil Wayne out at some point, right? He probably would’ve brought out Nicki, which is probably why she’s upset because she’s not on the stage. But Drake turned it down twice. So, like, this, ‘the NFL, somebody spoke to’ – No. He turned it down twice, which is fine. He didn’t want to do it.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Has Last Laugh After Super Bowl Producer Confirms Jay-Z Picked Kendrick Lamar

Steve Stoute Speaks On Drake, Jay-Z & The Super Bowl Halftime Show

“But nobody’s going to say, ‘Damn, why’d you turn it down? You could’ve got Lil Wayne on.’ Right?” Steve Stoute continued. “Nobody’s going to connect that dot. The other thing that no one seems to think about is why isn’t Jay-Z picking himself? Like, he’s not even being selfish about it for himself. Why isn’t somebody saying, ‘Man, you know what, he’s actually making a decision based on what he thinks the best performance is at the right time, music, et cetera’? Because he’s not even using this moment to satisfy himself.

“He has a catalog. He can rock. He’s nice. He’s not even choosing himself,” Steve Stoute concluded. “To me, that should be celebrated. That he’s not being selfish and he’s helping these artists and giving them what they deserve. And not being selfish about it and choosing only, you know, Roc Nation acts or himself. Because if it was just that, I could understand it. But for it to come down like this is just… To me, this s**t is corny. And it makes the hip-hop community, the Black community… It leaves a stain.”

Read More: Reginae Carter Praises Her Dad Lil Wayne Again Amid Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Debate

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Steve Stoute Claims Nas Proves Older Generations Didn’t Care About Lyrics

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It goes without saying that different generations are going to have different approaches to music, but according to Steve Stoute, some things never change. In a new episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, he weighed in on claims that hip-hop fans no longer value lyrics like they used to. He argued that lyrics weren’t necessarily a top priority back in the day either, using Nas’ 1996 album Illmatic as an example.

“You know what’s funny, it’s so easy for an older generation to talk like that,” he began. “They wasn’t giving a f*ck about lyrics when Nas put out Illmatic. That’s why it took five years to go gold… Young MC didn’t take that long to go gold, they were buying that sh*t.”

Read More: Jay-Z, Biggie, Nas & More Don’t Make The Top 5 In “Family Feud” Best Rappers Survey

Steve Stoute Says “People Have Bad Memory”

“Reasonable Doubt took a long time to go off, look at Reasonable Doubt‘s first week,” Stoute continued. “My only point is that you may like lyrics and all that other kind of stuff, and it may be something that you love, but does it make you buy it? […] You can’t look at generations and go, ‘This new generation, they don’t give a f*ck about lyrics.’ You weren’t rewarding n****s who was making lyrics back then… And people have bad memory around that stuff.“

He went on to claim that streaming has devalued music, as fans are far less likely to spend money on what they could stream for free, even if they love it. What do you think of Steve Stoute claiming that lyrics weren’t valued in hip-hop back in the 90s, as evidenced by how long it took for Nas’ Illmatic to go gold? Do you agree with him or not? Do you believe that younger generations care about lyrics less than older generations, or are they being hypocritical? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.

Read More: Nas Shows Love After “Illmatic” Is Crowned Greatest Rap Album Ever

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Jermaine Dupri Uses Sexyy Red’s Album Sales To Illustrate The Current State Of Hip-Hop And The Perils Of Streaming

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Jermaine Dupri is someone who has been around the music industry for many years. Overall, he has lots of experience, and he has the resume to speak freely on the rap game and how the industry operates these days. In fact, Dupri was at the United Masters’ SelectCon conference in Atlanta recently, where he got to speak with Steve Stoute on the state of hip-hop. It was here where he referenced Sexyy Red’s album sales and noted that her numbers are indicative of what’s plaguing rap right now.

For Dupri, album sales are low right now, yet artists are still being hyped up and pushed to the forefront. “In the era that I came in the music industry, if you sold 28,000 copies, you didn’t get no other chance to walk in the building again,” Dupri explained. “N****s was not talking to you if you sold 28,000 records. It’s such a disconnect between people understanding the streaming situation and actually what you looking at. […] I came from an era where the numbers were 80,000 100, 200, 800, 900. This feels like it’s going backwards to me.”

Read More: Jermaine Dupri’s 7 Biggest Productions

Jermaine Dupri And Steve Stoute Debate

During the conversation, Steve Stoute offered a counterpoint. In his eyes, the low album sales are due to the fact that the streaming equivalents don’t make a lot of sense. You need 1500 streams to equal one album sale. That means 1.5 million streams is only 1000 albums. This makes it extremely difficult for artists to achieve the numbers that Dupri is talking about. That said, one has to wonder if the equivalent unit measurement will ever be changed. As it stands, some things just don’t add up.

Let us know what you think about this take from Jermaine Dupri, in the comments section down below. Do you believe that the industry is hyping up the wrong artists? How do you feel about the way album sales are counted these days especially when it comes to streaming numbers? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.

Read More: Jermaine Dupri Claims AI Music Generator Is “Disrespectful” To Artists

The post Jermaine Dupri Uses Sexyy Red’s Album Sales To Illustrate The Current State Of Hip-Hop And The Perils Of Streaming appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Today In Hip Hop History: Nas Released The Controversial Visuals For ‘Hate Me Now’ 25 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip Hop history, Queens legend Nas released the video for his hit single, “Hate Me Now.” Although the song may be a fan favorite, the video came with a lot more controversy than any music video should. Shot by Hype Williams, the video features the crucifixion of Christ with Nasir himself playing the role of Jesus. Diddy, who was then known as Puff Daddy, was featured on the track, was also cast as one of the criminals on a cross beside Nas.

Conflict arose on April 15, 1999, when the video was premiered on MTV’s TRL. Diddy, who is a devout Catholic, had requested his image on the cross be removed from the cut of the video that was to air nationally. Whether it was an honest mistake or done intentionally is unknown; but, the fact of the matter is the request was ignored and the full video was broadcast across the country.

The events that followed could be deemed as outlandish by some. Diddy’s reaction to the lack of consideration of his religious views turned violent when he stormed into Nas’ manager, Steve Stoute’s office with several bodyguards and allegedly attacked Stoute by smashing a bottle of champagne on his head. The assault led to a suit that was settled out of court.

When asked about the incident and the inspiration for the video Nas explains,

“There’s a play in New York where a Black man played Jesus, and caught a lot of flak. I think, even the mayor at the time, Giuliani, was against it. So my thing was I wanted to be crucified like Jesus in the video, to get back at all those people that don’t want to see a Black man doing his thing. Me and Puff got hammered to the cross, but after Puff expressed his religious beliefs and spoke to his pastor, he wasn’t ready to take that stance, so it was really my idea anyway, so we took his part out. For some reason, I think Steve Stoute let it fly with Puffy still being crucified to the cross, so there was that fight at the office, where Puff jumped on Steve or some s*it like that. Both of them were friends of mine, so I squashed the whole thing, and it’s all in the past. Just growing pains. We were all growing up. That brings back a lot of memories. Even when I throw it on onstage now, it still kills.”

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Nas Released The Controversial Visuals For ‘Hate Me Now’ 25 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Nas Released The Controversial Visuals For ‘Hate Me Now’ 25 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Nas’ Third LP ‘I Am’ Turns 25 Years Old!

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Released by Columbia Records, Nas’ third album, I Am, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album sold 470,000 copies in its first week and was certified double platinum in the United States. The album was nominated in 2000 for Best Rap Album at the 43rd Grammy Awards.

Originally intended to be a double album titled I Am…The Autobiography, the album was arguably Nas’ most honest and poetic project at the time. Although the additional tracks were scrapped due to bootlegging of the original sessions, the intention for the theme and tone of the project can still be felt on the released single-disc LP.

Nas’ cover art has always been an iconic staple of his work. Usually consisting of his face superimposed over his native Queens, each cover has served as a visual representation of Nas as an artist. Famed portrait photographer Danny Hastings shot this particular cover. To create the image of Nas’ face in the Pharaoh mask in a pre-Photoshop world, Hastings made a clay mold for Nas’ face (which, in fact, almost killed him when clay got lodged in his nostrils, nearly suffocating him).

This album wasn’t only popular in the United States. I Am… made appearances on music charts in Australia, Canada, Norway, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The two official singles from this project claimed spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Nas Is Like..” peaked at #86, and “Hate Me Now” climbed a little higher to take the #62 spot.

After the release of this album, Nas released seven more solo albums and two collaborative projects. Nas continues to perform and is known as one of the most prolific rappers of his or any generation. Take some time today to listen to this album appreciate the career of a living legend.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Nas’ Third LP ‘I Am’ Turns 25 Years Old! first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Nas’ Third LP ‘I Am’ Turns 25 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

Dame Dash Recalls Smacking Steve Stoute, Responds To “Club Shay Shay” Comments

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Dame Dash has fired back at music executive Steve Stoute for his recent comments with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay. Appearing on Friday’s episode of the Relate to Great podcast, Dame recalled smacking Stoute at the Roc-A-Fella offices.

“To be honest, I’m sick of these n***as. I’m sick of it because you would think that after a while n***as would leave you alone,” Dame said. “But this consistent thing where people feel comfortable saying that they’re going to do whatever they want to do or can do to keep me out of business, talk bad about me to other people you know come together and make a certain narrative and then get on TV and then have the nerve to speak on it…I’m sick of that s**t.”

Read More: Dame Dash Rips Steve Stoute To Shreds For Commenting On Jay-Z Feud

Dame Dash Speaks At InvestFest

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – AUGUST 07: Dame Dash speaks onstage during the 2022 InvestFest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 07, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

From there, he explained that Stoue once owed him $18,000 and refused to pay him back. “I smacked him and s**t and I gave him an opportunity to have a fair one,” Dame recalled. “So like—pop!—smacked him. He asked me, he said, ‘Yo, did you just smack me?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, n***a and ain’t nothing between us but the wind. I’ll give you a fair one.’ I had a Franck Muller [watch] on my [left arm]—crack!—and s**t just broke.” Check out Dame’s full comments on working with Stoute below.

Dame Dash Calls Out Steve Stoute

As for what Stoute had to say about Dame on Club Shay Shay, he placed the blame for the fall of Roc-A-Fella Records on Dame and his erratic behavior. Stoute said that “while he was building businesses, he would go off all around the world with cameras and girls and all kinds of crazy sh*t, and then come back flipping on everybody as if [they were wrong].” Be on the lookout for further updates on Dame Dash on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Dame Dash “Blew It” With His Gigantic Ego, Steve Stoute Argues

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Steve Stoute Blasted By Fans For Claiming He Started Hip-Hop Shoe Collabs

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Steve Stoute has been making news all week for comments he made on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. He made a variety of claims that had both fans and fellow celebrities asking questions. But one particular trend he took credit for was the crossover between rap and shoes. “Started that. Everybody knows that. That’s me. That’s called, ‘Corporate America, I’m going to introduce you to this thing called Hip Hop. And the music, and the culture, and everything that it represents can help you,” he said.

But fans online disagreed with his take. Under a repost of the clip on Twitter, fans hit back at him and they brought receipts. “It is well documented that Run-D.M.C. signed hip-hop’s first sneaker contract in 1987 when they partnered with Adidas in a deal worth $1.6 million,” one response reads. Another commenter gave additional examples. “He definitely has selective amnesia… RUN-DMC started it. Then LL Cool got his sneaker deal with TROOP. I really wish people STOP trying to change/erase Hip Hop HISTORY!!!” Check out the full interview Stoute gave on Club Shay Shay below.

Read More: Nas Teams With Steve Stoute, & More To Give $500k To Underappreciated Artists

Steve Stoute Called Out By Run DMC Fans

One of the comments Steve Stoute made that got the attention of fans had to do with Dame Dash. He claimed to know the reason for his creative split from Jay-Z and cited Dame’s ego making him hard to work with. Dame didn’t just sit back and take the comments. Instead, he went to social media to respond to them and claim that he would have beaten Stoute up if he hadn’t matured.

He spoke even more about Jay-Z later in the interview. He even claimed that Jay is his cousin and discussed how close their bond remains. What do you think of Steve Stoute’s claim that he pioneered shoe deals among rappers? Do you think the fans bringing up Run DMC in the comments have a valid point? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Dame Dash “Blew It” With His Gigantic Ego, Steve Stoute Argues

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