50 Cent has explained why he decided against signing J. Cole around the arrival of his debut mixtape The Come Up in 2007. “That was so early bro, this was before…at that point I don’t think we had a lot of representation on the street end, like we were the representation,” he explained at the 32:40 mark of his Breakfast Club interview when asked why he didn’t sign Cole. In ’07, G-Unit records had a roster that included the members of Mobb Deep, Lil Scrappy, and M.O.P. among others. “To me J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar…these artists existed early on when I fell in love with hip-hop. But it was Talib Kweli, Mos Def, A Tribe Called Quest, Common…as dope as they are, they’re smarter rap. Smarter music.” While 50 thought Cole’s music was “cool,” he suggested he wasn’t sure how “ready” audiences were for a more “conscious” rapper around that time. Earlier this month, Fif’s close collaborator Tony Yayo said he almost signed the Fayetteville native before Jay-Z signed him to Roc Nation. He revealed Cole met with them at 50’s home in Connecticut, where he played “Simba” from The Come Up. —Joe Price, Complex Follow @inkagnedotv . . . . . . . #cardib #api #lilnasx #bumblebee #yeahyeah #liltunechi #urbanbeekeeping #kanye2022 #loverap #insects #pierrebourne #undergroundrappers #hov #beekeepers #beehive #snoopdogg #freshprinceofbelair #hopsin #summersixteen #rickross #tayste #beekeeper #lilduval #hiphopnews https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLByJgJFyN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
I just released this very BLACK very QUEER very RADICAL breakcore EP called “𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞" ~ spin it on SoundCloud and comment what you think. It’s 100% written and produced by me, including all the beats. Fans of hardcore rappers like LustSickPuppy, Deli Girls, and GHOSH will enjoy.