Nas Calls Out the Exploitation of Black Music Artists in New Open Letter
Rapper Nas is sending a message to his fellow Black artists about the state of the music business and how it has exploited our legends. And if we’re keeping it all the way 100—he has a point. Let’s talk about it.
The “If I Ruled the World” rapper’s words appear in an open letter he recently dropped on social media. In it, he talked about how he’s observed the music business and the culture and how things have been moving and shaking while he’s been in the studio working. He went on to insinuate that our music has somehow strayed from our roots and the influence of our sound, which includes the East Coast down to the South.
“For the past year, I’ve been watching so much happen in the culture while working on music. I think about how it started; I think about the Mississippi Delta to New Orleans to New York. I think about Robert Johnson at the crossroads. How he changed music and how we can’t even find his grave,” Nas began in a post to X/Twitter.
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He went on to say that he views artists, creators, and music execs in the same way and argued that the music industry often forgets or undervalues the foundation. Nas also alleged that the music greats have been “stolen from” and “exploited.”
As he concluded, he urged artists to return to the root of their creation, remember their why, and stop creating music to keep up with trends. Instead, he admonished folks to “remember our purpose,” the contributions of artists who came before them, and to band together to celebrate all that we’ve given to the industry.
“Where’s the love for each other at? We gotta take a stand as one. It’s time for the celebration of the music. No knowledge of self is certain death! It’s time to address it,” he concluded.
Although the end of Nas’ letter suggests an album may be on the way (which would be understandably exciting news for fans), we don’t want his powerful point about the exploitation of Black artists to get overlooked. It’s been well known for decades that the music business has historically profited from Black musical genius while failing to properly compensate the people responsible for it.
Stories about artists like the 1920s blues singer Ma Rainey—who signed her royalties and music rights away and received unfair payouts—to folks like Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, and more have all had their battles over money rightfully owed to them. Others like Chaka Khan, who had to fight to regain the rights to her catalog, and Gladys Knight, who had to sound the alarm more than once over unpaid royalties, are still making headlines today.
Sadly, all of this proves that despite the hits these artists have given us, the talent they possess, and the influence they’ve left on the business and the culture—the industry has repeatedly found ways to profit from Black musical genius without ensuring the people behind it receive their fair share. Their stories are a reminder that creating timeless music and being compensated fairly for it have never been the same.
