Kanye West, Tyler, The Creator, And More Weigh In On James Blake's Viral Comments About The Music Industry

BYLavender AlexandriaPublished on March 04, 20244.5K Views

Bottega Veneta - Front Row - Milan Fashion Week - Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024-2025

MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 24: James Blake attends the Bottega Veneta fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024-2025 on February 24, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

Dozens of musicians have come to his defense.

Earlier this week, British singer and producer James Blake made waves with his comments about the music industry. He took aim at the lack of proper pay for artists and the numerous labels and companies profiting from the work of artists. Now artists like Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator are weighing in. “If we want quality music somebody is gonna have to pay for it. Streaming services don’t pay properly, labels want a bigger cut than ever and just sit and wait for you to go viral, TikTok doesn’t pay properly, and touring is getting prohibitively expensive for most artists. The brainwashing worked and now people think music is free," his original statement read.

He expanded even further with more comments. “I really love music. I will continue to use my social media but only to connect with you guys. Music is my life’s purpose and I will not have mine destroyed by a bunch of labels and tech companies who don’t even pay us and exploit us relentlessly. Remember when my cover of ‘Godspeed’ went viral? Neither me nor Frank ever made a cent cause it was an ‘original sound’ in every video," his additional comments read. Both Kanye and Tyler, The Creator shared posts of Blake's comments to social media with Tyler in particular posting it to his Instagram story with the caption "talk ya sh*t." Check out Blake's follow-up Instagram post below.

Kanye West And Tyler, The Creator Cosign James Blake Comments

Metro Boomin specifically cosigned Blake's criticisms of TIkTok and sped up or slowed down versions of songs. Other rap artists and producers like Vic Mensa and The Alchemist as well as R&B singer Blood Orange and jazz group BADBADNOTGOOD agreed with his takes.

James Blake has crossed over into hip hop numerous times before. Most recently, he worked with Erick The Architect on a single from the Flatbush Zombies rapper's new album. Last year Blake released his 6th studio album Playing Robots Into Heaven. What do you think of James Blake's comments about who gets money in the music industry? Why do you think so many other prominent musicians agree with his takes? Let us know in the comment section below.

[Via]

About The Author

Lavender Alexandria

Lavender Alexandria is a music and culture journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She’s covered dozens of musical genres and styles from the most mainstream to the most experimental and underground on her blog and accompanying YouTube channel that looks at music, pop culture, and Billboard charts since 2017: Lav’s Music Corner. Lavender has produced editorial and listicle content both in written and video form over the past far years and has also interviewed up-and-coming artists like Censored Dialogue. Her experiences covering culture have taken her from Hyperpop parties in LA to underground rap shows in Atlanta, to DIY punk shows in Charlotte. Lavender has also written for iHeartRadio, covering some of the biggest artists in Hip Hop such as Ice Spice, Drake, Doja Cat and Cardi B. She also has bylines with ScreenRant and continues to write for Ringtone magazine. Lavender is a lifelong Charlotte Hornets fan and her favorite rap artists include Clipping, Little Simz, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick Lamar.