Why Was Lil Wayne & Juelz Santana’s Joint Album Never Released?
A greedy profit grab by Universal Music Group killed what could have been an amazing album. The music giant demanded 95% of profits from Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana’s “I Can’t Feel My Face,” destroying any chance of its release.
“Juelz and Wayne had a project… When they tried to release it, Universal told Def Jam, ‘Wayne hasn’t turned in his album yet, so if you want to drop this project, we’re taking 95% of the profits, and you get 5%,'” Cam’ron said during his YouTube show, Talk With Flee.
The project fell apart due to messy label politics. Def Jam, owned by UMG, couldn’t move forward with such a tiny slice of the money.
The stars lined up perfectly in 2006. Both rappers were on fire after big releases, Wayne with “Tha Carter II” and Santana’s “What the Game’s Been Missing!” These days, fans can only find leaked tracks online.
Former Def Jam executive Steve Gawley, now UMG’s Chief Legal Officer, knows what went down. “Go find Steve Gawley and ask him,” Cam’ron said straight up.
Opening up about his role, Cam’ron made it clear he meant well. He just wanted to help Santana grow and succeed, not keep the album from dropping.
This harsh deal shows how UMG keeps a chokehold on music distribution and artist deals. Their huge cut covers everything from getting music out there to marketing, leaving artists with scraps.
The story finally explains a big question mark in hip-hop history. What could’ve been an epic team-up between two rap legends got caught up in corporate games and a contract mess!
