How Come Many Hip Hop Rappers Always End Up Complaining About Record Contracts?

[Numero Uno]

Why is it that there is always many Hip Hop rappers who end up complaining about record contracts and how their record label isn't treating them nice?

Is it that many Hip Hop artists are that illiterate or they have entertainment lawyers who set them up for failure, or maybe they wouldn't be able to afford an entertainment attorney when approached by a music publishing company and a record label.

 

[Lenard]

Don't you know a lot of rappers stay worried about getting money, fame and slay queens but miss the business part of the music industry itself. That’s why you should have an experienced entertainment lawyer present before signing million dollar documents.

All recording contracts presented to the artist are always written skewed in favor of the record label because from their perspective business comes first before the cars, clothes and socialites. It's up to the artist or songwriter to make negotiations if they come across terms they don't like in the record deal.

 

[Scorpio]

But them music lawyers are just as shady as the record companies too. Sometimes music attorneys they be trying to find loopholes in the record deal so they can get a percentage of the contract earnings if there is any.

 

[Black Panther]

You know young rappers don’t listen cause any advice given is seen as someone “hating" on them. Especially if the music business advice is coming from the old heads.

 

[Scorpio]

You know young rappers don’t listen cause any advice given is seen as someone “hating" on them. Especially if the music business advice is coming from the old heads.

That’s why it’s important to have an education.

 

[Black Panther]

That’s why it’s important to have an education.

Or at least getting a lawyer to read through your record contracts and break it down for you to understand what you’re getting into before you sign to a record company.

 

[Borrowdale Barron]

New rappers are likely to get 360 deals which basically means the record label gets a cut of everything which isn’t a good deal in the long run especially if you blow up and your music career starts popping.

 

[Numero Uno]

New rappers are likely to get 360 deals which basically means the record label gets a cut of everything which isn’t a good deal in the long run especially if you blow up and your music career starts popping.

Aren't music 360 deals suppose to come to an end like after releasing 5 albums or 6 albums?

 

[Scorpio]

Aren't music 360 deals suppose to come to an end like after releasing 5 albums or 6 albums?

360 contracts take a percentage of everything the artist (or songwriter) does in life, then they put a clause which might say the artist can't stop making music unless they die or become gravely injured or mentally ill.

Eventually some music artists end up signing a slave contract with a record company which is why artists end up doing heavy drugs or releasing music under new names. Because the only other way out of a slave deal is dead or paying hundreds of thousands in legal fees going back and forth with the record company.