When Pusha T settled in to chat with GQ recently, he wasn't sipping tea; he was serving it piping hot. What are the most significant interview shockwaves of the moment? This was followed by the news that he and Clipse are no longer signed to Def Jam Recordings. But they didn't fall; this wasn't a garden-variety "creative differences" account. This was an intentional seven-figure mic drop right there.
Pusha was a solo artist and a part of the Universal Music Group label for 15 years. Pusha was crafting the highly anticipated Clipse reunion album "Let God Sort 'Em Out." But behind the scenes, a relative dust-up ensued over one song: "Chains & Whips," including the rapper Kendrick Lamar. Per Push, Def Jam wanted to cut Kendrick's verse due to his tense relationship with Drake, who is currently suing UMG.
And rather than compromise the integrity of the music to suit it, Pusha T and his longtime manager, Steven Victor, did something bold: they paid to leave. As Victor explained to Billboard, "It was a ton of money… not $200,000. "It was a lot of money for an artist to spend, seven figures, to be exact.
"They didn't put us down," Victor said. "They were like, 'If you pay us this money, we'll release you from the deal and so we did."
For most artists, that decision would have them scrambling, not for Push. Within less than 24 hours, the Clipse project found a new home thanks to JAY-Z and Roc Nation. Even so, the Def Jam split was attached to strings UMG will, according to reports, take a share of album sales. "Which is crazy," Victor said, "but the best part is Pusha has the power to control his next move.
Deals are now split between three companies. One deal was signed with Mass Appeal and Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music is involved, too, and Pusha's in the driver's seat. He has reclaimed his masters, owns his earlier work, and is winning creatively, financially, and professionally in every lane.
Pusha seconded Victor's version of events in a tweet that said only, "No Lies Told."
The source of the Kendrick Lamar controversy was believed to be the UMG's lyric-vetting department. The team's purpose is to keep potential copyright lawsuits at bay by identifying uncleared interpolations or lyrics, but now, it seems, they have ventured into political terrain. Victor made it plain: The department is not in the business of being a censor, certainly not in matters of rivalries baked into hip-hop culture.
Beyonce and Taylor Swift's companies may exchange legal memos, but the show must continue. Let God Sort 'Em Out by Dub Asylum drops July 11th, and the first single, "Ace Trumpets," is already turning heads and whetting appetites.
Pusha T and Clipse didn't get dropped, but they paid for their freedom. Now that they're in charge, the message is clear: Nothing's preventing them from sharing their truth and dropping unfiltered bars.
0 Comments