YCee has made a candid revelation about the financial side of his music career, disclosing that he has never received a royalty cheque despite generating more than 100 million streams across his catalogue.
The rapper shared the details during a recent appearance on the Afropolitan Podcast, where he reflected on his time with his former record label, Tinny Entertainment.
According to YCee, the terms of his recording agreement and the label’s position on recouping its investment meant he never saw earnings from his streaming success.
He explained that his contract operated on a 70/30 revenue split, but the label maintained that it had not yet recovered the money it invested in his career, preventing any royalty payments from being made.
“The mega hits and 100 of millions of streams that I have had, I didn’t get any money off them. I was signed to Tiny Entertainment. I had a recording contract and it was a 70/30 split. It was a situation where I wasn’t been remited off the earning because at the time, my previous employer felt he hasn’t recouped what he invested,” YCee shared.
The rapper went on to describe the contrast between his public image and his financial reality at the time.
While his songs were dominating the charts, endorsement opportunities were pouring in, and he was travelling internationally, he said the income generated from his music did not reflect the level of success fans saw.
“At that time, the songs were going crazy, endorsements, and I was travelling the world, and it was looking good from the outside looking in, but it wasn’t making sense to me in other areas. So I didn’t make any money off my streams,” he added on how the relationship with his previous label didn’t work out.
“In my career, I have over 100 million streams but I didn’t make any money off it. I signed a 70-30 deal with my record label, and I didn’t receive any royalties because the label said they hadn’t recouped their money yet” — Nigerian Rapper Ycee
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) June 24, 2026
YCee’s comments have reignited conversations around record deals, royalty structures, and recoupment clauses in the music industry, with many artists increasingly speaking out about the importance of understanding contract terms before signing with a label.