S. Samuel
Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill may have the force of Rick Ross' Maybach Music behind him but he recently talked about gaining even more momentum by hooking up with Jay-Z's Roc Nation management team.
In Meek’s perspective, linking up with the Roc will help his global outreach.
“This theory is that I’m an underground rapper and I come from the street,” he explained in an interview. “There’s parts of the game that I can’t reach with my management and so we combined with them and made things work out to the point where they could bring things to the table that we need,” explained Mill, noting that there weren’t any other management deals in the works. “They’re taking it to the next level. I’m not looking for anything. Everything else falls on me.” (Billboard)
Meek recently pointed out just how many power forces are behind him.
“That’s the new deal I put together,” Meek said in an interview. “Me coming up in this rap game, I was always an underground artist coming up by myself and making all of the moves by myself. And my manager – he’s just like me, we’ve been coming up in the streets by ourselves. So we just decided to partner up with Roc Nation and take things to another level. … I think it’s going to take me to the next level. I’ve got Warner Bros. behind me, Maybach Music Group, and Roc Nation; some of the most powerful people in the game. That’s like 80 percent of the game right there. You know, Ca$h Money, they like family. So it’s like you’ve got everyone on your team at one time, and it feels good to have all that behind you at once. It’s like a force that can’t be stopped.” (Life + Times)
The rapper’s deal came shortly before pop singer M.I.A. officially joined Roc Nation.
M.I.A. has always been a rock star, but now it’s official. The “Paper Planes” rapper has inked a management deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. The announcement was made today on Roc Nation’s website. She joins a roster that includes Rihanna, Wale, Shakira, Santigold, Ester Dean, Meek Mill, and Melanie Fiona. Rihanna welcomed her to the family, tweeting, “welcome home MIA.” M.I.A.’s fourth album Matangi is due this fall on Interscope Records. She is also readying a remix to her single “Bad Girls” featuring Missy Elliott, Azealia Banks, and Rye Rye. (Rap-Up)
Late last year, Young Hov spoke on the label side of operating Roc Nation.
“I think running a label is a bit like having kids,” Hov told MTV News while in New York to promote two charitable Carnegie Hall concerts in February. The Roc Nation CEO’s answer came in response to criticism that he could have done more to endorse J. Cole, who dropped his debut, Cole Word: The Sideline Story, in September. “When you know someone needs more help, you help them,” Jigga said. “When you see that someone can make it on their own … you see Kanye or J. Cole, you see that sort of talent — you let that talent be. You let that talent find its way.” (MTV)
Check out some recent Meek Mill footage below:
