Is
 The
 Music
 Industry
 Killing
 Creativity?
 
By
 Vanessa
 Martinez
 

 
The
 American
 music
 industry,
 like
 all
 creative
 industries,
 is
 one
 that
 is
 
constantly
 forced
 to
 straddle
 the
 fine
 line
 of
 creativity
 and
 business.
 While
 a
 
business
 expertise
 is
 paramount
 in
 the
 successful
 management
 of
 music
 related
 
business
 transactions,
 the
 actual
 product
 of
 music
 has,
 throughout
 history,
 never
 
been
 a
 clearly
 defined
 product.
 Recorded
 music
 is
 not
 computers,
 fast
 food,
 or
 
automobiles,
 mass-­‐produced
 and
 distributed
 in
 one
 set
 manner
 that
 is
 generally
 
accepted
 across
 the
 world.
 Music
 is
 a
 unique
 product
 that
 is
 created
 differently
 from
 
country
 to
 country,
 state
 to
 state,
 and
 individual
 to
 individual.
 On
 the
 other
 side,
 
music
 is
 consumed
 and
 enjoyed
 differently
 by
 every
 single
 individual
 inhabitant
 of
 
our
 planet.
 This
 fact
 is
 what
 makes
 music
 such
 an
 integral
 part
 of
 the
 human
 
identity.
 
 
Today,
 music
 is
 more
 popular,
 accessible,
 and
 influential
 than
 ever.
 This
 
growth
 in
 the
 importance
 and
 demand
 of
 music
 has
 not
 only
 increased
 the
 social
 
reach
 and
 influence
 of
 many
 of
 today’s
 greatest
 performers
 and
 writers,
 but
 has
 also
 
drastically
 increased
 the
 commercial
 value
 of
 music.
 Much
 like
 a
 musical
 California
 
Gold
 Rush,
 this
 increase
 in
 monetary
 value
 has,
 in
 turn,
 attracted
 large
 quantities
 of
 
people
 to
 the
 industry
 looking
 to
 capitalize
 on
 the
 billions
 of
 consumer
 dollars
 
funneling
 its
 way
 through
 the
 music
 industry,
 which
 has
 directly
 pushed
 the
 music
 
industry
 into
 today’s
 currently
 volatile
 state.
 Although
 it
 is
 easy
 to
 point
 to
 piracy
 as
 


 

1
 

the
 source
 of
 the
 industry’s
 problems,
 peer-­‐to-­‐peer
 networks
 like
 Napster
 and
 The
 
Pirate
 Bay
 are
 not
 solely
 responsible.
 
 
The
 commercialization
 of
 music,
 from
 the
 early
 1900’s
 until
 today,
 has
 slowly
 
pushed
 music
 into
 a
 place
 that
 the
 art
 form
 should
 have
 never
 been
 allowed
 go.
 This
 
commercialization
 has
 molded
 one
 of
 humanity’s
 most
 free
 and
 pure
 forms
 of
 
creativity
 into
 a
 product
 that
 is
 mass-­‐produced
 and
 distributed
 to
 millions,
 no
 
different
 than
 a
 Big
 Mac
 or
 a
 Vente
 Starbucks
 coffee.
 This
 change
 is
 not
 the
 fault
 of
 
the
 writers
 and
 artists
 themselves,
 but
 rather,
 of
 the
 “professionals”
 that
 control
 the
 
business
 operations
 of
 the
 music
 industry.
 These
 individuals,
 mainly
 record
 label
 
executives,
 have
 never
 understood
 or
 care
 to
 advance
 the
 creative
 energy
 and
 
passion
 that
 is
 put
 into
 the
 creation
 of
 music.
 These
 figures
 have
 established
 and
 
perpetuated
 the
 notion
 that
 creativity
 and
 business
 cannot
 be
 joined
 together
 in
 
order
 to
 produce
 and
 distribute
 the
 best
 artistic
 product
 possible.
 As
 more
 money
 
poured
 in
 from
 record
 sales,
 record
 labels
 began
 to
 retain
 more
 creative
 rights
 and
 
control
 in
 an
 effort
 to
 maximize
 profits,
 which
 has
 ultimately
 led
 to
 today’s
 
commercial
 music
 products
 being
 constructed
 with
 only
 a
 fraction
 of
 the
 creative
 
energy
 and
 ability
 of
 its
 historical
 predecessors.
 
 
The
 music
 industry
 pressures
 and
 practices
 of
 today
 and
 the
 past
 handful
 of
 
decades
 have
 singlehandedly
 killed
 creativity
 in
 music.
 As
 a
 result
 of
 these
 business
 
practices,
 many
 of
 the
 greatest
 creative
 minds
 of
 the
 past
 50
 years
 have
 been
 stifled
 
and
 silenced
 creatively,
 subsequently
 robbing
 loyal
 and
 passionate
 music
 
consumers
 of
 the
 opportunity
 to
 experience
 some
 of
 humanity’s
 greatest
 pieces
 of
 
creative
 output,
 all
 in
 the
 name
 of
 money
 and
 mass
 appeal.
 This
 trend
 has
 affected
 

 

2
 

blues
 singers,
 experimental
 musicians,
 and
 rappers
 alike.
 For
 decades,
 industry
 
pressures
 have
 stifled
 the
 creative
 output
 of
 Diamond
 certified
 groups
 and
 Grammy
 
Award
 winners,
 attempting
 to
 consistently
 replicate
 such
 outstanding
 success,
 
ultimately
 resulting
 in
 creative
 and
 commercial
 failure
 time
 and
 time
 again.
 
 
Today,
 as
 the
 once
 abundant
 stream
 of
 record
 sale
 revenue
 rapidly
 declines
 
and
 artists
 and
 labels
 alike
 fight
 to
 cling
 on
 to
 the
 remaining
 fraction
 of
 music
 
revenue
 currently
 available,
 the
 music
 industry
 must
 rethink
 their
 profit
 oriented
 
goals
 of
 the
 past
 and
 return
 to
 the
 root
 of
 what
 makes
 music
 so
 special
 and
 
appealing,
 it’s
 creativity.
 By
 analyzing
 the
 careers,
 recordings,
 and
 record
 label
 
disputes
 of
 5
 artists
 spanning
 multiple
 genres
 and
 6
 decades,
 we
 can
 begin
 to
 shed
 
light
 on
 this
 trend
 that
 the
 music
 industry
 so
 desperately
 needs
 to
 rectify.
 
 

 
Captain
 Beefheart
 
Captain
 Beefheart
 is
 arguably
 
one
 of
 the
 most
 creative
 recording
 
artists
 of
 all
 time.
 Over
 a
 career
 as
 an
 
artist
 that
 spanned
 two
 decades,
 
Captain
 Beefheart
 recorded
 twelve
 
studio
 albums
 along
 with
 his
 Magic
 
Band
 and
 was
 faced
 with
 industry
 pressures
 every
 step
 of
 the
 way.
 The
 very
 first
 
deal
 Captain
 Beefheart
 signed
 was
 with
 A&M
 records
 in
 1966.
 At
 the
 time,
 British
 
blues
 acts
 like
 The
 Rolling
 Stones
 and
 The
 Animals
 had
 begun
 to
 achieve
 vast
 
popularity
 in
 the
 United
 States,
 leading
 record
 labels
 to
 seek
 out
 American
 artists
 

 

3
 

that
 fit
 the
 mold
 of
 the
 emerging
 British
 blues
 sound.
 A&M
 Records
 viewed
 Captain
 
Beefheart
 as
 such,
 signing
 the
 artist
 and
 his
 band
 to
 a
 deal
 for
 two
 singles,
 “Diddy
 
Wah
 Diddy”
 and
 “Moonchild.”
 Upon
 fulfilling
 the
 deal
 and
 presenting
 further
 demos
 
as
 a
 proposition
 for
 the
 band’s
 first
 full-­‐length
 album,
 the
 label
 rejected
 the
 
proposition,
 stating
 that
 the
 demos
 were
 too
 unconventional
 and
 negative.
 A&M’s
 
co-­‐founder
 Jerry
 Moss
 further
 stated
 that
 the
 content
 was
 too
 risqué
 for
 his
 
daughter’s
 ears
 and
 subsequently
 dropped
 Beefheart
 &
 his
 Magic
 Band
 from
 A&M
 
while
 still
 under
 contract.1
 

 


 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Captain
 Beefheart
 –
 Safe
 As
 Milk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The
 Rolling
 Stones
 –
 High
 Tide
 And
 Green
 Grass
 
*Captain
 Beefheart’s
 numerous
 record
 labels
 blatantly
 attempted
 to
 mold
 
Beefheart
 and
 his
 Magic
 Band
 into
 an
 American
 version
 of
 extremely
 successful
 British
 
blues
 bands
 like
 The
 Rolling
 Stones.
 

 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
 From
 Swanson,
 Dave,
 “45
 Years
 Ago:
 Captain
 Beefheart
 Releases
 Trout
 Mask
 Replica”
 

 

4
 


 
 

Bob
 Krasnow,
 a
 music
 industry
 entrepreneur
 was,
 at
 that
 time,
 working
 for
 

Karma
 Sutra
 records
 and
 signed
 Beefheart
 &
 his
 Magic
 Band
 under
 their
 subsidiary
 
label,
 Buddah.
 Despite
 the
 fact
 that
 Beefheart
 &
 his
 Magic
 Band
 had
 been
 able
 to
 
secure
 a
 second
 record
 deal
 with
 a
 different
 label,
 the
 label’s
 intentions
 were
 not
 to
 
support
 Beefheart
 as
 an
 original
 artist
 with
 unique
 creative
 ideas
 and
 contributions,
 
but
 to
 mold
 him
 into
 the
 next
 emerging
 white
 blues
 star.
 At
 this
 time,
 the
 British
 
invasion
 had
 already
 become
 a
 significant
 factor
 in
 the
 American
 music
 industry,
 
with
 the
 sound,
 look,
 and
 idea
 of
 white
 blues
 musicians
 now
 fully
 established
 as
 the
 
industry
 standard.
 The
 success
 of
 British
 blues
 bands
 had
 influenced
 two
 
consecutive
 record
 labels
 to
 attempt
 to
 mold
 Captain
 Beefheart’s
 creative
 output
 in
 
an
 attempt
 to
 fit
 this
 sound,
 with
 Captain
 Beefheart
 refusing
 to
 comply.2
 
When
 looking
 at
 the
 career
 of
 Captain
 Beefheart,
 he
 and
 his
 Magic
 Band
 had
 a
 
very
 negative
 history
 with
 record
 labels.
 Virtually
 every
 album
 was
 released
 under
 a
 
different
 label,
 demonstrating
 an
 unfortunate
 
trend
 for
 the
 artist,
 based
 solely
 off
 his
 unique
 
musical
 style
 and
 controlling
 industry
 pressures.
 
With
 this
 negative
 history
 in
 mind,
 fellow
 
experimental
 musician
 Frank
 Zappa
 looked
 to
 
change
 this
 pattern
 by
 signing
 Beefheart
 upon
 the
 
establishment
 of
 his
 label,
 Straight
 Records,
 in
 1969.
 This
 deal
 was
 unique
 for
 
Beefheart,
 as
 Zappa,
 who
 worked
 as
 the
 album’s
 producer,
 gave
 the
 artist
 complete
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2
 From
 Bangs,
 Lester,
 “Captain
 Beefheart’s
 Far
 Cry”
 

 

5
 

creative
 control
 for
 the
 first
 time
 in
 his
 career.3
 This
 album,
 Trout
 Mask
 Replica,
 
became
 one
 of
 the
 most
 influential
 albums
 of
 all
 time.4
 The
 album
 has
 been
 heralded
 
for
 decades
 due
 to
 its
 creative
 contributions
 to
 music,
 most
 notably
 being
 named
 the
 
#58
 album
 of
 all
 time
 by
 Rolling
 Stones
 Magazine.5
 At
 the
 time
 of
 the
 composition
 of
 
the
 album,
 contractual
 uncertainties
 with
 previous
 record
 labels
 resulted
 in
 
Beefheart’s
 previous
 recordings
 being
 tied
 up
 in
 old
 record
 deals.
 Fully
 taking
 
advantage
 of
 his
 newly
 granted
 creative
 control,
 Beefheart
 took
 this
 opportunity
 to
 
compose
 and
 rehearse
 all
 brand
 new
 material
 for
 Trout
 Mask
 Replica.
 The
 end
 result
 
was
 28
 original
 and
 extremely
 difficult
 compositions.
 These
 compositions,
 inspired
 
by
 blues,
 free
 jazz
 and
 avant-­‐garde
 western
 art
 music,
 resulted
 in
 an
 album
 that
 has
 
a
 legacy
 like
 no
 other
 Beefheart
 record
 and
 like
 few
 other
 albums
 in
 the
 history
 of
 
recorded
 music.
 When
 analyzing
 Trout
 Mask
 Replica
 alongside
 the
 rest
 of
 
Beefheart’s
 creative
 body
 of
 work,
 it
 becomes
 very
 evident
 that
 such
 outstanding
 
creative
 output
 was
 a
 direct
 result
 of
 Beefheart’s
 creative
 power
 at
 Straight
 Records,
 
speaking
 volumes
 to
 the
 potential
 that
 such
 an
 ability
 has
 in
 the
 hands
 of
 a
 creative
 
genius
 like
 Captain
 Beefheart.
 
 
 
Trout
 Mask
 Replica
 was
 and
 remains
 Beefheart’s
 masterpiece,
 truly
 
demonstrating
 the
 potential
 creative
 power
 of
 Captain
 Beefheart,
 when
 ultimately
 
removed
 of
 creative
 pressures
 and
 limitations
 at
 the
 hands
 of
 record
 labels.
 Captain
 
Beefheart’s
 second
 album
 under
 Frank
 Zappa’s
 Straight
 Records,
 Lick
 My
 Decals
 Off,
 
Baby,
 further
 speaks
 to
 the
 power
 that
 Beefheart’s
 creative
 control
 had
 on
 his
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3
 From
 Loder,
 Kurt,
 “Captain
 Beefheart:
 The
 Man
 Who
 Reconstructed
 Rock
 &
 Roll”
 
4
 From
 Swanson,
 Dave,
 “45
 Years
 Ago:
 Captain
 Beefheart
 Releases
 Trout
 Mask
 Replica”
 
5
 From
 Rolling
 Stone
 Magazine,
 The
 500
 Greatest
 Albums
 of
 All
 Time
 

 

6
 

musical
 output,
 as
 Beefheart
 continued
 to
 push
 the
 bar
 creatively,
 with
 the
 album
 
widely
 considered
 around
 the
 same
 caliber
 as
 Trout
 Mask
 Replica.
 In
 his
 1970
 
Rolling
 Stone
 review
 of
 the
 album,
 critic
 Ed
 Ward
 said
 of
 the
 album,
 “From
 a
 formal
 
standpoint,
 musically
 and
 rhythmically
 it
 is
 all
 wrong,
 but
 once
 you've
 heard
 it,
 you
 
cannot
 deny
 its
 logic.”6
 
 
Upon
 leaving
 Straight
 Records,
 Captain
 Beefheart
 was
 never
 able
 to
 
recapture
 the
 same
 creative
 authority
 or
 artistic
 output
 again
 in
 his
 career.
 The
 
latter
 portion
 of
 Beefheart’s
 career
 spoke
 to
 the
 intense
 pressures
 imposed
 upon
 
him
 by
 the
 commercial
 music
 industry.
 Growing
 ever
 frustrated
 by
 the
 lack
 of
 
commercial
 success
 of
 his
 material,
 paired
 with
 constant
 record
 label
 pressures
 to
 
create
 commercially
 acceptable
 music,
 Beefheart
 spent
 the
 rest
 of
 his
 musical
 career
 
attempting
 to
 fit
 in
 with
 commercial
 music
 industry
 standards.7
 The
 result
 was
 a
 
collection
 of
 7
 albums
 that
 pale
 in
 comparison
 to
 his
 early
 work.
 Writer
 Lester
 
Bangs
 describes
 later
 albums,
 such
 as
 1974’s
 Unconditionally
 Guaranteed
 and
 
Bluejeans
 &
 Moonbeams,
 on
 Mercury
 Records,
 as
 “baldface
 attempts
 at
 sellout.”8
 This
 
latter
 period
 of
 Beefheart’s
 career
 ultimately
 ended
 in
 retirement
 in
 the
 early
 
1980’s,
 as
 Captain
 Beefheart
 gave
 up
 recording
 to
 focus
 his
 creative
 exploits
 into
 
painting,
 perhaps
 due
 to
 the
 greater
 creative
 freedom
 that
 the
 art
 form
 presented.
 
Captain
 Beefheart
 passed
 away
 in
 2010
 at
 the
 age
 of
 69,
 after
 having
 virtually
 
disappeared
 altogether
 for
 many
 years,
 even
 from
 friends
 and
 collaborators.
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6
 From
 Ward,
 Ed,
 “Lick
 My
 Decals
 Off,
 Baby
 –
 Album
 Review”
 
7
 From
 Bangs,
 Lester,
 “Captain
 Beefheart’s
 Far
 Cry”
 
8
 From
 Bangs,
 Lester,
 “Captain
 Beefheart’s
 Far
 Cry”
 

 

7
 

The
 career
 of
 Captain
 Beefheart
 speaks
 to
 the
 power
 that
 music
 industry
 
pressures
 can
 have
 on
 an
 artist.
 For
 nearly
 20
 years,
 Captain
 Beefheart
 navigated
 
himself
 through
 a
 career
 filled
 with
 creative
 compromise,
 record
 label
 demands,
 
termination
 of
 recording
 contracts,
 and
 failed
 attempts
 at
 giving
 in
 to
 such
 
pressures
 and
 demands.
 Although
 Captain
 Beefheart’s
 influence
 and
 creativity
 is
 
still
 felt
 today,
 more
 than
 30
 years
 after
 the
 release
 of
 his
 last
 album,
 thanks
 to
 a
 
passionate
 cult
 fan
 base,
 the
 fact
 remains
 that
 the
 artist
 was
 only
 able
 to
 live
 up
 to
 
his
 creative
 potential
 on
 only
 2
 of
 his
 12
 albums.
 The
 commercial
 music
 industry
 
effectively
 barred
 Captain
 Beefheart
 from
 truly
 revealing
 his
 creative
 potential
 to
 
fans,
 ultimately
 leaving
 the
 artist
 no
 choice
 but
 to
 retreat
 into
 retirement.
 
 

 

 

 
Frank
 Zappa
 

 

 
"I
 prove
 to
 you
 that
 I
 am
 bad
 
enough
 to
 get
 into
 hell,
 because
 I
 
have
 been
 through
 it!
 I
 have
 seen
 
it!
 It
 has
 happened
 to
 me!
 
Remember:
 I
 was
 signed
 for
 
Warner
 Brothers
 for
 eight
 fucking
 years!!"
 –
 Frank
 Zappa9
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9
 From
 Zappa,
 Frank,
 Titties
 &
 Beer
 

 

8
 


 
Frank
 Zappa
 was
 a
 musician,
 composer,
 producer,
 film
 director,
 and
 
entrepreneur
 who
 was
 extremely
 active
 in
 the
 music
 industry
 from
 1955
 up
 until
 
his
 death
 in
 1993.
 Zappa
 composed
 some
 of
 the
 most
 interesting
 and
 influential
 
music
 the
 industry
 has
 ever
 seen,
 drawing
 from
 his
 early
 influences
 of
 20th
 century
 
western
 art
 music
 and
 early
 R&B.
 Frank
 Zappa’s
 body
 of
 work
 represents
 true
 
creativity
 and
 innovation
 in
 music,
 as
 he
 continuously
 pushed
 the
 boundaries
 of
 
musical
 expression,
 lyrical
 content,
 and
 performance
 styles.
 Throughout
 his
 career,
 
Zappa
 was
 very
 vocal
 about
 many
 social
 issues
 including
 creativity
 in
 the
 industry,
 
the
 most
 famous
 of
 which
 being
 when
 he
 testified
 before
 the
 United
 States
 Senate
 in
 
defense
 of
 freedom
 of
 speech.
 For
 all
 of
 his
 advancements
 in
 creativity
 and
 
musicality
 over
 his
 career,
 Frank
 Zappa
 was
 famously
 met
 with
 much
 controversy
 
and
 backlash
 from
 many
 of
 the
 figures
 involved
 in
 his
 career,
 especially
 his
 record
 
labels.
 At
 every
 step
 of
 his
 career,
 Frank
 Zappa
 was
 forced
 to
 battle
 attempts
 by
 his
 
labels
 to
 limit
 his
 creative
 expression
 and
 force
 him
 into
 the
 artistic
 box
 so
 
representative
 of
 the
 commercial
 music
 industry.
 In
 a
 true
 testament
 to
 his
 artistic
 
and
 personal
 strength,
 Zappa
 never
 backed
 down,
 unlike
 his
 creative
 peer
 Captain
 
Beefheart,
 and
 engaged
 in
 numerous
 lawsuits
 against
 his
 labels,
 ultimately
 earning
 
the
 right
 to
 control
 his
 own
 masters,
 starting
 his
 own
 record
 labels,
 and
 developing
 
a
 musical
 estate
 that
 is
 extremely
 valuable
 to
 this
 day.
 
Perhaps
 the
 worst
 and
 one
 of
 the
 most
 well
 known
 of
 Zappa’s
 disputes
 with
 
record
 labels
 was
 his
 highly
 publicized
 dispute
 with
 Warner
 Bros.
 Records
 in
 the
 
1970’s
 over
 the
 release
 of
 his
 album
 Läther.
 Zappa
 initially
 landed
 with
 Warner
 

 

9
 

Bros.
 in
 the
 mid-­‐1970’s
 after
 settling
 a
 legal
 dispute
 with
 his
 previous
 record
 label,
 
MGM
 Records,
 over
 the
 issue
 of
 copyright
 ownership.10
 Despite
 leaving
 previous
 
legal
 issues
 behind
 at
 the
 beginning
 of
 his
 deal
 with
 Warner
 Bros.,
 Frank
 Zappa
 was
 
quickly
 entrenched
 in
 further
 legal
 battles
 with
 his
 new
 record
 label.
 
 

 

Upon
 signing
 with
 Warner
 Bros.,
 Frank
 Zappa
 planned
 to
 quickly
 fulfill
 the
 

requirements
 of
 his
 deal
 with
 the
 creative
 project
 Läther.
 Not
 long
 into
 the
 contract
 
with
 Warner
 Bros.,
 Zappa
 famously
 went
 to
 executives
 with
 completed
 copies
 of
 the
 
4
 separate
 albums
 that
 made
 up
 Läther,
 technically
 fulfilling
 the
 requirement
 of
 his
 
contract
 in
 one
 fair
 swoop.11
 According
 to
 author
 and
 lawyer
 Donald
 Passman,
 this
 
incident
 was
 legally
 within
 the
 rights
 of
 Zappa
 and
 has
 since
 prompted
 record
 labels
 
to
 mandate
 both
 minimum
 and
 maximum
 release
 periods
 for
 all
 of
 their
 artists,
 a
 
consideration
 previously
 neglected
 at
 the
 time.12
 

 

Despite
 the
 fact
 that
 this
 move
 by
 Frank
 Zappa
 was
 technically
 within
 his
 

contractual
 rights,
 Warner
 Bros.
 refused
 to
 release
 the
 quadruple-­‐album
 as
 Frank
 
Zappa
 had
 creatively
 intended.
 After
 attempts
 by
 Zappa
 to
 press
 the
 album
 for
 
release
 were
 blocked
 by
 Warner
 Bros.,
 claiming
 copyright
 ownership,
 Zappa
 
famously
 broadcasted
 the
 entire
 quadruple-­‐album
 on
 Los
 Angeles
 based
 radio
 
station
 KROQ,
 encouraging
 listeners
 to
 record
 their
 own
 bootleg
 copies.13
 A
 
transcript
 from
 the
 1977
 broadcast
 spoke
 to
 Zappa’s
 growing
 artistic
 frustration
 
and
 willingness
 to
 stand
 up
 for
 his
 belief
 in
 what
 is
 right,
 even
 at
 the
 expense
 of
 his
 
own
 personal
 revenue.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10
 From
 Rolling
 Stone,
 “Frank
 Zappa
 Biography”
 
11
 From
 Passman,
 Donald,
 All
 You
 Need
 To
 Know
 About
 The
 Music
 Business
 
12
 From
 Passman,
 Donald,
 All
 You
 Need
 To
 Know
 About
 The
 Music
 Business
 
13
 From
 nndb.com,
 “Frank
 Zappa”
 

 

10
 


 
“And
 the
 way
 it
 stands
 now,
 my
 future
 as
 a
 recording
 artist
 is
 dangling
 in
 mid-­‐air
 
pending
 court
 procedures,
 which
 in
 California
 for
 civil
 cases
 can
 take
 anywhere
 from
 
three
 to
 five
 years
 just
 to
 get
 a
 day
 in
 court
 and
 have
 your
 case
 heard.
 Since
 I
 don't
 
think
 that
 anybody
 wants
 to
 wait
 three
 to
 five
 years
 to
 hear
 my
 wonderful
 music,
 I
 
have
 taken
 it
 upon
 myself
 to
 come
 down
 here
 and
 advise
 anybody
 interested
 in
 the
 
stuff
 that
 I
 do
 to
 get
 a
 cassette
 machine,
 and
 tape
 this
 album.
 You
 can
 have
 it
 for
 free,
 
just
 take
 it
 right
 off
 the
 radio.
 You
 know-­‐-­‐don't
 buy
 it,
 tape
 it!”14
 

 
Eventually,
 the
 lawsuit
 concluded
 in
 1982
 with
 the
 awarding
 of
 intellectual
 
property
 rights
 of
 the
 recordings
 in
 question
 to
 Zappa.
 The
 pending
 lawsuit,
 
however,
 did
 not
 stop
 Warner
 Bros.
 from
 releasing
 all
 4
 pieces
 that
 made
 up
 the
 
album
 Läther
 in
 their
 preferred
 method
 of
 individual,
 spaced-­‐out
 records.
 The
 
release
 of
 these
 albums
 was
 further
 marred
 by
 controversy,
 as
 Zappa
 went
 on
 the
 
record
 numerous
 times
 in
 the
 late
 1970’s
 bringing
 to
 light
 all
 of
 the
 individual
 issues
 
surrounding
 the
 album.
 Stories
 of
 dropped
 recordings,
 changing
 of
 album
 and
 song
 
titles,
 and
 allegations
 of
 unpaid
 earnings
 surrounded
 the
 release
 of
 each
 component
 
of
 Läther,
 which
 were
 released
 over
 1978
 and
 1979.
 Due
 to
 the
 extreme
 
circumstances
 surrounding
 the
 controversial
 quadruple-­‐album,
 it
 was
 never
 
released
 as
 originally
 intended
 until
 1996,
 3
 years
 after
 the
 death
 of
 Zappa.
 
Nevertheless,
 the
 dispute
 between
 the
 multimillion-­‐dollar
 company
 Warner
 Bros.
 
and
 the
 headstrong
 Zappa
 became
 a
 music
 industry
 legal
 dispute
 that
 made
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14
 From
 Frank
 Zappa
 KROQ
 Interview
 –
 December
 1977
 

 

11
 

headlines
 and
 is
 still
 being
 talked
 and
 written
 about
 today
 by
 music
 writers.
 This
 
extremely
 public
 nature
 of
 the
 issue
 was
 initially
 perpetuated
 by
 Zappa’s
 attitude
 
when
 discussing
 the
 issue
 at
 the
 height
 of
 its
 volatility.
 
 

 
“[The
 lawsuit
 entails]
 A
 nice
 person,
 who
 is
 me,
 versus
 a
 bunch
 of
 assholes,
 
which
 include
 all
 the
 people
 involved
 in
 the
 suit.
 Very
 simply,
 I
 lived
 up
 to
 the
 
terms
 of
 my
 contract
 with
 Warner
 Bros.
 I
 delivered
 four
 albums
 to
 them.
 My
 
contract
 says
 that
 when
 I
 give
 them
 the
 albums,
 they
 give
 me
 the
 money.
 They
 
didn’t
 give
 me
 the
 money.”15
 

 

 

The
 various
 disputes
 over
 Zappa’s
 Läther
 are
 very
 strong
 examples
 of
 record
 

companies
 overstepping
 their
 creative
 boundaries
 for
 the
 sake
 of
 monetary
 gain.
 
There
 was
 nothing
 artistically
 wrong
 with
 Zappa’s
 presentation
 of
 the
 quadruple-­‐
album
 Läther,
 except
 for
 the
 fact
 that
 it
 would
 not
 have
 made
 as
 much
 money
 for
 the
 
label
 like
 4
 separate
 releases
 would.
 In
 this
 instance,
 Warner
 Bros.
 exerted
 their
 
power
 as
 a
 company
 to
 dramatically
 stifle
 Frank
 Zappa’s
 creative
 vision,
 resulting
 in
 
an
 ugly
 and
 drawn
 out
 battle
 between
 creativity
 and
 business,
 an
 action
 which
 
ultimately
 hurts
 Frank
 Zappa’s
 loyal
 cult
 fan
 base
 by
 denying
 them
 the
 true
 creative
 
output
 of
 an
 idolized
 and
 revered
 figure.
 
 

 

After
 his
 dispute
 with
 Warner
 Bros.,
 Frank
 Zappa
 eventually
 managed
 to
 

secure
 the
 rights
 to
 his
 masters
 made
 under
 Warner
 and
 other
 previous
 record
 
labels.
 By
 finally
 gaining
 creative
 and
 business
 control
 of
 his
 music,
 Frank
 Zappa
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15
 From
 Frank
 Zappa
 Interview
 with
 OUI
 Magazine,
 April
 1979
 

 

12
 

was
 able
 to
 release
 numerous
 innovative
 and
 influential
 albums,
 up
 until
 his
 death
 
in
 1993.
 Today,
 the
 Frank
 Zappa
 catalogue
 and
 estate
 remain
 very
 lucrative
 pieces
 
of
 intellectual
 property,
 only
 rightfully
 secured
 after
 a
 significant
 investment
 in
 legal
 
action
 against
 record
 labels.
 This
 particular
 case
 has
 a
 positive
 ending
 for
 music
 fans
 
and
 music
 industry
 as
 a
 whole,
 as
 we
 now
 still
 have
 access
 to
 the
 profound
 creative
 
work
 of
 Frank
 Zappa
 over
 2
 decades
 after
 his
 death.
 Had
 Frank
 Zappa
 and
 his
 family
 
not
 fought
 for
 the
 right
 to
 own
 and
 retain
 their
 rightful
 creative
 property,
 many
 of
 
such
 recordings
 would
 have
 been
 exploited,
 tampered
 with,
 and
 lost
 in
 history
 as
 
initially
 creatively
 intended.
 
 

 
Kool
 Keith
 
Keith
 Thornton,
 better
 known
 
as
 Kool
 Keith,
 is
 one
 of
 the
 most
 
creative
 and
 innovative
 figures
 in
 the
 
history
 of
 hip
 hop
 music.
 Since
 his
 
debut
 in
 the
 late
 1980’s,
 as
 a
 member
 of
 the
 group
 Ultramagnetic
 MC’s,
 Kool
 Keith
 
has
 pushed
 the
 boundaries
 of
 rap,
 with
 the
 release
 of
 over
 20
 albums
 and
 the
 use
 of
 
over
 50
 various
 stage
 names
 and
 pseudonyms.
 While
 Kool
 Keith’s
 contributions
 to
 
hip
 hop
 are
 vast
 and
 have
 spanned
 almost
 30
 years,
 it
 is
 1996’s
 Dr.
 Octagonecologyst
 
that
 represents
 his
 creative
 prowess
 and
 potential
 that
 has
 since
 been
 marred
 and
 
stifled
 by
 major
 record
 labels
 and
 the
 music
 industry
 as
 a
 whole.
 
 

 

Although
 originally
 released
 in
 1996,
 Dr.
 Octagonecologyst
 remains
 an
 

innovative
 hip
 hop
 album
 to
 this
 day.
 This
 fact
 is
 further
 demonstrated
 by
 the
 legacy
 

 

13
 

that
 the
 album
 holds
 today.
 The
 album
 has
 been
 named
 the
 #12
 best
 rap
 album
 of
 
1980-­‐1998
 by
 Ego
 Trip
 Magazine16
 and
 earned
 a
 place
 in
 Robert
 Dimery’s
 1001
 
Albums
 You
 Must
 Hear
 Before
 You
 Die17,
 amongst
 other
 accolades
 by
 music
 industry
 
publications.
 Performing
 under
 the
 alias
 Dr.
 Octagon,
 Kool
 Keith
 tells
 a
 story
 from
 
track
 1
 to
 20
 of
 a
 time
 traveling,
 alien
 gynecologist
 from
 Jupiter.18
 The
 album
 
explores
 a
 unique
 style
 of
 experimental
 hip
 hop,
 developed
 by
 Kool
 Keith,
 that
 
hasn’t
 come
 close
 to
 being
 touched
 by
 any
 other
 rapper
 since.
 Back
 in
 1997,
 Rolling
 
Stone
 reviewer
 Chairman
 Mao
 described
 this
 style
 as
 one
 within
 “an
 area
 where
 hip-­‐
hop
 meets
 hallucinatory
 sci-­‐fi
 and
 porn.”19
 
 
This
 innovative
 and
 revolutionary
 album
 was
 only
 made
 possible
 due
 to
 the
 
creative
 freedom
 that
 Kool
 Keith
 possessed
 during
 
the
 album’s
 creation.
 The
 album
 was
 the
 
independent
 creative
 brainchild
 of
 Kool
 Keith,
 along
 
with
 collaborations
 with
 legendary
 producer
 Dan
 
“The
 Automator”
 Nakamura
 and
 turntable
 pioneer
 
DJ
 Qbert.
 Between
 1995
 and
 1996,
 Kool
 Keith
 and
 
his
 collaborators
 produced
 Dr.
 Octagonecologyst
 independently,
 only
 shopping
 it
 to
 
record
 labels
 after
 the
 album’s
 creation.
 After
 an
 initial
 limited
 release
 on
 
independent
 label
 Bulk
 Recordings
 in
 1996,
 the
 album
 received
 much
 critical
 
acclaim
 and
 was
 eventually
 picked
 up
 and
 re-­‐released
 by
 major
 label
 DreamWorks
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16
 From
 Ego
 Trip
 Magazine,
 “Hip
 Hop’s
 25
 Greatest
 Albums
 By
 Year:
 1980-­‐98”
 
17
 From
 Dimery,
 Robert,
 1001
 Albums
 You
 Must
 Hear
 Before
 You
 Die
 
18
 From
 Thornton,
 Keith,
 Dr.
 Octagonecologyst
 
19
 From
 ‘Chairman
 Mao’,
 “Dr.
 Octagonecologyst:
 Dr.
 Octagon:
 Review”
 

 

14
 

Recordings
 in
 1997.20
 While
 this
 major
 record
 deal
 for
 Kool
 Keith
 initially
 proved
 
successful,
 drastically
 increasing
 the
 consumer
 reach
 of
 the
 album,
 the
 move
 by
 
DreamWorks
 speaks
 to
 the
 unfair
 way
 that
 record
 labels
 approach
 the
 signing
 of
 
new
 artists
 and
 musical
 products.
 DreamWorks
 simply
 jumped
 on
 a
 new
 release
 
that
 it
 had
 nothing
 to
 do
 with
 creatively,
 only
 to
 exploit
 it
 later.
 The
 eventual
 success
 
of
 Dr.
 Octagonecologyst
 and
 subsequent
 record
 deal
 with
 DreamWorks
 launched
 a
 
tumultuous
 solo
 career
 for
 Kool
 Keith
 that
 has
 seen
 its
 fair
 share
 of
 unfavorable
 
recording
 contracts,
 legal
 battles,
 and
 stifled
 creativity
 that
 persists
 today.
 Because
 
of
 his
 unique
 style
 and
 creative
 desire
 to
 push
 boundaries,
 Kool
 Keith
 is
 yet
 another
 
creative
 casualty
 of
 the
 commercial
 music
 industry.
 
 
The
 surprise
 success
 of
 Dr.
 Octagonecologyst
 ultimately
 led
 to
 attempts
 by
 
numerous
 major
 labels
 to
 mold
 Kool
 Keith’s
 alternative
 style
 and
 masterful
 lyricism
 
into
 a
 form
 that
 is
 more
 suitable
 for
 the
 commercial
 hip
 hop
 industry.
 The
 creative
 
control
 that
 many
 of
 Kool
 Keith’s
 previous
 record
 labels
 imposed
 did
 not
 sit
 well
 
with
 the
 artist,
 leading
 to
 many
 failed
 record
 deals,
 legal
 disputes,
 and
 a
 plethora
 of
 
independently
 released
 recordings
 regarding
 the
 subject
 of
 the
 music
 industry.
 The
 
issue
 of
 record
 company
 mismanagement
 and
 creative
 interference
 has
 become
 one
 
of
 Kool
 Keith’s
 most
 prominent
 creative
 topics,
 allowing
 fans
 to
 get
 a
 unique
 
perspective
 on
 this
 aspect
 of
 the
 music
 industry.
 By
 analyzing
 the
 content
 of
 these
 
recordings,
 like
 2000’s
 independently
 released
 “Test
 Press,”
 we
 can
 get
 a
 true
 sense
 
of
 many
 of
 Kool
 Keith’s
 individual
 issues
 with
 his
 record
 labels
 from
 his
 perspective
 
as
 an
 artist.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20
 From
 ‘Chairman
 Mao’,
 “Dr.
 Octagonecologyst:
 Dr.
 Octagon:
 Review”
 

 

15
 


 
Excerpt
 from
 “Test
 Press”
 (2000)
 
“So
 Ruffhouse
 politically
 had
 to
 freeze
 my
 album
 
Regular
 Colombia
 don’t
 know
 what
 the
 hell
 is
 goin’
 
on
 
With
 a
 sheisty
 distribution
 switch
 behind
 my
 back
 
I
 worked
 on
 my
 album
 February
 last
 year
 
13
 months
 passed
 by,
 all
 I
 heard
 was
 a
 bunch
 of
 lies”21
 

 

 

In
 the
 song,
 Kool
 Keith
 discusses
 a
 period
 in
 1999
 that
 saw
 the
 release
 of
 

arguably
 his
 two
 most
 important
 albums
 since
 his
 solo
 debut
 as
 Dr.
 Octagon,
 First
 
Come,
 First
 Served,
 under
 the
 alias
 Dr.
 Dooom
 through
 independent
 label
 Funky
 Ass
 
Records
 and
 Black
 Elvis
 /
 Lost
 in
 Space,
 as
 Kool
 Keith
 through
 major
 labels
 
Ruffhouse
 and
 Colombia
 records.
 Kool
 Keith’s
 original
 plan
 was
 to
 release
 both
 
albums
 on
 the
 same
 day,
 which
 would
 have
 added
 appeal
 to
 both
 albums,
 especially
 
amongst
 faithful
 Kool
 Keith
 fans
 appreciating
 the
 creativity
 of
 this
 move.
 
Stylistically,
 both
 albums
 are
 very
 different,
 with
 First
 Come,
 First
 Served
 depicting
 
the
 character
 of
 an
 eccentric
 and
 profane
 serial
 killer22
 and
 Black
 Elvis
 /
 Lost
 In
 
Space
 dealing
 with
 space
 travel
 and
 other
 futuristic
 themes,
 in
 a
 surprisingly
 
profanity
 free
 delivery.23
 This
 drastic
 stylistic
 difference
 would
 have
 further
 added
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21
 From
 Thornton,
 Keith,
 Test
 Press
 
22
 From
 Thornton,
 Keith,
 First
 Come,
 First
 Served
 
23
 From
 Thornton,
 Keith,
 Black
 Elvis
 /
 Lost
 In
 Space
 

 

16
 

to
 the
 allure
 of
 this
 unique
 release
 schedule,
 
allowing
 fans
 simultaneous
 access
 to
 two
 
opposite
 creative
 styles
 of
 Kool
 Keith.
 

 

Ultimately,
 however,
 Ruffhouse
 Records
 

neglected
 to
 recognize
 the
 commercial
 value
 for
 
the
 Black
 Elvis
 /
 Lost
 In
 Space
 album
 and
 took
 
every
 opportunity
 to
 undermine
 Kool
 Keith,
 starting
 with
 a
 4-­‐month
 delay
 in
 
releasing
 the
 album.
 The
 record
 label
 also
 took
 steps
 to
 limit
 Kool
 Keith’s
 creative
 
control
 as
 the
 album’s
 sole
 producer
 by
 attempting
 to
 implement
 more
 industry
 
standard
 production
 styles.24
 Kool
 Keith
 further
 discusses
 this
 struggle
 on
 “Test
 
Press.”
 

 
Excerpt
 from
 “Test
 Press”
 (2000)
 
“Dubbin’
 my
 cassette
 for
 the
 industry,
 it
 got
 silly
 
Opinions
 from
 people
 who
 don’t
 know
 jack
 about
 music
 
In
 the
 industry,
 know
 what?
 
Had
 to
 do
 the
 album
 practically
 over”
 

 
Upon
 the
 release
 of
 Black
 Elvis
 /
 Lost
 in
 Space,
 Ruffhouse
 Records
 had
 given
 
up
 on
 the
 project,
 switching
 the
 album’s
 distributor
 from
 major
 label
 Sony
 Music
 
Distribution
 to
 the
 independent
 and
 much
 smaller
 Relativity
 Entertainment
 
Distribution.
 Ruffhouse
 Records
 also
 decreased
 its
 promotional
 investment
 in
 the
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24
 From
 Thornton,
 Keith,
 Test
 Press
 

 

17
 

album
 to
 next
 to
 nothing,
 leading
 Kool
 Keith
 to
 publically
 publish
 the
 email
 
addresses
 of
 multiple
 Ruffhouse
 Records
 executives
 and
 encouraging
 fans
 to
 write
 
requesting
 more
 promotion
 for
 the
 album.25
 As
 a
 result
 of
 this
 dispute,
 Black
 Elvis
 /
 
Lost
 In
 Space
 drastically
 underperformed
 commercially,
 coincidentally
 during
 what
 
turned
 out
 to
 be
 the
 music
 industry’s
 strongest
 sales
 year
 ever.26
 Today,
 the
 album,
 
arguably
 one
 of
 Kool
 Keith’s
 best
 albums,
 is
 virtually
 unavailable
 to
 consumers.
 The
 
album
 is
 not
 available
 on
 iTunes
 or
 Spotify,
 rendering
 this
 great
 album
 virtually
 
gone
 from
 hip
 hop
 history.
 Fortunately
 for
 consumers,
 Kool
 Keith
 is
 an
 artist
 with
 a
 
strong
 enough
 voice
 and
 will
 to
 detail
 these
 normally
 behind
 the
 scenes
 music
 
industry
 disputes
 in
 songs
 like
 “Test
 Press.”
 
The
 issues
 surrounding
 Kool
 Keith’s
 1999
 releases
 have
 proven
 to
 not
 be
 the
 
only
 problems
 between
 him
 and
 his
 record
 labels.
 Beginning
 in
 2002,
 Kool
 Keith
 
attempted
 to
 revisit
 his
 Dr.
 Octagon
 character
 and
 ultimately
 signed
 with
 the
 small
 
Los
 Angeles
 based
 independent
 label
 CMH
 Records
 to
 help
 facilitate
 the
 release
 of
 
what
 became
 known
 as
 The
 Return
 of
 Dr.
 Octagon.
 At
 the
 time
 of
 this
 deal,
 Kool
 Keith
 
stated
 in
 an
 interview
 with
 Rolling
 Stone,
 "I
 chose
 to
 go
 with
 somebody
 that
 will
 
take
 this
 as
 a
 creative
 project,
 not
 a
 marketing
 project."27
 
Unfortunately
 for
 Kool
 Keith,
 his
 initial
 perception
 of
 CMH
 Records
 was
 
incorrect,
 as
 the
 label
 immediately
 began
 to
 demand
 creative
 control,
 leading
 Kool
 
Keith
 to
 battle
 the
 label
 legally
 in
 order
 to
 halt
 the
 distribution
 of
 the
 album.
 In
 an
 
attempt
 to
 quietly
 fulfill
 the
 requirements
 of
 his
 record
 deal,
 Kool
 Keith
 provided
 the
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25
 From
 HipHopIsntDead,
 “Kool
 Keith
 –
 Black
 Elvis
 /
 Lost
 In
 Space”
 
26
 From
 RIAA.com,
 “Scope
 of
 the
 Problem”
 
27
 From
 Moayeri,
 Lilly,
 “Kool
 Keith
 Revives
 Dr.
 Octagon”
 

 

18
 

label
 with
 old,
 unused
 vocals
 that
 CMH
 Records
 subsequently
 distributed
 to
 OCD
 
International,
 a
 virtually
 unknown
 record
 label
 in
 Barcelona.
 Citing
 their
 contractual
 
right
 to
 independently
 remix
 any
 material
 created
 by
 Kool
 Keith,
 CMH
 Records
 and
 
OCD
 International
 released
 The
 Return
 of
 Dr.
 Octagon
 in
 2006
 unbeknownst
 to
 Kool
 
Keith
 himself.28
 The
 final
 product
 is
 a
 sorry
 excuse
 for
 an
 actual
 Kool
 Keith
 release,
 
featuring
 unpolished
 scratch
 vocals
 and
 production
 that
 had
 nothing
 to
 do
 with
 Kool
 
Keith
 at
 all,
 an
 artist
 who
 normally
 prefers
 to
 produce
 all
 of
 his
 tracks
 himself.
 
 
The
 issues
 surrounding
 The
 Return
 of
 Dr.
 Octagon
 eventually
 became
 a
 story
 
about
 a
 tiny
 record
 label
 exploiting
 the
 prolific
 name
 of
 an
 artist
 to
 achieve
 success,
 
all
 while
 delivering
 to
 consumers
 a
 product
 that
 does
 not
 fully
 represent
 the
 normal
 
creative
 output
 of
 an
 artist
 like
 Kool
 Keith.
 Because
 of
 Kool
 Keith’s
 progressive
 and
 
outspoken
 nature
 as
 a
 person
 and
 artist,
 he
 is
 one
 of
 the
 best
 examples
 of
 unethical
 
label
 tactics
 and
 stifled
 creativity
 that
 we
 have
 from
 the
 modern
 music
 industry.
 
Although
 Kool
 Keith
 is
 still
 one
 of
 the
 most
 influential
 and
 innovative
 figures
 in
 hip
 
hop,
 the
 fact
 remains
 that
 his
 output
 to
 consumers
 and
 imprint
 on
 music
 history
 
could
 have
 been
 much
 greater.
 Today,
 Kool
 Keith
 is
 a
 shell
 of
 his
 former
 self
 
creatively,
 with
 over
 20
 years
 of
 music
 industry
 wear
 and
 tear
 obviously
 affecting
 
his
 morale
 and
 artist
 identity.
 His
 2012
 song
 “Goodbye
 Rap”
 is
 a
 testament
 to
 this,
 as
 
Kool
 Keith
 seemingly
 retires
 from
 the
 music
 industry,
 citing
 issues
 such
 as
 the
 
merging
 of
 hip
 hop
 and
 pop
 by
 record
 companies,
 the
 chronic
 sampling
 of
 “old
 man
 
records,”
 and
 the
 industry
 promoting
 false
 images
 of
 what
 a
 rapper
 should
 look
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28
 From
 Downs,
 David,
 “Kool
 Keith
 CD
 Scam
 Exposed”
 

 

19
 

like.29
 The
 industry
 has
 sadly
 killed
 a
 large
 chunk
 of
 the
 creative
 genius
 of
 Kool
 
Keith,
 which
 has
 ultimately
 hurt
 the
 artist,
 the
 fans,
 and
 the
 labels
 alike,
 leaving
 both
 
cultural
 contributions
 and
 money
 on
 the
 table.
 
 

 
Outkast
 

 

For
 roughly
 20
 years,
 

Outkast
 has
 been
 one
 of
 the
 most
 
successful
 and
 respected
 names
 in
 
commercial
 hip
 hop.
 Comprised
 of
 
rappers
 Big
 Boi
 and
 Andre
 3000,
 Outkast’s
 7
 albums
 have
 gone
 on
 to
 sell
 over
 20
 
million
 copies
 in
 the
 United
 States,
 establishing
 the
 group
 as
 one
 of
 the
 only
 hip
 hop
 
acts
 to
 successfully
 merge
 creativity,
 artistry,
 and
 musicality
 within
 the
 commercial
 
hip
 hop
 industry.
 After
 their
 first
 three
 albums
 all
 hovered
 between
 1
 and
 2
 million
 
total
 U.S.
 sales,
 their
 2000
 album
 Stankonia,
 led
 by
 crossover
 hits
 “Ms.
 Jackson”
 and
 
“So
 Fresh,
 So
 Clean,”
 more
 than
 doubled
 their
 previous
 sales
 averages
 with
 over
 4
 
million
 sales
 in
 the
 U.S.
 alone.30
 
 
Following
 the
 success
 of
 Stanktonia,
 Outkast’s
 label,
 Arista
 Records,
 
operating
 under
 Sony
 Music,
 attempted
 to
 push
 Outkast
 into
 that
 same
 style
 and
 
sound
 on
 their
 next
 album.31
 Rather
 than
 release
 what
 their
 label
 wanted,
 Outkast
 
decided
 to
 take
 an
 entirely
 different
 approach.
 In
 2003,
 they
 released
 Speakerboxxx
 
/
 The
 Love
 Below,
 which
 not
 only
 was
 presented
 as
 one
 solo
 album
 each
 by
 both
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29
 From
 Thornton,
 Keith,
 Goodbye
 Rap
 
30
 From
 Hunting,
 Benjamin,
 “Outkast’s
 Stankonia
 –
 10
 Years
 Later”
 
31
 From
 LaBarrie
 Ariana,
 “Outkast’s
 Speakerboxxx
 /
 The
 Love
 Below
 Turns
 10”
 

 

20
 

members
 of
 Outkast,
 but
 also
 featured
 the
 complete
 abandonment
 of
 rapping
 by
 
Andre
 3000
 (long
 considered
 Outkast’s
 biggest
 talent
 and
 main
 source
 of
 
commercial
 appeal),
 instead
 opting
 to
 sing
 for
 the
 majority
 of
 his
 half
 of
 the
 double
 
album.
 Because
 Speakerboxxx
 /
 The
 Love
 Below
 became
 an
 album
 that
 Arista
 
Records
 was
 not
 pleased
 to
 release,
 the
 label
 did
 not
 promote
 it
 or
 ship
 it
 to
 the
 level
 
that
 a
 major
 album
 of
 its
 kind
 should
 have.
 Ultimately,
 the
 album
 wildly
 
outperformed
 its
 expectations,
 selling
 all
 500,000
 copies
 that
 were
 shipped
 out
 for
 
the
 first
 week,
 winning
 the
 2004
 Grammy
 for
 Album
 of
 the
 Year
 (the
 only
 hip
 hop
 
album
 to
 ever
 win
 the
 honor),
 and
 eventually
 selling
 over
 10
 million
 copies.32
 
Despite
 the
 album’s
 success,
 however,
 it
 is
 extremely
 disheartening
 to
 view
 Arista’s
 
initial
 lack
 of
 promotion
 and
 support
 of
 the
 album,
 based
 solely
 off
 of
 fears
 that
 it
 
would
 not
 meet
 the
 expectations
 of
 consumers.
 
Although
 Speakerboxxx
 /
 The
 Love
 Below
 was
 ultimately
 a
 successful
 album,
 it
 
became
 apparent
 that
 Outkast
 was
 creatively
 and
 artistically
 out
 pacing
 the
 desires
 
of
 Arista
 Records.
 After
 one
 more
 album
 together,
 the
 soundtrack
 for
 the
 2006
 
Outkast
 movie
 Idlewild,
 the
 group
 announced
 a
 hiatus
 in
 2007,
 undoubtedly
 
influenced
 by
 the
 differing
 artistic
 expectations
 of
 Outkast
 and
 its
 record
 label.
 
Andre
 3000
 moved
 on
 to
 pursue
 acting
 and
 fashion
 design,
 while
 Big
 Boi
 signed
 a
 
deal
 as
 a
 solo
 artist
 with
 Def
 Jam.
 
 
The
 creative
 genius
 of
 Outkast
 was
 stifled
 again,
 and
 in
 a
 big
 way,
 with
 the
 
release
 of
 Big
 Boi’s
 2010
 solo
 debut
 Sir
 Lucious
 Left
 Foot:
 The
 Son
 of
 Chico
 Dusty.
 
Leading
 up
 to
 the
 album’s
 release,
 interest
 for
 the
 album
 was
 generated
 when
 it
 was
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
32
 From
 LaBarrie
 Ariana,
 “Outkast’s
 Speakerboxxx
 /
 The
 Love
 Below
 Turns
 10”
 

 

21
 

revealed
 that
 Outkast
 would
 record
 together
 again,
 as
 3
 of
 Big
 Boi’s
 solo
 tracks
 were
 
to
 feature
 Andre
 3000.
 Jive
 Records,
 which
 owned
 the
 recording
 rights
 for
 Outkast
 
as
 a
 duo
 at
 the
 time,
 immediately
 fought
 Andre
 3000’s
 presence
 on
 the
 album,
 
ultimately
 leading
 to
 all
 of
 Andre’s
 verses
 being
 pulled
 from
 the
 final
 album,
 
significantly
 disappointing
 fans.33
 Despite
 receiving
 significant
 critical
 acclaim
 for
 
Sir
 Lucious
 Left
 Foot,
 Big
 Boi’s
 solo
 debut
 received
 very
 little
 commercial
 success,
 
selling
 62,000
 copies
 in
 its
 first
 week
 and
 less
 than
 300,000
 copies
 to
 date,
 34
 a
 total
 
that
 would
 have
 undoubtedly
 been
 higher
 had
 the
 songs
 featuring
 Andre
 3000
 
actually
 been
 released
 on
 the
 album.
 
 
When
 analyzing
 the
 catalogue
 of
 Outkast
 over
 the
 past
 20
 years,
 it
 is
 clear
 
that
 record
 label
 involvement
 played
 a
 significant
 role
 in
 the
 abrupt
 hiatus
 of
 the
 
group.
 Since
 Outkast
 developed
 into
 one
 of
 the
 most
 commercially
 successful
 hip
 
hop
 acts
 of
 the
 2000’s,
 Arista
 Records
 and
 Jive
 Records
 have
 had
 their
 hands
 on
 the
 
artistic
 output
 of
 the
 group.
 Arista
 Records
 improperly
 released
 one
 of
 the
 most
 
important
 hip
 hop
 albums
 of
 all
 time
 because
 it
 wasn’t
 commercial
 enough
 for
 them,
 
with
 Jive
 eventually
 blocking
 future
 Outkast
 recordings,
 simply
 because
 they
 
weren’t
 being
 made
 on
 the
 record
 label’s
 terms.
 Thanks
 to
 these
 acts
 by
 the
 record
 
labels,
 both
 Big
 Boi
 and
 Andre
 3000
 have
 been
 pushed
 away
 from
 their
 exploits
 as
 a
 
group
 and
 into
 other
 solo
 ventures
 devoid
 of
 such
 outside
 control.
 By
 overly
 
controlling
 the
 work
 of
 Outkast,
 the
 business
 side
 of
 music
 industry
 has
 blocked
 fans
 
from
 receiving
 the
 best
 possible
 creative
 output
 from
 the
 legendary
 duo,
 potentially
 
for
 the
 rest
 of
 time.
 Even
 if
 the
 duo
 eventually
 reunites
 to
 record
 a
 new
 project,
 the
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
33
 From
 Michaels,
 Sean,
 “Outkast’s
 Record
 Label
 Blocks
 Big
 Boi
 &
 Andre
 3000
 Collaboration”
 
34
 From
 Wikipedia.org,
 “Sir
 Lucious
 Left
 Foot:
 The
 Son
 of
 Chico
 Dusty”
 

 
22
 

creative
 output
 will
 not
 be
 as
 strong
 as
 it
 would
 have
 been
 if
 the
 group
 had
 not
 been
 
significantly
 stifled
 creatively
 at
 the
 peak
 of
 their
 artistry
 and
 success.
 

 
Lupe
 Fiasco
 

 
“I
 am
 a
 hostage.
 I
 gave
 them
 what
 they
 
wanted.
 If
 I
 didn’t,
 at
 the
 end
 of
 the
 day
 the
 
album
 wasn’t
 coming
 out.”
 –
 Lupe
 Fiasco
 

 
The
 story
 of
 rapper
 Lupe
 Fiasco’s
 disagreements
 with
 his
 label,
 Atlantic
 
Records,
 is
 another
 well-­‐documented
 case
 of
 creative
 control
 in
 the
 urban
 music
 
industry.
 At
 the
 time
 of
 his
 debut,
 in
 2006,
 Chicago
 born
 Lupe
 Fiasco
 was
 considered
 
a
 ‘breath
 of
 fresh
 air’
 in
 the
 hip-­‐hop
 genre
 for
 his
 socially
 and
 politically
 conscious
 
lyrics
 that
 ultimately
 led
 him
 to
 sign
 a
 deal
 with
 Atlantic
 Records.
 He
 followed
 up
 his
 
universally
 acclaimed
 debut
 album
 Food
 &
 Liquor
 with
 a
 gold
 certified
 sophomore
 
effort
 The
 Cool,
 featuring
 the
 top-­‐ten
 single
 “Superstar.”35
 Despite
 his
 success,
 
however,
 Atlantic
 Records
 delayed
 his
 third
 album,
 Lasers,
 for
 two
 and
 a
 half
 years
 
because
 they
 feared
 it
 lacked
 the
 commercial
 singles
 that
 they
 had
 envisioned
 for
 
the
 project.
 In
 late
 2010,
 Lupe
 Fiasco
 addressed
 the
 issues
 he
 faced
 surrounding
 the
 
composition
 of
 Lasers
 in
 a
 keynote
 speech
 at
 the
 Second
 Regional
 Academic
 and
 
Cultural
 Collaborative
 in
 Dayton,
 Ohio:
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
35
 From
 Canton,
 Rafael,
 “The
 Artist
 vs.
 The
 Record
 Label”
 

 

23
 

“The
 record
 company
 [Atlantic
 Records]
 sent
 me
 a
 song
 and
 said
 ‘Lupe,
 you
 
need
 a
 number
 one
 smash
 [single].
 And
 this
 is
 a
 number
 one
 smash.’
 They
 sent
 
me
 a
 track
 and
 a
 hook.
 And
 then
 they
 sent
 me
 seven
 of
 those.
 On
 the
 last
 one,
 I
 
was
 like
 ‘I’m
 done
 fighting.
 I’ll
 just
 Martin
 Luther
 King
 this
 one.
 Just
 go
 ahead
 
and
 I’ll
 turn
 the
 other
 cheek.’”36
 

 
Lupe
 Fiasco
 goes
 on
 to
 claim
 that
 this
 exchange
 continued
 to
 occur,
 even
 
resulting
 in
 Atlantic
 Records
 changing
 a
 hook
 sixty
 times
 to
 try
 to
 eventually
 create
 
a
 “smash”
 record
 that
 could
 dominate
 the
 Billboard
 Music
 charts.
 
 
It
 is
 no
 secret
 that
 a
 decline
 in
 record
 sales
 has
 affected
 the
 way
 that
 record
 
companies
 have
 made
 decisions
 over
 the
 last
 two
 decades.
 This
 has
 prompted
 music
 
executives
 in
 various
 departments
 to
 take
 an
 
active
 role
 in
 the
 creative
 process
 of
 album
 
production.
 Fiasco
 asserted
 in
 an
 interview
 with
 
the
 Chicago
 Sun-­‐Times
 that
 he
 was
 explicitly
 told,
 
“don’t
 rap
 too
 deep
 on
 this
 record,”
 confirming
 
that
 the
 major
 record
 label
 had
 interfered
 with
 his
 
ability
 to
 write
 freely
 and
 express
 himself
 as
 an
 individual
 through
 music.
 “That
 was
 
a
 specific
 order
 from
 the
 top.
 ‘You’re
 rapping
 too
 fast
 or
 too
 slow,
 or
 it’s
 too
 
complex.’”37
 
Lupe
 Fiasco
 consistently
 resisted
 many
 attempts
 from
 Atlantic
 Records
 to
 
adopt
 a
 more
 mainstream
 style
 as
 a
 rapper.
 Still,
 his
 artistic
 career
 was
 negatively
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
36
 From
 “The
 Urban
 Daily,”
 Lupe
 Fiasco
 Exposes
 Label
 Practices
 
37
 From
 Jaco,
 Wasalu
 (Lupe
 Fiasco),
 2010
 interview
 with
 the
 Chicago
 Sun-­‐Times
 

 
24
 

impacted
 as
 a
 result
 of
 failing
 to
 comply
 with
 Atlantic’s
 demands.
 In
 2009,
 he
 
refused
 to
 sign
 a
 360
 contract
 with
 the
 label
 so
 that
 they
 could
 gain
 rights
 to
 
revenue
 in
 his
 other
 business
 endeavors,
 including
 tours
 and
 his
 endorsement
 deals
 
with
 Reebok
 and
 Hewlett-­‐Packard.
 Because
 he
 wouldn’t
 reach
 an
 agreement
 to
 this
 
type
 of
 deal,
 Fiasco
 alleges
 that
 Atlantic
 Records
 didn’t
 bother
 to
 promote
 his
 single:
 

 
“I
 was
 told
 because
 you
 didn’t
 sign
 this
 360
 deal,
 we
 may
 or
 may
 not
 push
 your
 
record.
 When
 [my
 2011
 single]
 ‘Beaming’
 came
 out
 and
 you
 never
 heard
 it
 on
 
the
 radio,
 it’s
 because
 they
 never
 took
 it
 to
 the
 radio
 in
 the
 first
 place.
 The
 
reason
 that
 there
 is
 a
 video
 for
 ‘Beaming’
 is
 because
 I
 shot
 it,
 with
 my
 own
 
money.
 The
 only
 reason
 that
 it’s
 on
 MTV
 is
 because
 I
 have
 friends
 at
 MTV
 that
 
said
 ‘Lupe
 we’re
 going
 to
 play
 your
 video…’”38
 

 
Luckily,
 Lupe
 Fiasco
 has
 been
 a
 successful
 artist
 over
 the
 past
 8
 years
 and
 
maintains
 a
 strong
 and
 loyal
 fan
 base.
 His
 followers
 started
 a
 petition
 and
 planned
 
to
 protest
 outside
 of
 the
 Atlantic
 Records
 headquarters
 while
 there
 was
 still
 a
 hold
 
on
 the
 release
 of
 Lasers.
 The
 company
 quickly
 gave
 in
 and
 announced
 an
 official
 
release
 date
 of
 March
 8th,
 2011.39
 
For
 many
 artists
 like
 Lupe
 Fiasco,
 having
 a
 deal
 with
 a
 major
 company
 
involves
 great
 struggles
 that
 will
 ultimately
 end
 in
 creative
 compromise.
 
Unfortunately,
 numerous
 musicians
 have
 been
 caught
 in
 the
 midst
 of
 transitional
 
periods
 within
 the
 recording
 industry
 that
 affect
 business
 decisions.
 The
 ambitions
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
38
 From
 Blanco,
 Alvin,
 “Lupe
 Fiasco
 Explains
 ‘Lasers’
 Delay,
 Blames
 Atlantic
 Records”
 
39
 From
 Canton,
 Rafael,
 “The
 Artist
 vs.
 The
 Record
 Label”
 

 
25
 

of
 some
 music
 executives
 and
 companies
 do
 not
 necessarily
 foster
 a
 creative
 
environment,
 but
 rather,
 an
 opportunity
 for
 artists
 to
 sacrifice
 quality
 music
 
conception
 in
 exchange
 for
 a
 small
 earning
 of
 the
 overall
 profits
 made
 yearly
 in
 the
 
business
 of
 entertainment.
 The
 story
 of
 Lupe
 Fiasco’s
 album
 Lasers
 shows
 that
 
today,
 more
 so
 than
 ever,
 record
 label
 executives
 are
 demanding
 creative
 control
 
from
 their
 artists.
 Lupe
 Fiasco’s
 statements
 on
 the
 dispute
 are
 proof
 that
 today’s
 
music
 industry
 does
 not
 care
 about
 maintaining
 the
 artistic
 beauty
 of
 the
 product
 
they
 sell,
 instead
 submitting
 to
 the
 overwhelming
 desire
 to
 top
 the
 Billboard
 charts
 
and
 rake
 in
 millions
 of
 dollars,
 at
 the
 expense
 of
 the
 creative
 will
 and
 ability
 of
 
profound
 lyricists
 like
 Lupe
 Fiasco.
 
 

 

 
As
 with
 all
 business
 entities,
 the
 major,
 multi-­‐million
 dollar
 companies
 that
 
make
 up
 the
 music
 industry
 can
 be
 analyzed
 both
 internally
 and
 externally.
 Today’s
 
troubled
 music
 industry
 is
 characterized
 by
 the
 overwhelming
 trend
 of
 analyzing
 
their
 affairs
 with
 an
 exclusively
 external
 eye.
 All
 too
 frequently,
 the
 problems
 
currently
 facing
 the
 music
 industry
 are
 blamed
 on
 piracy
 and
 other
 uncontrollable
 
external
 factors.
 For
 the
 past
 decade,
 the
 industry
 has
 exhausted
 countless
 hours
 
and
 resources
 to
 fight
 these
 external
 issues
 to
 no
 avail,
 while
 continuing
 to
 engage
 in
 
harmful
 internal
 practices
 day
 in
 and
 day
 out.
 
 
The
 careers
 of
 Captain
 Beefheart,
 Frank
 Zappa,
 Kool
 Keith,
 Outkast,
 and
 Lupe
 
Fiasco
 speak
 to
 the
 negative
 and
 harmful
 internal
 practices
 that
 have
 remained
 
essential
 components
 of
 the
 DNA
 of
 major
 record
 labels
 for
 over
 6
 decades.
 

 

26
 

Although
 only
 a
 small
 collection
 of
 the
 countless
 examples
 of
 creative
 exploitation
 
and
 manipulation
 within
 the
 music
 industry,
 these
 powerful
 stories
 speak
 to
 how
 
firmly
 these
 acts
 are
 engrained
 within
 the
 majors.
 
 
From
 as
 early
 as
 the
 1960’s,
 major
 labels
 have
 been
 documented
 as
 operating
 
solely
 according
 to
 profit
 maximization
 and
 the
 bottom
 line.
 As
 record
 labels
 
followed
 and
 chased
 trends,
 much
 like
 during
 the
 early
 career
 of
 Captain
 Beefheart,
 
and
 forced
 creative
 artists
 into
 one
 presumed
 formula
 for
 commercial
 success,
 the
 
perceived
 goal
 was
 to
 perform
 these
 actions
 in
 the
 name
 of
 the
 consumer.
 These
 
decisions,
 however,
 have
 ultimately
 proven
 to
 be
 completely
 counterproductive,
 as
 
the
 almighty
 music
 consumer
 has
 been
 neglected
 and
 hurt
 at
 every
 turn
 for
 over
 60
 
years.
 Time
 and
 time
 again,
 cherished
 artists
 are
 pushed
 further
 and
 further
 from
 
their
 true
 fan
 bases,
 with
 the
 creative
 genius
 they
 possess
 limited,
 fought,
 and
 in
 
extreme
 cases,
 pushed
 to
 the
 brink
 of
 extinction.
 Simply
 imagining
 the
 possible
 
further
 artistic
 contributions
 of
 artists
 like
 Frank
 Zappa
 and
 Kool
 Keith
 if
 not
 for
 
these
 long-­‐standing
 realities
 is
 extremely
 disheartening.
 
It
 is
 no
 wonder,
 then,
 that
 at
 the
 turn
 of
 the
 millennium,
 consumers
 leapt
 at
 
the
 opportunity
 to
 hit
 the
 commercial
 music
 industry
 where
 it
 really
 hurts.
 The
 
music
 industry
 had
 become
 so
 complacent;
 so
 entrenched
 in
 decades
 old
 habits
 that
 
it
 is
 still
 struggling
 to
 adapt
 today.
 The
 digitalization
 of
 music
 and
 the
 subsequent
 
rise
 of
 peer-­‐to-­‐peer
 file
 sharing
 finally
 gave
 music
 consumers
 a
 voice
 and
 allowed
 
them
 to
 take
 retribution
 for
 decades
 of
 disrespect
 and
 mistreatment
 of
 both
 the
 fans
 
themselves
 and
 the
 artists
 that
 they
 idolize.
 Given
 such
 a
 negative
 and
 controversial
 
history,
 it
 is
 no
 wonder
 that
 fans
 were
 finally
 tired
 of
 having
 new
 release
 after
 new
 

 

27
 

release
 of
 generic,
 unoriginal
 material
 masquerading
 as
 quality
 creative
 content
 
shoved
 in
 their
 faces.
 
 
The
 lives,
 careers,
 and
 creative
 output
 of
 Captain
 Beefheart,
 Frank
 Zappa,
 
Kool
 Keith,
 Andre
 3000,
 Big
 Boi,
 and
 Lupe
 Fiasco
 speak
 to
 the
 overwhelming
 benefit
 
that
 music
 can
 have
 on
 society.
 Unfortunately,
 each
 artist
 represents
 the
 battle
 
between
 creative
 integrity
 and
 profit
 margin.
 As
 the
 music
 industry
 looks
 toward
 
the
 future,
 we
 as
 figures
 within
 the
 music
 industry
 must
 learn
 from
 industry
 
mistakes
 that
 are
 now
 littered
 throughout
 the
 songs,
 radio
 interviews,
 and
 magazine
 
write-­‐ups
 of
 the
 past
 60
 years.
 
 
Creativity,
 originality,
 and
 the
 advancement
 of
 culture
 and
 society
 have,
 over
 
the
 years,
 been
 killed
 within
 commercial
 music.
 Now,
 for
 the
 first
 time
 in
 many
 
decades,
 all
 parties
 involved
 within
 the
 music
 industry
 value
 chain
 have
 the
 power
 
to
 combat
 these
 issues
 and
 finally
 revive
 creative
 progress.
 Herein
 lies
 the
 answer
 to
 
renewing
 the
 music
 industry’s
 powerful
 form
 of
 the
 late
 1990’s.
 A
 rebirth
 in
 the
 
creativity
 of
 music
 and
 re-­‐acceptance
 by
 the
 major
 labels
 is
 our
 path
 back
 to
 a
 
successfully
 functioning
 music
 industry
 in
 the
 United
 States
 and
 around
 the
 world.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28
 

Works
 Cited
 

 
Arf.ru.
 “Frank
 Zappa
 v.
 Warner
 Bros.
 Story.”
 Accessed
 May
 3,
 2014.
 
http://www.arf.ru/Notes/Ziny/append.html
 

 
Bangs,
 Lester.
 “Captain
 Beefheart’s
 Far
 Cry.”
 Accessed
 May
 18,
 2014.
 
http://www.beefheart.com/captain-­‐beefhearts-­‐far-­‐cry-­‐by-­‐lester-­‐bangs/
 

 
Canton,
 Rafael.
 “The
 Artist
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 Last
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 October
 12,
 2010.
 
http://dailycollegian.com/2010/10/12/the-­‐artist-­‐vs-­‐the-­‐record-­‐label/
 

 
Chairman
 Mao.
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 May
 28,
 1997.
 
 
http://web.archive.org/web/20080619083648/http://www.rollingstone.com/revi
ews/album/223510/dr_octagonecologyst
 

 
Dimery,
 Robert.
 1001
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 (United
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Publishing,
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Downs,
 David.
 “Kool
 Keith
 CD
 Scam
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 Last
 modified
 September
 27,
 2006.
 
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/kool-­‐keith-­‐cd-­‐scam-­‐
exposed/Content?oid=1081916
 

 


 

29
 

Hip
 Hop
 Isn’t
 Dead.
 “Kool
 Keith
 –
 Black
 Elvis
 /
 Lost
 In
 Space.”
 Last
 modified
 
September
 26,
 2010.
 http://hiphopisntdead.blogspot.com.es/2010/09/kool-­‐keith-­‐
black-­‐elvis-­‐lost-­‐in-­‐space.html
 

 
Hunting,
 Benjamin.
 “Outkast’s
 Stankonia
 –
 10
 Years
 Later.”
 Last
 modified
 April
 16,
 
2010.
 http://benjaminhunting.com/2010/04/outkasts-­‐stankonia-­‐10-­‐years-­‐later/
 

 
Interview
 with
 Jaco,
 Wasalu
 (Lupe
 Fiasco).
 Chicago
 Sun-­‐Times.
 2010.
 
 

 
Loder,
 Kurt.
 “Captain
 Beefheart:
 The
 Man
 Who
 Reconstructed
 Rock
 &
 Roll.
 Last
 
modified
 June
 24,
 1999.
 http://www.mtv.com/news/1426880/captain-­‐beefheart-­‐
the-­‐man-­‐who-­‐reconstructed-­‐rock-­‐roll/
 

 
Moayeri,
 Lily.
 “Kool
 Keith
 Revives
 Dr.
 Octagon.”
 Last
 modified
 July
 23,
 2002.
 
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kool-­‐keith-­‐revives-­‐dr-­‐octagon-­‐
20020723
 

 
MTV
 News.
 “Lupe
 Fiasco
 Explains
 ‘Lasers’
 Delay,
 Blames
 Atlantic
 Records.”
 Last
 
modified
 October
 7,
 2010.
 http://rapfix.mtv.com/2010/10/07/lupe-­‐fiasco-­‐lasers-­‐
delay-­‐atlantic-­‐records/
 

 
NNDB.com.
 “Frank
 Zappa.”
 Accessed
 May
 1,
 2014.
 
http://www.nndb.com/people/737/000024665/
 

 

30
 

Passman,
 Donald.
 All
 You
 Need
 To
 Know
 About
 The
 Music
 Business.
 (New
 York:
 
Free
 Press,
 2009),
 108.
 
 

 
Rolling
 Stone
 Magazine.
 “Frank
 Zappa
 Biography.”
 Accessed
 April
 22,
 2014.
 
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/frank-­‐zappa/biography
 

 
Rothman,
 Dave.
 “A
 Conversation
 With
 Frank
 Zappa.”
 Last
 modified
 April
 1979.
 
http://www.afka.net/articles/1979-­‐04_Oui.htm
 

 
Swanson,
 Dave.
 “45
 Years
 Ago:
 Captain
 Beefheart
 Releases
 ‘Trout
 Mask
 Replica.’”
 
Last
 modified
 June
 16,
 2014.
 http://ultimateclassicrock.com/captain-­‐beefheart-­‐
trout-­‐mask-­‐replica/
 

 
Thornton,
 Keith.
 Test
 Press.
 ©
 2000
 by
 Kool
 Keith.
 
 

 
The
 Urban
 Daily.
 “Lupe
 Fiasco
 Exposes
 Label
 Practices.”
 Last
 modified
 October
 6,
 
2010.
 http://theurbandaily.com/2010/10/06/lupe-­‐fiasco-­‐exposes-­‐record-­‐label-­‐
practices/
 

 
Ward,
 Ed.
 “Lick
 My
 Decals
 Off,
 Baby
 Review.”
 Last
 modified
 December
 10,
 1970.
 
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/lick-­‐my-­‐decals-­‐off-­‐baby-­‐
19701210
 

 

 

31
 


 

 
XXL
 Magazine.
 “Today
 In
 Hip
 Hop:
 Outkast’s
 ‘Speakerboxxx
 /
 The
 Love
 Below’
 Turns
 
10.”
 Last
 modified
 September
 23,
 2013.
 http://www.xxlmag.com/news/hip-­‐hop-­‐
today/2013/09/today-­‐hip-­‐hop-­‐outkasts-­‐speakerboxxxthe-­‐love-­‐turns-­‐10/
 

 
Interview
 with
 Zappa,
 Frank.
 KROQ
 Los
 Angeles.
 December
 1977.
 

 
Interview
 with
 Zappa,
 Frank.
 OUI
 Magazine.
 April
 1979.
 

 
Zappa,
 Frank.
 Titties
 &
 Beer.
 ©
 1983
 by
 Barking
 Pumpkin
 Records.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 

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