​Anderson .Paak doesn't want to release posthumously according to new tattoo

Californian singer, rapper, and drummer Anderson .Paak has got a new tattoo that asks for his music not to be released after death.

Labelled on his forearm, the tattoo starts: “WHEN I’M GONE”, before warning that after he passes away, his music should not be released posthumously.

“Please don’t release any posthumous albums or songs with my name attached,” the tattoo states. “Those were just demos and never intended to be heard by the public.”

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The singer posted a picture of the new tattoo on his Instagram story adding no further comment to the new ink, although the message was clear.

The ethics of posthumous releases have been heavily debated over recent years where some artists most popular tracks hit the big bucks after death - Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, for example, or Aaliyah’s chart-topping ‘More Than A Woman’.

It sparks the questions of who receives the royalties post-mortem, and whether the release of their music was something they actually wanted.

In recent years, posthumous albums have become increasingly popular. After Juice WRLD passed away in 2019, his label released ‘Legends Never Die’, a 22-track album comprising of the artists’ unreleased work. His manager is also now teasing a second posthumous record.

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Similarly, Pop Smoke’s unreleased music was released after he passed away last year with a second coming soon, along with DMX, Prince, Avicii, Mac Miller, and many more.

Mixmag’s Patrick Hinton debated the subject in 2018, “There is no absolutist rule on what makes a posthumous release acceptable or not.

“Considered judgement is key in the difference between a record that feels celebratory and one that feels distasteful,” he said.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter