According to Brooklyn, New York rapper Joell Ortiz, his entire music career has been “a battle” due to his background and physical appearance. While speaking with Vlad TV, Joell revealed that he first had to deal with being labeled “nice for a Puerto Rican” as opposed to a nice emcee overall.
He says he then came to the realization that appearance was a quality that mattered in the music business.
“My whole career was a battle,” Joell Ortiz said. “I had to battle past ‘He’s nice for a Puerto Rican’…I’m proud to be Puerto Rican. Don’t get [me wrong]…Puerto Ricans have been a part of Hip Hop since Break. Come on, let’s be for real. But yeah, I had that little thing attached to me for a little while. And other things too outside of music that had nothing to do with—Things I didn’t know of, I wasn’t aware of in the music business that mattered. Like how you look. Or if you were thin.”
The Slaughterhouse lyricist continued to speak on the importance of appearance in the music industry, adding that it was a “discouraging” aspect of his career.
“It was discouraging though, Vlad. To be honest with you,” he said. “Because I wasn’t getting the opportunities for reasons outside of music. It wasn’t like I was going in meetings with these labels and they were going ‘Well, his music’s not that good. He’s kind of heavy. And he’s Spanish.’ It was like ‘His music’s amazing, but.’ It’s like ‘Wait a second. Play number four again. What are you talking about?’”
Joell later revealed that it was Dr. Dre who gave him his first record deal despite his appearance and background.
“Shout out to Dre for giving me my first official record deal, my first opportunity, and my first look inside,” the rapper said. “I was trying to get record deals with everybody on the East Coast. And my CD landed on his desk. And he called me. And he was like ‘I love the music.’”
Joell Ortiz’s interview with Vlad TV can be found below.
For additional Joell Ortiz coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
He still a nigga at the end of the day. Seriously, what is the difference between Joell Ortiz and a lightskinned nigga like Joe Budden or Common? If he didn’t tell it himself, I’d never guess he was Puerto Rican.
Haha
He’s actually black. He’s a black Puerto Rican. And your right he looks no different to other light skinned black rappers like common, b-real, joe Budden or Eminem.
LOL now imagine how eminem and maclemore feel lolllll
everyone n their mom got something 2 say about a white rapper
I doubt they will pay attention to people who judge them on their skin colour, well Macklemore might but he is a little bitch. It’s amazing to think we are in 2015 with racist people in such abundance, maybe their really is something in the water.
*there
you need to wake up from that fantasy world infant, as of today, 2015, all 3 branches of govt, banks, and major corporations of the us are filled wit and ran by caucasian white men.
What has that got to do with the colour of those rappers mentioned? Also, I’m not sure if you have noticed who the president is. Your other points stand true and hopefully over time that becomes a more fairer reflection of society as of today. Whether that does to an extent which is fair for all remains to be seen but as a society we at the bottom need to change that and when I say we I mean all races. Once that does change too and even now we must change how money is shared because no-one apart from 1% of all nations are seeing any of the money. No need to call me an infant if you were or anything else but I can understand what you are saying and that is all I can do. Conciousness is growing massively of all the “underclass” of all the races and we will only get a fairer society when we all come together to demand more and demand more on an equal footing. Peace and love.
Neither of those labels: being fat or Puerto Rican held him back at all.
If anything they could have helped his career. Plenty of emcees are fat or Puerto Rican. Some of the best of all time like Biggie, and Big Pun are fat, and/or Puerto Rican.
Joell Ortiz just isn’t marketable, I don’t think it’s because he’s puerto rican. His name is average, he’s in his 30’s, he dresses average, barely says anything unique or interesting, there’s nothing about him that really catches people’s attention. I’m not impressed
you’re not a label exec so foh
lmao but… killed u ^
LMAO! RIGHT! LIKE WHAT THE FUCK DOES HE KNOW ABOUT HOW A LABEL MARKETS THEIR ARTISTS?!
First Joell Ortiz is a black Puerto rican and just like other rappers from the Caribbean there are huge success stories. Biggie from Jamaica, noreaga from Puerto rico, pun from Puerto Rico, canibus, busta rhymes, and countless others from Jamaica, foxy brown from Trinidad,
Half of the best emcees are from the caribbean. Don’t know what he is complaining about. If he’s complaining about being a light skinned Puerto ricin which some people don’t realise he’s black then okay but that wasn’t a problem for b-real and other black emcees that don’t look black.
yeah its hard for latins to make it but Chino XL is also a latino mc. and hes an underground legend had the best album of 2012 and won the award for best underground album . joell coudnt tie chino XL’s shoes on the mic. the underground got dope latin mcs they just dont get shine so joells rite its hard for Latin rappers to make it or even get a shot. beside ortiz what new latino rapper is making noise and dope? what latino mc have their music videos on MTV or BET? they dont get a chance. the dopest underground american latino mcs that arent regeatton artist are
Chino XL
Cuban Link
Immortal Tech
Joell ortiz
Snow tha Product
Duce Motherfucking Rivas
Chris Rivers
Termanology
B-Real
theyre all nice and got something to offer the rap game and some can spit in english and spanish but they never get pushed by labels. so its not cuz hes fat. its just labels dont fuck wit latin rappers for some reason.
yeah its hard for latins to make it but Chino XL is also a latino mc. and hes an underground legend had the best album of 2012 and won the award for best underground album . joell coudnt tie chino XL’s shoes on the mic. the underground got dope latin mcs they just dont get shine so joells rite its hard for Latin rappers to make it or even get a shot. beside ortiz what new latino rapper is making noise and dope? what latino mc have their music videos on MTV or BET? they dont get a chance. the dopest underground american latino mcs that arent regeatton artist are
Chino XL
Cuban Link
Immortal Tech
Joell ortiz
Snow tha Product
Duce Motherfucking Rivas
Chris Rivers
Termanology
B-Real
theyre all nice and got something to offer the rap game and some can spit in english and spanish but they never get pushed by labels. so its not cuz hes fat. its just labels dont fuck wit latin rappers for some reason.