Joyner Lucas opened up about frustrations with his former label, Atlantic Records. The last straw that broke his patience was how unsupported the label made him feel when filming the music video for Eminem’s song from “Kamikaze”, “Lucky You”.
In a recent appearance on the My Expert Opinion podcast with Math Hoffa, Lucas mentioned that Atlantic refused to cover the cost of a first-class flight to Detroit for him to shoot the video. This came despite the song’s success, reaching the top 5 on the Billboard charts, and the immense opportunity of collaborating with Eminem.
Apparently, Joyner had already hustled hard to build relationships with Royce 5’9 and Eminem, leading to the collab. That was not the label’s clever politics liaising with the Detroit stars. Lucas made his own moves, and the joint became possible only because of his personal connections. He also highlighted his financial situation, mentioning a $100,000 advance he received from Atlantic in 2016, most of which went towards helping his mother quit her job. So when Lucas tried to get the first-class flight to shoot the “Lucky You” video with Eminem in Detroit, what did the label tell him?
They told me no. The label told me no. Nothing they did. I built the relationship with Royce by myself. Shout out to my brother Royce. I built the relationship directly with Royce, then we went through Marshall, and I built my own relationship with him. We did the record, and I had to go to Detroit to shoot the video. I had asked Atlantic if they could pay for the first class ’cause, again, I was not making money at that time. I took $100,000 in advance from my deal in 2016. I shot that video in 2018. The first thing I did with $100,000, I retired my mom. And then I realised I’m not gonna see no more bread. Apart from that, I asked Atlantic if they could spend money on the first-class flight, and they told me no. Not a private jet or something. Just a first-class flight to Detroit. How much is that? $800? $700? They would not pay for my first-class flight, so I said [to the manager and business partner], “Dhruv, we gotta get the fuck off this label, bro”. Shooting a video with Eminem? They didn’t give a fuck.
For Lucas, the label’s refusal to cover a seemingly minor expense demonstrated a lack of support for his career, particularly considering the significance of the collaboration with Eminem. The incident became a turning point, leading him to eventually leave Atlantic Records. This penny-pinching move rubbed Joyner the wrong way, leading him to question Atlantic’s commitment to his career, and became a major factor in his decision to bounce from Atlantic Records.
Watch the video below:
