Back in November 2020, Westside Gunn announced on “The Joe Budden Podcast” that he had parted ways with Eminem’s Shady Records imprint. There had already been rumblings of a split when WSG tweeted back in November 2020, “I’m not f##### wit none of them n##### no more.”
I’m not f##### wit none of them n##### no more 🤷🏾♂️🥁
— CONWAY (@WHOISCONWAY) November 11, 2020
A week later, Gunn appeared on “The Joe Budden Podcast” and confirmed the rumors saying, “I’m off Shady. I’m actually a free agent.”
Now, The Buffalo emcee spoke exclusively to “HipHopDX” giving further details about the split and admitted that the reason he went on “The Joe Budden Podcast” was to make the announcement.
“I actually wanted to do that interview just to say that,” he said. “Once I knew that the deal was done, I had already signed the paperwork and it was official, I’m like, ‘I got to make the announcement.’ But I mean, shout out to Paul [Rosenberg], shout out to Shady. It’s all love, you know what I’m saying? Yeah, it’s all love. Conway [The Machine] still has an album left over there that we have to drop and release, so it’s still all love.
“But it was just like one of those situations where it’s time for me to move on. It’s chapters in life. That’s why people move, dip out of town for different cultures and different experiences. And it’s the same thing for me.”
However, Westside Gunn isn’t salty; he appreciates the time he spent at Shady Records and takes pride in the work he did during his time there.
“I had my time over there and it was all love, it was all good,” he continued. “You know we dropped What Would Chine Gun Do (WWCD), I dropped Who Made The Sunshine and it was all good. But it was just like, ‘OK, I’m a boss.’ I was a boss before that deal, you see what I’m saying? Like, I was already the owner of Griselda Records before I did that deal.
“I was already making noise before I did that deal. That’s why we even did the partnership in the first place. It wasn’t just like I came out of thin air. I already had murals painted of me and people tattooing me, people crazy.”
This Thursday Westside Gunn will be performing at Radio City Musical Hall alongside Erykah Badu and Questlove.