Kendrick Lamar Threatens to Pull Music From Spotify Following Playlist Policy

In the aftermath of Spotify’s controversial move to remove artists like R. Kelly and XXXTentacion from its playlists, Kendrick Lamar has threatened to pull his music from the streaming service.

Representatives for the DAMN. rapper called Spotify Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek and head of artist relations Troy Carter to express their frustration with the new “hate content and hateful conduct” policy, reports Bloomberg. They also threatened to pull his music from the platform if the ban was upheld.

“Whoa. Are they censoring the music? That’s dangerous,” Punch, president of Lamar’s Top Dawg Entertainment label, tweeted following the May 10 announcement.

Whoa. Are they censoring the music? That’s dangerous.

— Punch TDE (@iamstillpunch) May 10, 2018

In response to the growing outcry from the music industry, Spotify has decided to partially change its policy to punish artists for their personal misconduct.

The streaming giant has said that it will eventually restore XXXTentacion’s music to playlists, but there are currently no plans to begin promoting R. Kelly again, according to the report. Both artists were the first to be targeted by the new policy. Spotify executives are now talking to music industry and civil rights activists about adjusting the rules to suit to both sides.

Carter, a former manager for artists like Lady Gaga and Meghan Trainor, reportedly planned to leave his executive position at Spotify following the incident, but now plans to stay thanks to assurances that the policy will be changed.

Despite being removed from playlists, R. Kelly’s music experienced a boost in overall streams in the days after the announcement, according to Nielsen Music.