Culture

Atlantic Records Under Fire For Underpaying Producers by Retitling Albums as ‘Mixtapes’

Published

6 years ago

January 3, 2018

Earlier this week, Atlantic Records was accused of allegedly underpaying producers by retitling albums as ‘mixtapes.’

According to Wiz Khalifa’s frequent producer, E. Dan – who makes one-third of the production trio, ID Labs – exposed the record label in an interview with BeatStars stating that Atlantic Records underpays producers by retitling rappers’ albums as “mixtapes,” “street albums,” or “compilation albums.”

Producing the records “Lit” featuring Ty Dola $ign, “Elevated,” and “iSay” featuring Juicy J to name a few off Wiz Khalifa‘s 2016 project Khalifa, E. Dan went into detail about the payment he received from Atlantic, explaining that the label paid him half than what he would normally charge for production.

The Khalifa album, I don’t know what they called it, a ‘street album?’ They came up with some really clever name that essentially meant, ‘Everyone involved, you’re going to get paid half what you normally do.’ I’ve seen it happen often over the last few years. Anything to save a buck for these labels.

Though he received a pay cut, E. Dans clarified in an open letter to DJ Booth that he knew what he was getting himself into:

I was happy to get paid what I did for the project. While not ideal, half of my usual rate for working on a Wiz Khalifa album is still a much better rate than I would get from a developing or indie artist’s album. I knew what I was getting into before it was put together and was literally given the choice to take less because that’s what the budget allowed or I could personally shut the project down if I was unhappy about the compensation because frankly, this was an album of mostly B-sides that no one was sure they wanted to release anyway.

BeatStars on Twitter: “.@WizKhalifa’s producer E. Dan (@IdlabsMusic) explains how record labels avoid paying producers + how Wiz’ loyalty got him beat placements 💯Exclusive interview with @DJPain1 + @BeatStars 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/qAgm430dE5 / Twitter”
@WizKhalifa’s producer E. Dan (@IdlabsMusic) explains how record labels avoid paying producers + how Wiz’ loyalty got him beat placements 💯Exclusive interview with @DJPain1 + @BeatStars 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/qAgm430dE5

Sonny on Twitter: “If you gonna call out Atlantic then you might as well call out all the labels because they all doing the same thing. Shit cash money was dropping actual albums and wasnt even paying the producers. You can’t just single out one party when all other parties doing the same. https://t.co/YaKPQfOgrn / Twitter”
If you gonna call out Atlantic then you might as well call out all the labels because they all doing the same thing. Shit cash money was dropping actual albums and wasnt even paying the producers. You can’t just single out one party when all other parties doing the same.

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Related Topics:Albums Atlantic Records Mixtapes Producers

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Drake Responds To Kendrick Lamar With New Diss ‘FAMILY MATTERS’

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1 week ago

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Drake Responds To Kendrick Lamar With New Song ‘FAMILY MATTERS’ miixtapechiick

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It’s been an entertaining two weeks as Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been sparring in a lyrical battle.

Since Kendrick’s diss towards Drake on Metro Boomin and Future‘s We Don’t Trust You track, “Like That,” Drake returned fire with two diss tracks titled, “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Kendrick Lamar then returned with two tracks towards Drake titled, “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA.”

The two rappers aren’t done yet, as Drake has just released his response to Kendrick titled “Family Matters.” On the diss track, things get personal as Drake brings up Kendrick’s wife, Whitney Alford.

“Say you hate the girls I fuck but what you really mean / I been with Black and white and everything in between / You the Black messiah wifing up a mixed queen / And hit vanilla cream to help out with your self-esteem.”

Drake also implies that Kendrick’s kids aren’t his, but are actually Dave Free’s, Kendrick Lamar’s longtime creative partner.

“Why you never hold your son and tell him say cheese / We could have left the kids out of this don’t blame me,” he raps.

“Our sons should go play at the park / Two light-skinned kids, that shit would be cute / Unless you don’t want to be seen with anyone that’s Blacker than you”

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Megan Thee Stallion’s Lawyer Calls Harassment Lawsuit ‘Salacious’

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2 weeks ago

April 25, 2024

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Megan Thee Stallion‘s lawyer, Alex Spiro, addressed the lawsuit filed by Megan Thee Stallion’s former cameraman Emilio Garcia, alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Spiro, in a statement to Page Six on Tuesday (April 23), dismissed the lawsuit as an opportunistic money grab and characterized it as an attempt to tarnish his client’s reputation.

“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” he said. “We will deal with this in court.”

The suit details an incident where Garcia allegedly found himself trapped in a moving SUV with Megan whileshe engaged in sexual activity with another woman during their time in Ibiza, Spain.

According to court documents, “The following day, STALLION inquired whether PLAINTIFF was in the SUV the previous night. PLAINTIFF confirmed that he was in the SUV. Subsequently, STALLION instructed, ‘Don’t ever discuss what you saw.’ STALLION berated and directed her fat-shaming comments towards PLAINTIFF such as ‘Fat Bitch,’ ‘Spit your food out,’ and that ‘You don’t need to be eating.’”

Garcia is seeking compensation of over six figures, Garcia’s lawsuit requests unpaid wages, overtime pay, and other benefits as per California labor laws, along with statutory penalties and punitive damages.

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Chance The Rapper Announces New Mixtape ‘Star Line’

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3 weeks ago

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Chance The Rapper quietly revealed his upcoming mixtape, “Star Line,” via Instagram. In his bio, he simply stated, “Working on my mixtape it’s called Star Line.” The project will feature collaborations with notable artists like Lil Wayne, DJ Premier, Lil Yachty, and more.

On X (formerly Twitter), Chance shared a teaser clip featuring appearances from Wayne, Preemo, Lil Yachty, Jermaine Dupri, T-Pain, Jazze Pha, and Vic Mensa. Additionally, he gave fans a sneak peek of a new track titled “Buried Alive” and polled them on whether he should drop a music video for it.