Brittney Lynch

Brandy recounts her clash with YE and Atlantic Records over her album ‘Afrodisiac’: “Without consulting me, they had offered Kanye two placements on my album, with the added condition that one of his records would be the lead single. They would also give him free rein to create the video treatment for that single. The album was otherwise complete, and I was still hot over having to compromise my creative vision by bringing in another producer at the eleventh hour. But I made the concession and played the team game. The records came out dope — no denying that. But our disagreement over which version of 'Where You Wanna Be' would make the final cut became a power struggle. And I didn't understand why Kanye was fighting me on it. I just wanted a different mix of the vocals. We went back and forth for days, and I refused to make another concession, especially not about how my voice was presented. He barely looked up from the soundboard. ‘Nah, I can't do that.’ His eyes met mine, unflinching, a challenge in their depths: ‘I can't because I turned it in already.’ [I asked what he meant by that]. He shrugged, turning back to his work as though this conversation was already over. ‘You'll be aight,’ he said with a smug grin that set my teeth on edge. That may sound like a minor disagreement to someone on the outside looking in. But to me, it represented a stripping away of my agency on a deeply personal project. But I couldn't afford to be upset or angry. I still had a video to shoot and a record to promote with Kanye. I'd also promised [Atlantic executive Gee Roberson] that I would return the favor and do a record on Kanye's sophomore album, ‘Late Registration’. So, I swallowed my pride along with the lump in my throat, forced a smile that didn't reach my eyes, and nodded like this was all part of the process.”