Brooklyn rapper Lil Kim recently opened up about her label situation and revealed her decision to remain an independent artist rather than join a major record company.
While she remains label-free, Kim did hint at past problems with Atlantic Records motivating her path.
“What people don’t even understand is that I’ve been independent for a long time now. I’ve been independent for about 5 years now. As soon as I came out of prison the Atlantic situation was basically done. I was on my own for a long time. Atlantic haven’t helped me with anything in about 7 or 8 years so they have absolutely nothing to do with my music career at all. Period. Everything you see me do I use my own money to do it; I’ve been my own boss. The other girll, she may answer to her own boss but ‘I am’ my own boss. She probably gets checks cut to her but I cut my own checks.” (That Grape Juice)
Kim also said she would not shun an opportunity to join a major if it offered the right deal.
“I definitely wouldn’t go in to the same type of situation I just came out of. No no no! I fought long and hard to just to get out the last situation with my record company so I would never go into the same situation. It would definitely still be independent but I’m defiantly open to doing partnership with other record companies.” (That Grape Juice)
In summer 2009, Kim said she planned on dropping an LP before 2010.
“Album should be out in a few months,” Kim said in an interview at the pre-BET Awards show last weekend. “We don’t have a set date yet but the song ‘Down Low’ is featuring T-Pain and Charlie Wilson is doing very well and I’m excited about that ’cause it’s been a long time since I made my rounds. But I got another song that’s with a producer named Detail, he’s a Konvict Music producer and I love this song. I can’t tell y’all the name yet ’cause it might be the next single but just know that this album, I’m feeling real sexy and nasty y’all, so it’s gonna be an upgrade of Hardcore.” (EZ Street Show)
Prior to doing “Dancing With The Stars” on television around 2009, Kim talked about her decision to hold-off dropping an album.
“Never, music is in my heart and that’s the reason I’m on ‘Dancing With The Stars’ because I’ve always felt music,” Kim said about abandoning music. “Right after ‘Dancing With The Stars’ [new album is coming.] My schedule is so crazy with ‘Dancing With The Stars.’ We rehearse six to eight times, from eight hours a day, so it’s like, I do have time on the weekends to go into the studio and when I do, I do a little bit. I have a song out right now with T-Pain…I’m about to do a mixtape with my people, it’s gonna be called Lil Kim: Family & Friends…And I’m paying for the music videos.” (The Q Deezy Show)
Check out a past Lil Kim interview below: