The Game goes on passionate Twitter rant imploring artists to avoid major labels at all cost, reiterating the importance ownership.
The Game has been around for nearly twenty years, having spent time at his fair share record labels: Aftermath, E1, Geffen, Interscope, and many smaller subsidiaries. With nine studio albums under his belt, Game has earned the right to drop gems and lead by example. It’s no secret that the music industry landscape has shifted to a drastic degree, with the arrival streaming having a major impact on record deals. Not to mention the rise social media as a promotional platform — one that lends artists a refreshing amount control. And yet many young rappers have still fallen prey to predatory record deals.
Evidently, Game has had it up to here. He recently took to Twitter to fire f a passionate warning to any young artist looking to sustain a lucrative and long-lasting career. “This rap shit will KILL YOU. Literally,” he begins. “The labels sign young artists to slave deals & their only concern is how they can use you to make more money. They don’t even advertise or market you no more, they let u do it yourself on IG while they sit back, steal & wait 4 the next you. Stay INDEPENDENT. OWN your masters. Do the work yourself & the payf will be worth it. Almost 20 years in music & not once did anyone tell me this. Shit, I’m still waiting on them to tell YOU.”
It’s unclear as to what prompted his rant, but it’s not uncommon to see artists begin to veer away from the major label route. Royce Da 5’9″ spoke in-depth about ownership on The Allegory, warning rappers to focus on the art lest their investments fail to last. Russ has continuously preached the importance self-sustainability, essentially rebranding himself as an independent guru sorts. Game’s point falls somewhere in the middle, his incendiary language emphasizing the importance acting fast. Otherwise, there’s no telling what might happen when that dotted line is signed.