August 13, 2011 14:16

N-Dubz leave US record label after 'sticking their finger up' at them

Dappy lays into Def Jam, saying they wanted to make them into 'silly pop tarts'

Photo: PA Photos

N-Dubz mainman Dappy has hit out at US label Def Jam after the North London trio opted to leave the label.

The group were signed by the label, which also features the likes of Rihanna and Ne-Yo on its roster, in order to achieve success across the Atlantic, but have now left after they struggled to break through in the US.

Speaking to The Sun, Dappy dismissed suggestions that the group had been dropped, but had quit the label after they refused to compromise over commercial decisions.

He said:

They might say they've dropped us but we were never going to co-operate with them when they decided to change what we are. If we had co-operated we would still be signed. But I stuck my finger up at them when they wanted us to make another TV show. Tulisa thought we should do it because we could make some money out of it, but I said no.

He also said he believed the label had handled them badly and tried to turn the group into something they weren't, adding: "For them to say they dropped us makes me angry because we just didn't want to change who we are or what we do. We're not just a silly bunch of pop tarts."

Def Jam issued a short statement, which seemed to back up the band's comments. It reads: "N-Dubz have left the Def Jam imprint in the USA due to creative differences over musical direction. This was 100 per cent the band's decision and they remain signed to Universal worldwide."

N-Dubz are currently on hiatus while Dappy pursues a solo career and his bandmate Tulisa Contostavlos serves as a judge on the new series of The X Factor.

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