The music industry is a ruthless entity that houses your favorite musical acts and through some of its tyranny those artists are no longer or at least not on the same caliber they once were. 360 deals and slave contracts have led the path for many years but this new generation yanks back the reigns.

Neelam Hakeem lyrically details the ugly truth that’s tucked between perplexing legal jargon, fancy cars and “gifted” racks. She raps, “On everything this contract’s more like a wedding ring / Limit my abilities no liabilities / More money more cars with no clause / Just as long as I fight soft with no claws.” Some record labels are content with keeping majority of an artist’s’ money if they’re not cognizant of the fact and unfortunately this has been going on for decades.

The intrepid emcee goes on to say, “What’s the odds when they hold the cards / Who can fight when they own your rights / Decisions that we make in the dark, maybe not for life but til death do you part.” It’s imperative as an artist to shuffle your deck at times, seek a second opinion and don’t hop on the first opportunity presented because if music is your life’s work, don’t throw it away for empty promises and a ludicrous advance that needs to be recouped anyway.

The visual displays a dapper Neelam as she sits in a meeting with record label execs that preach the truth we never hear in these meetings by rapping, “Strong leaders, all of them, their past tense / And if they’re still here, soon they will be passing / But first we gotta ruin their rep /We either send em to jail or we set up their death,damn.” Those are some potent and necessary bars. Overall, this record is candidly scripted, a vital addition to music.

Check it out above.