For decades, the journey of a breakout music artist has often followed a grim trajectory: viral success leads to a major label deal, followed by a torrent of money, fame, and eventually, a devastating legal battle over the terms of their contract. What may seem like a necessary step to stardom is frequently a one-way ticket to financial enslavement, where the label profits exponentially, and the artist—the one who created the product—is left fighting for crumbs, or worse, trapped in perpetual debt.

The recent, high-profile escape of one of music’s most streamed artists, NBA YoungBoy, from Atlantic Records, serves as the most potent modern example of this systemic exploitation. His struggle—and the struggles of nearly a dozen others who have fought the same war, from Lil Wayne and Mase to Megan Thee Stallion and Kreayshawn—reveals a calculated, chilling blueprint used by powerful music corporations to treat artists not as partners, but as commodities to be exploited until their value is fully extracted.

The Atlantic Trap: NBA YoungBoy’s Five-Album Lock

When NBA YoungBoy signed with Atlantic Records in 2017 at the age of 17, a $2 million advance likely felt like an impossible fortune. The contract was ostensibly for five studio albums. But for an artist as prolific as YoungBoy, who streams in the billions and drops projects at a relentless pace, the fine print of that contract became a devastating, indefinite lock.

By 2022, YoungBoy had released over 18 projects, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for Atlantic. Yet, he was still bound to the initial contract. The label, in a stunning act of contractual manipulation, cherry-picked which projects officially counted toward the five-album commitment, classifying only three of his releases as official “albums.” By rejecting projects based on minor technicalities like cover art variations or the inclusion of live tracks, Atlantic effectively extended the deal indefinitely, ensuring they continued to profit from every subsequent stream and release without fulfilling their side of the commitment.

This went beyond mere financial control. YoungBoy publicly accused Atlantic of outright sabotage, claiming they deliberately removed his mixtape Colors from the charts, where it was holding a strong position at number two. Feeling blackballed and completely unsupported, the artist known for accumulating over 30 billion streams finally rejected a new $25 million renewal offer, citing the label’s lack of integrity. He completed his obligation and moved to Motown, seeking a deal with more creative control. The final, shocking indictment of Atlantic’s attitude came with reports suggesting the label undervalued YoungBoy so completely that they essentially “gave him to Birdman for free” during his incarceration, treating one of the industry’s biggest earners as disposable inventory.

The Original Sin: Lil Wayne and the $51 Million Family Feud

The systemic template for label exploitation was arguably set by Lil Wayne’s decade-long battle against his mentor, Birdman, and Cash Money Records. For years, the relationship between the two men was presented as a father-son bond, but behind the scenes, the relationship was rotting from neglect and financial betrayal.

The dispute exploded into a $51 million lawsuit, revealing the devastating depth of the label’s exploitation. The primary claim centered on Tha Carter V, for which Wayne was allegedly owed $8 million, of which Cash Money only paid $2 million upfront. More critically, the label cut Wayne out of the wealth generated by Young Money, the joint venture Cash Money was supposed to share with him. Instead of giving Wayne his due 49% share of the company and a third of all profits generated by artists like Drake—the biggest star in the world—Cash Money registered all copyrights under their own name. This meant that for years, Lil Wayne, the man who discovered and elevated Drake, had no idea how much money he was actually owed from one of the most profitable careers in music history. The situation became so volatile that allegations of violence, including a 2015 tour bus shooting linked to Birdman, further underscored the sheer toxicity of the relationship.

The 360-Degree Grip: When Exploitation Becomes Modern Slavery

While Cash Money’s exploitation was rooted in internal family betrayal, modern major labels perfected the art of the “360 deal”—a comprehensive contract that legally captures a cut of everything an artist generates, including music, touring, merchandise, and publishing. For young artists desperate for a break, these deals are financial quicksand.

Megan Thee Stallion’s Nightmare: The superstar’s contract with 1501 Certified Entertainment is a textbook example of modern, suffocating control. Despite generating over $7 million in streaming revenue, the deal—which saw 1501 take a reported 60% of recording income—left Megan with a mere $15,000. Her struggle became a high-profile fight against a label that repeatedly blocked her from releasing new music, holding her career hostage until courts had to intervene with restraining orders just so she could drop her projects. This experience solidified the brutal truth that even in the age of streaming, the artist can be financially starved while the label feeds on their success.

The Dehumanization of Waka Flocka Flame: For Waka Flocka Flame, the exploitation went beyond just money, touching on the dehumanizing way labels view artists. His 360 deal with Atlantic/Warner Brothers claimed 70% to 90% of profits from every revenue stream. The true horror, however, was revealed when Waka was shot in 2010. The label’s immediate response was not to check on his well-being, but to ask, “Can you go to the studio?” This cold, transactional inquiry confirmed Waka’s belief that he was seen merely as a product, not a human being. The constant delays and contractual manipulation eventually led him to sever ties, but even after years of legal costs, Warner retained oversight of his catalog for an additional 15 years, ensuring they would continue to profit long after his departure.

The Theft of Generational Wealth: Publishing and Royalties

Beyond the recording side, the most insidious form of financial exploitation involves the theft of publishing—the intellectual property rights that generate income every time a song is played, sampled, or licensed. Publishing represents generational wealth, and it is often signed away by young artists who have no financial literacy.

Mase’s $20,000 Mistake: In one of the most cited examples of betrayal, Diddy bought Mase’s entire publishing catalog for a paltry $20,000 in the mid-1990s. Mase, who went on to become a multi-platinum superstar, later realized the depth of his mistake. When he tried to buy back his rights, he offered Diddy $2 million—a hundred times the original price—but Diddy refused to sell. This single transaction robbed Mase of his financial future for a trivial amount, fueling a bitter, decade-long public feud that exposed the ruthless, opportunistic nature of the business.

Tyga’s Unpaid Hits: Tyga’s tenure with Young Money/Cash Money also revealed a devastating level of deceit. He claimed he received no advance payment for his deal, and critically, his lawyer was the same one representing the label—a glaring conflict of interest. Despite generating multi-platinum, genre-defining hits like “Rack City,” Tyga claimed to have never seen a dime in royalties, estimating that Cash Money owed him between $12 million and $15 million. The ultimate indignity came when Tyga wanted to exit his contract in 2016: despite being owed millions, he had to pay the label to secure his release, a surreal twist that perfectly illustrates how backwards these contracts are designed to be.

The Financial Quagmire: Indefinite Debt

Finally, the dark magic of label accounting ensures that even those who achieve success remain tethered by debt. Advances, which are framed as signs of wealth, are actually loans that must be paid back through royalties. Exaggerated expenses, opaque fees, and “cross-collateralization” (using earnings from one project to pay off debt from another) create a perpetual debt cycle.

Kreayshawn’s $800,000 Debt: Rapper Kreayshawn’s case with Columbia/Sony highlights the absurdity of this system. After her viral hit “Gucci Gucci” led to a reported $1 million advance, her debut album struggled commercially. By 2016, she was $350,000 in debt. Years later, when “Gucci Gucci” was finally certified platinum, Kreayshawn revealed that she was still stuck owing Sony $800,000—the debt had actually grown over the decade. She publicly stated, “Crazy that I will owe Sony 800K on one album for 10 plus years but it’s platinum. It’s sounding fishy,” a sentiment echoed by countless artists who realize that no matter how big the hit, the label’s accounting ensures they never truly get paid.

The collective experiences of NBA YoungBoy, Lil Wayne, Megan Thee Stallion, Mase, and others are more than cautionary tales; they are evidence of a systemic rigging of the music business. Major labels treat artists as fleeting commodities, leveraging their immense power to write contracts that ensure they capture nearly all the generational wealth created by the talent they sign. While YoungBoy was able to buy his freedom, the cost—both financial and emotional—is a heavy price to pay, serving as a powerful and urgent reminder to every aspiring artist: in the music industry, financial literacy is the only true form of artistic freedom.