Mase Calls Out Diddy Over Grammy Comments, Claims He Tried to Buy Back His Publishing
Written by SOURCE on January 31, 2020
During an extended speech at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammys gala, Diddy called out the Recording Academy for overlooking rap and R&B musicians in major categories.
“Every year y’all be killing us man,” Diddy said. “The amount of time it takes to make these records, to pour your heart into it, and you just want an even playing field. Despite his valid criticisms of the Grammys, Mase has taken issue with the speech and claimed that Diddy still owns his publishing rights despite attempts to buy them back.
“Your past business practices knowingly has continued purposely starved your artist and been extremely unfair to the very same artist that helped u obtain that Icon Award on the iconic Badboy label,” Mase wrote on Instagram, Friday alongside a picture of Meek Mill. The former Bad Boy artist claimed that 24 years ago, Diddy gave him $20k for his publishing rights, which he added has made him “never want to work” with him again. The deal he signed with Diddy earned him “peanuts,” Mase added.
Mase said he attempted to buy back the publishing rights recently, but was met with a response that said he would only do so if he could match “what the EUROPEAN GUY OFFER him.” He claimed his only other option is to wait until the rights revert back to him. “You bought it for about $20k & I offered you $2m in cash,” he wrote. “This is not black excellence at all. When our race is enslaving us. If it’s about us owning, it can’t be about us owning each other.”
The rapper has said that Diddy is everything he spoke out against, exploiting young musicians as much as those he targeted in the 50-minute speech. “No more hiding behind ‘love,'” he continued. “U CHANGED? GIVE THE ARTIST BACK THEIR $$$. So they can take care of their families.”
@diddy I heard your #Grammy speech about how u are now for the artist and about how the artist must take back control. So I will be the first to take that initiative. Also, before we ask of other ethnicities to do us right we should do us as black people better. Especially the creators. I heard u loud and clear when u said that u are now for the artist and to that my response is if u want to see change you can make a change today by starting with yourself. Your past business practices knowingly has continued purposely starved your artist and been extremely unfair to the very same artist that helped u obtain that Icon Award on the iconic Badboy label. For example, u still got my publishing from 24 years ago in which u gave me $20k. Which makes me never want to work w/ u as any artist wouldn’t after u know someone is robbing you & tarnishing your name when u don’t want to comply w/ his horrendous business model. However, people would always ask what’s up w/ Mase? So I would be forced to still perform to not look crazy when I was getting peanuts and the robbery would continue. So many great moments and people lives in music were lost. But again, I rode with u in the face of death without flinching & u still wouldn’t do right. I never said anything because I wanted to wait until I was financially great so I can ensured that I was addressing this from a pure place and not out of spite. To add insult, u keep screaming black excellence and love but I know love isn’t free. So I offered u 2m in cash just a few days ago to sell me back my publishing(as his biggest artist alive) that always show u respect for u giving me an opportunity at 19 yrs old. Your response was if I can match what the EUROPEAN GUY OFFER him that would be the only way I can get it back. Or else I can wait until I’m 50 years old and it will revert back to me from when I was 19 years old. You bought it for about 20k & I offered you 2m in cash. This is not black excellence at all. When our own race is enslaving us. If it’s about us owning, it can’t be about us owning each other. No More Hiding Behind “Love”. U CHANGED? GIVE THE ARTIST BACK THEIR $$$. So they can take care of their families
The picture of Meek Mill also includes a recent tweet from the Philly rapper, in which he called out the music industry for signing young black artists into exploitative contracts. “Wassup with all these DIFFERENT RACE men got all these young black kids in slave contracts in the music business?” Meek asked. “Come get wit us you need help fixing ya situation #DC X #ROCNATION It’s literally stealing now we found something we can get rich off!”
