Joyner Lucas signed with Atlantic Records in 2016 and left two years later to be an independent artist.
He talked about his struggles being signed to a major label on Math Hoffa's My Expert Opinion podcast and said he was scammed out of working with Cardi B, as well as other popular artists. [Jump to the 4:43-mark]
"Here’s the sham: I’m like, 'Am I gonna get to work with Bruno [Mars]?' 'Of course' [they say]. 'What about Cardi?' 'Anything you want," Joyner recalled. "Then they walk you through the f*cking building, they got all these n*ggas on f*cking big ass pictures. It’s like a museum. You see all the hottest, popping artists."
He continued. "And then when you’re walking down that hall, at the end they got a picture of you, and they say, 'Look, this could be you right here. All we missing is you … That’s Ed Sheeran, right next to you. You want to work with Ed Sheeran?' I’m like, 'I do want to work with Ed Sheeran' ... It’s a big sham … As soon as you leave, everyone’s like, 'We got them n*ggas.'"
Do you think Joyner should be bigger than he is based on his impressive lyrical ability?