Nipsey Hussle, who recently made headlines by releasing his Crenshaw mixtape for $100 per copy, has announced that he was close to signing with Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group imprint.
“Me and Rick Ross sat down and talked and he made it clear that he can make the deal that I need,” Nipsey said in a recent interview with Complex. “And I told him that I don’t need money. I need a partnership. I needed a marketing machine and I needed international distribution for my product. Ross fought tooth and nail to make that happen for me. I respect him and salute him for that, but then we ran into the corporate structure of these companies. And again, it offended me, because here you have one of the most powerful, respected niggas in the game about to make a power move that’s going to incite the culture and they want us to be the ones that compromise. They should be the ones to compromise for the culture so this thing can happen. We’re not supposed to compromise and that’s what they said. They said, ‘Just be happy with the hood and happy with the fame of it and how it’s gonna make it look. It’s gonna be big. You’re gonna be the biggest nigga out of the West,’ and all this other shit. Sell that to a ho, my nigga. I’m a man.”
Nipsey Hussle Says Magazine Editors Shouldn’t Opine On His Life
Hussle also spoke with Complex about the media network’s “Underachieving Rappers” list, where they mentioned Nipsey.
“Number one, who is an editor to have an opinion on a street nigga?” Hussle said. “Bottom line. Those editors don’t live this life. They don’t go through the struggle. I’m from the Rolling 60s, my nigga. They don’t understand what putting an album out is to me. It ain’t the same as one of them backpack niggas, or one of them college-rapping types. That ain’t the shit I do. I got enemies. I went to war for real in between albums. My life is real. So when I hear about an editor asking: What’s up with my output? I’m like: What’s up with you even commenting on my life? Niggas don’t know my life. That’s the bourgeoisie approach that I get offended by because this ain’t no bubble. This ain’t no vacuum we doing this music out of. That’s why people connect to the pain in it. Because it’s real. That’s the part they should respect. These radio hits, these charts, they don’t validate the truth and the message. That’s when I start to be like, ‘Okay, you ain’t got a record on radio. You ain’t put an album out officially, so you’re an underachiever.’
“That’s where I get offended because let’s restart this whole situation,” Hussle continued. “The metrics and the gauge of success, and of impact on the culture. It don’t got shit to do with Billboard, it don’t got shit to do with SoundScan. It don’t got shit to do with any of these platforms that the business created. This shit is a culture. This shit is our life. You understand? So in between my projects does it take a year or two, or another artist that live a real life? Does it take them a year to put a project out? Because he wants to retain ownership. He wants to do what they refuse to let you do and that’s control his own destiny. He don’t wanna be exploited by the music industry that been traditionally exploitive to our creators. Then he end up on lists like the Top 25 Underachievers.
“A lot of these artists that you got on these lists, they’re living real life and come from real places,” Hussle added. “The fact that they’re not doing 25-to-life in jail, y’all niggas better salute that. The fact that niggas ain’t running up on shit, robbing shit, stealing shit—niggas are being creative, having a positive output. Complex better respect that, period.”
Nipsey Hussle Explains Plan For Releasing Victory Lap
During the interview, Hussle said that he has strong plans for his Victory Lap release.
“I was in negotiations with a few major labels and we were almost close to a deal,” Hussle said. “So I started promoting Victory Lap as a mixtape before my album, because I was gonna drop Victory Lap, announce my deal, and go into the album, but I realized that the structure of these companies aren’t built to give me any type of ownership. They wanna give you a check. I told them keep the check, give me an asset and just market and distribute my shit. I don’t need a check. They wanted to give me all this money up front but I’m like, keep the money. Let me be involved as a partner. And niggas couldn’t do that. And it’s not because the people at the label didn’t want to help me. It’s because the corporate structure of their companies would not allow ownership. And I’m offended by that.
“I called an audible and I withstood social pressure,” Hussle said. “I believed in my heart that I would be less of a man to not stand up for what I believed in. I felt like it was racist. Like, I don’t deserve some shit I just built by myself? You want to give me some money? Oh, because you don’t think I know what the asset is? You think I don’t understand where the real value is? Well I’m offended by that and my goal changed. I didn’t do a press release or tell nobody about it. I just let my demonstration speak. And now they’ve seen the first part of it with the Crenshaw shit. That’s just a small piece of what my plan is.”
RELATED: Nipsey Hussle Makes $100,000 Off “Crenshaw” At $100 Per Copy
I ain’t Nipsey I can’t hustle in the west…
Wow what a bunch of hip hop fans, not a single one of you knows what this guy is quoting.
Homie wanted to be a famous rapper now he’s getting all butthurt when someone writes something about he don’t like, get USED TO IT HOE!!! LOL
Signing with Ross would be a surefire way to destroy any street cred he has built!!!
Fuck street cred. It’s about exposure, and that’s what MMG has a lot of.
seems like nipsey cares about street cred all he fucking talks about is being from crenshaw
Streets Vs Geeks
Nipsey has what you weirdos call Street cred so that’s who he caters his music to so he makes moves that the streets respect over what you geeks respect
Rick Ross dying to put a real nigga on his team.
Wale is a real nigga.
real corny nigga
No need to use the N-word, let’s be respectful
sorry Rick Ross is dying to have a real Negro on his team.
Sounds to me like Ross isn’t really the big label boss he projects himself as!
He’s an underboss, the real Bosses are white-skinned Jews, uses like Lyor, Iovine, Moscowitz, & Joey….white-skinned Jew bitches like Julia Greenwald.
Shit is crazy
aka doesnt have the power to give a brother a fair decent record deal. Wale and Meek and slaves
Wale is getting 40K a show and bragging about the House he bought his parents.
Meek is getting 40K a show and bragging about moving his MoMs out the hood.
These white devils stiller still in power positions in the industry but us brothers are moving up
Wrong.
“You cant just walk on Crenshaw and Slauson and say, I dont like Nipseys project, cause niccas gonna beat you up. Who are you to say that?”
What a loser! They gonna beat people up if they don’t like his music!
…why would they take the time to go there and say that?
Maybe they just happen to be there. He gonna have people beat up for having an opinion?
william has money and some power but he is not respected
i bet his try his hardest to sign boosie. like he did dmx offering him a limo to pick him up from jail and a big bag of money hopefully he says no to.
The entire industry respects him. It’s the web fan boys who hate his guts for absolutely no reason.
entire industry , LOL
well 50 doesn’t nor Jeezy
[So the ‘entire industry’ thing FAIL]
Godfather Charron dont respect him, he said hes a poser!!
Blog-geeks hate Ross because they worship Shady/Aftermath/Gunit, he’s respected by the people who are respected not the Nobody’s.
yes we’re all blog geeks who obsess over G-unit and everyone who listens to ross is a real street nigga who moved weight LOLOLOLOLOL
People who listen to Ross come from all walks of life just like the people who listen to Nipsey but the weirdos like you who obsess over frivolous shit are not the type of fans that any rapper respects.
aren’t you that bum ass struggling producer? how the fuck you you know what any rapper respects
I’m just here reppin’ da Unit.
you like 38 defending ross online all day LOL
One of them is 38? Dude he’s old enough to be my dad where are the profiles to see people’s ages?
i think his twitter is @BruthDee
hes fucked in the head. like mentally unstable 4 realz
And look where DMX is today. Broke as a motherfucker, chanting in front of restaurants like a cracked out monk.
“Go through every album, every song and then point out one lie. And then go through these other artists, whether you like them or notwho you consider my competition and whatnotand go through their albums and compare record to record, line for line, from what the culture is, what hip-hop is, and my shit better than these niccas shit. You can quote me on that. Period. My shit realer. My shit aint got no lies in it. ”
Yo how can someone who says this fuck with Ross, a guy whos built his whole career on lies?
Nipsey is a walking contradiction.
because ross makes decent music and brings a bigger audience? do you realllly believe any of these rappers did any of the shit they rap about?
Nipsey seems to think hes never lied in his music
If I was a 12 year old white kid from the suburbs who never left my bedroom and got all my street info from blogs on the Internet or youtube videos I’d most likely believe everything I heard on a rap record was a criminal confession or an audio interrogation to get a rapper indicted.
Geeeeez, these poor kids must believe Emenim is a notorious serial-killer who works for Dr Dre a notorious gangster who pioneered Gangsta Rap due to his awesome street cred.
LOLOL, it’s funny to see the difference in opinions based on who you are, what you are, and where you been….but when in doubt just respect the opinions from people on the inside and not the outside.
but how he talking about his shit dont got no lies in it, and in the same interview he’s talking bout fucking wit Ross who we all know fills most of his raps with lies!
Nipsey doesent care about white people
he should, they’re the ones who bought most of his overpriced 100 mixtapes
Respect to JayZ for buying $100,000 worth of Nipseys mixtapes to keep him afloat, MMG might be too crowded with Fat Trel on the squad but they desperately want a WestCoast artist to complete their team
Just read the whole complex interview and I actually think this guy is an idiot now who’s full of himself! I’ll still listen to the tape and pretend I didn’t read that shit. 25k a show LOL sure
“If I fight you fight. I aint gonna watch you fight and not jump in it. ”
Even Nipsey Hussle admits to jumping dudes and not fighting fair 1-on-1. Thats funny cause all them MMG groupies were hating on 50 cent and the unit for beating the breaks off a junkie who got outta line!
Godfather Fifty will beat the snott out of you dick riders who are all up Officer Ross butthole.
50 aint no Godfather. Ross proved that when he ended his career. that lil chain they took from Gunplay wasn’t shit they laughed at that and bought 5 more!
Fiddy didn’t beat up anybody. He’s a chicken shit bitch.
lol yall seriously need to get off ross dick, how can somewhere say that and fuk with ross, well maybe because ross is a real niggga, they all know him better than you, all these niggaz fuk with ross, becuz he don’t sit on tv and say yes i was a c.o, There are consequences for that, y’all schoolboy uneducated in street shit, step ya games up, you makin yourselves look so stupid with the comments that contradict
Well I mean guys liike Gillie vouch for Ross but people like Kreayshaw don’t so my spidey senses are tingling. I’m from Philly so I got much love for Ricky Rozay because Beans consigned him and he signed my boy Meek.
kreayshawn the only rapper Ross ever ran up on some tough guy shit. that was fucking gangster! how can anyone say he fake after running up on a 100 pound white girl for callin him fat
Friggin awesome dude but I don’t remeber him running up on anybody, I just saw him in a shouting match with her manager. The Jeezy foolishness at the BET awards was more serious.
only so long fake thugs can pretend. Ross will get his
Ross is the last real rap nigga alive. Who’s realer? He only worked at the jail to get his connect and then he moved speed boats full of coke into M-I-Yayo.
^^then why didn’t he just say that instead of lying…idiot
You want him to snitch on himself? WHo do you think we’re talking about here? Ross the biggest boss in the game he has nothing to prove to you white faced blog geeks who wouldnt know the streets if they were right outside your house
alot of you hating on nipsey for a few of his comments and “contradictions. so which rappers do yall fuc wit anyways? i’d really like to know
I like Riff Raff, Rittz & Em but Action Bronson is my favorite.
That’s a shitty list I listen to Jay Rock Ab Soul, Schoolboy, Kendrick, and Jhene Aiko or Golf Wang.
I listen to Ricky Rozay and the MMG boyz. Realest niggas in the game. only true gangsters really living their raps.
Then you are retarded.
Who’s realer than Rick Ross and Meek Mill? Or Gunplay? Cmon man, you must be white and from the burbs if you don’t get how real Ross is. So what if he was a correctional officer for 18 months when he was 19… he only did that to sell drugs and help out his fellow gang members.
I salute Nipsey and will bye his album. AZ, Nas, Dro, and Nipsey are the only rappers that I will pay for their music. Everybody else…JackMove!!!
“buy”
top 10 highest 1st week sales 2005:
1 The Massacre 50 Cent 1,140,000
2 Late Registration Kanye West 860,000
3 The Documentary The Game 586,000
4 Monkey Business The Black Eyed Peas 552,000
5 Curtain Call: The Hits Eminem 441,000
6 The Sound Of Revenge Chamillionaire 410,000
7 Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (soundtrack) 50 Cent 317,000
8 Tha Carter II Lil Wayne 254,000
9 Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 Young Jeezy 172,000
10 Most Known Unknown Three 6 Mafia 125,000
top 10 highest 1st week sales 2006:
1 Kingdom Come Jay-Z 680,000
2 King T.I 522,000
3 Doctors Advocate The Game 359,000
4 The Inspiration Young Jeezy 352,000
5 Release Therapy Ludacris 309,000
6 Eminem Presents: The Re-Up Eminem 309,000
7 The Blue Carpet Treatment Snoop Dogg 264,000
8 Idlewild Outkast 196,000
9 Port Of Miami Rick Ross 187,000
10 New Joc City Yung Joc 148,000
top 10 highest 1st week sales 2007:
1Kanye WestGraduation957,000
250 CentCurtis697,000
3T.I.T.I. vs. T.I.P.468,000
4Jay-ZAmerican Gangster426,000
5FabolousFrom Nothin’ to Somethin’159,000
6CommonFinding Forever158,000
7Lupe FiascoThe Cool143,000
8Young BuckBuck the World141,000
9TimbalandShock Value138,000
10Bone Thugs-N-HarmonyStrength & Loyalty119,000
top 10 highest 1st week sales 2008:
1Lil WayneTha Carter III1,006,000
2T.I.Paper Trail568,000
3Kanye West808s and Heartbreak 450,000
4Young JeezyThe Recession260,000
5The GameL.A.X.240,000
6PliesDefinition of Real215,000
7LudacrisTheater of the Mind214,000
8Rick RossTrilla198,000
9NasUntitled187,000
10Snoop DoggEgo Trippin’137,000
top 10 highest 1st week sales 2009:
1EminemRelapse608,000
2Jay-ZThe Blueprint 3476,000
350 CentBefore I Self Destruct160,000
4Rick RossDeeper Than Rap158,000
5Young MoneyWe Are Young Money142,000
6JadakissThe Last Kiss134,000
7Kid CudiMan on the Moon: The End of Day104,000
8FabolousLoso’s Way 99,000
9Gucci ManeThe State vs. Radric Davis 90,000
10UGKUGK 4 Life76,000
top 10 highest 1st week sales 2010:
1EminemRecovery741,000
2Kanye WestMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy496,000
3DrakeThank Me Later447,000
4Nicki MinajPink Friday375,000
5Lil WayneRebirth176,000
6Rick RossTeflon Don176,000
7Kid CudiMan on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager 169,000
8T.I.No Mercy159,000
9LudacrisBattle of the Sexes137,000
10Lil WayneI Am Not a Human Being125,000
top 10 highest 1st week sales 2011:
1Tha Carter IVLil Wayne964,000
2Take CareDrake631,000
3Watch the ThroneJay-Z & Kanye West436,000
4Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz AmbitionYoung Jeezy233,000
5Cole World: The Sideline Story J. Cole217,000
6LasersLupe Fiasco204,000
7Rolling PapersWiz Khalifa197,000
8Hell: The Sequel Bad Meets Evil171,000
9AmbitionWale 164,000
10Blue Slide Park Mac Miller 144,000
top 10 highest 1st week sales 2012:
1Pink Friday: Roman ReloadedNicki Minaj253,000
2good kid, m.A.A.d cityKendrick Lamar242,000
3God Forgives, I Don’tRick Ross218,000
4Cruel SummerGOOD Music205,000
5Trouble Man: Heavy Is the HeadT.I.179,000
6Dreams & NightmaresMeek Mill165,000
7Life Is GoodNas149,000
8Based on a T.R.U. Story2 Chainz147,000
9O.N.I.F.C.Wiz Khalifa141,000
10Jesus Piece The Game 86,000
top 10 highest 1st week sales 2013:
1Nothing Was the SameDrake658,000
2Magna Carta Holy GrailJay-Z527,000
3YeezusKanye West328,000
4Born SinnerJ. Cole298,000
5I Am Not a Human Being II Lil Wayne217,000
6The GiftedWale158,000
7IndicudKid Cudi139,000
8Long. Live. ASAPASAP Rocky139,000
9Watching Movies with the Sound Off Mac Miller 102,000
10WolfTyler, The Creator89,000
whats your point?
holy shit how long it take you too look all that shit up
get a life ninja
Big mistake for Nipsey turnin down Ross. With Rozay business model and Nipseys hussle this shit could’ve been HUGE.
Bawse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No, it wouldn’t.
Even Nipsey knows that bullshit. thats why he kept it indie. No need to feed Ross and a bunch of jews
big up to nip for not selling out like most artist today ..stand your ground you the creator of your music
It’s time to reclaim the culture……FIRE THE MAJORS.
never gonna happen
Ross is the realest nigga alive. The new Biggie. The streets feel Ross it doesnt matter if he stole another dudes name and lied about his past. He really sold kilos and killed his enemies thats why Jay-Z, Nas and Nipsey Hussle work with him. They wouldnt work with anyone whos fake!
Don’t know why Ross would ever fuck with a bum stuidio gangster like Nipsey Hussle. Ross is the new biggie hes got the rap game by the tits! He dont need anyone buy Gunplay Meek and Wale fuck tehe industry other than Drake and Wayne! They cool too
“well 50 doesn’t nor Jeezy”
50 can’t even get an album out. Bad reference there.
DMX, Kool G Rap and Nipsey all turned this cop’s offers for record deals… they know whats up! They see it’s a sinking ship who peaked 2 years ago!
Lil Boosie gonna turn him down too as soon as he touches down.
MF Doom, GZA, Murs, K-Rino, & Joell Ortiz
Garbage cock gobblers all of those wankers, I only listen to real niggas like Nipsey Huss’ and ZRo.