Dear Epic Records,
I write this open letter to you in the hope that one of your more reasonable representatives will see it, read it, and do something about it. Allow me to elaborate.
I’m an “underground” hip-hop producer. Realistically meaning that I’m somebody that doesn’t make music designed for mainstream media or for the intents and purposes of “having a hit”. I make music that I myself want to hear, and as other people enjoy it too, this acts as a blissful by-product. I write this to you by fate – as the very same eclectic online radio show who was scheduled to play my new song firstly played the TeeFlii “Change Your World” song. I was flabbergasted when I heard it, to say the least…
First of all I heard MY beat. The SAME drum pattern, exact SAME piano loop. Except there was an unfamiliar singer over the top of it – and the beat had been amended to include a guitar lick and the snare had been filtered to make it “softer” for the R&B market. Everything else is MINE. I made the unfortunate decision to not vocal tag the back end of my beat and that is where the theft has occurred. I shall allow you to compare and contrast before I continue.
https://soundcloud.com/configa/2pac-and-the-notorious-b-i-g (January 2014)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DKnVqI9xRaY (November 2014)
I chased the DJ down for the artist’s name, and was expecting somebody pretty underground to have pulled such a tacky stunt. What I actually discovered stunned me further.
This was the new single of a SIGNED artist on a record label that is a division of SONY Music. 8 million hits on his previous YouTube video with 2 Chainz. To make things worse, the “producer” of this track – basically the guy who went on Soundcloud and RECORDED my track (it wasn’t and NEVER has been available for download) is none other than the multi-millionaire former Def Jam exec and 50 Cent associate Sha Money XL. Or, as you know him, your “Executive Vice President of Urban A&R”…and he takes, without credit…from me!?!? Plus you guys had shot a video and it has been promoted everywhere from MTV to XXL magazine. It almost defies logic – if you guys had ASKED me in return for a credit and the necessary financial compensation that goes with that, then I would have been cool with it. But to find out THIS by default, and you’re earning money – as we speak – on iTunes and elsewhere – with a beat that I put out a year ago? That’s just unspeakably foul. When I put the word out, and trust me – I have been – even TeefLii’s staunchest fans have been telling me to sue you!!!
Oh and on the subject of TeeFlii, in between blocking me on Twitter, unblocking me to verbally attack me – complete with an admission of guilt and naming Sha – and then blocking me again (Sha went for the immediate block) I have taken screen shots of everything.
I’ve been around too long, so as soon as I caught wind of this I documented EVERYTHING. Including TeeFlii unblocking me to run his mouth.
My “broken heart” indeed. I believe that all of the above is rather damning evidence of beat theft, no credit, and unscrupulous/manipulative behaviour. I assume that your organisation would not knowingly condone such practices and so you are getting the full story here – so you can go ahead and compensate me for MY work. And, just for the record, if you assumed I was wet “behind the ears” like the boy you signed – I’ve been putting out SOLD (paid for) music for 14 years and have a PhD. This is the final opportunity I shall afford you to rectify this situation amicably. I trust that a resolution will be shortly found.
I await your response and affirmative action,
Yours sincerely,
Configa
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