Former Roc-A-Fella artist Memphis Bleek has called Jay-Z his biggest critic in the rap game and explained how his ex-labelmate pushes him to make better records.
According to Bleek, Jay will always have the final word on whether his efforts are quality or not.
"Jay. Because he my biggest critic," Bleek said in an interview. "Jay is the type of person, it's never right. I don't care how much I can sit in my house, record 20 thousand records and I can say 'this one is the record!' Ain't nothing no body can tell me that's gonna change my mind. And soon as I get to the office, he be like that's bulls**t. You for real thinking that's crazy? And I be looking at him like "Am I bugging? Or is it you?" He's my biggest critic. I'm tryna always get his approval and make the boss happy. And it's never gonna happen I see (laughs) I definitely gotta come from the street first."
Last December, Bleek explained why he turned down an opportunity to join Hov's Roc Nation.
"I coulda went to Roc Nation, but then what am I getting out of that?," Bleek asked in an interview. "Another $150,000 check advance, then I come out [and] sell 300,000 probably, somebody makes two or three million, and I gotta mess with the fact that they gon' say yo you bricked out? Like that's the industry. And that's [with a label run by] my homie. Now if [it's] somebody else, [they] might not even get a 150 [thousand dollar] advance, they probably go get 30. And plus I'd rather be on my own, fam. I been in the game, like you said a decade now, I know what to do; I know what not to do. It's time for me to have my own record [label]. I got a lot of n*ggas behind me that's ready to get they shot. And me being behind Jay, they ain't gonna never get they shot."
Last year, Bleek confirmed no longer being under contract with Def Jam.
"[The album] is called The Process," Bleek revealed in an interview. "Same album I was working on when everybody was under the Def Jam structure. But once Jay moved and did the Roc Nation thing, I hollered at him and told him I wanted to create my own umbrella to be a branch off Roc Nation...I don't want to be under Jay-Z's shadow forever. I feel like I'm gonna get criticized for that forever. So, yeah. It's one reason I want to do the Get Low thing. People will respect me more if I can show them I know how to walk on my own two. But I still got the big homie. He's setting up meetings with every distribution company for me. I'm just trying to see what's the best fit."
Bleek previously spoke on his label status and why he parted ways with Def Jam.
"Jay's the kindest n*gga that walk the face of this earth and everything ain't money," Bleek said in an interview. "N*gga gave everybody he knew that he came up with rhyming with opportunity, that's all you can ask for...You know Hov broke bread...I left Def Jam...I had options to put out another album on Def Jam but then I had a meeting with him and he made it real clear to me, 'Why do that, you got the opportunity right now to run your own company. I'ma get you the distribution deal for Get Low Records, you sign your artists, drop your albums under Get Low and I'ma still executive produce.'"
Check out a recent Memphis Bleek intervew below:
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