Kanye West has a problem with record companies Universal and Sony, which he communicated on Twitter Monday, Sept. 14. He also included the NBA in his rant.
“I need to see everybody’s contracts at Universal and Sony,” tweeted West. “I’m not gonna watch my people be enslaved. I’m putting my life on the line for my people. The music industry and the NBA are modern day slave ships. I’m the new Moses … I’m not putting no more music out till I’m done with my contract with Sony and Universal ⛷.”
West has taken record companies and music publishers to task before, filing suits against EMI publishing, as well as Roc-A-Fella Records last year for unpaid royalties. A settlement was reached between EMI and the Chicago native in January.
To make his point about the NBA being like modern-day slave ships, West referenced Michael Jordan and billionaire businessman Phil Knight in a tweet.
“Phill Knight’s net worth is 40 billion Michael Jordan’s net worth is 1.6 billion … and Phill Knight never had to jump from the free throw line… when you google Phil you barely even see his face,” the rapper tweeted on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
He then posted a Google image of Jordan and tweeted, “When you Google us we gotta smile for the camera.”
The “Graduation” creator wrote about Drake and J. Cole as well, two people that he’s butted heads with in the past.
“I need a [public] apology from J Cole and Drake to start with immediately … I’m Nat Turner … I’m fighting for us,” wrote West.
Drake once accused West of telling rapper Pusha T about his son before the public knew the Canadian rapper fathered a child. That may be the reason why he wants an apology now. Pusha revealed news about Drake’s son in his 2018 cut “Story of Adidon.”
West’s problem with Cole seems to be more about music since Cole was accused of criticizing him on “False Prophets,” a song the North Carolina rapper dropped almost four years ago.
“You see these n—–s trippin’ / Ego in charge of every move, he’s a star / And we can’t look away due to the days that he caught our hearts / He’s fallin’ apart, but we deny it / Justifying that half-a– s–t he dropped, we always buy it / When he tell us he a genius but it’s clearer lately / It’s been hard for him to look into the mirror lately / There was a time when this n***a was my hero, maybe / That’s the reason why his fall from grace is hard to take,” rapped Cole.
Under Kanye’s tweet about Universal, Sony, and the NBA being like slave ships, some agreed with him, while others seemed annoyed.
“Kanye legit is tryna save people from terrible contracts and the media is still gonna paint him as [a] crazy person,” wrote one of his followers.
“Kanye West have said he is the new Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Michael Jackson, Nat Turner, and now MOSES!!!! If Kanye West say that he is the new Casper the friendly ghost tomorrow I won’t be surprised,” tweeted a second person.
