While there are plenty of music streaming services out there today that could be considered competition for Apple Music, the Cupertino company’s music streaming service seems to be more closely associated with the likes of Tidal. Now competition is generally considered healthy, which is why regulatory companies tend to frown upon monopolies.
However if there is someone who doesn’t appreciate the Apple Music/Tidal rivalry, it would be none other than artist Kanye West. Speaking during his Saint Pablo tour, West revealed that the rivalry could have potentially killed off some projects. West named one song in particular “Pop Style” in which the original song by Drake featured both him and Jay-Z, but apparently that version did not make it onto Drake’s VIEWS album due to the rivalry between Apple Music and Tidal.
According to West, “Y’all didn’t get, what y’all were supposed to get with me and Drake on this song because of some Tidal/Apple bullshit. Every time I perform this song I think about this shit. I think about the politics. I think about how hard I go for music, for art, for y’all.” He also adds that a second “Watch The Throne” album will not be possible due to the rivalry as well.
“It will never be a Watch The Throne 2. You know why? Because that’s the reason why I wasn’t on the song. I wasn’t on the song cause of Hov. Cause it’s this TIDAL/Apple bullshit. And this shit be getting me tight every time I perform this muthafucka.” Drake’s affiliation with Apple is well-documented, with his (in)famous “Hotline Bling” video having been funded by Apple themselves.
West himself has proven to be more of a Tidal fan and his album, The Life of Pablo, was initially exclusive to Tidal before it was eventually released onto both Spotify and Apple Music.
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