"Industry Rule #4080: Record Company People Are Shady"

Music as both art and business is a bittersweet phenomenon. On one end it allows artists to express themselves artistically and insert beauty within the world...and of course get paid. However, what is the point of the "Business" poking and prodding, changing and commodifying the artistic integrity of the work if the artists aren't even getting paid that much?

Artists already know what's good:

"Record company people are shady!" - Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest), "Check The Rhime"

"I was d*** that got jerked by Tom and his boys..." - Posdnous (of De La Soul), "The Grind Date"

"I'm just saying to the industry...f*** you signed sincerely." - Solange (of dem Knowles girls), "Fuck the Industry (Signed Sincerely)"

But while the artists may have understood their plight, the fans may not be as aware. Thankfully the dope people over at The Root wrote a great article which can be found here.

Summarizing the main point...check the graphic they dropped below.

Needless to say, artists, the creative genius behind the industry are getting the short end of the stick. My homie Marx taught me that when you don't own the means of production...you won't be succeeding in any type of capitalist system. So while every five seconds a new label is popping up in Uncle Rico's basement, ultimately the have to, at the very least sign away their freedom for a distribution deal with a major label.

Or maybe an artist gives up the rights to their catalog. Perhaps signing a 360º deal in which they give up a percentage of every other entrepreneurial endeavor they branch out into whether its ringtones or t-shirt sales. Even when an artist attempts to play ball in this system...they still often fall up short.

Diddy is less talented than any artist** he has ever pushed, but I will guarantee he has more wealth than the net worth of every Bad Boy artist from Craig Mack to Day 26.

I cosign what Beyonce's more adventurous and experimental little sister said.

-Yao Mingus

**Cassie is not considered an artist or anyone with any particular talent outside of being sexy as hell