It looks like Jay-Z was speaking pretty literally during his TIDAL B-Sides freestyle…

“I don’t take no checks I take my respect
Pharrell even told me go with the safest bet
Jimmy Iovine offered a safety net
…
You know I came in this game independent, right?
TIDAL, my own label, same difference
Oh n**gas is skeptical when it’s they own shit
You bought nine iPhones and Steve Jobs is rich”

The New York Post is reporting that Apple and Jimmy Iovine stole prospective founders away from TIDAL within two days of the launch.

They say Drake is negotiating a deal worth $19 million with Apple’s music service. The deal would have Drake DJing for iTunes Radio and more. However, a Billboard source has refuted the report.

They say that Pharrell and David Guetta are also in talks with Apple. Billboard reports that Pharrell and Drake will be at Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference.

Apple is reportedly asking labels to let them use their music for free during the three month Apple Music trial period. They also want to offer lyrics on their service, but don’t want to pay to license them. [Digital Music News]