Brandy: My Record Contract is Slavery ... I Want My Freedom

Brandy claims the contract she signed with Chameleon Entertainment is like a ball and chain, and she has filed a lawsuit to break the shackles.

The singer has been signed to the record label since 2011 and claims in the lawsuit they promised her hundreds of thousands of dollars in production costs to make her albums. Brandy says that didn't happen after the first album.

Brandy claims the label actually tried to prevent her from recording and releasing new music, which she says put her career in jeopardy.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the record label tried to pressure her into giving up her non-recording avenues of including concerts and Broadway shows.

Brandy's lawyer says in the lawsuit, "Brandy Norwood's story is 'Kesha Redux, but without the sex." As you know, Kesha also referred to her contract as slavery.

Brandy filed a similar lawsuit in L.A. back in March ... the latest lawsuit was filed in NYC.