Fans have always been protective of their favorite entertainers but thanks to social media, that tendency has been turned way up. Now, stans view their every chart disappointment as a conspiracy against their beloved artists and perceive slights in every digital promo campaign slip-up. Case in point, the fans of the Griselda Records collective are as enthusiastic as any but they’ve recently taken to expressing displeasure at the indie’s affiliation with the larger Shady Records, feeling like Shady has suppressed the deserved success of the Buffalo boys’ venture.

Now, a cryptic tweet from core member Conway the Machine has those fans speculating on a possible split after the fans apparently decided that Griselda has become disgruntled with the distribution deal they signed with Shady in 2017. “I’m not f*ckin wit none of them n****s no more,” Conway wrote, leaving off any defining characteristics for just whom he might be cutting off. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from chiming in with their assumptions regarding Shady Records.

For what it’s worth, the Shady deal hasn’t stopped Griselda from continuing to be one of the more productive indie labels out in 2020, releasing no less than six projects over the course of the year, including multiple Westside Gunn albums, Benny The Butcher’s album, Armani Caesar’s album, and yes, a pair of Conway The Machine projects, all of which have been well-received by critics and fans. Many of the projects were distributed by EMPIRE, meaning no Shady funds were put into the creation, marketing, or promotion of those projects and Griselda seems to retain much of their creative control on their Shady releases.

Of course, none of those facts will ever stop fans from clamoring for ever more material from their favorite artists and believing that those artists should only ever go No. 1 on all the charts (these fans especially, because they seem to share a consensus opinion that everything else sucks). Unfortunately, there’s only room for one act at the top and it’ll always be the more popular ones, rather than just the ones with the most vehement supporters. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t successful; if anything, this shows fans need to find new ways to define success.