Vince Staples isn’t one to hold his opinions to himself—even if it means biting the hand that put some money in his bank account. The Def Jam rapper decided there was no better time to sh*t on Spotify than while performing at a Spotify event.
It all went down at SXSW in Austin, TX at Spotify House on Tuesday (March 15).
Reports Austin 360:
The uncomfortable racial dynamics of a music festival that has grown into a huge breaking ground for urban artists took the first hit. “I know you’re all at SXSW like, ‘Let’s watch the black people rap,’” he said dryly at the top of his set.
The mostly white crowd cheered. “It’s almost like a real show,” Staples said in response to the enthusiasm.
But the biggest shots he took were at Spotify itself. “Shout out to Spotify. Thank you for giving me this check to make up for what you’ve done to me and all my musical friends,” he said, lambasting the streaming service that he said pays him a quarter of a penny for each song streamed.
Later he told fans to check the roster of artists who had played and make sure to “listen to your favorite album 1000, 2000 times so everybody can get an album sale.”
Vince Staples isn’t mad. He’s just concerned.
Also, don’t expect him at anymore Spotify events, ever.
https://twitter.com/vincestaples/status/709892729086484480
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Photo: Donald Bowers/Getty Images for Sprite
