--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason I never wanted to sign with a…" description: "\"The reason I never wanted to sign with a big label was because I didn't want no one telling me how to make my music.\" — Danny Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/danny-brown-18764_because_the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a_1567055.png" --- # The reason I never wanted to sign with a big label was… ![“The reason I never wanted to sign with a big label was because I didn't want no one telling me how to make my music.” quote by Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/danny-brown-18764_because_the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a_1567055.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/danny-brown-18764_because_the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a_1567055.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/danny-brown-18764_because_the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a_1567055.png) > “The reason I never wanted to sign with a big label was because I didn't want no one telling me how to make my music.” [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Avoiding major label control preserves artistic freedom and personal vision **In simple terms:** Staying independent protects creative control Key Takeaway Stay independent to protect your art Themes independence creativity industry critique Mood reflective defiant Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - recording an album - publishing music - building a fanbase Key Concepts artist autonomy music production Questions to Reflect On - What trade‑offs are you willing to accept for creative freedom? - How can indie artists gain visibility? A Different Perspective Independent routes may limit resources and exposure ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing that I've done has been conventional. I didn't go with a major label, I didn't sign up with the bigwig management that basically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricki-lee-coulter/nothing-that-i-ve-done-has-been-conventional-i-didn-t-go-with-a-major/) [Ricki-Lee Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricki-lee-coulter/) > [I'm signed to a U.S. label, and I didn't enjoy the 3 A.M. phone calls. I'm not a great sleeper, so I didn't enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle/i-m-signed-to-a-u-s-label-and-i-didn-t-enjoy-the-3-a-m-phone-calls-i/) [Estelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle/) > [The people at the label were great but at the end of the day our visions didn't match up and I knew I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/the-people-at-the-label-were-great-but-at-the-end-of-the-day-our/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [I could never release something on the label I didn't personally love. The label's really an extension of my own musical career, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-could-never-release-something-on-the-label-i-didn-t-personally-love/) [Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/) > [I was with PolyGram; that was the big label that I was with for the longest, like 12 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-ayers/i-was-with-polygram-that-was-the-big-label-that-i-was-with-for-the/) [Roy Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-ayers/) > [Doing things in my day was simple: you either signed to a big label or you signed to a very small label, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-astley/doing-things-in-my-day-was-simple-you-either-signed-to-a-big-label-or/) [Rick Astley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-astley/) > [When my bank balance runs low, then I sign a big Bollywood monstrous movie, and I make sure that I am safe for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/when-my-bank-balance-runs-low-then-i-sign-a-big-bollywood-monstrous/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) > [Any respectable artist has really given up on a label because the labels are still kidding themselves that the only way to go is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-visconti/any-respectable-artist-has-really-given-up-on-a-label-because-the/) [Tony Visconti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-visconti/) > [The minor leagues were great. When you first sign, that is your big leagues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-roberts/the-minor-leagues-were-great-when-you-first-sign-that-is-your-big/) [Brian Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-roberts/) > [The potential success that could come with signing with a major label didn't quite outweigh how important it was for me to make my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kina-grannis/the-potential-success-that-could-come-with-signing-with-a-major-label/) [Kina Grannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kina-grannis/) > [Back in the day, if someone at the record label didn't care or like your music, it never got to the public. It just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-holliday/back-in-the-day-if-someone-at-the-record-label-didn-t-care-or-like/) [Jennifer Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-holliday/) > [When RCA dropped me from the label, I didn't really care about making records for another label, because I didn't have any say in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porter-wagoner/when-rca-dropped-me-from-the-label-i-didn-t-really-care-about-making/) [Porter Wagoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porter-wagoner/) > [There was someone who wanted to label me because I didn't wear the same clothes that I wore in 1988 or 1989...No one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-hammer/there-was-someone-who-wanted-to-label-me-because-i-didn-t-wear-the/) [MC Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-hammer/) > [I'm a free agent. I want the major-label budget for my next album, but I'm too big for the label to pay me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keak-da-sneak/i-m-a-free-agent-i-want-the-major-label-budget-for-my-next-album-but/) [Keak da Sneak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keak-da-sneak/) > [Home Label was a part of me that wanted to reach out to a wider audience, a wider clientele. People who like design, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sussanne-khan/home-label-was-a-part-of-me-that-wanted-to-reach-out-to-a-wider/) [Sussanne Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sussanne-khan/) ## More by Danny Brown > [I never was a crazy liquor drinker, and I don't like beer that much - though I keep the brews at home because my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/i-never-was-a-crazy-liquor-drinker-and-i-don-t-like-beer-that-much/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [Since I was a kid, I'd wake up every morning hearing a voice say, 'You're the greatest rapper ever.' I'm trying to prove that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/since-i-was-a-kid-i-d-wake-up-every-morning-hearing-a-voice-say-you/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [I use the Internet for what it's for: to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/i-use-the-internet-for-what-it-s-for-to-learn/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [I love Michigan, to be honest. I don't think I'd live nowhere else. It's cheap! This is Detroit. A little bit of nothing gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/i-love-michigan-to-be-honest-i-don-t-think-i-d-live-nowhere-else-it-s/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [At the end of the day, I think that I'm making music for me as that 12-year-old kid in front of my boombox every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/at-the-end-of-the-day-i-think-that-i-m-making-music-for-me-as-that-12/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [There's no downside to traveling the world and making money. I'm doing something I love. A lot of people have sucky jobs, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/there-s-no-downside-to-traveling-the-world-and-making-money-i-m-doing/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [The UK is always ahead of their time in music, and America always follows them five years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/the-uk-is-always-ahead-of-their-time-in-music-and-america-always/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [50 Cent's a songwriter. He understood and liked my music, but he didn't understand me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/50-cent-s-a-songwriter-he-understood-and-liked-my-music-but-he-didn-t/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [Yeah, Dizzee Rascal is a huge influence on what I'm doing. I learnt a lot from him even though he's younger than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/yeah-dizzee-rascal-is-a-huge-influence-on-what-i-m-doing-i-learnt-a/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [I'll be getting all types of crazy fans, from the hoodest dude to the straight-up dude in a business suit. It's dope. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/i-ll-be-getting-all-types-of-crazy-fans-from-the-hoodest-dude-to-the/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [I like seeing people that are into my music, it shows me that it doesn't matter, you can't judge a person based on how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/i-like-seeing-people-that-are-into-my-music-it-shows-me-that-it-doesn/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [In terms of fashion, I think the biggest influence that I had was my father. My pops, he was really into men's fashion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/in-terms-of-fashion-i-think-the-biggest-influence-that-i-had-was-my/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [I think me leaving Detroit shaped my style. Me leaving, going to New York, going to L.A. and seeing what they were doing there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/i-think-me-leaving-detroit-shaped-my-style-me-leaving-going-to-new/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [I'm from my hood, and everybody knows me in my neighborhood, and that's cool, I can do what I want over there, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/i-m-from-my-hood-and-everybody-knows-me-in-my-neighborhood-and-that-s/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) > [I always try to act like I'm some old school artist from the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/i-always-try-to-act-like-i-m-some-old-school-artist-from-the-1960s/) [Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) [Explore all 34 Danny Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/) [Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The reason I never wanted to sign with a big label was because I didn't want no one telling me how to make my music.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Danny Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a-big-label-was-because-i-didn/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Because" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a-big-label-was-because-i-didn/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/danny-brown-18764_because_the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a_1567055.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/danny-brown-18764_because_the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a_1567055.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/danny-brown-18764_because_the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a_1567055.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The reason I never wanted to sign with a big label was because I didn't want no one telling me how to make…” — Danny Brown", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Danny Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The reason I never wanted to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a-big-label-was-because-i-didn/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/the-reason-i-never-wanted-to-sign-with-a-big-label-was-because-i-didn/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```