Drake suffers copyright issues following content leak
Having recently taken it upon himself to drop a huge amount of content online, Drake has discovered that it’s always best to check the contractual small print before uploading massive amounts of unseen and unreleased goodies onto the internet.
The treasure trove featured exclusive footage, never-before-seen clips, and songs that had never been heard, and it turns out the artist didn’t have the clearance to make it all widely available, with his own label issuing a strike against him.
Confirming the news through his own Instagram burner account, Drake revealed that Universal Music Group had moved quickly to prevent several of the recordings from being circulated, with the outfit holding the rights for those tracks to be disseminated among the general public.
Drake signed a lucrative contract with UMG that was reported to be valued at around $400million, which is said to cover virtually every aspect of his professional life, including recordings, publishing, merchandise, and visual projects, which gives the label the right to move swiftly and issue online takedowns on anything deemed to be a breach of the agreement.
While it hasn’t been specified exactly which part of the 100GB drop ruffled the boardroom’s feathers, ‘It’s Up’ features a verse from 21 Savage and Young Thug, Latto guests on ‘Housekeeping Knows’, with Drake’s solo track ‘Blue Green Red’ also part of the sprawling portfolio.
The leak extends to behind-the-scenes studio footage and the making of the ‘Hotline Bling’ video, as well as concepts for Drake’s private plane. Clearly, he wasn’t of the mind to check with his label beforehand, with UMG quickly being revealed as the third party who’d implemented restrictions on some of the content.
Other notable drops include Drake recording his reference track for Kanye West’s ‘Yikes’, revealing he considered drafting in Future to contribute to ‘Hotline Bling’, telling his mother that ‘Too Good’ with Rihanna was written about Serena Williams, and an earlier version of ‘U With Me’ carrying a different beat and alternate lyrics, including a jibe at The Weeknd.
Comparative to the size of the leak, there isn’t much UMG has an issue with. However, the label evidently draws the line at unreleased tracks featuring well-known artists being part of the wide-ranging upload, and because Drake is contracted to the company and being paid very well to ensure it retains exclusivity on all of his music, the copyright claims were quickly filed.