Yesterday (June 2), was Blackout Tuesday and many music companies pledged to use the day to collectively reflect on ways to create change and combat racial injustice. Kelis took to social media to call these companies out for not doing more to support their Black artists.
“If the music industry wants to support Black lives, labels and platforms can start with amending contracts, distributing royalties, diversifying boardrooms and retroactively paying back all the Black artists, and their families, they have built their empires on,” she wrote.
Kelis isn’t the only artist who has put these companies on blast. Back in January, Meek Mill called out the music industry for taking advantage of young Black artists. He believed these companies were exploiting them.
He tweeted, “Wassup with all these DIFFERENT RACE men got all these young black kids in slave contracts in the music business? Come get wit us you need help fixing ya situation #DC X #ROCNATION it’s literally stealing now we found something we can get rich off!”
Back in December, Tory Lanez called out Interscope Records and threatened to expose them. “Interscope Records… If y’all niggas don’t stop playing w/ me… Ima expose what’s really going on in that fucking building!!!!!” he wrote. “Y’all play w me if u want to… Let’s play… y’all got the right fucking one.”
One fan commented on the post, writing, “Chill bro I ain’t tryna see you killed.”
“That’s the difference… I don’t care,” Lanez responded. “My integrity respect and the path of light that i can show the generation after me is more important than this life that niggas is so scared to lose.” The “Jerry Sprunger” rapper later left Interscope following the release of his The New Toronto 3 mixtape.
What do you think these record labels can do to support their Black artists better? Check out Kelis’ post below.