ASAP Ferg Producer Says He Was Initially Paid Just $500 for "Shabba"

The claim is one of several about labels underpaying producers.

January 4, 2018

This is ASAP Ferg at the G Shock 35th Anniversary Celebration. — Image via Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images
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ASAP Ferg's 2013 cut "Shabba" was a gold-certified hit that still bangs, but one of its producers, Marvel Alexander, stated on Twitter that he and co-producer Snugsworth were given just $500 each for the beat by RCA Records.

The track was the second single off Ferg's 2013 debut album, Trap Lord, but Alexander wrote that the label claimed the project was a "mixtape," despite reportedly having inked ASAP Mob to a $1.5 million deal and Ferg to his own solo deal.

"RCA did this to me and @snugsworth on Trap Lord. Fought it for almost a year I gave up cause I was nearly homeless so eventually we had to split $1000 for 'Shabba,'" he wrote, linking to a DJ Booth story where Wiz Khalifa producer E. Dan alleged that Atlantic Records would classify albums as "mixtapes" and "street albums" to avoid paying producers their full fees.

Snugsworth retweeted Alexander's message and added that he was homeless while the song was dominating the radio.

Many prominent producers, including J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and Benny Cassette have opened up about being underpaid in the wake of the DJ Booth article. In October 2017, Metro Boomin criticized Artist Publishing Group, a company related to Atlantic and Warner Music Group, in a series of tweets. DJ Burn One, who spoke to Pigeons & Planes in 2016 about the challenges producers face in the streaming environment, specifically mentioned RCA and appeared to allude to similar circumstances on ASAP Rocky's first record.

Alexander went on to claim that he and Snugsworth are splitting just 3 percent of royalties on the track, which he said was the "industry standard."