Rocafella vs Cash Money: Did Lil Wayne make the right decision?

[soul rattler]

Lil Wayne Speaks On Almost Signing With Jay-Z

posted 09/29/2010 1:30:12 pm by hillary crosley

Long before Lil Wayne was an inmate or even an alien—officially, of course—he was hip-hop’s LeBron James, if you will. His contract was ending with Cash Money and as an artist, Wayne knew he wanted to be more than just an MC for the same label he’d grown up on. Maybe he wanted to see what becoming a Def Jam artist under then-president Jay-Z would be like, or maybe he’d like to become a label owner himself. The MC had just released Tha Carter II and was still weighing his options as the hip-hop community waited with baited breath.

Back in 2006, MTV News vet Shaheem Reid spoke to Wayne on his 24th birthday about possibly of signing to one of hip-hop’s greatest MCs. But first, the pair kinda played phone tag about a musical collaboration.

“He never called,” said Wayne. “I mean, I talked to him, he told me everything I wanted to hear. He let me know that I’m that dude, he see me, keep my head up. That’s better than a verse for me, that’s my idol right there.”

Wayne was so impressed by Jay-Z reaching out, that the MC said the gesture was enough.

“He ain’t never got to do a verse for me,” said Lil Wayne. “Just him acknowledging me when anybody else ask him anything and when they don’t, he say something. That’s enough for me.”

Finally, Sha got to the big question; was there any bad blood between the two MCs when Wayne decided to remain with Cash Money and launch Young Money Records?

“It was very very tough,” said Wayne, raising his sunglasses to look directly into the camera’s lens. “But you know, I’m a loyal dude, I stick with the fam. But I hope we can do something in the future with my fam and his fam.

“I won’t front it was very tough,” Lil Wayne continued. “I grew up from when I was eight [years old] until I got my deal when I was 11 [with Cash Money]. I started writing when I was 8 and from 8 to 11 Cash Money was Rocafella, Def Jam, all of them in one. I got with them at 11 and I couldn’t believe it. So from 15, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 to Reasonable Doubt, all that, I was like that’s the dude. Then he built his team and who don’t want to be down? You could hate all you want, but I know you want to be down.”

Despite his admiration for Jay-Z, Weezy knew that he was a star himself as well and shouldn’t be impressed into making a decision about his future.

“I had to sit down and think, I knew that I was of stature too,” said Wayne. “I haven’t made my mark yet, I haven’t met that time period yet. I have a lot put in, but when I met [Jay-Z’s] mark, I’ll have a lot more put in and I know that I could probably build something bigger and better, but all off of his blueprint though because he’s the best.”
http://rapfix.mtv.com/2010/09/29/lil-wayne-jay-z-interview-2006/

 

[soul rattler]

JAY-Z REVEALS THE LETTER THAT STOPPED HIM FROM SIGNING LIL WAYNE

 Joe Lynch

July 10, 2013

Rumors surfaced in 2008 that Lil Wayne was talking with Jay-Z about moving from YMCMB to Roc-A-Fella. As you might have noticed from Weezy constantly shouting out "Young Money" in his music, that never happened. But the reason for the deal going sour was never fully explained.

Until today! In an interview with Power 105, Hova himself revealed the letter from Birdman to Roc-A-Fella that stopped this potentially game-changing deal dead in its tracks.

"The truth is, I had a relationship with Baby," Jay said to the Breakfast Club crew [YMCMB boss Birdman also goes by Baby]. "I felt it was only right to call him out of respect. So I was like, 'Yo I was talking to Wayne.' And then boom boom, after that we received a letter at our office for, I think it was, 'Torturous interference.'"

Although that piece of mail ended the possibility of Weezy on Roc, Hova doesn't sound bitter. "I would rather lose that situation and do the right thing than the opposite. I could have signed him and called [Birdman] after that, but I made the right choice."
http://www.fuse.tv/2013/07/jay-z-letter-stopped-signing-lil-wayne

 

[nyst8ofmin]

Birdman a snake

 

[The Recipe]

Rocafella no longer exist does it? Lil Wayne went on to be one of the most successful/ popular rappers in the game and CMB became one of the most successful labels again. He made the right call IMO.

 

[Stiff]

Had he gone the Roc-A-Fella route he wouldn't have been able to bring artists in the game..and one could argue that bringing Nicki Minaj and Drake to the table helped sustain his relevance

 

[xxCivicxx]

Wayne probably should have signed to the Roc. We could have had a decade of Lil' Wayne/Manny Fresh/Kanye West/No ID/Swiss Beatz/Jay-Z collaborations at this point and plus it seems like Jay is cooler with his artists breaking off from him and prospering still

 

[xxCivicxx]

Had he gone the Roc-A-Fella route he wouldn't have been able to bring artists in the game..and one could argue that bringing Nicki Minaj and Drake to the table helped sustain his relevance

Kanye has brought plenty of people into the game imo...the difference is that Wayne found talented people with top tier work ethic whereas Kanye found a bunch of eccentric talents and Big Sean(who I think is a top tier talent like Drake and Nicki)

I think that a Drake or a Nicki Minaj type would still have felt the impact of Wayne if he was on the Roc and they still would have followed him

I also don't think that the original Carter III would have leaked so early if it had been released through Rocafella/Universal/Def Jam

 

[The Recipe]

Wayne probably should have signed to the Roc. We could have had a decade of Lil' Wayne/Manny Fresh/Kanye West/No ID/Swiss Beatz/Jay-Z collaborations at this point and plus it seems like Jay is cooler with his artists breaking off from him and prospering still

Wayne, Jay and Ye are 3 of my favorites alltime, but I wasnt impressed with any Wayne collaborations with Ye or Hov. He did it right, he was his own man and cemented his own legacy.

 

[xxCivicxx]

Wayne probably should have signed to the Roc. We could have had a decade of Lil' Wayne/Manny Fresh/Kanye West/No ID/Swiss Beatz/Jay-Z collaborations at this point and plus it seems like Jay is cooler with his artists breaking off from him and prospering still

Wayne, Jay and Ye are 3 of my favorites alltime, but I wasnt impressed with any Wayne collaborations with Ye or Hov. He did it right, he was his own man and cemented his own legacy.

Maybe this is just my inner paranoia talking but I wouldn't put it past Baby to fuck up those type of collaborations with random constraints.

I think Mannie Fresh should have had some kind of creative input in their collabs, it didn't seem like he did to me

 

[soul rattler]

Rocafella no longer exist does it? Lil Wayne went on to be one of the most successful/ popular rappers in the game and CMB became one of the most successful labels again. He made the right call IMO.

Technically Rocafella still exists. Jay Z just bought it from Def Jam a while ago.

Can we really attribute Lil Wayne's rise in popularity to Cash Money? It's not like his affiliation with an already crumbling label helped. Juvenile was already on his way out and Mannie Fresh would have eventually left regardless because of money issues. Lil Wayne single handedly sustained Cash Money. I said this some years ago, without Young Money, Cash Money would be a graveyard. The newer generations of fans only really cared about YM and they only bought into the YMCMB tagline because Wayne told the to.

Meanwhile, over at Rocafella, Kanye managed to set up his own imprint and got people to listen to Big Sean, Cyhi, and Consequence. You mean to tell me Wayne couldn't have done the same if not greater with Jay's affiliation? The only thing that might not have happened was the Nicki Minaj signing. Foxy Brown was still around and there was no reason to believe a female rapper would ever be as big.

But could you imagine the power of a Rocafella label with Jay Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, plus whoever else that would've tried to join?

 

[soul rattler]

Had he gone the Roc-A-Fella route he wouldn't have been able to bring artists in the game..and one could argue that bringing Nicki Minaj and Drake to the table helped sustain his relevance

Drake and Nicki definitely sustained Wayne because he could release an album, step back and let them wave his flag for him with their albums, then come right back and do it all over again.

But how would he not have been able to bring in new talent? Kanye did it. Ross did it. Jeezy and Ludacris had potential to do it, and they were/are all on Def Jam.

 

[The Recipe]

Can you imagaine this board if that happened? Bcotton obesseing over Ye, Wayne and Jay. It would be unbearable.

 

[GunTown]

If he signed to Rocafella he would have been the second best artist on the label ever

1. Beanie Sigel

2. Lil Wayne

3. Camron

4. Freeway

5. Kanye West

 

[sapp08_2001]

Idk this is a hard one

 

[soul rattler]

Wayne probably should have signed to the Roc. We could have had a decade of Lil' Wayne/Manny Fresh/Kanye West/No ID/Swiss Beatz/Jay-Z collaborations at this point and plus it seems like Jay is cooler with his artists breaking off from him and prospering still

Wayne, Jay and Ye are 3 of my favorites alltime, but I wasnt impressed with any Wayne collaborations with Ye or Hov. He did it right, he was his own man and cemented his own legacy.

You didn't like Mr. Carter?

 

[The Recipe]

Wayne probably should have signed to the Roc. We could have had a decade of Lil' Wayne/Manny Fresh/Kanye West/No ID/Swiss Beatz/Jay-Z collaborations at this point and plus it seems like Jay is cooler with his artists breaking off from him and prospering still

Wayne, Jay and Ye are 3 of my favorites alltime, but I wasnt impressed with any Wayne collaborations with Ye or Hov. He did it right, he was his own man and cemented his own legacy.

You didn't like Mr. Carter?

It was the best song out of his collaborations with either of the 2 but it was underwhelming. Not saying the collabs sucked. I just expected more out of the them. They should be songs you could put on years down the line and know these was the niggas of that era. I didnt even get that feeling at the time the time.

 

[Turfaholic]

He was better off without the ROC. They tanked shortly after.

 

[soul rattler]

Another thing to remember: Kanye and Jay were really close to signing Twista and eventually Jadakiss joined the ROC too. That would have been a mean ass roster, not to mention satellite artists like Ross, Jeezy, T.I., Rihanna, and Beyonce collaborating retroactively.

On the flip side, no J. Cole or Jay Electronica throwing up the ROC.

 

[MeekMonizzLLLLLLe14]

the Roc would have actually let him see more money not hold off advance money and other revenue birdman has held from him. And lol at people saying he couldnt have draked or nikki minajed new rappers kanye was given that ability so they would have followed wayne still.

The biggest mistake with Wayne was he never learned from birdman or anyone around him on how to be a businessman. Wayne has lost millions to trusting his "daddy". It is good he realized this now better later than never.

I also think if he signed with the roc Hov would have at least tried to get him to be more of a businessman which means he would have possibly pissed away less shitty material as he has the last 5 years and focused more on quality music and managing his new talent.

 

[GunTown]

He was better off without the ROC. They tanked shortly after.

The Roc's success is based on Dame Dash

Dame was the 1 that signed Kanye West and Camron the only platinum selling rappers in the Roc's history. He is the one who also signed Beanie Sigel

Dame was the business he ran the the label and handeled at the CEO and business aspects