Iggi Azaleya’s Allegations Against Universal Music Group
Iggi Azaleya accused “criminals” at Universal Music Group (UMG) of owing her millions of dollars.
The “bizarre” artist, whose real name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly, claims the company owes her “millions of dollars in return payments.” She recently shared that UMG offered her a settlement of $18,000 instead of the amount she claims is “in the range of 8 figures.”
“I was told that this is a normal response from their lawyers, and after they appeared in court, they will ultimately pay millions, as they should have paid yesterday,” wrote the rapper and singer on X/Twitter (March 15).
“Fortunately, I am leaving and I can and will continue this issue until they pay me what they owe.”
The artist from “Black Widow” grew more agitated in a subsequent post, stating: “Universal music notes my words, ugly bitch—you pay me what you owe.”
NME has reached out to Universal Music Group for comment.
Background of the Dispute
Crazy, as in my entire career, I have never received a single royalty from Universal Music for anything outside the United States.
They owe me millions of dollars in back payments that they technically stole from me, according to my contract.
The amount of debt is in the range of 8 figures. …– Iggy Azalea (@iggyazalea) March 15, 2025
Azalea, who signed a contract with UMG in 2013 and announced her departure in 2018, claims that the company has never paid her fees “for anything outside” the United States.
She further alleged that UMG exploits other artists who, unlike her, cannot afford to engage in legal battles to claim their full compensation.
“I want to publicly state that I believe Universal Music is criminal as they actively exploit all their artists for unlimited benefits for their own gain,” she asserted. “They are the most SCUMM Company, and they do this to so many artists who unfortunately cannot afford to fight for what they deserve—therefore, they get away with such behavior.
“Universal Music should truly strive to treat artists who have earned millions through intellectual property they created with respect.”
According to Azalea, her dispute with the company has been ongoing “in private” for over two years.
In a different context, last year, Azalea appeared to announce her retirement from music, telling fans she was “more passionate about design and creative direction than writing songs.”
This announcement came after she previously stated in August 2022 that she was making a musical comeback, despite declaring in the summer of 2021 that she would take “several years” off. “If I can’t find peace, you can’t either,” she tweeted. “I am coming back. Cry about it.”
In November 2022, Azalea confirmed she “sought to abandon the project” at some point in 2023, while also announcing that she had sold her back catalog for a reported eight-figure sum.
Recently, Drake resolved his Payola dispute against iHeartMedia regarding the promotion of “not such us” Kendrick Lamar, after filing a legal complaint against UMG and iHeartMedia over allegations of “hidden payments” made by UMG to play in Lamar’s attempts to boost his numbers.
The representative of iHeartMedia, Katya Stone, stated: “In exchange for documents proving that iHeart did nothing wrong, Drake agreed to drop his petition. No payments were made—one of us.” Meanwhile, Drake’s team commented: “We are pleased that the parties were able to reach a satisfactory settlement and will not comment further on the matter.”
https://www.nme.com/news/music/iggy-azalea-slams-criminals-at-universal-music-group-says-shes-owed-millions-of-dollars-in-the-8-figure-range-3846616?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=iggy-azalea-slams-criminals-at-universal-music-group-says-shes-owed-millions-of-dollars-in-the-8-figure-range
