In 2015, the rapper put to paper a struggle many artists in bed with labels know all too well: they barely earn any money off their own music.
However, Drake's discontent with labels dates way back. On the reflective track "Is There More" he pondered, "Soon as this album drop I’m out of the deal." Sure enough, Scorpion was Drake’s last release under Young Money records.
#Drake hyfr clean license#
It's only recently in 2020 that the Canadian rapper began releasing his new records, including his hit "Toosie Slide" and the Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape, under his own OVO imprint, which is under exclusive license to Republic Records – which is in turn owned by UMG.ĭrake already cryptically told fans that his tenure with Young Money would come to an end and he would begin a new chapter as an independent artist on Scorpion in 2018. All of Drake's past projects have been released under Young Money (from Thank Me Later to Scorpion). The suit claims that the deal was for Young Money’s entire catalog of masters including Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga's.įor Drake and Minaj this deal encompasses their entire discography. Back in June, Wayne reportedly sold his masters to Universal Music Group (UMG) as part of a deal valued in excess of $100 million. The nine-figure price tag was just confirmed as part of a lawsuit brought on by Wayne’s former manager Ronald Sweeney, Music Business Worldwide reports.