According to Chuck D, Universal, which acquired the rights to Public Enemy's first five studio albums, had only been paying the group 25% of the royalties owed from digital downloads. Public Enemy frontman Chuck D struck back against the major label system in 2011, suing Universal Records for $100 million in unpaid royalties. Photo Credit: Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images Take a look back at 15 instances in which a rap artist and a record label became embroiled in a public dispute over a bad contract. While it's too early to predict how this legal battle will turn out, it has brought to mind some of the most memorable moments when a rap artist took their record label to task. While the lawsuit is still pending, Megan Thee Stallion enjoyed a small victory, when the restraining order allowing her to release new music was extended until their next court hearing. ![]() Carl Crawford and 1501 Certified have denied all allegations levied against them, charging Megan's new management team, Roc Nation, with attempting to poach their artist for their own financial gain. Megan, who accused 1501 Certified of blocking her from releasing new music after attempting to renegotiate her contract, is also seeking at least $1 million in damages. The Houston bred rap star, who inked a deal with former MLB star Carl Crawford's independent record label 1501 Certified Entertainment in 2018, recently filed a lawsuit against the label seeking to terminate her contract, and a temporary restraining order to allow her to release new music, which was granted by a Texas judge. This dynamic was famously lamented by Q-Tip on A Tribe Called Quest's 1991 single " Check the Rhime," as he coined the phrase, "Industry Rule #4080, record company people are shady," which continues resonate nearly 30 years after the fact, with acts like Megan Thee Stallion raging against the machine. The relationship between rap artists and record labels has been checkered, at best, dating back to the inception of the culture, with many of rap's earliest pioneers falling victim to predatory contracts that left them in squalor in spite of penning hit records that continue to be spun to this day. This has resulted in a number of rap artists and producers getting the short end of the stick in terms of compensation for their work. ![]() However, along with that success has come greed, financial impropriety, and other unsavory tactics and traits deployed by the very corporations and companies that profit off of the music. Hip-Hop becoming big business has benefited a number of artists, producing multiple multi-millionaires and becoming an economy in itself. From Chuck D to Lil Uzi Vert to Megan Thee Stallion, here are 15 instances in which a rap artist and a record label became embroiled in a public dispute over a record contract.
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