The most eclectic crew in hip-hop sits down for a once-in-a-lifetime roundtable discussion. It's all G.O.O.D.
This feature appears in Complex's August/September 2012 issue.
Kanye West is presently re-envisioning your world. Thatâs right, if the 35-year-old multi-disciplinary artist has his way, DONDA will rule everything around us. Seven-screen cinema, womenswear, menswear, design of all kind, even educationâhe has a plan for it all. But it starts with music. G.O.O.D. Music, to be specific. West has cultivated a wildly diverse range of talentsâincluding John Legend, Common, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Big Sean, Q-Tip, Mr. Hudson, Teyana Taylor, Cyhi, DâBanj, Hit-Boy and (unofficially) 2 Chainzâand will be releasing the ensembleâs first group album, Cruel Summer, this month. Complex assembled the massiveâminus Kanye, who maintained his âno pressâ policyâfor the first time to discuss this project, the crewâs creative chemistry, and Westâs new world order.
What does G.O.O.D. Music mean to you?
Big Sean: Qualityâthe best. Kanye put himself in a class that nobody can match, as far as evolving, progressing, and taking the best of what we learn and making more out of it. So the brand is just being the coolest. We dress the best, we rap the best, we sing the best, we look the best. [All laugh.] Itâs about getting the money, but itâs also about changing the world and doing what the fuck we want to do.
Pusha T: And knowing that itâs limitless. Thatâs the biggest thing that comes with G.O.O.D. Music. You get so much, and the fans get so much, in fucking with this brand. From G.O.O.D. Fridays to these 30-minute movies in the Middle East...
Kid Cudi: âmade on a whim.
Pusha: Thereâs just so much that comes along with the brand, as far as showing people that we can do what we want. There are no limitations.
John Legend: It starts with the name itself. We want to be known for quality. We want to be known for stuff that we all can be proud of. That creativity, that attention to detail, that quality controlâthatâs what distinguishes us from other folks who might just be chasing a hit. Kanye picks artists who care about making great art. We all want to make money and do well, but we also want to make great art thatâs important and interesting.
It starts with the name itself. We want to be known for quality, creativity, attention to detail.
âJohn Legend
Common: There was a moment in hip-hop when I went to SOBâs and I saw Kanye perform before he came out with The College Dropout. The thing that amazed me was that the âbackpackâ crowd was there, and then there was the Roc-A-Fella crowd, dudes who were throwing up the Roc. I was like, âYes.â It reminded me of when I grew up. There was niggas who sold dope that was listening to Rakim and A Tribe Called Questâand there wasnât no separation. They just liked it.
What this community does is connect these individuals. Thereâs somebody who may fuck with 2 Chainz and think, âAw, Commonâhe be on that conscious shit.â But because weâre on a song together, theyâre going to feel what I do and vice versa.
Cudi: With all due respect to what these guys said, I think weâre missing the main point, which is that we represent honesty, in all aspects. Ainât nobody fake. Ainât nobody phony. Niggas are who they are. Everybody is who they are around each other. Weâre real. Iâm not in other crews. I donât know how other niggas live, but I know right here thatâs one of the main things we represent: honesty and realness. You can just hear it in the music. This ainât no cookie-cutter shit.Â
Many of you have done albums with other labels. Whatâs the difference when you put out a G.O.O.D. Music album?
Common: âYeâs perspective is âWeâre going to make the purest music, and make it reach. There ainât no limitations to where you can reach.â So, like he said, itâs about quality.
Sean: Ainât nobody perfect, you know what Iâm saying? But weâre probably the closest motherfuckers to it. [All laugh.]
I don't know how other people live, but I know right here we represent honesty and realness. âKid Cudi
Pusha, you worked closely with Pharrell on those first two Clipse records. How has it been putting together your solo album with Kanye?
Pusha: âYe has always got a million things going on, so once I got a great body of work done, I flew out to London and I played it for him in the middle of his clothing sweatshop. [Laughs.] We played it for four days straight. Heâs like, âMan, I love this. I donât like that. Iâm going to redo this beat....â Itâs the best thing in the world, because heâs going to tear your shit all the way down, and then build it back up. It doesnât get any better than that.
Youâre all very talented, very different artists who make very different music.
Q-Tip: And the thing about âYe is heâs able to see the common thread through everybody. Itâs good that niggas see thatâniggas like us forming like this. Especially in rap music, you hear a lot of motherfuckers talk about getting their own shit, in an individual sense. But everybody needs somebody, and what we represent is community.
What does it mean to have Kanye West involved in the production of your album?
Cudi: He knows what heâs talking about. Itâs crazy how insanely smart he isâitâs frustrating at times. When Iâm playing him stuff, he usually likes it. [Laughs.] But I remember there was a time when I played him something, and he was like, âTurn it off. That was terrible.â
We were in Hawaii, working on 808s & Heartbreak. That was when I first got on board, and I was doing hooks, and I was just trying to find my place. One day, I got to the studio early, and I was like, âIâm going to make a beat.â Then he came in, and I was all excited to play it.... He made this face. I was like, âOh my God. I want to make sure he never feels like that about anything that I ever make again.â
Common: He was the first producer that I had that was like, âMan, change that verse.â or âNah, that line is weak. Hell nah.â [All laugh.]
Cudi: But thatâs what itâs about, man. And I didnât feel bad. I was like, âOK, back to the drawing board. I bet that nigga wonât say that again.â I donât think heâs shot down any song Iâve played for him since.
Kanye tears your work down, then builds it back up. It doesn't get any better than that. âPusha T
Kanye is well-known for his ruthless pursuit of quality. He doesnât accept less than 100 percent from himself, and he certainly doesnât from those around him. Do you feel pressure?
Tip: I donât feel like that because, like you said, he understands what the talent isâitâs on par with his. One thing that we all have in common, Kanye included, is that we all want to be great. We all have that drive. Kanye channels itâheâs the nucleus. But at the same time, itâs collaborative. Heâs open to whatever it is. If thereâs pressure, itâs just to do outstanding shit. And thatâs more of a drive than a pressure.
Cudi: Luckily, everybody has their own vision. No one is lost. A lot of artists get lost. They drop an album, and then they go fucking blank. But everybody here sees their career 10 years from now. I donât think anybody is seeing their career year to year, like a motherfucker working check to check. Everyone has their own vision, so thereâs no pressure.
John Legend: There have been plenty of artists signed to artistsâ labels that havenât had nearly the kind of success as the head of the label. Even with G.O.O.D. Music we have artists that have done very well, and weâve had artists that havenât. Being attached to Kanye is only going to get you so far. Youâve still got to have the records, the talent, and the artistry to carry it on your own.
Common: If youâre forming a business, you go get people that can do their jobs well, and you donât have to micromanage them. Like Cudi was saying, we all have a vision of our creativity for years to come. This is going to sound crazy, but itâs something to think aboutâBig Sean might have been 2 years old when my first album came out.
Sean: Yeah. My homie put me on, though.
Tip: He wasnât even born when my first album came out. [Laughs.] Damn.
 Thatâs crazy.
Common: To have that energy circulating, thatâs beautiful. When you saw crews, you always knew the weaker links in the crew. At certain times, youâd be like, âAw, man. Here comes such-and-such.â [All laugh.]
Sean: Thatâs true as hell.
We all want to be great. We all have that drive. Kanye channels itâhe's the nucleus.
âQ-Tip
Common: But man, if you get together with some cats that already got it going, then itâs like, âYeah! Here comes such-and-such on the mic!â Thatâs what we bring.
Sean: These guys are legends. And I definitely feel like Cudi feels: I see myself in 10 yearsâI know exactly where I want to be. But thatâs something that I recently came into. When I met Kanye, I was 17 years old. I would be nervous around him. He was my idol. So, for a couple years, I didnât know what I was doing. If you listen to a lot of my early mixtapes, youâll see I was rapping like Kanye because I didnât have my own identity. Now, Iâve got my own ad-libs, my own wittiness.
I realized that I was sitting next to Common, sitting next to Jay-Z, sitting next to Kanye for a reason. I stepped up, got my mind together, and visualized how I wanted to be as an artist. Thatâs something that I donât even think comes with age. It comes when youâre ready for your life to change. I got tired of living in that two-family flat with my mom. I got tired of being in the same room I grew up in my whole life. So it was like, âThis has to work.â
I knew I could be the greatest. I was listening to Jay. I was listening to Wayne. I was like, âMan, I can do that. I could do it better than them.â Seriously. I feel like Iâm going to be a legend. But it wasnât always like that. There was a point where I was insecure. I would be out in Hawaii, and I was intimidated being around Cudi. We got signed around the same time...
Cudi: âI was poor when you got signed, dude. [Laughs.]
Sean: He was so sure of himself as an artist. He was carefree, and I learned a lot from just looking at him. My live show got better watching Cudi. Even meeting up with Common, how he wrote his raps, I stopped writing my raps on paper. I just write them in my head. Thatâs all stuff that comes from being around people like him, being around âYe, and itâs something that you ainât got to be scared of. I come from Detroitâit raised some of the realest players ever. Thatâs what I embody. I represent my city, my generation, young people dreaming. I used to ride to school listening to Kanye, was in the crowd looking at Jay-Z, and now these fools are saying, âHey, I believe in you.â Itâs real. I just bought my mom a new car. She was happy as hell. She was leaning on it, taking pictures. Now, sheâs house shopping. This is what it was all for.
Speaking of which, 2 Chainz, youâre charging a hundred a verse?
2 Chainz:[Laughs.]
How much to answer questions?
2 Chainz: A thousand a line.
Can you tell me what the nature of your relationship with G.O.O.D. is?
2 Chainz: Iâm not officially signed, paperwork-wise, to G.O.O.D. Music. But I have a great rapport with âYe. He called me before Watch the Throne came out. Iâm an only child. Iâve got trust issues. So I donât have a best friend, a brother, sisterânothing. Stuff was happening in my life that I couldnât tell nobody. I didnât have anybody in my life that I could tell, like, ââYe just called me.â
Iâve talked to âYe 1,000 times about trying to make this situation work for the both of us, so it wonât feel like anyone is getting used or anything. Iâm in a position in life where I like talking about things like that. I came from a situation with DTP, being under Luda, where I got a phobia. Sometimes when an artist signs another artist, theyâre so worried about themselves. And with âYe, he helps everybody.
 Has Kanye changed your process?
2 Chainz: When I do a song, I consider that song history. Around here, they go revisit the song, touch it up, change it, flip it, move it around. [All laugh.] Dude sees all these fucking colors and builds around your vocal tone and moves it around. âMercyâ is some cool-ass genius shit, where he separated the sounds and voices. From the fucking chant, to the hook, to âswerve,â to Sean, to P, and even him switching it up with me coming back in. Thatâs just what radio needs.
I came from a situation with DTP, being under Luda, where I got a phobia. Sometimes when an artist signs another artist, theyâre so worried about themselves. And with Kanye, he helps everybody.
â2 Chainz
Tip: You know whatâs the cool thing about Kanye? Once niggas get to that No. 1 spot, they play it safe. Theyâll put out joints that just fit it right, and theyâll get the right motherfucker to sing it. âYe donât give a fuck. Heâs trying to change that whole shit. Itâs brave, and more niggas need to follow that example.
Cudi: Sometimes in hip-hop people forget about the bed that the lyrics lay in. You can enjoy the raps, and you can enjoy the music at the same timeâto the point you donât mind hearing it for another 30 to 35 seconds. Itâs like back in the day, with motherfuckers like Mozart. There wasnât no fucking words on that shit. It was just sounds and beautiful-ass melodies. Thatâs what was entertaining to people. I think itâs cool to bring back the instrumentation. When you do shit like that, when kids hear a record that has a long-ass instrumental breakâand itâs mad creative, with stringsâthat triggers kidsâ minds.
John Legend: Heâs always pushing himself. Thatâs always been part of his core. Thatâs what makes him try new things with each album. Heâs already been where he was, and heâs ready to move. Heâs consistent in the fact that heâs willing to change. Heâs willing to push himself and go beyond what he did in the past.
2 Chainz: Iâm confident in the music Iâm putting out. Me and âYe hadâit wasnât an argument, but a conversation. He said, âYou shouldnât put this out,â but my confidence told him, âThis shit is going to work.â I premeditated all these thingsâthe timing and everythingâand it worked. I thought that was the coolest thing, because Kanye hit me back and let me know that was the move.
Sean: That basically happened with all my singles. âYe was like, âI donât know.â And then they ended up working, and he was like âGood job.â [All laugh.]Â
Common: Iâve had the opposite experience. They've been saying, âYo âYe, Iâm going to put this out,â and then, heâs like, âNo,â and that shit works. Iâve been like, âMan, I donât like that shit,â and it turns out to be somebody elseâs song, and that shit be a hit. [Laughs.] I passed on a lot of beats heâs done and...
Cudi: â[Makes bomb noise.]
Any in particular?
Pusha: âNiggas in Paris.â
Really?
Tip: You passed on that?
Pusha: Yeah.
Sean: Get the fuck out of here.
2 Chainz: He ainât lying. I thought Pusha had that beat. I heard that three or four times, and it wasnât for him.
Common, youâve been working with Kanye since 2005. How has the label changed since then?
Common: Now heâs choosing artists that have established themselves to a certain extent because itâs tough when youâre an artist and youâre trying to develop artists. I think he felt that to do the work he wants to doÂâyou see itâs not just musicâhe didnât want to take a baby and teach it everything. Thatâs the biggest change that Iâve seen. And shit, he used to have a phone. [Laughs.]
2 Chainz: I never met Common before. I never met Q-Tip. Iâm a country nigga from Atlantaâand they say Iâm the hottest nigga doing it. I told them straight up: âIâd like to pay homage to people before me.â I feel like New York is the capital of this shit, as far as this being created here originallyâsamples, lyrics, substance, all that shit. I tell Sean when he had a hot line, âNigga, you went in.â Ever since I seen Commonâs video, Iâve been wanting to tell him that shit was crazy. And this ainât being on nobodyâs dick or nothing like that, but people donât do that anymore. Everybodyâs got these big-ass egos or theyâre scared.
Cudi: You know what it is? You donât know how theyâll respond to your kindness. Because weâre so real, we want to be kind to somebody and shit.
2 Chainz: You know that shit Iâm talking about? When I could be right here and act like I didnât see Pusha T. That rap shit yâall do, while we in the same club. [All laugh.] Talking to your homeboy, like you donât see him right there. That shit is lame as hell. That shit is hurting the art.
Cudi: Yeah, but I just donât like anybody. [All laugh.] Everybody here, I love. If you ainât in my family, I donât like you. [Laughs.] Nah, Iâm just joking. I love these niggas. I can tolerate other people but I love these niggas. Before this, I was just a wayward wanderer and then I finally found a home. Weâre all artists, man. Weâre not just writing raps. Thatâs what I was saying in the beginning. Ainât no cookie-cutter shit. This ainât no factory with robots running around, just spitting our raps. Weâre there from the ground up creating magic, and that says something, man. If motherfuckers ainât with it, they better get with it.
2 Chainz: Yeah, man. Win on three. One, two, three. [All laugh.]
Perfect place to end.
WATCH G.O.O.D. MUSIC'S BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO:
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Related: The 100 Best Kanye West Songs
ADDITIONAL CREDITS: Lead Image (Clockwise From Top Left): Kid Cudi, Q-Tip, Kanye West, Cyhi, 2 Chainz, Common, Pusha T, Mr. Hudson, John Legend, D'Banj, Teyana Taylor, Big Sean. (PHOTO) Cyhi, D'Banj, Mr. Hudson, Teyana Taylor: Fabien Montique. (STYLING) 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Common, Kid Cudi, Q-Tip: Matthew Henson / Pusha-T: The Sartorial Collective. (GROOMING) Gaston Nunes. (MAKEUP) Rebecca Hickey. SIXTH IMAGE: On Big Sean: T-shirt by Givenchy available at Mr. Porter. On Pusha T: Sweatshirt and T-shirt by Givenchy. On 2 Chainz: Jacket by Public School / T-shirt by Calvin Klein. EIGHTH IMAGE: On Q-Tip: Jacket by Rag & Bone / Jeans by RLX. On Pusha T: Jacket by Dior Homme / T-shirt by Dries Van Noten / Jeans by Acne. On Big Sean: Jacket by Carven available at Mr. Porter / T-shirt by Shades of Grey By Michah Cohen / Jeans by Naked & Famous. On 2 Chainz: Jacket by SLVR / T-shirt by Calvin Klein / Jeans by Naked & Famous. On Common: Jacket by Tim Coppens / T-shirt by Calvin Klein / Jeans by A.P.C. On Kid Cudi : Sweater by Calvin Klein Collection / Jeans Cudi's own. NINTH IMAGE: On Kid Cudi: Jacket by Alexander McQueen available at Mr. Porter. TENTH IMAGE: On Common: Jacket by Tim Coppens. On Kid Cudi: Jacket by Surface to Air / T-shirt by Calvin Klein / Hat by SSUR / Jeans Cudi's Own. On Big Sean: T-shirt by Givenchy / Hat Sean's own. On Pusha T: Sweatshirt and T-shirt by Givenchy. On 2 Chainz: Jacket by Public School / T-shirt by Calvin Klein. On Q-Tip: Jacket by Rick Owens / Jeans by RLX. All jewelry and watches artists' own.