Ari Lennox breaks down and pleads to be released from her contract

[Bigblackted4]

Forever love her for writing this

 

[Still Benefited]

Look....

READ....THE....CONTRACT!!!

If you got to have a lawyer, a granny, Ed from Good Burger, something to read the shyt to see where you will stand with the label, its essential. Lets keep it a bean, Dreamville in itself is the weirdest label in existence. She would be essential in the 2000s during the whole Neo Soul/R and B last stand era. You either have the drive to go independent and accept the grind, or you are stuck recouping STUPID...STUPID....STUUUUUPID

I don't know how old she was when she signed it, but she was almost 30 when her first album dropped. And she should have known the business enough due to her releasing her own music prior to signing with J Cole. She wasn't a child and I KNOW she heard the horrors of the industry back then.

Ya’ll don’t realize by now this is her gimmick?

She’s asked to be release from the label 3476 times by now and usually ends up dropping a project a few months later.

She’s also talked about not being “protected” several times by entities that have ZERO responsibility to do so. She complained about Rod Wave not “protecting” her when the fans at the tour turned against her when thats her management’s job. Just like the label isn’t going to “protect” you because their a RECORD label not a security company.

These are buzz words she uses to get fans in her corner while she gears up for another project. Just like Summer Walker always has a man whose done her wrong right before she drops an album and Cardi B has marital issues before she drops a single/video.

Its all marketing.

What does any of this have to do with the label not doing the job of a label?


Yall just wanna gloss over that little fact. These labels make promises and dont follow through once they dont see returns immediately. because they are used to quick returnw upfront with these microwave ticktok one hit wonders. If your not going to invest time and money then release her. I dont see the issue with her asking. Not as if theyve invested a billion in promo obviously

Shame on this entire thread siding with these vultures doing bad business. Shame on J Cole selling dreams too. He better not be getting paid off any of her shyt. It better just be a "look".

 

[Still Benefited]

Sad state of affairs when nikkas forget that labels have a job to do. Just because artist CAN promote themselves it doesnt mean they should have to. Do yall think they told her that upfront. "Sign right here,you will be responsible for promoting yourself once the ink dries".

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

What does any of this have to do with the label not doing the job of a label?


Yall just wanna gloss over that little fact. These labels make promises and dont follow through once they dont see returns immediately. because they are used to quick returnw upfront with these microwave ticktok one hit wonders. If your not going to invest time and money then release her. I dont see the issue with her asking. Not as if theyve invested a billion in promo obviously

Shame on this entire thread siding with these vultures doing bad business. Shame on J Cole selling dreams too. He better not be getting paid off any of her shyt. It better just be a "look".

record labels have been designed since the beginning to keep artists broke and in debt. They haven't changed today. I don't care who owns the label. The end result is still the same to keep artists in debt to them. Absolutely no one is siding with labels in this thread. If you step on a mound of red ants, do you blame the red ants for biting you?

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

Sad state of affairs when nikkas forget that labels have a job to do. Just because artist CAN promote themselves it doesnt mean they should have to. Do yall think they told her that upfront. "Sign right here,you will be responsible for promoting yourself once the ink dries".

I don't give a fuk what they told her, she should have known the outcome in the end. If she didn't, she's a goddamn idiot.

 

[RAX 010]

All I remember about her is she cornbread fed thick

 

[Still Benefited]

record labels have been designed since the beginning to keep artists broke and in debt. They haven't changed today. I don't care who owns the

I don't give a fuk what they told her, she should have known the outcome in the end. If she didn't, she's a goddamn idiot.

label. The end result is still the same to keep artists in debt to them. Absolutely no one is siding with labels in this thread. If you step on a mound of red ants, do you blame the red ants for biting you?

Is it unreasonable to expect the ants not to bite you ?yes. Is it unreasonable to expect a label your signed to to promote you?No


This would make sense if there was never an artist who signed to a label,and eas promited which is what shes asking.


I didnt hear her say anything about them jerking her on money. They arent promoting her,which is now forcing her to spend her own money. And yall are defending the label saying she shouldve known they wouldnt promote her. Instead of daying the label should get her some damn ads if that will make her happy

 

[InGodWeTrust]

It takes a lot to sign a female artist.

I remember a music executive saying that with a male rapper, all he needs is a car and his boys and they can go out there in a bucket car and kill it in a white tee and some jeans.

With female artists, you need a glam squad. That’s hair AND makeup. Also wardrobe ($$$). Then you gotta have some choreography since people wanna see you dance and not hop around the stage like a dude. THEN you got backup dancers.

So instead of a bucket ride that nikkas can fit in, put on some shyt and hit the stage after some weed and alcohol, you got a huge budget for every show for a female artist and a huge entourage. What if a dancer gets sick? What if the makeup person doesn’t show? Logistics are important.

Like I said, signing a female artist takes a lot.

 

[HARLEM AL]

Griselda went from marketing their music on Bandcamp to becoming household names.

Hell Tyler The Creator started out with a shyt load of mix tapes before he became one of the best in the current era.

Ari can easily find her lane off the back of being a Dreamville member.

• Go on Twitch to show off your music and skills
• Work with random unknowns that fit her style
• Stop bytching on X and focus on building the brand

In this era of "everybody is a artist", it's hard to feel for her when she's not being true to herself. And that shows in her music

If I wanna hear jazzy neo soul instrumentals over Thot topics, I would make my own mix with every nasty no named bytch that came and went.

They dont want to do the work. Which is why they will do all that crying but still sign/stay with a label.

 

[Him]

Start an OF. Women especially ones that already have some sort of publicity have no reason to be out here broke. Show some ass and t*ts and you’ll get paid

 

[steadyrighteous]

It takes a lot to sign a female artist.

I remember a music executive saying that with a male rapper, all he needs is a car and his boys and they can go out there in a bucket car and kill it in a white tee and some jeans.

With female artists, you need a glam squad. That’s hair AND makeup. Also wardrobe ($$$). Then you gotta have some choreography since people wanna see you dance and not hop around the stage like a dude. THEN you got backup dancers.

So instead of a bucket ride that nikkas can fit in, put on some shyt and hit the stage after some weed and alcohol, you got a huge budget for every show for a female artist and a huge entourage. What if a dancer gets sick? What if the makeup person doesn’t show? Logistics are important.

Like I said, signing a female artist takes a lot.

And the messed up part is, 29 out of 30 things can go right - hair and makeup, choreo, stylist, all the clothes come, backup dancers show, camera crew and video team, jewellery, assistants, car service all that

1 outta 30 things doesn't go right and all of a sudden the label and management ain't shyt

Like bytch you think those other 29 things just magically appeared outta thin air? You didn't make one phone call, send one text or answer one email and 1/30 things ain't right and we messed up?

I'm not even talking about Ari, but you're right female artists aren't just a money pit but they're also a logistical nightmare and they don't really appreciate it until they're indie.

She mentioned having 700k subs on YouTube. Her other official music videos from the past 2 years range between 1.7m and 1.9m views, and Smoke is 13 days in and sitting at just over 500k.

Looks to me it's right on track for what it should be for her average

But as far as her having a change of mind and not actually wanting the video out, that's between her and her team. She probably had the idea, OKd the concept, showed up, shot it, and they put in all that logistical and leg work to execute it (those 30 things I mentioned) and at the final stretch she wants to take it down or not release it.

Cool, so you owe us $150k for the entire cost of a video that you didn't pay for and we now can't use to promote your single or we're keeping the video up

 

[Piff Perkins]

HER is Treated I’m the industry like a nepo baby. Ari more relevant than her

HER has a smash hit record and multiple plat singles, Ari doesn't. That alone is a deciding factor given that one has 10mil monthly listeners on Spotify and the other barely has 3mil. I think people are heavily over inflating Ari's relevance. Sure she has some records but it's literally four gold singles and one plat (with a Cole feature). That's not in the HER ballpark, or the Summer Walker ballpark, or the SZA ballpark.

And I'm not saying she needs to change her music to appeal to the type of women who dictate what's hot. But if you're out here making suit-era Janelle Monae songs you're prob not gonna be successful.

 

[CrimsonTider]

HER has a smash hit record and multiple plat singles, Ari doesn't. That alone is a deciding factor given that one has 10mil monthly listeners on Spotify and the other barely has 3mil. I think people are heavily over inflating Ari's relevance. Sure she has some records but it's literally four gold singles and one plat (with a Cole feature). That's not in the HER ballpark, or the Summer Walker ballpark, or the SZA ballpark.

And I'm not saying she needs to change her music to appeal to the type of women who dictate what's hot. But if you're out here making suit-era Janelle Monae songs you're prob not gonna be successful.

Nothing about HER is organic, she has all of the resources and push with no impact. Every album and single she has flopped outside of Slide.

HER peaked with her debut mixtape and she’s never been able to actually build off of that

Ari just doesn’t have a large Fanbase but Pressure was more relevant than anything Her has done in several years

 

[Piff Perkins]

Nothing about HER is organic, she has all of the resources and push with no impact. Every album and single she has flopped outside of Slide.

HER peaked with her debut mixtape and she’s never been able to actually build off of that

Ari just doesn’t have a large Fanbase but Pressure was more relevant than anything Her has done in several years

We have actual numbers on these records man. Pressure was not a bigger song than Damages. Not even close.

I'm not a HER defender btw, I'm not a fan and don't care for her music (and I agree she is constantly given chances that you rarely see black women get). I'm just saying Ari is much less popular and it's verifiable. Surely we agree HER's label spends way more money on her than Ari's does lmao.

 

[Hood Critic]

For the record HER has had her own share of label issues and she's been signed and working longer than Ari has for the "there is nothing organic about her career" folks in the back.

H.E.R. Sues Her Record Label and Asks Out of Contract

Grammy winner H.E.R. filed a lawsuit last week claiming her record deal with MBK Entertainment violates California's labor code.

www.rollingstone.com