When Our Favorite Rappers Leave Home
When rappers leave for greener pastures.
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Labeled Rappers - Rappers' beefs with their record labels are very well documented. Just recently T.I. announced a move to Roc Nation, making this his fourth label move of his career after starting with Arista, switching over to Atlantic and setting up with Columbia Records. Some of our favorite rappers have made some low-key moves, but most of the label moves have been big to-do affairs and here they are. Is Drake next on this list? – Jon Reyes(Photo from left: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for JCPenney, Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)
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50 Cent - Aftermath/Interscope to Caroline Records50 Cent, aka the biggest troll artist/rapper, attempted to kick-start his career at Columbia Records, but after his attempted murder ("shot nine times") he was dropped from the label and then signed with Eminem's Shady Records imprint on Aftermath. The rapper enjoyed a good run with Aftermath/Interscope until the end of their relationship in 2014, when he then signed to independent label Caroline.(Photo: Ross Gilmore/Redferns)
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Rick Ross - Def Jam to Epic RecordsRicky Rozay and Def Jam were together for 11 years and eight albums. In 2016, Ross signed with Epic Records and reunited with music label executive LA Reid.(Photo: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
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Jay Z - Def Jam to Roc NationAfter almost 15 years of iconic releases and even a position as an executive at the label, Jay Z parted ways for much greener and bigger pastures with the Roc. Nowadays, you can catch Jay Z expanding the Roc Nation brand into the land of sports.(Photo: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
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Kid Cudi - G.O.O.D. Music to Wicked Awesome RecordsJust five years after his initial signing to G.O.O.D. Music, in 2013, Kid Cudi left the Kanye West imprint to focus on his own label, Wicked Awesome Records.(Photo: Josh Brasted/FilmMagic)
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Common - Relativity to MCA RecordsAfter two critically acclaimed releases with Relativity records, Chicago rapper Common signed a major deal with MCA, which led to many subsequent moves over the next few years. After 20 plus years, it's not too shabby.(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen)
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Tupac - Jive to Death RowAfter releasing his two first albums with Jive Records, Tupac signed his infamous deal with Death Row to release his equally infamous album All Eyez on Me. Everything after that was history.(Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Dr. Dre - Death Row to AftermathAfter being the flagship artist for Death Row and an epically iconic solo debut release, Dr. Dre bounced from the label when dealings with Suge Knight became contentious. It wasn't a huge loss, Dr. Dre founded Aftermath and was behind Eminem and 50 Cent's meteoric rise.(Photo: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for BET)
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Azealia Banks - XL to Interscope to Prospect Park to self-releasedSince her 2011 single "212" Azealia Banks has been attached to three different labels. Her debut Broke With Expensive Taste was released under Prospect Park, which she parted ways with as well. As of this moment, she is a self-released artist. That's a plus for a rapper that can't seem to get along with too many people.(Photo: Cassandra Hannagan/Getty Images)
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Ja Rule - Def Jam/Murder Inc. to Mpire Music GroupAfter a decade and six album releases, Ja Rule parted ways with his flagship record label to start his own: Mpire Music Group.(Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images)