Kranium Announces He’s Leaving Atlantic Records, His Label Of 8 Years

Nobody Has To Know singer Kranium is making it known that he’s leaving Atlantic Records, the major label that has been his home since 2014.

Kranium, born Kemar Donaldson, revealed the news in an Instagram post today (March 2) that read: “I was the only Dancehall artist signed to a major when I did the deal and it wasn’t easy being a dancehall artist based in New York City! although I had a lot of great moments I had terrible experience in the mix and thats what comes with taking chances !!”

The 29-year-old, who was born in Montego Bay, St. James, migrated to the United States at 12.  His Nobody Has to Know single, initially released in 2013, gained him international recognition and led to the deal with Atlantic, which was signed on December 22, 2014.

At the time, the agreement was described as a multiple-album, global 360-deal that excluded the Caribbean market. 360 deals are contracts that entitle record labels to a percentage of earnings from all of an artist’s revenue streams, not just recorded music sales.

In his Instagram post on Thursday, he thanked Atlantic’s VP of Marketing Brianna Harrison. “I wanna thank @breeroyal_ for fighting for me in that building!!” he continued.

“Over a Billion steam !! 3 silver in the UK! Certified Gold in America ! 3 Certified Gold and a Platinum in Canada that’s not a easy mountain to climb and we did that… but we finally come to an end of a dope partnership thanks to the Atlantic team and everyone that supported me. A “NEW” journey has officially begin!” he added, alongside a photo of his music plaques.

On Twitter, he added, “Finally a free agent. Big up Atlantic records for the times we spent together and big up to the fans. I’m free to do me.”

His first release under the label was the remix of Nobody Has To Know, featuring Ty Dolla $ign, which has racked up over 120 million views on YouTube since its debut in August 2015.

This was followed by his debut full-length album, Rumors, which included the original Nobody Has To Know, the remix, the title track Rumors, and an earlier hit, Lifestyle.  

Kranium’s sophomore album Midnight Sparks followed in 2019, with songs such as In Charge, Just The Style with Alkaline, and Money In The Bank with AJ Tracey.

His 5-track Toxic EP (2021), which included songs such as Gal Policy and Through The Window, and the 7-track In Too Deep EP (2022), which included Wi Deh Yah and Without You with Queen Naija, were both released on Atlantic.  

Last year, during an interview with Billboard regarding the In Too Deep EP, the singer revealed he had been worried that he would have been a one-hit wonder, so much so that he fell into depression.  

“I really thought I was going to be a one-hit wonder,” he said.  “Nobody Has to Know, at that time, when it came out, was the only thing you were hearing. That was the only reggae that translated from the American market to Africa and the Caribbean at the time. It was a hard mountain and a high one at that,” he explained.

The Montego Bay native said that following the song’s success he went into and later overcame depression, and continued his musical journey.

“I didn’t believe I would climb that mountain because that was the same time I went into a depression… The first time I knew what anxiety and depression were, was when that song came out. You get so much love, and then eventually it starts slowing down, and you start thinking everything doesn’t seem the same anymore, and then it’s like, ‘What’s next?’” said the singer.

Nobody Has To Know is certified Gold in the United States, Platinum in Canada, and Silver in the United Kingdom.

Can’t Believe, with Ty Dolla $ign and Wizkid, and We Can, with Tory Lanez, are certified Gold in Canada.