Complex recently caught up with 50 Cent and DJ Drama to discuss their highly anticipated mixtape The Lost Tapes. During the interview, the Queens rapper discussed his working relationship with G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks and the struggles of developing an artist.
Fif reiterated his statement from a recent interview with Funkmaster Flex that the Punchline King has reached a point in his career where he needs to set out on his own business. He said that he’s always wanted his G-Unit partners to succeed and make a brand for themselves. At the same time, however, Fif feels like he has been taking time away from cultivating his own brand in order to ensure that all of his proteges stay relevant.
“You know what’s really interesting? No matter how much you do for an artist, I don’t think you can prevent there from being a point that the artist wants it to be about them, regardless of who it is. I think when you’re not an artist, and you’re an executive, you never have that conflict,” he explained. “I want [my artists] to be bigger. You want them to have their own record companies and everything else. But when people lose sight of how people actually get to the point that you’re at, it gets really uncomfortable…you want to offer them the opportunity to take your base and make it theirs…we’re all made of something different. Even though we all function the same, as humans, we’ve got different qualities and talents. I’d like for them all to establish themselves in their own right and the way to do it is to give them space. You can shit or get off the toilet. As far as I’m concerned, you can figure out how to move or you can sit there until nobody cares you’re there. It’s not going to make me any bigger or less than I am now. And that’s not towards Banks – that’s towards any artist at this point.”
He added, “The question is, have you ever had people who work for you, that you work for? Because it gets interesting when you get to a point where this person’s under you – they work for you – and you’re working for them. They don’t respond to what you’re saying, they just wait around. You’re just sitting there like, ‘Yo, you’re going to miss the fucking boat. You’ve got to do this like this, now.’ You’re moving things in place, pretty much making it more convenient for them to execute it, and then they come when they feel like coming…but I’m not running around, jumping through hoops, making it super convenient for them. I’m going to let them work now. I’ve done enough for all of them.”
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