The fall-out between former friends Kanye West and JAY-Z is getting all sorts of ugly.
For, just days after Jigga released a new album featuring a jab at his one time comrade, it’s been revealed that ‘Ye has left his TIDAL streaming service.
And the split is far from amicable, primarily because TIDAL insist that he…well..can’t.
Unbeknownst to the masses, West’s lawyers sent a letter to TIDAL last month claiming that the rapper – a part owner of the platform – was owed $3 million. Due to alleged non-payment, they assert that his contract has thus become void.
What was the money for, you may wonder?
Well, West’s ill-fated album ‘The Life Of Pablo’ added 1.5 million new subscribers to the service last year – something his team claim he was supposed to receive a bonus for and didn’t.
Additionally, Yeezy asserts that a portion of the amount owed is from money he spent on music videos that TIDAL were supposed to reimburse him for. He says they haven’t.
Upon receipt of the letter, both sides spent two weeks trying to resolve the issue to no avail. Once it became apparent that a deal couldn’t be struck, West’s legal counsel once again fired off a notice insisting that that his contract is terminated.
TIDAL are, in effect, saying “Not so fast.”
Sources close to the service say West didn’t deliver the videos required by his contract. His response? The visuals will be handed over when he’s paid what he’s owed.
TIDAL’s final stance, which they have relayed to West’s team, is that he is still legally bound by the terms of his contract. And, should he defect to another streaming service, they will sue.
Sources say Ye is ok to walk away, but should he be sued then he’ll countersue right away. Meow.
The melee comes on the heels of Jay using the song ‘Kill Jay Z’ to label West ungrateful for ranting about him and Beyonce on-stage last year, after he invested $20 million in West’s fashion line.
Word is that this current legal tussle has nothing to do with that, principally because West knew nothing about the lyrics pre-release. The plot thickens.
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An actual, legitimate, mess! In any case…
Kanye has become the first of TIDAL’s high-profile “artist-owners” to leave. At least publicly.
With this, one has to wonder whether he’ll be made an example of or lead the way for more exits. TIDAL’s group of owners includes the likes of Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, and Beyonce. All of whom have had varying levels of success using the platform for their commercial benefit.
Your thoughts?
[Photo credit: Getty]
