Rappers Who Almost Signed to Other Rap Record Labels

While going independent is becoming more and more prevalent, plenty of rappers are still opting to sign rap record deals with major labels. Of course, there's a noteworthy tradeoff when an artist signs to a rap record label. The artist gains access a widened network of creatives, and no longer has to focus on tasks such as marketing their album or setting up their tour. In addition, the up-front paycheck is always attractive to artists who've spent years broke.

These days, we're familiar with several of our favorites in Hip Hop being affiliated with their collectives. However, according to insiders or the artists, themselves, those deals almost didn't happen. In fact, many of them almost signed with another label, which could have changed the courses of their careers. Here are a few rappers who were close to moving in a different direction.

During his most recent appearance on the Rap Radar Podcast, Lloyd Banks revealed how close he came to signing with Kanye West's G.O.O.D Music record label during the early 2010s. He stated: "So, at one point, it was supposed to be a G-Unit, G.O.O.D Music type of situation. I was on other records, too. They never came out or whatever, the business didn't get done. But yeah, that was probably like 2010, 2011." After Ye publicly hailed Banks as a Top 5 rapper in the game at the time, the two got together to create "Start It Up." Lloyd Banks' new project, The Course of the Inevitable III, is set to release on April 21st.

After releasing The Carter in 2004, Lil Wayne was solidified as one of the hottest names in hip-hop. Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records emerged as a serious contender for a young 22-year-old Weezy. At the time, Wayne was transparent about his endless love for Jay-Z as a rapper. However, an alleged lowball offer of around $175,000 strayed Weezy from signing with Hov. He would instead re-sign with Cash Money, going on to release the second and third installments of The Carter series.

The potential for Lil Wayne and Jay Z to link up has to be one of the biggest "what if" stories in hip-hop. The two competed against each other for the best rapper alive title throughout the late 2000s. In fact, the two traded subtle shots at each other on various tracks. The supposed beef more-so read as a healthy competition between two of the greats rather than anything personal. They collaborated on "Swagga Like Us" and "Mr. Carter." However, we likely missed out on plenty of great music between the two when Weezy opted to stay loyal to Cash Money.

When people think of rappers who nearly signed to other record labels, Tupac likely isn't an MC comes to mind. It's difficult to think of Tupac without thinking of Suge Knight or the entire Death Row attitude. However, Tupac nearly signed to another famous rap collective, No Limit Records, in the early '90s. Spearheaded by Master P, the two each lived in the Bay area at the time. In an interview with HipHopDX, P stated that Pac was the "one little piece that I was looking at like, 'You know what? This could be alright.'" However, it doesn't appear that a deal between Tupac and Master P was too close to ever being done. While it's fascinating to imagine where the two creative powerhouses would've gone together, it's hard to visualize Tupac's career without Death Row.

By 2016, Lil Uzi Vert was all over the imprint of hip-hop. His spacey, trap-based beats on Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World and The Perfect LUV Tape took over the scene. As a result, he was one of the most in-demand artists for rap record labels to sign. The Philadelphia-born rapper initially made headlines after he announced he was signing with Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang imprint. With Khalifa confirming the news over Twitter, the setting appeared to be set in stone.

However, DJ Drama and Don Cannon's Generation Now promptly stepped in amidst the news. After Uzi began talks with the Generation Now label, Khalifa promptly backed out of their once presumptive agreement. Uzi has been vocal about his issues with the records deals he's signed, once accusing his label of not allowing him to release music. However, Generation Now and Uzi still appear to be working together.

Believe it or not, Nas's commercial value as an artist was highly doubted leading up to Illmatic. A young and hungry rapper roaming the streets of New York, Nas struggled to find a record deal in the early '90s. With Illmatic essentially finished, he was inches away from inking a deal with Def Jam Records. However, Russell Simmons made the executive decision to pass on the MC, believing that Illmatic would flop commercially.

In fact, Simmons wasn't completely wrong. Illmatic wasn't exactly leaping up the top charts after its release. In addition, the eclectic and soulful beats of the project didn't pop out to the casual listener. The subtleties of Illmatic would later solidify it as one of the greatest rap albums of all time, propelling Nas into a storied career that still going strong to this day.

Of the mainstream artists who decided to go fully independent, Chance The Rapper is one of the most notable names on that shortlist. However, there was a point in time where Chance nearly signed to Top Dawg Entertainment. After the nationwide success of Acid Rap, the Carson-bred collective reached out to the Chicago-based MC. Beyond talks with TDE's president, the deal never came any closer to being signed. However, the potential ramifications of Chance signing with TDE are fascinating to analyze.

Much of Chance the Rapper's acclaim and notoriety is rooted in the fact that he never signed a deal. From visiting the White House to Grammy Awards, Chance's success is held up as a battle cry for artists looking to do everything themselves. However, we missed out on collaborations with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and the rest of TDE.

Kanye West signing to Roc-A-Fella Records changed the complexion of hip-hop forever. Delivering his soul-infused beats to the forefront of music, Ye and Jay-Z would eventually form a menacing duo. The two lived at the top for over a decade, releasing multiple collaborations throughout that period.

However, Ye nearly signed with Cash Money before ultimately going with Roc-A-Fella. While Roc-A-Fella was always his end-goal, the prospect of working with the likes of Lil Wayne nearly strayed him from his eventual path. Ye didn't want to sign with Cash Money because he reportedly felt they were a little "too street" compared to the high-rising Roc-A-Fella. It's interesting to visualize a world where Kanye West was collaborating with Wayne rather than Jay-Z.

Still making a name for himself in the late 00s, Trey Songz nearly convinced Drake to sign to his Songbook label imprint under Atlantic Records. At the time, the two had just collaborated on "Successful." Considering the direction that Songz's career would eventually go, it's entirely possible that Drake wouldn't be the worldwide sensation he is today if he had stuck with the R&B singer. Songz admitted this in an interview with The Breakfast Club, stating, "Drake wouldn't be Drake if we had made that decision. Drake wanted to sign to me at the time when I wasn't even Trey Songz yet."

Would Drake have succeeded anyways? Absolutely, but maybe not to this extent. There's doubt that years of working with Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj at Cash Money played an essential role in his rise to universal stardom. In fact, the trio are still collaborating, releasing "Seeing Green" back in 2021. Drake was a saving grace for Cash Money, quickly becoming their main act.

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