Rza Quotes

Well, I had a record deal since I was 18, and it got me where I am.

So So Def has been one of the most successful and consistent labels in the game in the last 10 years.

There's artists that I'm working with on a new label of mine. Foxy Nova and Supa Nova.

Shady's great; I love Shady Records.

Island Records was the first record label to... acknowledge me. After that, quickly, Republic Records, and then Atlantic Records, Sony Records and Warner Bros. It was all the labels at once. It was absolutely insane, like, knowing that this many record labels were interested in me.

I've started a little independent record label called 'Six String Productions' and recorded a couple of tunes, and I hope to do some more with some future artists next year. It's a real passion project of mine.

What made me want to become a recording artist; I was the first artist that was repeatedly asked by a label to record with them. That label was Def Jam Records.

I signed to Def Jam and within two months, I heard that Ja Rule was looking for someone to do a song with.

Def Jam is an iconic label.

When I got my record deal at Atlantic, at the time, 'indie' wasn't a style of music: it was a kind of label. And I think, eventually, the bands that ended up on those labels began to be branded as 'indie bands,' and then it became a genre.

My passion is music, you know, and music influences culture, influences lifestyle, which leads me to 'Roc-A-Wear'. I was forced to be an entrepreneur, so that led me to be CEO of 'Roc-A-Fella' records, which lead to Def Jam.

Castle Face Records, run by The Oh Sees main man, Johnny Dwyer is always worth checking in with.

There's a system in place in Nashville, and for a long time, I was trapped in this idea that the only way to do it was to come to town, get a record deal, and do it the way they say. And that system works. But it caters to a specific kind of artist, and I didn't necessarily fit that mold.

I ended up performing one time at BET. I performed my record, like, four times, and the crowd was going super crazy. And Busta just happened to be there; he pulled me to the side and asked, 'Are you signed to anybody?' So we went to the studio a few days later, spoke, and then became business partners.

I actually met The Game in my hood on Crenshaw and Slauson. I was outside on the block with 20 of my homies. I see the Range Rover, and we all walked up to his car. I handed him my CD.

The career high would be putting out a Kids of Widney High CD on my label, Ipecac Recordings.

When I was 19 I had a record deal.

I just wanted to have my own dynasty. I wanted my own Cash Money or Roc-A-Fella. Outside of that, I also wanted my own media company.

Just look at the name of Kanye's label: G.O.O.D. Music. That's what it's all about, creating good music.

Signing with Fantasy is an absolute dream come true. It's such a blessing to work with a label that truly cares about the soul of the music and to be on the same roster as artists that I've looked up to for as long as I can remember.

Before I started Brainfeeder, there were rumblings in our own circle about creating a label for us all. Then I started to see all these other ones from Europe try to capitalise on the scene. It didn't make sense to me that there were all these people who were trying to build on something that was in our backyard.

I don't really know the logistics of a Soundcloud rapper.

Whether I'm on a major or an indie, I don't think this is important, but at the same time I do.

If we meet some people that are in love with NFG that are a major label, then we'll sign with them. If we meet people that are in love with NFG that are an independent label - and they have a plan - well, then we'll sign to them. It's completely up to us.

Def Jam just made deals with me. They wouldn't let me go because they didn't really have that much street cred. So they kept me around.