Lil Wayne Joins Tidal as Owner, Drops New Song

Lil Wayne has joined the likes of Jay Z, Jack White and Kanye West as a co-owner of Tidal, announcing his stake in the company by releasing a fierce, relentless new cut, “Glory,” exclusively to the streaming service.

The five-minute track — which can be heard via 2dopeboyz — finds Weezy spitting in vintage form over a triumphant beat produced by Avenue Beatz, Infamous and Onhel. Despite the track’s length, Lil Wayne forgoes a hook or chorus for five verses of surreal braggadocio and left field references — “I’m Clinton, well, I did inhale,” “I meditate like a Buddhist, holy Ramen noodles” — reminiscent of his late-2000s reign.

“Glory” marks the first taste of Lil Wayne’s forthcoming The Free Weezy Album, which will follow up January’s Sorry 4 the Wait 2. Several songs on that mixtape referenced Wayne’s ongoing feud with longtime label Cash Money Records — which has spilled into the courts in the form of a $51 million lawsuit — and its CEO, Bryan “Birdman” Williams.

Considering Wayne’s label woes, his decision to join Tidal could signal a significant shift in how the rapper releases future material. For now, though, the artwork for “Glory” still bares the Young Money logo, signaling it, and ostensibly the Free Weezy Album as well, will remain attached to its parent label, Cash Money.

A Tidal representative did, however, confirm Wayne’s ownership involvement in the streaming service to Rolling Stone, while senior executive Vania Schlogel hinted at the rapper’s participation in an upcoming Tidal X performance.

Tidal has been working to make up ground after its star-studded rollout drew heavy criticism, with many claiming its supposedly artist-friendly structure would only benefit the industry’s 1 percent. Schlogel admitted that the relaunch distracted from initiatives like Discovery and Tidal Rising, both of which highlight and promote bourgeoning artists.

Per Mashable, Tidal also recently announced a new desktop app, as well as 50 percent discount for students who sign up with a .edu e-mail address.