At the turn of the century, Roc-A-Fella cemented itself as the most powerful label in rap on the strength of a star-studded roster of young talent that included then-rising rappers Cam’ron, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Kanye West, and Juelz Santana.
Nearly 20 years after Juelz and Kanye released their respective debut albums (2003’s From Me To U and 2004’s The College Dropout), Santana hasn’t forgotten what it was like to witness the unmatched confidence of a young Kanye.
In a recent interview with VladTV, Juelz explained that money hasn’t changed Ye’s personality. In fact, Santana believes Kanye was just as cocky before he ever reached billionaire status.
“He always kind of been like that,” Juelz shared. “Ye never changed up. Now he just got a billion dollars, so it makes him more aggressive. More like, more intense, when he’s doing the shit he’s doing.”
When asked if the old Kanye is the same as the 2022 version, who’s dominated headlines over the past several months by making both outlandish and controversial statements, Santana maintained that West has always been the same guy.
“He’s always been that cocky, arrogant, flamboyant guy,” Juelz said.
Watch Juelz Santana’s full thoughts on Kanye West in the video up top.
