 |
| JoJo sues Da Family, Blackground Records saying her seven years of service are up. |
She's received praise from numerous heavy weights in the music industry, including producer Timbaland and rapper Drake for her cover of his hit "Marvin's Room," but to many she remains unknown.
According to New York Daily News Joanna Noelle Bladgen Levesque, known by her stage name "JoJo" is suing Da Family Records and Blackground Records in an effort to get out of her contract.
Back in 2004 the then 12 year-old along with her parents signed a seven-album contract. That same year after turning 13, the tween sensation became the youngest artist ever to have a single top the Billboard Hot 100. According to New York State law, minors cannot sign contracts that last more than seven years. Jojo's argument is that her contract has been up since March of 2011.
The now 22 year-old has been in a very long and publicized battle with her record label, with her last album The High Road being released in 2006.
JoJo recorded her third studio album, including shooting packaging for the project, but Blackground refused to release the LP and never gave her an official release date. “Blackground Records lost their distribution deal through Interscope, and if you can get the answer from them on why that happened, that would be a miracle,” JoJo told BuzzFeed in May.
Although her label has tried their hardest to silence the vocal acrobat, she has released two free mixtapes for her die hard fans including 2010's Can't Take That Away From Me and 2012's Agape.
Hopefully she is granted release from her contract and is allowed the opportunity to really show the industry what she's made of. Even at the age of 13, her platinum selling self-titled debut album was nothing less than spectacular, showcasing lyrical content and vocal ability far beyond her age.
She's still young so there is plenty of time for her to make up the years lost with Blackground, the same shady label that is currently trying to release a posthumous Aaliyah album without the blessing of her family or inclusion of her closest fans.