(AllHipHop News Exclusive) Rapper Chief Keef has been quietly dropped from Interscope Records.
The separation occurred about two weeks ago, a source said.
Earlier this year, matters began to sour with Chief Keef, his camp and the bosses at Interscope. Our source maintains Interscope began to “subtly disassociate” itself from the 19-year-old rapper after he had a series of legal cases sprout up in 2013 and 2014, ranging from lawsuits to drug offenses. He also went into rehab for an addiction to lean, an illegal drink that mixes promethazine and codeine. A March 2014 shoot out in Chicago, which authorities linked Keef to, allegedly further damaged the relationship with Interscope.
After that, the Chicago rapper relocated to Los Angeles in a new mansion this past summer in an effort to change the energy surrounding his life. The move not only got him away from his troubled roots in Chicago, but much closer to his label. This is where sources say the tension intensified.
“Keef and his people tried to keep the label accountable (once Keef moved to Los Angeles) but Interscope didn’t seem interested in dropping a new album. Keef’s team tried to have formal meetings but nothing moved,” an anonymouse source told AllHipHop. Additionally, there was some left over bad blood stemming from how Chief Keef’s first album was marketed and promoted.
Insiders say friction intensified until there were arguments with higher-ups in Interscope over how Keef’s career was being handled. Shortly thereafter, Keef was quietly released from his contract, sources said.
Furthermore, Keef has a new album that will probably be put out next year through his own imprint label Glory Boyz Entertainment.
Chief Keef was signed to Interscope Records in 2012 and in December released his first commercial album, Finally Rich. The album only pushed about 50,000 units even though Keef’s persona,public awareness and popularity would seem to warrant more sales. Today, Finally Rich still has not moved over 200,000 copies.
Representatives for Interscope Records were not immediately available to comment.
UPDATE: Chief Keef has confirmed he was dropped.
https://twitter.com/ChiefKeef/status/524609790144954369