Ice Spice’s Manager Explains How She Owns Her Masters & Publishing
Ice Spice‘s manager has outlined how the “Princess Diana” hitmaker has retained ownership of her masters and publishing, a feat that is traditionally unheard of with new artists.
James Rosemond Jr., the son of notorious drug kingpin and music executive Jimmy Henchman, spoke with Billboard about their shrew strategy when it came to her signing a record deal.
When asked how he was able to guarantee Spice her masters, Rosemond Jr. said: “It was really about giving her all the right information. Like, this is where the market is going.
“It’s about independence. It’s about retaining ownership about intellectual house and generational wealth. That from time to time there are sacrifices — that people today may well be dangling funds. But if you want a particular sort of deal, you have to be patient as we do the function to have leverage. That was the conversation early on.”
He added: “And thank God she listened and was able to hold out while we kept running up the numbers on ‘Munch.’ Then it became, ‘Let’s entertain these deals’ and, as I said earlier, begin to shape one in a creative way.
“Now, she not only retains her masters but also her publishing rights and still gets upfront money as if she’s a work for hire. It’s a hybrid type of deal that you don’t see often. And it comes with doing the work, having patience and creating leverage.”
The structure of Ice Spice’s deal with 10K Projects and Capitol Records puts her in excellent stead major up to her debut album Y2K.
Earlier this month, the Bronx rap star revealed the project’s July 26 release date along with its cover art, which pays tribute to her NYC roots with nods to the city’s subway and graffiti culture.
Ice Spice Reveals How Much Money She’s Made Since ‘Munch’ Blew Up
The artwork, shot by the esteemed David LaChapelle, also shows Ice with her back facing the camera, flaunting her most well-known asset.
Despite the anticipation surrounding Y2K, the cover was met with a mixed reception as a lot of fans had been unimpressed by the art path.
“Y2K could’ve been a futuristic take. Like how did we miss it. This looks like ghetto sesame street,” 1 critic wrote on social media, although an additional mentioned: “Maybe putting the title on the trash can wasn’t the best idea.”
Ice Spice later responded to the backlash, writing on X: “David LaChapelle is #Y2K! soooo sweet + legendary he didn’t even charge me cus he fucks wit a real bitch,” she wrote alongside a polaroid photo of them collectively.
“thank U for all the incredible art you’ve put out through the years this cover means everything to me [heart emoji] & yes Y2K was placed on the trash can on purpose can u guess why?”
