Please watch it, Fuse ODG!

BELEAGUERED songstress, Feli Nuna, made the trends last week for her outburst over her failed business relationship with record label, Off Da Ground, an imprint belonging to award-winning artiste, Fuse ODG.

In most botched artiste- record label relationships, it is understandable to have the artiste aggrieved over what he/she calls failed responsibilities on the part of the label but there’s always more to such business dealings.

Feli Nuna not wanting to renew her contract with Fuse’s label wouldn’t have been a big deal but the concern is; she is not the only female artiste signed to Fuse ODG’s Off Da Ground who’s had grievances.

There’s been Itz Tiffany and then eShun.

Three(3) female artistes making dire complaints over one particular record label is not something to sweep under the carpet.

Feli’s qualm

It’s quite unfortunate to have an artiste like Feli Nuna flounder with her career, still grinding to find that solace in the music industry. She is undoubtedly talented and has been in this industry for so many years.

Even before bursting out as an artiste, Feli Nuna was affiliated to the once-popular music force, Skillions – appearing in music videos for rappers, Rumor, Bra Kevin Beats and others. She has been here, seen it and felt it!

In her tirade, she claimed she signed to Off Da Ground record label in 2020 to build her brand and make money. However, things did not go the way she wanted.

“Unfortunately, my full time career was treated like a part-time hobby. No accountability. Bare minimum effort. After several appeals both personally and officially, nothing changed,” she wrote.

She also noted that she was patient while she endured the excruciating terms of the two-year contract amidst all these challenges. After the contract with Fuse ended last year, she demurred renewing because she was offered what she calls a ‘not encouraging’ amount for the production and promotion of her incoming project.

However, the issue of Fuse ODG signing her for hype is trivial, pedestrian and adds nothing to the core issues between an artiste and a label.

 There was eShun

In 2008, songstress, eShun raised concerns over what she called a ‘bad contract’ offered her by Fuse ODG and his Off Da Ground label. She and her management described the agreement a ‘rip-off’.

“It was a bad contract and I’m not the only one. Feli Nuna hasn’t signed hers. And from the last time I spoke with Selassie, she also had issues with the contract so we told him (Fuse ODG) it isn’t right so we asked that some changes are done”, eShun said at the time. She also claimed the other artistes were also aggrieved.

The Manager of the artiste at the time labeled the contract as a “funny” one, revealing that Fuse ODG would be awarded all the credits to the songs, should her artiste go ahead to ink the deal.

“Obviously, she is being taken for granted. If the song has the potential of bringing revenue and saying all the risk is on you so you take the credit, it doesn’t make sense. I think that in Ghana, we need to respect up and coming artistes”, he stated.

eShun also indicated that Fuse ODG tried to convince her to form a girl band with his artiste, Selasi, and Feli Nuna. According to her, she refused to buy into his idea because she was doing well as a solo artiste.

“I felt like he was trying to rip me off. I am a good artiste on my own; Fuse is not better than me. At the time, I was not interested in joining a group and I am still not,” she stated.

Then there was Tiffany

Fuse ODG had his big break with the song, Azonto, in 2014 which features Itz Tiffany. The influence of the female artiste on that song was huge, so, it came as no surprise when it became official that she’s been signed to his label.

Just a few months into that deal, news erupted that Itz Tiffany was dropped from the label as a result of a leaked nude video that involved the artiste and her estranged boyfriend.

“After the thing (nude video) happened, they (Fuse ODG and his team at Off Da Ground records) went quiet for a while. So after that, he was like don’t feel obligated that you have to be in the contract. You can just do whatever you want. They were like they’ve got my back anytime I need anything; they’re there for me,“ she disclosed.

 Independence is good but…

Nothing beats an artiste being independent. Independence means the artiste having sole control over rights to his/her music and everything else that come with it. There are no misgivings with any label, no tussle with any label executive(s) and no related reservations on which entity is getting what percentage over who/what.

Independence as an artiste is key but under no circumstance(s) does it negate the essence of record labels. Record labels are significant in the music business; they provide the necessary succour and wherewithal for any artiste to thrive.

There are high profile musicians who sit on the food chain as billionaires and they got there on the wings of record labels. 

Drake, one of the most influential, richest and most popular international artistes is signed to almost 10 record labels, and so, are many others across the world.

There are deluges of artistes, who do not have the financial succour to record, promote, market and distribute their works and there come the record labels.

Tiffany, eShun and Feli Nuna were independent artistes who had/have been in the industry for quite a longtime but they still realised how crucial a label would be to their respective careers.

 Time to have another look

Record labels are business entities and nobody runs a label for charity and Fuse ODG is a businessman. No business entity or businessman would want to go into any venture to lose.

Fuse ODG would not be the first label head to have issues with artistes and he would definitely not be the last. Again, across the world, labels are engineered to make more off artistes, especially when they provide all the financial muscle for the artistes to thrive.

It is understandably for artistes to express grievances over what they deem unfairness in contracts and are within their rights to opt out of contracts or decline to renew; the same way record labels can also drop artistes for lack of performance.

The point is; if Fuse ODG is in business and is serious about attracting clients/ artistes to his label in order to make money, then having one to three artistes complain about treatment and contractual matters is not a good sign; an indication that may not attract more artistes to join the business.