Rita Ora Sues to be Released from Roc Nation

BY: Denver Sean

Published 9 years ago

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Rita Ora is fed up with her label Roc Nation and is suing for her freedom. According to the complaint, she says Jay Z’s ‘other ventures’ have left her ‘orphaned’.

via Billboard:

In a complaint filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, she’s seeking a declaratory judgment that the recording agreement she signed in 2008 at the age of 18 with Roc Nation violates California law and is unenforceable.

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She’s taking such action after presenting herself as “orphaned” from Roc Nation in light of the Jay Z company’s developing interest in sports management and other endeavors.

“When Rita signed, Roc Nation and its senior executives were very involved with her as an artist,” states the complaint. “As Roc Nation’s interests diversified, there were fewer resources available and the company suffered a revolving door of executives. Rita’s remaining supporters at the label left or moved on to other activities, to the point where she no longer had a relationship with anyone at the company.”

With unmistakable references to Jay Z’s new pursuits (the streaming service Tidal is mentioned), the lawsuit paints Roc Nation as a “diminished” record label with “only a handful of admittedly worthy heritage superstar artists.” 

Ora (now living in California) says she’s on her own, “self-funding her promotional television appearances, recording costs and video projects,” but she has a problem. In 2013, Roc Nation switched its distribution partner from Sony to Universal, but according to the lawsuit, she’s been left behind at Sony, which she paints as “hamstrung” by Roc Nation’s alleged inattention. 

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“Between Sony’s limited economic return from its orphaned relationship with Roc Nation and Sony’s indirect relationship with Rita, Rita is caught in a political quagmire of dysfunction,” states the complaint.

Yikes. We guess we won’t be seeing a follow-up to “Body On Me” anytime soon. To read more from Rita’s complaint, click here.

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