The seemingly strained state of Frank Ocean’s current relationship with Def Jam Records has a long history, and the label has gotten what it deserved, says the man who originally signed Frank to Def Jam. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Frank’s new visual album Endless “fulfills Frank’s obligations to Def Jam and Universal.” That meant that his other new album, Blonde, which is available as an Apple Music exclusive, was self-released, and Def Jam will not profit from it. In a new interview with The Fader, Tricky Stewart, the songwriter and producer who signed Ocean to his Def Jam imprint RedZone Records in 2009, slammed the label for its mistreatment of Frank. Pitchfork has reached out to Def Jam for comment.

Stewart told Fader:

Frank came in with the best intentions of being a great artist to a label. He was looking at it with an open mind. But bringing him into Def Jam was a little bit of a disaster. It was probably, in hindsight, a huge mistake on my part. The label wasn’t motivated by the signing. They didn’t give him the respect that I thought he deserved. I couldn’t really get Def Jam to respond to him the way the way that I wanted them to respond to him.

He added that Frank was aware of the mistreatment, telling him, “The label is not supporting me.” As a result, Stewart said Frank made the self-released Nostalgia, Ultra. “out of a survival instinct.” Stewart also said that Def Jam violated his contract and that “Channel Orange got made without [Stewart] being involved.”

Stewart reflected: