Meek Mill Sounds Off About “Young Black Kids In Slave Contracts In The Music Business”

Meek Mill recently partnered with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation for the Philadelphia rapper’s Dream Chasers imprint, and he’s trying to set a better example for how to handle artists' contracts. In a recent tweet, he called out record companies for signing young black artists to “slave contracts,” saying he plans to handle his artists differently:

He previously sounded off about this issue last year, further referencing “slave deals” signed by young black artists coming from impoverished backgrounds:

Labels have long faced criticism for offering deals with unfavorable terms to young stars, many of whom don’t have music industry experience or a legal team behind them to vet the terms. Back in 2018, Florida rapper Lil Pump had his record deal with Warner Bros. voided after it was discovered that he signed the contract as a minor without a parent present. Labels have also faced criticism for pushing 360 deals, in which the company is entitled to a portion of all revenue streams an artist produces.

As Variety previously reported, Meek signed a joint venture deal for Dream Chasers with Jay’s Roc Nation last year. He will serve as the label’s president, overseeing “the label and build[ing] a staff to sign and develop artists.” Dream Chasers will handle all its own internal affairs, including marketing, creative strategy, and day-to-day operations.

Meek first founded his Dream Chasers label in 2012, and inked deals with artists like Omelly and the late Lil' Snupe. Back in March 2019, Harlem rapper Melii opened up about why she chose not to sign with Meek, claiming she was put in “uncomfortable situations” while on tour and wasn’t able to communicate concerns about her deal offer.

However, the official Dream Chasers imprint under Roc Nation isn’t starting out with any artists. The label’s previous releases were non-commercial mixtapes; Meek will continue to release his own music under MMG/Atlantic.

Catch up on all the lyrics to Meek Mill’s Championships on Genius now.