Meek Mill accuses Atlantic Records of “blackballing” his latest album and “taking advantage” of artists

Meek Mill has aired a number of grievances against his label Atlantic Records, saying they were delaying the release of his new music against his wishes.

He said he was “blackballed” by the label during the release of his last album ‘Expensive Pain’ and accused them of “outsmarting young black kids taking advantage and calling it business.”

Meek also said that Atlantic cut him out of managing Roddy Ricch while he was in jail after he introduced the label to the rapper, saying it was the “same thing” that had happened with him and Rick Ross years earlier. NME has reached out to Atlantic Records for a response.

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“So look I made Atlantic records 100’s of millions and let them rape me out out [sic] Roddy a artist they came to me about in jail,” Meek wrote. “They still saying I can’t drop music until 9 months after my last album got blackballed.”

The rapper did, however, acknowledge a campaign for ‘Expensive Pain’ that saw artwork by Nina Chanel Abney plastered on landmark buildings across the US. Despite Meek’s claims, the record still debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 95,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.

In follow-up tweets, he added: “Roddy my youngin still… But that label separated us instantly when the millions came in from him… same thing they tried to do with me and rozayy [Rick Ross].”

He then repeated his accusations that Atlantic “didn’t put nothing into expensive pain” and then prevented him releasing new music for 9 months, and that after he introduced them to Roddy Ricch they “cut me out as soon as the money came.” He later clarified that “Me and Roddy good now this is not about him at all.”

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“If I didn’t have millions I’d prolly do something crazy,” Meek said. “They out smarting young black kids taking advantage and calling it business! Other artist[s] speak up and tell the truth while you winning not when you down!”

Meek is not the first artist to criticise Atlantic recently. Yesterday (February 1), YoungBoy Never Broke Again also accused them of “black ball[ing]” him and removing one of his mixtapes from the charts.

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“I don’t give a fuck you still can’t stop me don’t sign to Atlantic if you a artist they not gone support you especially if you live a certain way.”

Meek also said he had to “fight for my life” to get his 2016 release ‘Dreamchasers 4’ counted as an album after he had referred to it as a mixtape. “If y’all made 20 million off it what is it counted as?” he said.

The fifth and final entry in the ‘Dreamchasers’ series was released last month as an NFT.






Meek recently joined forces with Jay-Z, Big Sean and more to support a proposed New York state law that would limit prosecutors’ ability to use defendants’ rap lyrics as evidence of alleged crimes.

The rap giants have added their names to a letter calling on lawmakers to pass Senate Bill S7527 – which was first revealed in November and which passed through the Senate Codes committee earlier this week – into state law. Others who have signed on to the letter include Fat Joe, Kelly Rowland and Killer Mike.