Since last night’s two-and-a-half hour Kanye West interview with Drink Champs, several of his powerful soundbites have made headlines. Whether it be a new feud with Big Sean or dissing Soulja Boy, Ye gave the truth about many aspects of his life.
One detail he divulged on Drink Champs was that his contract with Def Jam has expired, and that he is no longer signed to them. If you recall, last summer West fired off dozens of tweets revealing his contracts with labels including Universal Music Group.
UMG happens to own Def Jam, who Kanye signed to in 2004 to handle distribution for his GOOD Music label. With his Donda release in late August, Ye fulfilled his 10-album deal with Def Jam and UMG and is no longer confined to his contract.
He also revealed in the interview that intensive reading was never his strong suit, causing him to be misguided and sign the multitude of contracts he did early in his career. He blamed those around him for not advising him better or looking out for him: "What was the craziest thing? Exposing I had 10 contracts and everybody around me knew I had 10 contracts. Everybody that supposedly cared for me knew I had 10 contracts. I'm off of it now. But what I'm saying is, I signed contact, after contract, after contract, after contract, and one of my skillsets is not reading. One of my skillsets is not counting. They tell me to learn but I'm not telling these n****s learn how to dress."
West did not reveal his future plans for GOOD Music or his music distribution, as his releases were handled by Def Jam his entire career. Kanye’s run with Def Jam was one of the best in hip-hop history. It remains to be seen how his new era will go under a different label.
[Via]