The Weeknd: No Credit is Bad Credit!

By now I’m sure many of you have heard of the underground R&B sensation, The Weeknd. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, many are billing him as the R&B version of Drake. Having risen to prominence through the online release of several successful FREE Album/Mixtapes, it’s not hard to see where the comparison comes in. For all of his new found success little is actually known of him. Having only performed a limited number of shows for someone with his level buzz and shying away from major press interviews, he is what many would consider a recluse.

For all those who are familiar with The Weeknd and his music, I doubt the name Jeremy “Zodiac” Rose rings a bell.  Well according to Rose, he is somewhat responsible for The Weeknd that we all know and love, down to the alternate spelling of his name. Having connected with The Weeknd, through mutual friends, he expressed an interest to work with him on R&B project that was decidedly darker than what The Weeknd had been recording as a member of the Noise. Together they recorded the first three songs that would form the basis for House of Balloons but would later part ways due to creative differences which Jeremy sites as The Weeknd feeling the need to abandon the formula and start doing more club records. Giving him copies of the masters Jeremy claims his only request was to be given proper credit for having produced  “What You Need,” “Loft Music,” and “The Morning.” Not only was credit not given but press agents for The Weeknd contacted blogs that had properly credited Rose for his work to request that he be removed.

Whether Rose played an integral part in the creation of The Weeknd is debatable, especially since we only have one side of the story. The bigger issue here is the absence of credit to someone that produced on a project for no up-front money. With so much music being given away for free, often a producers only payment for a promotional record is the exposure it yields (is true for independent and majors). To not receive that which costs absolutely nothing to give, seems like the ultimate slight on behalf of any artist.

Is there ever a valid reason for denying someone credit? Let us know your thoughts on the situation below.