A new documentary examines how the music industry exploits Black artists

A new CBC/BBC three-part documentary series, Paid In Full: The Battle For Black Music, examines how Black artists have been exploited by the music industry over the decades. It includes interviews with contemporary Black musicians and unravels the history of how Black music icons, such as Louis Armstrong and Nina Simone, were cheated out of their own money and intellectual property. 

Today on Commotion, music critic MK Asante and musician Cadence Weapon join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss Paid in Full and their own experiences as Black artists.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

Elamin: MK, I think people intuitively get this idea that there is exploitation in the music industry, and that Black artists have borne the brunt of that. How do you think this new documentary deepens our understanding of that dynamic? 

MK: We wanted to be a voice for the voiceless. We wanted to talk about something that people were afraid to talk about and really dive into it, so that people don't just have talking points, but they understand what was the exploitation, how did it work, how did it function and how was it passed on for four generations? 

Elamin: Cadence, you're a Black artist yourself. How aware were you of this idea of being exploited by the industry when you were starting your career? 

Cadence: I was very aware of the famous Tribe Called Quest lyric: "Industry rule number 4080 / Record company people are shady." It was really a foundational text for me…. It's just the music industry is inherently exploitative and extractive, and it's exacerbated when it comes to Black artists. 

Elamin: There is a story that the doc gets to, and it's when TLC drops this gigantic piece of news at the 1996 Grammy Awards…. The idea that you could be one of the biggest-selling artists on the planet at the time, and then you have to get on a stage at the Grammys and say, "I don't have money. I don't have money because of the ways that this system's been implemented, [it] robbed me of that money." That is TLC — arguably at their peak of their success in 1996 — each with a Grammy in their hand as they say this, making this admission that rocked fans, that rocked the music industry. 

How big of a deal was that for you as you were growing up?

Cadence: It was definitely a watershed moment. It was one of the first times that we've seen a big mainstream artist come out and be like, "This system is not working for me and it's not the way it seems." With a lot of artists and fans, you see what you see in the music videos, you see when they're on stage, and it's like, "They must be doing great, they're these big stars." But behind the scenes, you don't know what these deals that they're signing actually are. And I think as an artist, to my experience, you can have a deal in front of you and you can have a lawyer look at it, and sometimes you're in a position where you feel like you don't have the leverage, where it's like, "Maybe this is my only chance."

Elamin: We're used to hearing artists brag about a billboard achievement, we're used to hearing them brag about a major sales accomplishment. But there is, I think, pressure to project this air of success sometimes as an artist. How do you think that has undermined the audience's ability to understand — or even have sympathy — for the exploitation that these artists faced?

MK: Those shiny things that you mentioned were always actually a part of the strategy that record companies used to lure in Black artists. When I say part of the strategy, I mean that this is a predatory practice that's been going on and it's happened all over the world…. The record labels used to just give people cars instead of money: "Here's a Cadillac." And that may appease someone for a moment, especially without the proper education and support system around them. But eventually, things had to change. And that's what one of the things we talk about is that change as well. 

Elamin: This whole documentary opens with this disclaimer that states: "All major labels were approached to participate in the series, but they declined to be interviewed." What do you make of that reaction? 

Cadence: Why would they want to tell on themselves? They are the problem, really. This industry is inherently exploitative. And I think one of the most important things we can do as artists is to stop projecting, "We're so rich, we're so successful" — especially in rap music. 

MK: This [documentary] is the indictment that lays it all out. How do you repair this? How do you fix this? Where are we going with this? And one of the arguments many of the artists make is that reparations in the music industry need to happen. We talk about these artists historically, their families are still suffering the legacy of this, it hasn't gone away. 

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Ty Callender.