Blu Talks Roc-A-Fella Rumors & MAGIC Trips

“Photo by: Angelica Garde

Complex: Can you dispel the rumors about you getting an offer from Roc-A-Fella?

Blu: I think people are saying that because of my little line on “First Things First.” I said, “I ain't trying to sign with the R.O.C.”

Complex: So a deal was never on the table?

Blu: My homeboy met Jay-Z and asked him why he ain't worked with Dilla. That's the closest I've ever got to Jay-Z.

Complex: What about signing with Death Row?

Blu: I was trying to get the deal back then. I told him [Suge Knight] I didn't know shit about a contract. I just want a house and a car. He was like, “Aight.” [Laughs] I remember he brought me in a room all these niggas were watching TV, he shut off the TV, and he was like, “Bust.” And we just busted an a cappella. I kicked a hundred bars and he was like, “Okay.” That was that.

Complex: So where did that leave you?

Blu: He offered me a deal before he heard me bust because my cousin was engineering there. He heard my songs and shit. I thought it was about to go down'talking about signing lyricists, New West and all that. I was down. This is what happened: my boy was like, “Yo, I went back to Oakland. Don't sign to Suge. Let's work on this album this summer and you're going to sign to the Roc by the end of the year.”

Complex: You'll be appearing on the cover of the next XXL. Did any of the other artists on the cover stand out to you?

Blu: Yeah. I met most of them. Man, I left that shit so inspired, that I met niggas on different coasts, different areas. What I admired most was they brought together everybody who was on their grind doing that shit In this new digital…the new industry.

Complex: Do you like their music?

Blu: Yeah, I respect them man. I respect what they were doing, where they are trying to take their music. It's just smart. Like XXL asked me what generation I thought it was better. 10 years ago. '98 or '08? I was like '98. I'm just meeting some of these dudes now for the first time. I'm eager to see where everybody goes. It's a lot of ill cats out there. And it's a lot of ill cats I ain't even heard.

Complex: Do you feel that you’re kind of ahead of the pack, artistically?

Blu: Nah, not at all man. I've got a lot of catching up to do, man. You got cats that were like, man I put out a mixtape a month for the last year. I was like, “What?” Yeah, everybody's on they shit though.

Complex: You have a recent line that says, “Dreaming about boning J*DaVeY…”

Blu: [Laughs] Yeah. I shouldn't have ended at that. I should have kept it took out the rest but, it is what it is.

Complex: Do you know her in real life?

Blu: Yeah, I met her a few times.

Complex: Is that somebody that you're interested in at this point?

Blu: Come on, man. It is what it is. It's just like Common mentioning Mary J Blige. I know a grip of heads will be like, “Damn! You made your lady do the album.” We got an album coming out and shit. Niggas be talking. But it is what it is. It's hip-hop.