Dancehall star Masicka has opened up about his relationship with Def Jam Recordings, describing his experience with the label as a positive one while stressing the importance of artists understanding the contracts they sign.
Speaking during an interview with journalist Dionne Jackson Miller on Wednesday, August 13, Masicka said communication with the label has remained strong and that Def Jam continues to support his musical vision.
“We talk every day. They believe in the dream, they believe in the music, you know what I mean? They believe in the ideas of the house,” Masicka said.
The Generation of Kings artist who will be dropping his third studio album Forever Reign on the label on Friday August 15, acknowledged, however, that being signed to a major label can sometimes mean adjusting to a more structured approach to releasing music.
“You know, it have a time where probably releasing music is a problem, because sometimes, you know, we Jamaicans, we just want more from here or soon,” he explained. “And with the label now, you know, it’s more formative, more calculated, the steps they have to do, everything have to tick off.”
Despite those differences, Masicka who signed with the label in 2023, characterized his time with Def Jam positively.
“It has been a good journey,” he said.
The entertainer also addressed concerns surrounding record contracts and the reputation some major labels have developed for tying artists to unfavorable agreements.
According to Masicka, he took more than a year to finalize his Def Jam agreement, relying on independent legal advice and conducting his own research before putting pen to paper.
“I get a lawyer overseas,” he said. “And it took me like probably a year and two months before I signed the contract.”
Masicka will be headlining his first solo arena show at the Barclays Center in New York on Saturday August 15 and he was particularly emphatic that his agreement with Def Jam is not a 360 deal — an arrangement that can give a record company a share of several areas of an artist’s income beyond recorded music.
“No 360 deal, no, no man,” he said. “The thing is, it’s a distribution deal, so the label have no part in show money, no other money other than musical money.”
It is not simply whether record labels offer good or bad deals, but whether artists properly understand what they are agreeing to before signing according to the top billing dancehall act.
“The thing with a lot of artists, it happens all the time. I think artists don’t know where they’re going to put themselves into,” he said.
He said he had the proposed agreement reviewed by several people with legal expertise before accepting it.
“I carry the contract to like three, four persons, legal persons,” Masicka explained, adding that he treated the process seriously because of what was at stake.
“Remember, this is my life, this is my music. I’m not just doing it for fun,” he said. “My life, my life. I like to look into things before I get into it.”
As one of a handful of dancehall artist currently signed to a major record label, Masicka said he researched the music business himself, learning about different contractual arrangements and the experiences of other recording artistes.
“So I look up on the internet about contracts, about 360, about artists, about a lot of them stuff,” he said. “I never want to get caught in the same situation.”
The dancehall deejay said his contract was scrutinized by his team and legal advisers until both sides were able to arrive at terms with which he was comfortable.
“They break it down so much,” he said, adding that ultimately there was also an element of faith involved once the negotiations had gone as far as they could.
Masicka said the resulting relationship has allowed him and Def Jam to “meet eye to eye,” describing the partnership as “great.”
Yet to hit the Billboard 200 albums chart 3 years in, Masicka offered a broader warning to younger artistes hoping to secure major-label deals, arguing that excitement over being signed should not overshadow the commercial realities of the music industry.
“Artistes need to understand what they must sign,” Masicka said. “Because it’s not like these people are giving money because they like you. It’s not like a like or dislike. It’s a business.”
He added that signing a record deal does not remove the pressure on an artiste to deliver commercially.
“If you’re not performing, if you’re not meeting the necessary, you know what I mean? It’s not good,” he said.
