Kerry King, the legendary guitarist of Slayer, revealed his regrets regarding his contribution to “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” one of hip-hop’s most iconic tracks. Reflecting on the 1986 collaboration that fused rap with heavy metal, King expressed his misgivings about the compensation and rights arrangements he had agreed to previously. King’s insights offer a behind-the-scenes look at the complexities and challenges artists face within the music industry.

As reported to Consequence, King played one of Bestie Boys’ iconic tracks and that he expressed, “So, I thought about it, and I went, ‘Yeah, why not? I can use a couple hundred bucks.’ I certainly wasn’t well-to-do back then. So, that’s what I did. I went in there and I did it. And in hindsight, I wish I didn’t get paid. I wish I took a quarter point or something, ’cause now I would be a rich man [Laughs].” The arrangement, if he had adjusted to another payout option, would have landed him earning more income till this day.

It is King’s reflections on his past experiences and lessons learned that serve as a reminder to emerging artists and established artists of the importance of understanding and negotiating fair financial arrangements. The legendary guitarist is focusing on other projects such as Mastodon and Lamb of God on their summer North American tour.