T.I. has provided an explanation for why he declined the chance to contract Young Thug and 21 Savage for $1 million.
On his Club Shay Shay show, Tip talked about how the two Atlanta rappers were interested in signing seven-figure deals with his Grand Hustle label but he decided against it because of the money he would have to take from them in exchange.
“At this point in my career, I find it honorable to be able to tell new artists when they come up to me,” he said. “You know, 21 Savage, [Young] Thug. A lot of them come up to me, ‘Aye man, give me a million, Tip. I don’t care what you do, just give me a million and let me handle it from there.’
“Like nah, I ain’t gonna do that, because if I give you a million, I gotta take back something that’s gonna be worth way more, and we ain’t gon’ be able to be friends from there. I always tell ’em, man, ‘Don’t worry about the money up front ’cause it’s gon’ come.’”
He added: “I remember telling that to Slime, I remember telling that to 21. And even Savage, every time he sees me now, he’ll hit me and say, ‘Aye, it came.’ And that puts a smile on my face because I just know how impactful every generation has the opportunity to be even more than the last.”
Young Thug was signed by Hustle Gang early in his career despite not being signed by T.I. because of their “About the Money” collaboration and his participation on the label’s G.D.O.D. II compilation in 2014.
