Record Labels: The Biggest Scam in Hip Hop

[@thelastwriter4000]

You know the whole "give the artist a car instead of the more money they deserve" really is the same as when you are working a regular job and they give you pizza parties or cake on your birthday instead of regular wage increases. We are all getting caught by the same traps whether you be a artist, office worker, or retail worker.

[@briannovak5028]

True!!!

[@uchihadeity1158]

Just one of the many reasons I left corporate and went full time into day trading. It's amazing how much you realize you don't need a 9 - 5 when you discover how to generate your own income without needing other people.

[@DJRenee]

Bingo

[@AikiraBeats]

This is very true

[@RhythmLP]

This is exactly what people are talking about when they say "seize the means of production". What the business world calls "profits" is actually wage theft. Literally money that is taken from workers by underpaying them for their work, and is instead funnelled to the owners and executives of that business. The only way to prevent that is for the workers to own their place of work or to do everything yourself.

[@sephiroth8724]

Not just hip hop. It’s the entire music industry period.

[@rugerREL07]

Nobody really is into exposing country and rock music but I’d love to hear the stories thou

[@dastardlywun]

Facts. The Summer Walker part had me interested i had no idea before this video

[@jomo493]

Frank Ocean, Taylor Swift every genre has cautionary tales!

[@AC1N30]

Facts doesn't matter the language

[@jimmythewheelie]

word

[@ajtaylor8750]

That's why Master P and Frank Ocean are the two best examples of guys who knew their worth, understood the dark practices of the music business, and found a way to come out on top. Love how Master P took the $10 million from Universal and said it was for a "music video" and never came back, whereas Frank who was in a two-album contract decided to drop that visual album of him building a staircase and making it seem like it was his 2nd official album, only to drop Blonde the next day 100% independent and collecting more than $20M from Apple Music and being out of his deal. Genius moves by both.

[@maximbelmont4641]

Master P has more in common with a label head then an artist. He literally had a squad of artist that he could point at & say "these guys will generate millions for years." Also he sign the 80/20 deal with priority records which gave HIM the masters. He's literally the only who got paid in No Limit. Homey is just the Puffy of the South.

[@deanbenford7363]

@@maximbelmont4641 Lmao! Well said.

[@pansexualdickhaver6878]

Kanye

[@mphonyovane2270]

Finesse

[@Histerix]

How did Frank do that without getting sued?

[@mrgemini82235]

Now I think we can understand why these rappers are getting younger. These labels know exactly what they're doing

[@ATeaNTea]

Young legs young heads get the higher ups more money and more willing to do whatever to get that paper

[@knight9k]

Exactly.....

[@loldidyoureally3246]

they are actually getting older. back in the day they had small kids now it's older teens. I think ppl stop pimping their babies out

[@bajabl]

Predatory.

[@whidoineedthis]

@@bajabl student loans

[@KxllBrvd]

“If You Don’t Know You In A 360, You In A 360. It’s One Of Those” Is Crazy 😭😭😭

[@tylerd1297]

What Russ doesn't tell you is that his friend/rapper Bugus had rich parents of African heritage that passed away and left Bugus and his brother a huge fortune. Russ was their friend and that money was used for all of them to live very comfortably while pumping lots of money into Russ' career the average person (or, "independent artist") does not have.

[@HUNGRYFLOWER98]

My homie told me he went to school wit his sister. U are speakin facts!!!!

[@TrippYMVTT]

How isn’t that indie?

[@Shazzyhtown]

Exactly. You also need to have GOOD CREDIT to get that kind of money from the bank. How many Americans period have strong enough credit history for that?? He is the exception.

[@tylerd1297]

@@TrippYMVTT it is, I'm just saying comparing Russ to the average independent artist and being like "you can too!" Is kinda misleading

[@officialonyxobsidian]

Show proof.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

I always appreciate ANY musician who owns all their masters (even if I’m not a fan of their music).

[@yashvardhan7433]

Bro listen to chomp 2 it's an secret album of the year

[@3TBrax]

Yo I own all my shit I’m currently on no record deal 3 look me up

[@t6amygdala]

even better if they’re not signed at all or just with a distribution deal like Bones’ deal with empire where the label doesn’t even hear or see the music till it’s ready to drop & they have no say in it

[@murdarichblood7603]

Facts 💯

[@jayc5756]

Like some ppl said b4...owning something not worth much...what's the purpose?? Its not even that serious. Thats what an advance is for bruh. Owning your masters ain't that serious

[@huzaffaqazi1480]

Can’t forget the story of Frank Ocean escaping his deal with Def Jam and getting $20 million afterwards

[@DWhite205]

its crazy because NO ONE talks about it, the man really finessed the game to the fullest

[@liljj2390]

@@DWhite205 of course no one gone talk about this. It’s damaging to all record labels no matter how prowess their history with these artists is. The best artists signed, especially in the hip hop genre is: artists who hate education so bad, and appease to the dangerous environment that they choose to love living in. No reinforcements to divert them from the street, all authoritative figures in their personal lives are blatantly occupied. These are facts so as for Frank Ocean, a lot of people don’t know this, his mom is a businesswoman and has had a cosmetic establishment way before Frank was even born. Look it up I’m not making this up. So these labels will NEVER go after the parents or potential artists, who has a status like that. It’s easier to go after the one who HATE they jobs and will do anything to get out of the “hood” even if it means sacrificing the happiness of they own children. So shout out to Frank ocean and his mom. And my condolences to bruh.

[@darnelldarden9429]

@@DWhite205 they don’t wanna put it in the textbooks lol

[@cookingwitchefzayy8830]

They don't talk about it cause more artists would do it frank is the goat for it

[@Gainsforlife]

Tons of industry artists talked about it. As well as this page themselves y’all sleep

[@cameronrobinsonart]

The saddest story to me is what happened to TLC. How can you be one of the biggest acts to ever come out ever in the history of musical acts and be broke. Something I've noticed is a lot of musical acts get out of contracts that are bad but they've already put out the best of the music that they're going to put out no matter how hard they try their best music was already produced. And they will never make as much off their new music. Nsync and Backstreet Boys have the same story. By the time they got out of their terrible contracts their biggest albums were behind them and the guy who produced then made all the money

[@beyoncee8052]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYbcn3-dlLBghZo it’s finally getting reveal

[@Datboidezz434]

Yoooo I heard they only got back 50k a year for 2 years after getting nearly 4 mil 😳 shiddd I’d be pissed too having to pay back all that

[@ElGuapo96]

Isn't TLC a cooking channel

[@mikebb1000]

If you honestly believe that TLC is one of the biggest acts ever, you may want to consider broadening your musical knowledge because they are not. Yes they were popular for a time, yes they had some hits, but to say that they were one of the biggest acts ever is laughable at best. Think….really think of all the music groups out there or were out there, and go back a little further than the 90s and early 2000. Maybe think outside of just hip hop and then try saying that they were one of the biggest, 😂they will never be in the hall of fame either

[@hustlehardtony]

This is all true!!! I intern at a label & worked my way up for 10 years learning the business of music. And they are definitely taking advantage of all artists, selling dreams & hope.

[@chip9589]

What’s your ig? (I’m deleting this comment if you respond)

[@hustlehardtony]

@@chip9589 HustleHardTony

[@BasilHumke-ru3bb]

@@chip9589 liar

[@kayvee5286]

A lot of rappers have less than a year shelf life. We have made rap like this. The masses wanted microwave music and the industry capitalized.

[@DrDoomBloom]

Underrated comment

[@dannywayne311]

This

[@SpyderBlackOfficial]

💯 💯 💯 💯 💯

[@bizzyrizzy4075]

I’ve been saying this !

[@Jay-jb2vr]

Damn

[@TheMackone66]

Master P , gave everybody the blueprint 30 Years ago, yet they still sign wack deals...oh well!!

[@keith819]

Facts, don't forget E-40 !

[@jaywyse7150]

@TuPerra Ma Dre know the story. Chamillionaire explained it. The record label (I believe it was a distribution company because he had his own label) tried to charge fees for the stuff master P paid for out of his own pocket after his successful album and tour runs. Master p thought since he saved them money they would give him the difference plus what he was owed for sales. They said no and knew he wouldn't have the capital or connections to prove it in court. P had the receipts and he knew they would be so greedy that they would loan him money again so he could have another successful run for the label. P said he had more artists and things he wanted to do, so they gave him like 30 mill to handle all these artists and projects. P just walked away with the money and there was nothing they could do about it because P had the receipts if they really wanted to take it to court. All the artists he signed may have felt robbed but oh well. Lesson: Everyone thinks that reading and understanding the contract is all you need. You need money to hire the people to enforce the contract. This is why labels like all these new poor wack rappers. They can forever sell you another artist while ripping them off because the artist is usually very poor. All those houses you see artist in are some rich white dude collecting rent from the artist they forced through contract to be there. It's a giant greedy game of thrones.

[@TheMackone66]

@TuPerra Ma Dre everybody say that once they blow all their money 💰🤑lmbo

[@deanbenford7363]

That was different, he had start up money in his pockets and he still dealt with labels. Priority distributed his cd's

[@mrjuse5470]

All he did was copy Michael Jackson. MJ laid out the blue print. P just bit the idea. Same way he bites other rappers lyrics and album names and damn near anything Tupac did. Only thing I respect about P is his money.

[@SharmV]

Only way you will beat the labels is doing everything yourself.

[@YoursTrulyRob]

Doing everything together

[@LilCurto]

@@YoursTrulyRob i feel you it jus be hard to find people to genuinely rock wit you when you making music. Trust me

[@Jay-ozo1]

@@YoursTrulyRob I guess you didn't get the video... There is no together!! You have to do it alone or you're gonna be getting cheated out your money dude

[@dannywayne311]

Trying man, definitely trying, good luck to each of us in their own hustles and creative processes

[@tommyg4842]

Like Russ lol

[@DelValleStudios]

Russ makes a point - but someone needs to address the fact that, even if you have the money to jumpstart your career - what about the connections to actual legit music marketing people. & actual radio people? Having the money is one thing but what about the connections & network of people who are actually going to do what they say.

[@saintperezmusic]

You can hire people who have these connections etc. but definitely a lot more work in being independent.

[@joseamador7]

0p0

[@sonicgems]

Honestly, find the people who work at that and hit them up on IG, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. The same with the people around them.

[@allaboutthemurzic]

Look up Money mans interview on saycheese He got rich before he started rapping He put 250k of his own money at the start to market his career and he took off Blogs, worldstar etc

[@kibzzinho2240]

Its the reason, however hard it is, we need to look at our art like a business and treat it that way. Take time to find a good co-founder/business partner...someone who is willing to study and learn the industry. There's enough hangers on who call themselves managers/team but havent attended a single workshop or conference in 12 months. If you have someone you have taken time to vet, who is willing to learn the industry you are already 50% there. And also...music industry sucks in general

[@iamdevilboy5976]

Dr. Dre said it back in 1996, after his departure from Death Row, the record business is the worst business you can get into.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yeh

[@artistaccount]

Then he became a label owner smh

[@Nisa-e8t]

The movie busniess is even worst

[@xRayKnows]

it’ll never stop. that advance money is too powerful of an influence for young disenfranchised minorities. we as a whole must educated ourselves and not take the bait. the history is plain as day as illustrated in this vid and throughout Hip-Hop history…

[@todorivanov2652]

Sadly you're right.They'd get the advance and head into the first jewelry store to get ''iced out''.

[@FuckAssName]

@@todorivanov2652 it’s the lifestyle that gets pushed; I think many people can say that they’ve thought of having that type of life as well. That shit really isn’t worth it, compared to what you could get after really owning it

[@jayc5756]

As long as you're smart, you're good. Nothing wrong with a record deal. To each their own. What fits 1 won't fit another, so it is what it is.

[@berserk1437]

The biggest and "best" artists are given their own record labels by their labels. Shows where the money and power lies

[@FirstnameLastname-yc2mt]

They get imprints, and even those usually are majority owned by the major. For instance, Lil Wayne only owned 49% of young money, Cash money owned the other 51%

[@twentyoneHz]

@@FirstnameLastname-yc2mt and whoever owns 51% or majority is the legal owner. it don’t matter if you own 49.9999% of the product, if you don’t own 50%, they own you.

[@FirstnameLastname-yc2mt]

@@twentyoneHz there are operating agreements you can sign to settle certain matters. But, essentially, yea, whoever is majority shareholder is technically the owner.

[@slim420-e8v]

The biggest and best get set up and cancelled and imprisoned and broke.

[@royalmcmorris1211]

@@slim420-e8v because of not using there own mind

[@michaelbarnes2617]

I got a cousin that’s an aspiring rapper and with the info I researched and learned, I beat him over the head with it. Always telling him to not sign the 1st deal you might get and always look out for your best interest cause the labels don’t. Also read everything and get your own lawyer, manager and accountant.

[@Thermolizer]

And when you start making serious bread, hire another accountant to double check the figures.

[@naturallyeccentric05]

Not just any accountant, a cpa

[@desmonides]

@@naturallyeccentric05 what’s a cpa?

[@Histerix]

Audit everything

[@wastedtalent666]

don’t worry he’ll never get a deal to sign 😂

[@ericdavidwallace]

Thank you for Posting this. The Truth. I want to remain independent, I really don't like the idea of doing all the hard work yourself, building an audience, then having some label notice you and say, "hey you're good enough for us to consider now". Then they just take advantage of you and sign you. Ridiculous.

[@brownsons]

Never ever sign with a major label. Just save up or get a bank loan and do it yourself.

[@RespectTheConglomerate]

Good take. The Hip hop genere needs to be reorginized. Start over from the ground up. Focus on doing Good Business with each other and stop running to big labels.

[@FortyFresh]

Hip Hop is the culture, Rap is the genre.

[@jayc5756]

Nothing wrong with labels bruh. Its just business. Gotta be smart about it. It is what it is.

[@xNxHero]

yo momma

[@emare7851]

Record labels in general need to. Anybody that’s stood up or outsmarted ends up ridiculed on tv and eventually dies

[@210UnderGroundRapper]

Thats with any genre bro….they in it for them not the artist….

[@todorivanov2652]

This what I been thinking too.With the power of internet,there's nothing a label can do for you that you can't do yourself.There are the web pages of services which will push your songs onto streaming services and pay you your royalties,social networks,KZbin.A record label deal nowadays is nothing more than a quick payday with 80% odds of you owing money forevermore.

[@derrienscott23]

There is more to it than this! You better have a big ass budget for yourself and still pray somebody buy ur song. The thing is a artist can’t do it by themselves u need a TEAM and if u want to reach certain heights you need a machine

[@jayc5756]

1 word....Relationships

[@jayc5756]

@@derrienscott23 Exactly

[@Uchihawallstreet]

@@derrienscott23 exactly! A team that would be doing research for you, build relationships, does marketing and take care of your financial system ect… An artist can’t just do all by themselves. A team your trust is a must.

[@xrpedro]

@@derrienscott23 bro you low key dropped a bar with that last sentence lol 👌🏽

[@Yeah8615]

They target low income people with this stuff. We gotta stop support these labels.

[@TacticalSteez]

All ppl gotta do is read for this to stop

[@brian1291]

Same about athletes.

[@genius179]

Not only that young too. Like it’s not a surprise a lot of these artists are signed by 21 or 22, they don’t know better. I’m not blaming them, it’s a lot to learn even if someone went to best schools, excelled, and graduated from a top university. There’s a reason these labels don’t try to get someone new at like 32 or something, it’s not because they are old because that’s not even old. It’s because it’s too difficult to take advantage of them

[@Octoberstorm333]

It’s very discouraging when we grow up idolizing artists and wanting to be them or like them and then learn about the shady business. Damn

[@TheVicV]

Great analysis! The music industry is a microcosm of how the geopolitical world works...

[@HeirWallace]

I remember a co-worker said “it’s easy to get into music you just gotta be good” literally almost died right there. My wife and I have BEEN better it’s a grind to make it on your own, especially since they built it to where you kinda need them.

[@JustMe-ws2pe]

but you don't... stay independent.

[@lionheart4529]

Don’t be stupid. Stay away from the small hats.

[@KingBabaJames]

You don't have to be good. Most of mainstream music today are garbage 🗑. They just have to choose you, to promote. You can make the best music. But without marketing and promotion it's nothing.

[@keem7910]

@@KingBabaJames facts I started doing music and learn this. Music is all promotion nothing else.

[@fritzthekidd]

@@keem7910 I’m tryna put out a bunch of music out first, then focus on straight promotion of my brand. That way people discover my catalogs

[@whatwhat9004]

Russ really tried to make it sound like a bank will just give anybody hundreds of thousands in a LOC just because you ask them to. Smdh. Never listen to someone who oversimplifies the process of acquiring money because it’s never that simple. Not to mention the fact he referred to the LOC as “his” money. That is still the banks money until you pay them back the principle and the interest on it.

[@KhidrJoseph]

Clearly, this is a complicated issue. Russ isn’t teaching a financial literacy course; he’s just giving people advice.

[@jayc5756]

Yeah, I been seen through some of Russ bs. Most of his shit I believe...although the difference with me is I respect other's mind and business...unlike him. But other times, he do be saying bs Just to try to over-prove his point.

[@whatwhat9004]

@@KhidrJoseph Giving people bad advice because doing what he said is not as cut and dry as he tried to put it. Most rappers who are trying to come up in the rap game would get laughed at by a bank if they tried to do what he said.

[@axolb8806]

Business credit not personal credit

[@whatwhat9004]

@@axolb8806 I didn’t say personal credit. A business LOC is actually far more difficult to obtain than a personal LOC too.

[@wargjdenneiy1235]

Record labels can offer opportunities most indie labels can't, such as major promotion, music streaming bumpers, national advertising, radio plays, etc. If popular singers and rappers such as Youngboy, Olivia Rodrigo, or Lil nas had remained independent, I don't think they would have had the international stardom

[@YrnSimba]

True

[@taylorstep8135]

Bing bong

[@deanbenford7363]

Not true, viral songs usually blow up independently then a label comes in with an offer

[@21_God]

Olivia rodrigo was put on by disney since she was a kid, same as miley, selena and others, but you right on Yb and lil nas

[@danteklein7735]

Olivia fraudrigo Disney plant🤮🤢

[@kdbeaut]

Just found this channel and it’s literally speaking to the background conversations I have. Thank you for voicing this content!

[@richardcheese4680]

A lesser known artist in my country once said that you make way more money selling 10.000 independent than millions with a label.

[@notaflightreactsfan3706]

Thank you once again, this and the jewelry video is hitting, please keep doing more of these type of "scam" videos the young generation need to learn this asap if they want to pursue a career in this business

[@FirstnameLastname-yc2mt]

It's not as much of a scam as it is a business looking out for themselves. If you sign a bogus contract, that's on you. The artists need to have their own lawyers and *negotiate* , otherwise, they will sign bogus contracts. The same for sports, that's why athletes have agent's and often hold out for better contracts, or if they don't get a good one, sign elsewhere. These guys gotta stop signing just because a contract was put in their face

[@lilyluh]

@@FirstnameLastname-yc2mt yeah... it's a scam. They need to keep exposing it. Upcoming artists need to know there's other ways. When they're young and broke, they don't have access to that type of lawyers, probably why they take the ones provided to them. And when they get signed they have no way to know if they're gonna be successful or how big they're gonna be so they will most likely always take the advance money and the cars and willingly enslaved themselves for the decade to come. I'm sure there's a way for the labels to make profit without screwing the artists over. It happened to too many artists to say that's just on them. From MJ, Prince, TLC, ... the part where they keep the artist in debt so they can keep recouping from the artist out of pocket expenses, seems like a scam to me. Once those practices become common knowledge and people still signed those 360° deals, then we can say it's on them.

[@FirstnameLastname-yc2mt]

@@lilyluh @lilyluh you undermined your argument by saying the artist doesn't know if they're going to be successful or not. 90% of artist don't make the label any money, that's why you see the big time acts constantly exposed. It's not because they're just so popular they get pushed as much as they do, their income is needed to cover the other 90% who don't make money. Additionally, you sound juvenile saying they'll take the advance and cars. An advance is a loan, so they probably shouldn't go and get custom jewelry, and the cars they can sell, actually. They want to live lavishly, which is part of the problem. And stop saying "enslaved" I'm tired of black people calling everything slavery, I'm assuming your black. Work hard, it's slavery, sign to a sports team, it's slavery. Sign to a label, it's slavery. Slaves could be beaten, legally killed, raped, have their children taken from them, lived in poor conditions, ate the scraps of animals, had to ask permission to leave the property, were the property of another human being. Signing a bad contract doesn't make you a slave, it makes you stupid. As far as the artists you mentioned, idk the full context of their deals, but Mj died with a net worth of $350 mil I believe, TLC is a group and money has to be split up among the group members, that's why Ice Cube left NWA cuz he realized he could make more money as a solo act. The music industry is a shady business, and they'll throw in whatever they can to make more money, but it's not illegal. Something that's a scam is illegal, if an artist reads the terms and conditions and agrees to sign it's not a scam, because the details of the deal were in the contract. A scam is something which is purposefully misleading, and 360 deals exist today because no one buys CDs anymore so the label needs a way to recoup money from an artist. As I stated, its up to the artist to negotiate. If a deal is that bad, then don't sign. A label can offer you anything, but if I can sell ice to an Eskimo I'm not scamming anybody, he knew what he was getting

[@lilyluh]

@@FirstnameLastname-yc2mt 90% seems like a lot of bad artistic and executive decisions on the labels parts, but I will assume that you know what you're talking about and leave it to that. So it is juvenile to recognize that it is human nature to be swayed by huge flow of cash and shining objects, especially when you come from nothing? Now you sound clueless. If you can give me another term that explains best the concept of working your ass of, giving your best, your talent, your skills, only to see someone else reaping the benefits and giving you peanuts for your hard work, I'll be glad to use it from now on. A scam: an illegal OR dishonest SCHEME.

[@lilyluh]

@@FirstnameLastname-yc2mt if after you sold him that ONE ice cream the Eskimo has to keep paying you or providing with the ice and the flavors for your ice creams, you pretty much scammed him

[@siphosimwanza4429]

Russ talking about getting a line of credit is a joke. How's an 18 year old kid from the hood with no credit score to talk about supposed to get a line of credit for half a mil? 🤷🏾‍♂️. His intentions are good, but they're not rooted in reality.

[@HUNGRYFLOWER98]

FACTS!!!! white privilege 🤣🤣🤣

[@WrestlingIsReal649]

Fact he doesn’t understand because he white black people cant get Loan like that 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

[@ME-tn6cf]

He just say shit that sound nice lol

[@ricklewis2845]

He had a rich friend so he wasn’t independent he friend invested in him

[@deanbenford7363]

To be fair he said he took that route after he had made it.

[@Ladycam]

The only issues I had with record labels/ distribution is that they didn't pay me even though the deal was good and I got more percentage. Now how can an upcoming artist afford a lawyer for that kind of stuff?? so that's another trap. But once the big money come in I'm getting mine. Thats why I had to re release a few projects just to get something from it, so it wouldn't be a total loss. I produced and wrote the whole project. On top of that my cd was in fye, best buy ect.... I have stories bro

[@MembersOnly21]

Cool story bro

[@ProfessionalAzzhole]

DAMN....ive seen first hand what they do to thirsty ass women , even male artists! hope yeen get caught up in them mansion parties and being passed around like all the others smh wicked game if yeen got SELF RESPECT & MORALS.....FUCK THE GAME DONT LET THE GAME FUCK YOU -Nelly

[@ONETEE.HENDRIX]

What’s up lemme learn from ya then

[@RunningWolf-qu5cr]

Always own ya masters, neva give them away for peanut promises

[@tr3xbaybay724]

Please tell us more

[@TheMPExperience]

Thank you for this video. I have been so curious why so many artist are still signing these shitty deals. The truth is most artist getting promoted now, didn't come from poverty, they are middle or upper class; no matter what the narrative is. So they have family, friends, or parents, who probably could get a loan to launch a career. This also probably is why we don't have more artist coming out of poverty and a lot of fakes. Its all about capitalism.

[@new.romance999]

Been thinking this for some time, glad to see someone with this idea. Music hasn't got bad trough the years like a lot of old people say, but you can tell there's a serious lack of soul in most of the songs, specially since the 2008 crisis. People do not realize how expensive is to produce good quality music, there's education you have to take for that or have the time (not have a job) to learn it by yourself. With music we are hearing normally someone's else experience/feelings, and nowadays they come from boring middle-upper class people with their most wild experience was a trip to paris. Hard to find an artist who couldn't pay the rent or worked 60h at mcdonals. They're just part of the elite. All good, professional looking, respectable boring people.

[@torachan23]

TLC was calling men scrubs while fighting bankruptcy themselves

[@ToLovelyJesus]

Y’all still not over that?

[@Calledgameee]

There is a lot of money in this business. The label will do everything in their power to prevent artist going independent. Look for instance how spotify blackballed the independent Tory Lanez from playlists, while Travis is still on every playlist

[@mannytaylor6923]

2021 VISION 🤔

[@mannytaylor6923]

2022 VISION BIG FACTS ....(ANYTHING) THEY WILL KNOCK YOU OFF 🤷‍♂️

[@qoncertapp]

Don't play their game, it's rigged anyway! How about performing live? Come check us out.

[@Just.S]

“Industry rule number four-thousand-and-eighty; Record company people are shady”

[@brojonsan9987]

💯

[@dasdestomic1636]

Q-Tip's knowledge will be cemented in hip-hop culture til the end of time

[@mynameisdub6232]

I don’t even listen to the Tribe and that’s my era but that line will ALWAYS stand out lol

[@BKLYN_TZU]

I'm glad someone pointed out using Russ as a blue print it works for him because he is Caucasian that wouldn't work for a black or a Latino artists so it's ridiculous to use him as an example for success

[@JWill951]

@Wolfgang Rotz he does have a point though. Your average person won't be able to get a 500k credit line approval from a bank especially if their credit isn't good. Russ is already a multi millionaire so the bank knows he'll be able to pay it back so it's not a big risk for them

[@Kidz24]

I'm a bit skeptical of this... Banks look at your stream of income. If you make 100k a month legally they will give you any massive line of credit. I can't see any bank not giving Jay-Z or Diddy a huge line of credit because they're black. These institutions care about 1 color and that's green. Unfortunately, people who don't make a ton of money believe on that level that they'll let racism stop them from making money. As long as they're able to make money they don't give a shit if you're even a pedophile or a murderer.

[@liveking12]

Race has nothing to do with your potential success as a independent artist, there are literally tons of examples of successful black independent artist. It's just that some artist take clout over money and would rather sigh than build from scratch. All the excuses made in this video for why artist don't go independent are false. It's really just ignorance of the business and fear of failure. This is literally the best time in music history to do this shit yourself.

[@BKLYN_TZU]

@Wolfgang Rotz Wolfgang Rotz Bla bla bla sis boom bah shut you corny ass up race and racism is real and as the other commenter said they would give Russ the money off GP because they know he could pay it back

[@jaywyse7150]

@@liveking12 name a hyper successful independent black artist?

[@MillionaireJoe]

Here’s the part that everybody leaves out…you may not need a label, but you definitely need a machine! It’s just like any other business…the middle is the death area You can grind out in the beginning and generate buzz…and once you pop you can maintain that independently. But it’s scaling in the middle that’s the hard part and that’s the place where a lot of artist die You still need marketing You still need promotion You still need PR You still need tour support in order to scale THAT’S why some artist who blow up independent still end up signing a deal at some point So you may not need a label…but you do need a bag and a team of some sort to make that happen. It’s like the difference between selling T-shirts out of your trunk, and then selling them in boutiques, and blowing up…but now you want them in Macys. But you don’t have money to print 50,000 shirts for an order. So at that point you need help

[@MikeLARRY-rp4ml]

BETTA GET UNDER THA RIGHT UMBRELLA..

[@crosswiz6]

I think like u need to do a video on this subject every month or couple of months. Always updating and shedding light into new scams, pitfalls, tricks etc. Knowledge is power 💪🏼

[@RapIsTherapy500]

It's a damn shame that artists gotta go through shit like this. SMH

[@tonekquajones8034]

They didn't have to they make a foolish choice

[@brown-eyedcheese5440]

Tonekqua Jones whos side you on?

[@paige6488]

@@brown-eyedcheese5440 both and I don't blame her. Everyone in the industry could've finesse but they didnt

[@issavibez394]

Their dumbass fault

[@GuessWhatHappened1]

There arent any sides its all business

[@RobGradyVO]

I agree on all the parts in this video. the one thing I'll say on the contrary to anything is that the Entire of the Music Industry isnt just the artists. Everyone needs to get paid aside from the people who sing or rap on the tracks. What we need to hold companies to is accountability about their Transparency. We need to teach people young and old Financial and Deal/legal Literacy so that we dont have one way deals, because No ones Road is paved Alone.

[@beyoncee8052]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYbcn3-dlLBghZo it’s finally getting reveal

[@abdallasa7077]

They day record deals are unnecessary is the day loans are unnecessary. That'll never happen.

[@QBello-un5nd]

Unfortunately….. this is facts

[@WrestlingIsReal649]

Straight facts 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@emceeunderdogrising]

All you gotta do is have more than 2 million in your bank. Easy.

[@seeyoucu]

@@emceeunderdogrising 😭😭

[@sergf3624]

As you clock in for your 9 to 5 you all getting mad for someone who is richer than you will ever be lol

[@LordKaraOfficial]

Im glad its "The Biggest Scam in Hip Hop" because other titles just say "biggest scam in music". For me, I come from the EDM genre. It hurts when I read those titles. Idk what else to put, but I'm glad I found a more specific video, thanks

[@jarjar808]

crazy how much the industry is being exposed recently

[@issavibez394]

Ye everything has a connection

[@stronkman9157]

This has been happening decades ago

[@TheRealNativeSun]

I grew up with Kevin Liles in Baltimore and as a kid he was always about his business. When he become the President of Def Jam he would still come back to see his mom. I told him about how I wanted to be a producer and he gave me some wise words about the industry that didn’t make sense when I was 16 but it does now. I never used his name to get in and did it independently and made little feats on my own. Stay independent. Even if you flop your soul will stay intact. He’s on some other level but we still have love for him. 💯

[@The-PaperChase-NETwork]

U mind sharing what he said 🤔

[@mtdubdachamp6917]

Signed a deal before, worst mistake of my life. But I'm not mad it was a lesson learned. Had I had the financial wisdom I could've bounced back alot faster.

[@LeonithOneil]

how you even got a record deal with 73 subscribers bro

[@wazzupmydawgz60]

@@LeonithOneil cuz he don't lol

[@scj1668]

@@wazzupmydawgz60 bros most viewed song Has like 2000 views he got no damn deals

[@blackjay3771]

Actually getting a secured line of credit isn’t difficult for anyone. If you already have the money in the bank, the bank will definitely do the loan. I guess they’re speaking to dudes with no money walking up and asking for a bank loan. If you’re a Black rapper? Yeah that’s a tough sell. Racism is a beast in the finance industry. But if you already have the dough? Yeah. They’ll do it.

[@selanryn5849]

So, it's easy to get a loan if you don't need a loan. Brilliant.

[@blackjay3771]

@@selanryn5849 well if you listened to that one dude, that’s how he got it.

[@rareflowermami]

@@selanryn5849 if u peep n learn more ironically yea lol

[@BIGMONEYMEDIA]

Ain’t with a secured line of credit you only spend your own money you put in?

[@justincherry1116]

Joe Buddin went in parent mode on Boat ah sounded like parents when kids wanna to quit College

[@steven3hunnid446]

On God😂😂 like calm yo ahhh down😭😭

[@buddhull]

DJ Paul & Juicy J are the ideal prototypes of how to do it right as an independent-to-major artist who largely maintains control of their life’s work. Not getting signed before their biggest years gave them all the leverage in the world. If anybody is interested, I recommend the old essay “The Problem With Music” by Steve Albini. He couldn’t be further from a rap figure/renaissance man but he wrote it about the independent punk/alt bands in the 80s/90s who got swindled by their own “huge” major label deals and it remains relevant in discussing the industry’s shifty ways. Whether you like the guy or not, he writes it from the perspective of a person who wants more for artists and does what he can to help you see why you should hold yourself to a higher standard than a large advance. In most situations it’s literally for your future’s sake. But like this video implies, major record labels, producers and A&R shark types take advantage of hungry kids and struggling adults, that’s not limited to rap either. Advances are largely misleading loans with heavy interest rates and dig artist’s in holes before they’ll be able to make anything at all. Don’t get me started on “points” for all the label people who inserted their own ideas into the creation of the music either, shit is wack too. Power to the creators, fuck the system as it is, record yourself, publish yourself, produce yourself and name a high price.

[@bizztheprince2788]

It’s not just Hip-Hop, it’s the whole industry especially pop music. Watch a movie titled “Cadillac Records”

[@ImDino]

As long as the labels have a handfull of happy (successful) campers there is always a line of desperate artists who'll fall for their tricks

[@nonyabusiness2032]

You're signing for the connections you'll make in the industry. That's the key. They know people who know people. Which is why it's harder independent.

[@nonyabusiness2032]

@@theodorerobert6579 right. Not saying it wasn't possible. The connections I was talking about were movie producers, writers, advertising deals w/ business folk. The thing that broadens the artist music above the music industry. Signing with a major record label, you can become huge internationally in under 3 years. (Depending how hard they work and how talented they are) of course, record labels have its cons. But so do independent artist / labels. An independent artist reach isn't the same as the major record labels. Not to say independent don't have pros either. They get most of the returns. Although, typically, it takes them longer to be noticed worldwide.

[@BigPeeOfficial]

@@theodorerobert6579 it's not that easy though

[@rd_eli]

@@theodorerobert6579 aint no way that 60% who listened to your song is gonna pay 1 buck for it. In 2022. Come on

[@rd_eli]

@@theodorerobert6579 when did u bought music of off ur first listen? Even if its 2 cents ppl need to be a fan to go trough the process

[@rd_eli]

@@theodorerobert6579 when did u buy a piece of music for the last time. And if u need four listenings that means that u get a quarter of what u just named, if everybody does it. Artists make money of touring and merch. Selling music doesnt make enough profit Edit:spelling

[@JR0Rider]

This Ak breakdown was flawless! Every artist should watch this.

[@HemiLyfestyle]

Exactly but people don't like Ak even when he speaking facts!

[@TakBonez]

Punk bands realized this crap years ago and made thier own record labels. Most punk labels treat thier bands with respect, but some have turned into this type of corporate record label.

[@seeyoucu]

Thank you for this video. More people need to discuss and know about this robbery!

[@extramagnus4528]

If they actually read that piece of paper and listened to almost every artist before them, they wouldn't be getting "robbed"

[@Thugnificent36072]

As a dude I know said, “find what you love and do that”. Definitely do you above all and find the path that suites you for you. Most def easy for artists these days to make it but it is all about determination for sure

[@WrestlingIsReal649]

This why Russ get so much hate smh 😭😭😭😭

[@memyopinionsche6610]

Even the independent record companies claim they are totally legit. But then to find out they're just as shady and corrupt.. It's all about the money and the greed behind it.

[@KingsForLife40]

Thank you so much for keeping me on game

[@sphynxeastwood]

One of the reasons why drake or kanye can't retire cause they don't own their masters.

[@deanbenford7363]

Almost no artist owns their masters though.

[@21_God]

Kanye can buy them they just don’t want to sell them to him, i think Jay z was in the same position

[@sphynxeastwood]

Ok

[@ygo900]

@@21_God nah Jay-Z bought his years back for like 5 million.

[@maximbelmont4641]

@@ygo900 naw Jay spent the $5 million to buy his out of that last album on Def Jam. He owe them one last album...and because he was still a 'CEO' at that time L.A. Reid basically gave him his master's afterwards. I'm pretty sure we both know Jay master's would be worth more than 5 mill.

[@neotyro8874]

Thx for this man! I'm independent, and I'm gonna stay like that! I Got a label, and making money without having to rely on anyone👊🙏

[@LacedBacon]

Always have a trustworthy entertainment lawyer read over any contracts before you sign. And don't use any lawyer that the label provides because they work hand in hand.

[@deanbenford7363]

Isn't there some company that provides that service to artists? Seems like in the woke era there would be.

[@metalhed2892]

Giving artists gifts as a way of distracting them from what they are owed is an old scam. Chess Records was notorious for doing this to guys like Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and Willie Dixon back in the day. Leonard Chess would "give" his artists a Cadillac so that they could go out on tour, then take the cost of the car out of the royalties that he owed them. When Muddy wanted to buy a house, Chess "took care of it" for him, and kept him tied to the label. The one guy this didn't work on was Howlin' Wolf, who refused to accept anything from Chess Records that wasn't his rightfully earned royalty check.

[@hassanfaredali5706]

I lost my mom 4 years ago and listening to Oloff's 'Doing It Stealthy' really helped me process my emotions

[@kylerodgers3608]

Young Dolph realized early on there’s a lot of money to make in this rap game and label “advances” are really just pennies long term compared to what you can make staying independent. #PRE

[@channonj5780]

Funny Artist like Young Dolph and NIP HUSSLE who was pushing independence with a strong blue print always seem to get murdered in their own hoods?

[@andrewhall3171]

U just earned a fan homie. Keep on pushin. Great content

[@Kkayy020]

Label won’t allow you to think smart it’s against their terms 🤣

[@ArKaneAcrumProductions]

fr thats insane

[@stepfunace6208]

this is why artists should stay independent

[@ename588]

Great video! I was always confused on how success was celebrated as soon as a label loaned an artist hundreds of thousands of dollars. It don't mean nothing.

[@keenanbillings3877]

Here’s another great example,the entire beat leasing industry(Beatstars)is predicated on the fact that most artists are NEVER going to make it.Because if it is as truly easier for artists to make it in the internet era as many people claim,than producers would only sell exclusive liscenses,think about it🤔

[@gedasbeet]

If producers only sold exclusive licenses, they'd be missing out on $, though. Everyone and their mother wants to make music, and unsurprisingly, a lot of these people are just not good - but they'll still pay for the beats.

[@andresciahooten9598]

Some of these rappers that are independent are selfish because they don’t want to teach people how to make it

[@yashvardhan7433]

Russ teaches every time in his ig and interview it's just industry don't want to show you the rap. Pages tbh

[@todorivanov2652]

People should just sit down and dedicate a bit of time to research.Because everything is out there,it only has to be looked for.Stories of bad deals,contents of a typical record deal contract,ways in which they can fuck you over.It's a matter of wanting to learn.

[@taylorstep8135]

Why would you give your competition free game.

[@thebrokenhomes]

tip: you get to the point where a label is interested in you, they offer you an advance. say its £100k. IF you have the people around you running stuff properly, you can go into a bank OR find an investor and explain your situation to get that same £100k with giving less away. Remember, the house always wins. Also, if they think they can throw 100k at you is 'cos they can make that back plus lots more without trying. The majors are full of incompetent people but endless supplies of money because they count what they made and not what they spent. This is only starting to get looked at now that Warner and Universal have floated

[@lovelyluxeco4202]

I am so done with the mainstream industry. Amen. 👁

[@chikefredrick813]

“If they’re prepared to give you 600 grand that’s because they think you’re gonna make 2 mil” is some powerful stuff

[@sadiqyesufu3050]

Regardless of what this video says, any musician gullible or stupid enough to think they don’t need a label because millionaires like Meek Mill and Lil Uzi who made those millions by signing to a label told them so isn’t going to make it in the industry anyway. Russ makes it sound like a bank will just give you 100k because you asked and even if they did I guarantee most people wouldn’t know how to spend it effectively

[@traplover6357]

Independence is the way to go, but people need to learn how to get into playlists without labels. That's the real issue.

[@mrsoso5500]

Guys, the music industry is built on selling a marketable product. When labels sign 50 artists a month, they have to gamble a lot on marketing costs to boost that artist's career and hope that in 5 years they can get a return on investment enough to support the rest of the artists. The success rate of most artists to blow up largely enough to turn a profit in at least 1 continent is less than 5%. Smaller labels have to give out 360 deals because of the amount of debt they take on to get good enough staff to pump the artist forward. I hate that labels always get the brunt without the consideration. Obviously most companies will take advantage of the artists in order to fully profit in the long run but that is just business everywhere.

[@officialonyxobsidian]

As long as theres stupid, broke, greedy, artists alive, labels will thrive.

[@e5141981]

Music artist have been saying thats for AGES, yet people continue to sign deals. So i dont feel bad for these artists at all.

[@terror904]

They came from the hood,ghetto & when they see a 3M deal they sign it without thinking & reading most of these artist are young teenagers who tryna move their family out of the hood. So stfu rich white boy

[@liljj2390]

When you’re in a environment you’re forced to adapt to in coming of age, you’ll jump to this conclusion, because you can’t see yourself at the time and more importantly 10 years from now on a different path. Because let’s keep it a HUNDO, young people see materialistic things as a norm more than a career that is tangent, which is who you don’t see doctors and lawyers that promote name brands….u will ALWAYS SEE RAPPERS doing that. So no matter how many independent artists you see in the rap game, you’ll see way more artists with deals signed. These are facts

[@playboyfantasy4400]

I wanna be a singer when I grow up so these videos are helpful in a way .

[@ShvdøwMvge]

You keep working at it! I guarantee you one day you will achieve it!!

[@lovely1762]

The saying goes "All that glitters ain't gold" this is a lesson for aspiring artists hire your own lawyer and read between the lines or study entertainment law online or college to outsmart/beat the system like a game of chess. Always be two steps ahead of your opponent which is the music industry.

[@bmar_music]

My guy Russ right in the center, one of the leaders of independence in the music industry 🙏🏽🏁

[@edwardnygma2702]

E-40, Mac Dre, and Tech N9ne never signed for a major record deal even before social media.

[@user-ob9zo9cr4c]

cool but how many artists in any genre getting mainstream shit without label? not so many at all

[@CatDribble]

I think the issue comes in when you have an artist see a record deal and go this will help me get to the next level, they look at it as a skip/cheat code going with the label takes stuff off their plate and allows them to focus more on the music, just get done what they need to and leave the rest to the label, this might not always be the case, but an artist wants to make music, they most likely don't want to run ads, buy merch, set up tours, deal with legal work, set up their own company to get paid through, file taxes, when you see that big ass list you go oh shit fuck that, I'll give a label my stuff, get a nice payout and just make music. it's hard work either way, but what their time is invested in is different.

[@GuessWhatHappened1]

I will say artist being in dept is terrible and shouldnt happen. But i dont Necessarily believe the order should make the most money off their music.

[@christianinfante8657]

The $uicideboy$ are a great example of being independent

[@iyamwhite3931]

My Mom told me in 1987 when i worked at McDonalds, "Slick Rick wishes he was you Son,you have more money than he has.His chains really aren't real they're just a front for the girls."

[@Trentstone121]

Record companies have been scammin artists literally since they first became a thing. This isn't new, and it's nowhere near a hip hop only problem. At this point, if you don't know that record labels are scams, you shouldn't be in this business.

[@DavidKen878]

Are you in the business?

[@dutchpackdior2178]

Every upcoming artist should study this shit.

[@emceeunderdogrising]

What people aren't noticing is how the label mentality has leaked into the underground. Corporations want to own everything. They make tons of money just off stealing revenue through content id systems. They basically destroyed sampling. Everything they do is designed to take more and more. Sometimes from artists not even on labels. Abusing the shit out of copyright law. Even some beat makers are using contracts to screw small artists. It takes a rapper $1000 to make one track professionally. $300 for the exclusive contract for the beat. $200 to record it. $200 to master it. $300 to promote it. They only get one chance to make a hit. Most your time is spent dealing with bullshit instead of actually making music.

[@toneallday5468]

D.J. Envy is worth millions ands said he couldnt take out a business loan from his bank. Russ got the complexion for the connections. Thats why he was getting booked on real tours. White artist can be easily insured.

[@SpeedyUsher]

💯🎯 This is why Russ can't be taken seriously by the hip hop community.

[@gradydunnicanjr9132]

Joe Budden literally told lil boat the industry agendas if he was in a 360. These artists not too smart these days. I miss the early 00s and 90s

[@SouthernEmperor]

Those artists don’t want to hear any of this. They want to be in the industry and famous. Not knowing they are going to be famous and broke.

[@callmemrbombastic1903]

This subject is really deeper than just rap! This exposes all industries not just the rap one! Keyword is industry. They all have bullshit models designed to keep the most important piece at the bottom. Which in all cases is the worker. They do the work that brings in the funds but they get the crumbs! It's a dirty game that shouldn't even be referred to as such, because games are ment to be fun. These industries are far from fun to partake in!

[@honorablevillainy9188]

In other words, DON’T SIGN TO A LABEL.

[@imJGott]

unpopular opinion: record labels arent scams, here's why. most artist that dont like the deals they signed boils down to one thing. reading the contract they signed and or understanding the language in the contract. most of these artist dont read their contracts fully to completely understand what they are signing. i suggest them hire a lawyer to go over the contract with you to fully understand what youre about to sign and if you agree with the terms.

[@lazybee1629]

ignorantly agreeing to partake in something that's a scam doesn't mean that thing is not a scam.

[@vincentpaula3184]

**an independent lawyer**

[@skateorpie]

I get what you’re saying but you have to put into perspective that a lot of these artists are still basically kids getting signed at 16 - 19 and have no idea of how financials work. They don’t have any money to even get a lawyer and these labels know that and that’s why they go for the vulnerable artist who can’t even put food on the table. It’s predatory

[@AmandaabnamA]

That literally is exploitation any way you put it. Especially because the labels know 100% what they're are doing, what the gifts and show looks like to make as much money for them - it's legit their business model. Wtf

[@imJGott]

@@AmandaabnamA Crazy when rappers rap about scamming folks and now the scammers are scamming them. Karma? Maybe. But they really need to read the contract, understand it and negotiate.

[@obinnamojekwu]

It’s videos like this that make me want to keep KZbin. Definitely have a subscriber in me

[@jankahl3462]

What a great video! Very informative and super well put together. I always had a hunch that this was kind of how it worked but this really broke it down.

[@xfinancialservices4021]

The best thing to do is build your personal credit or business credit, apply for line of credit or loan to fund your project...Keep your masters and repeat...Record label ain't shit but banks in music industry...All they do is borrow money from banks and charge you a higher interest rate while the banks charging them a lower interest rate.

[@llxqzs]

not just hip hop, literally the entire music industry