Jay Z blasted a number of big tech companies who are also competitors of his upstart music streaming service Tidal.
Jay Z's criticism comes in the form of a freestyle rap during the artist's "B-Sides" concert, where he performed a number of his rarest songs, which were also supposedly "exclusively" available on Tidal.
Tidal promotes exclusives from its all-star lineup of artists including Kanye West, Daft Punk, Beyoncé, Arcade Fire and Madonna. Unfortunately, in spite of the impressive artist lineup, the streaming service is not doing as well as Jay Z hoped. Recently, the Tidal team went on to plead fans to support their cause . . . by paying them more money. Tidal then pledges to pay its artists a "fairer" wage, if fans shell out $20 per month.
In his rap, Jay Z first addressed critics saying he's the bad guy. He then went on to blast YouTube and Google for underpaying their artists, saying that the companies "pay you a tenth of what you're supposed to get," according to EntertainmentWise.
Jay Z, who referred to himself as "Jigga" and "Hova," took a jab on Apple Beats Music's head Jimmy Iovine for trying to buy him out. He addressed criticism that Tidal's artists are rich, hence why should fans care if they get paid or not by admitting that his "Tidalers own sh-t," but asks why people do not have a problem paying Apple for iPhones or Phil Knight's Nike for shoes, according to TechCrunch.
Just check out his lyrics below:
"Don't ever go with the flow. Be the flow.
I don't need no middlemen to talk to my n*ggas / I understand if you don't understand I figure I'm Jigga / That's where we differ / I take what's mine you accept what they give you, I get you / I don't take no checks, I take my respect / Pharrell even told me 'Go with the best bet' / Jimmy Iovine offered a safety net / Google dangle 'round a crazy check / I feel like YouTube is the biggest culprit / Them n*ggas pay you a tenth of what you supposed to get
You know n*ggas died for equal pay, right? / You know when I work I ain't your slave, right? / You know I ain't shucking and jivin' and high fivin' / You know this ain't back in the days, right? / But I can't tell by the way they kill Freddie Gray right / Shot down Mike Brown like the way they did Tray, right? Let 'em continue choking' n*ggas / we gon' turn style / I ain't your token n*gga /
You know I came in this game independent, right? / Tidal / My own label / same difference / Oh n*ggas is skeptical cause they own shit / You bought nine iPhones and Steve Jobs is rich / Phil Knight's worth trillions, you still bought those kicks / Spotify's nine billion and they ain't say shit / 'Lucyyy you got some splainin' to do' / The only one they hatin' on look the same as you / That's cool / I know they tryin' to bamboozle you / Spending millions on media tryin' to confuse you / I had to talk to myself 'Hov, you used to it' / It's politics as usual."
