Posted by Desiigner has revealed more about the mindset he was in when he made the decision to part ways with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music Record label.
During an interview with Vlad TV released on Thursday (September 8), the 25-year-old New York native discussed the personal and business-related factors which led to his departure from the imprint formerly home to artists such as 2Chainz, Big Sean and more.
In addition to detailing the issues he experienced with releasing his high-powered collaborations with PNB Rock and more, Desiigner also explained how he was navigating problems contacting Kanye West directly while also dealing with the stress of caretaking for his sick father.
“The reason why I left Ye is ’cause I was going through a little mental thing,” Desiigner told Vlad. “I was just coming up out of high school, my pops just went into a coma. While I was on tour, I was having a great time but I just knew something at home was happening with my mom and my pops health and shit. So it was just like, I wanted Ye to talk to and it was hard to speak on it. So I wound up just like, I don’t know man, I was just going through it. I had like a young emotional stage at that time, but I was having so much fun, bro.”
Desiigner also remarked on how emotional he was during that period of time, explaining how he ultimately was seeking guidance and mentorship during his time with G.O.O.D. Music, but instead was thrown directly into the fire.
“I couldn’t express myself, what was going on at the crib to my label mates. So maybe I shouldn’t have brung my emotion into the game. But it was just something like, I was young, I never was taught not to keep your emotions out the game. Because I was coming from a place where not too many people made it bro. All we got is emotion in the hood. Like, we driving off emotion, like, situations occur ’cause just emotions out there.
He continued: “So I am just so used to that, and I just wanted somebody, like that big brother stuff at the same time as being in the label. Not just like, ‘Hey yo, Desiigner, he’s making us these millions,’ but like, ‘Bro really peep his background,’ you know you gotta zuvie him up real quick. Let him know what he could say on the interviews, certain shit, because I was getting nervous, I can’t lie. First coming up, I was getting nervous.”
He went on to describe how an encounter with Bad Boy mogul Diddy helped influence his perception of what it takes to have longevity in the music industry and revealed how he has prepared for his return to the limelight by taking notes from seasoned entertainers such as renowned DJ Steve Aoki, whom he collaborated with in 2017 along with K-pop band BTS on the song “Mic Drop (Remix)” and toured with in 2018.
Desiigner Gets In Shouting Match With Cops: ‘You Know Who I Am, Right?’
“When I heard Diddy say, ‘Hey yo, it’s gone take you five years to get comfortable in this shit,’ I went to his crib and I was like, ‘Yeah it is.’ And it’s good because it takes that time for growth,” he explained. “I want to have mentally, building a red moon, got more intelligent with myself — more embracing myself, my people, know how to control the crowd, seeing Steve Aoki going to shows, watching other people’s shows, sitting back, it gave that energy.”
Despite his early exit from G.O.O.D. Music, Desiigner managed to secure some solid wins as a signee of the imprint Pusha T is currently president of. In 2016, his breakout hit “Panda” spent two weeks at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and he managed to notch four total appearances on the chart throughout his tenure with the label.
Since Desiigner left G.O.O.D. Music in 2019, he has released more than a dozen singles, including his recent “Jaguar” release. This past December he seemingly attempted to make peace with the situation and Kanye West by releasing his earnest “Letter To Ye,” single in which he thanked the Grammy Award-winning multi-hyphenate for “everything.”