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Funkmaster Flex is letting it be known that he’s siding with Drake and the allegations of pay-for-play that the rapper has made in his lawsuit against Universal Music Group.
Flex hopped on X earlier today (Nov. 26) to inform the world of his stance and provide some context as to why he feels that way. “DRAKE IS 100% RIGHT!” He wrote. “NATIONAL PLAY!”
To bolster his point, Flex began sharing some price points for what seems to be what artists/labels have to pay to get their music out into the world. $350,000 for pop radio, $250,000 for urban radio, $100,000 for mix shows, and between $3,000 to $5,000 a week for a local DJ to play just one song. “THIS IS WHY INDEPENDENT ARTIST DONT RISE TO THE TOP!” he added.
Flex ended his message with a note that he’s never been involved with pay to play practices. “ALL YOU ARTIST KNOW I AINT NEVER TAKE A DIME FROM YOU, YOUR MANAGER OR YOUR LABELS!” he wrote before adding that he’ll be discussing the situation on the radio very soon.
Flex has always been adamant about his hate for payola. We spoke to the legendary DJ/radio personality back in 2021 and he told us about learning about the world of pay-for-play. “When I’m on the radio, I’m seeing the same guys who gave me the money before for another DJ. And they’re like, ‘Take our fucking money, you piece of shit.’ And I’m like, ‘No, I don’t do that,’” said Flex. “That took me a long time to reinforce that that’s not what I do.”
Flex went on to say that several labels, including Bad Boy and Roc-A-Fella, also offered him money in his early radio days but eventually gave up because he wouldn’t turn. “When that doesn’t work, then they build a relationship,” he added.
Drake recently initiated a petition against Universal Music Group and Spotify in a Manhattan court. His Frozen Moments LLC has accused the record label, that also distributes his music, of taking part in an illegal “scheme” to boost the streaming numbers of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
A day after this filing, Drake accused his record label of defamation. He’s alleged a “pay-to-play” operation that involves iHeartRadio. “UMG designed, financed, and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues,” said Drake’s legal team in the latest filing.
English (US) ·