Nicki Minaj recently voiced her frustrations with JAY-Z, claiming she’s never seen any financial returns from her involvement with his former streaming platform, TIDAL.
Nicki Minaj was among the star-studded group of musicians who joined JAY-Z to launch TIDAL nine years ago. This high-profile press event featured big names like Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyoncé, J. Cole, and Usher.
As co-owners of the company, each artist was reportedly given a three percent equity stake in exchange for exclusive content aimed at boosting TIDAL’s subscriber base.
Despite her early involvement, Nicki revealed she hasn’t received any compensation from the deal. Responding to a fan on Akademiks’ TikTok page who claimed that the artists were paid, Nicki shot back: “I didn’t even get one red penny when no one promoted it more than me outside of Beyoncé. lol chi.”
TIDAL, once a major player in the streaming industry, was sold to Jack Dorsey’s Square, Inc. (now Block, Inc.) by JAY-Z for a reported $302 million. However, Nicki’s comment suggests she’s still waiting for her share of the pie.