‘I had over 100 million streams but didn’t make any money from them’ — Rapper Ycee opens up about record label deal

Nigerian rapper Ycee has opened up about his experience in the music industry, revealing that he did not earn royalties from over 100 million streams during his time with a record label.

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Speaking on the Afropolitan Podcast, Ycee said he was signed to Tiny Entertainment under a 70-30 deal but was told he could not be paid because the label had not yet recovered its investment.

“All the 100 million streams I had, I didn’t make money off that,” he said.

According to the rapper, his employer at the time maintained that royalties could not be paid until the company had fully recouped the money spent on his career.

Ycee explained that he initially accepted the arrangement because their relationship went beyond business.

“At the time, I was of the same sentiment because apart from the professional relationship, we had a personal one,” he said.

However, he admitted that things stopped making sense to him after a while.

“I was travelling the world, doing shows, getting endorsements. Everything looked good from afar,” he added.