Record Labels and Artistes Disputes, Why Artistes are at fault (Vector and Kizz Daniel)

• Kizz Daniel, Ycee, Vector, Runtown, etc has all been involved in legal battles with their record labels.

• Just after MI Abaga dragged Vector for breaching his contracts with YSG, G Worldwide filed a fresh suit of 500 milion naira on Kizz Daniel.

• Why are Nigerian artistes always having issues with record labels?

• Let’s take Vector and Kizz Daniel’s case as a case study.

Vector

Olanrewaju Ogunmefun popularly known as Vector recorded a huge fight with his former employers YSG Entertainment which is a division of popular Transportation company Young Shall Grow. The crisis between Vector and his label began after Vector made complaints about why his career is stalling.

He called his labels attention to the fact that he has not been progressing and the label’s nonchalant attitude towards his career. He simply suggested more professional hands to be employed to push his career to the next level but the label was not cool with the idea. So Vector decided to hire the professionals and was paying them personally with no help from the label.

Weeks after, Vector received an invitation letter from the Commissioner of Police of Lagos state. He was summoned to the Area-E command (Festac). On getting there, he was presented with a “breach of contract” petition. The petition claimed he has engaged external hands to work for him. His parents got involved (as his dad is a retired police officer), and it was settled amicably.

Though his intentions were harmless at first, breaching his contract and walking out of YSG Entertainment was uncalled for and wrong.

Kizz Daniel

Kizz Daniel’s case is similar. Kizz Daniel was in 2018 forced to change his name from ‘Kiss Daniel’ to ‘Kizz Daniel,’ following a pending court case. The ‘Yeba’ hitmaker has made changes in some of his social media accounts to reflect his new name including his Spotify and Apple Music accounts where his new songs are featured.

Just when everyone thought the legal battle between Kizz Daniel and G Worldwide, the label slammed the act a fresh lawsuit for 500 million naira. The record label G-WorldWide is back in court and wants more than half a billion from Kizz Daniel.

General damages in the sum of Two Hundred Million Naira (200,000,000), special damages for breach of contract in the sum of N179,499,957.00 (One Hundred and Seventy-Nine Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Seven Naira) and N150, 000, 000 (One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) for contract exit fees, among other reliefs.

My Thoughts

I sincerely belief the artistes, Kizz Daniel, Vector, Runtown, and Ycee are at fault for having legal battles with their respective record labels. To me, the problem with these disputes is the unwillingness of artistes to respect and stick to their record labels. Take for example, the likes of Wizkid, Reekado Banks, Lil Kesh, Adekunle Gold, Tiwa Savage, etc respected their recording contracts and left their labels in peace. I think the desperation to get a recording contract takes away the wisdom to proof read those contracts by these artistes.

Though a times the record label contracts could be inhuman, crooked and all. It is wrong to abuse a legal document. I think the next generation artistes should learn from these rising stories so as to avoid falling into these evil contracts.

Lastly if your record label has failed to keep in terms with their promises in the contracts, stick around till the expiration of your contract. This is better than walking out on your contract. Two wrongs cannot make a right they say. It’s better you do the right thing and stick yo your contract maybe sue the label for not fulling their part of the deal afterwards.

Article Written By Dat Kulgee (@iam_kulgee)

What do you think? Who is at fault? Record labels or Artistes?

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