Kanye West tweets pages from record contracts, video of Grammy in toilet

Rosy Cordero
·3 min read

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In a lengthy string of tweets Wednesday, Kanye West posted dozens of images of what he says are his 10 contracts with Universal Music, while also speaking out against what he deems unfair practices by record labels in an industry he accused of "modern day slavery."

"Here are my ten Universal contracts … I need every lawyer in the world to look at these," he wrote.

The Grammy-winning hip-hop artist has been busy on Twitter the past couple of days calling for complicated contracts to be "simplified now" and blasting the practice of artists signing away rights to their master recordings. West said he's speaking up because artists are unable to go on tour amid the coronavirus pandemic, forcing them to lose out on revenue.

"When you sign a music deal you sign away your rights," West, who has released 10 studio albums (including a collaborative album with Jay-Z) through Universal's Def Jam Records, tweeted Tuesday. "Without the masters, you can't do anything with your own music. Someone else controls where it's played and when it's played. Artists have nothing [except] the fame, touring, and merch."

On Wednesday, West claimed that Universal "WONT TELL ME WHAT MY MASTERS COST BECAUSE THEY KNOW I CAN AFFORD TO BUY THEM."

Representatives for Universal Music did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

West, who in addition to his music pursuits has emerged as a fashion mogul and independent presidential candidate, also tweeted that he is in a unique position to demand change in the recording industry.

"I am the only person who can speak on this because I made multi-billions outside of music no musicians make billions inside of music I'm going to change this," he wrote. "I know a lot of musicians are not allowed to say anything but I can't be muted or cancelled so I'm going to say everything as always."

To further illustrate his determination, West posted a video of a Grammy Award in a toilet being urinated on. "Trust me ... I WONT STOP," he wrote.

West's other recent tweets have included calls for fellow artists to support him, quotations from Bible verses, and teases of new music. He has said he has a new album waiting in the wings, Donda: With Child, which at one point was slated for release July 24.

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