Rapper Jay-Z Accused Of Selling Kanye West Masters To Def Jam As Deal To Buy His Own Masters Back, Following Kanye West Releasing Full Contract On Twitter

Kanye West went on another one of his epic Twitter rants on social media where this time, the rapper shared some very personal legal information in detail.   The “Wash Us In The Blood” rapper signed on to Twitter to lash out (once again) at Universal Music Group, the parent company that houses his label G.O.O.D. Music, as well as Sony/ATV Music Publishing.  West has been extremely vocal over the years about his desire to own the master recordings of his records, as well as his publishing.  Last year, West filed a pair of lawsuits in attempts to remove himself from the contracts, however the companies declined.  

“I went to go buy my publishing from Sony/ATV and they said, ‘It’s $8 million [or] $9 million’ and when I went to buy it, they told me ‘No,’ I couldn’t buy my publishing,” he said in a nine-minute clip uploaded to his social media.  “I have the money to buy [back] my publishing, and they told me that I couldn’t buy my publishing…. It’s like the control.”  He also referenced Prince, specifically when the artist wrote the word “slave” on his face in protest during his dispute with the label Warner.  “So Big Jon [Platt], Marty [Bandier]….whoever is involved,” he continued, “I need my publishing…I got the money. I’m not gonna say the “S” word. I’m not Prince, I don’t need to write it on my face.”

Mind control https://t.co/YDYXQ45bDL

— ye (@kanyewest) October 13, 2018

It was later reported by The Blast that West and his publisher reached a settlement in their legal dispute for an undisclosed amount, according to court documents.  With this latest rant, the rapper seems to reopen the wounds, claiming once again that he wants the ownership of his masters, and that he’s a freedom fighter for other artists in similar situations.  

“I need every lawyer in the world to look at these,” the “Late Registration” rapper tweeted out to his followers, as he proceeded to upload dozens of screenshots of pages from his contracts, which included details of advance payments for his albums, royalty rates, a profit-sharing agreement, and much more.  Earlier this week the rapper posted a series of other tweets where he revealed he refused to release music until he himself is released from the contracts.  Unconventional moves like these normally show signs that the relationship between the artist and the entities are indeed irreparably damaged. 

When you sign a music deal you sign away your rights. Without the masters you can’t do anything with your own music. Someone else controls where it’s played and when it’s played. Artists have nothing accept the fame, touring and merch

— ye (@kanyewest) September 16, 2020

The documents West released appear to show that he was given a 12 million dollar advance for his sixth album, Yeezus, and receives royalties of between 14% and 25% on his sales and streams.

Now a user on Twitter has come forward with a breakdown of the contracts and has deduced some pretty interesting information.  Summarizing the documents, he says that fellow “Watch The Throne” collaborator Jay-Z actually “sold the masters to the first 6 Kanye West albums just so he could get his own back.  

See the breakdown for yourself below and also what he has to say on the matter.  

He owns album 7-10 but the most lucrative and most critically acclaimed albums are owned by Roc-A-Fella which is wholly owned by Def Jam… The majors will never sell you your masters because that’s what gives them market share and drives profits and Jay Z knew that. @SizweDhlomo

— The Authority (@lavidaNOTA) September 17, 2020

In the end Kanye is mad that even as a billionaire he stands no chance of owning his best work or earning more than 18% of the proceeds from his genius forever. If they were in Jay’s hands he could at least buy them back or negotiated a better deal or at least added a reversion!

— The Authority (@lavidaNOTA) September 17, 2020

In the end Jay Z’s picture perfect legacy will forever be tainted by this in perpetuity, like the like to say in the record business. At least Kanye is a billionaire and Rihanna will be a billionaire soon soon. Not even Mandela was a saint!

— The Authority (@lavidaNOTA) September 17, 2020