Blackground Records

The label that signed a 12-year-old JoJo to a seven-album deal, then, by her account and lawsuit, failed to release her music for years while she remained contractually trapped and unable to record elsewhere.

Blackground Records (and its imprint Da Family Records) was an R&B and hip-hop label founded by Barry Hankerson, best known for Aaliyah and for launching JoJo.

Its case study here is JoJo: signed at 12 to a seven-album deal, she scored a No. 1 hit at 13, and then, she alleged in a 2013 lawsuit, spent years unable to release new music while still bound to the label. The dispute became a leading example of how a long contract can effectively freeze an artist's career.

Primary sources

[1]JoJo Sues Her Label, Blackground Records, The FADER (2013-07-31) [archived]

Cases on file

Verified2004–2013

Severe

JoJo had a No. 1 hit at 13, then her label left her unable to release music for years

Signed at 12 to a seven-album deal, JoJo had a No. 1 single at 13, then spent years contractually trapped at Blackground Records, which she said failed to release her music while she couldn't record elsewhere. She sued in 2013 and was finally freed under a law protecting minors from contracts over seven years.

3 sourcesRead the receipts →