Rap Radar has returned with a gem-filled conversation with Ransom. The rapper revisited several highlights of his career and revealed an interaction he had with an executive at Def Jam. Apparently, he suggested the label sign a rising artist at the time: Nicki Minaj. However, the person dismissed the young rapper
“When [Nicki] first came on, we was like, she’s dope,” Ransom recalled. “We went to Def Jam like, yo. I know we got a deal like, yo, y’all should probably sign her, too.”
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He added that Minaj was probably unaware that the conversation even occurred.
“I ain’t even gonna tell you the person we talked to. You guys know him. He was like, ‘Nah, that sh*t would never work.‘ I was like, ‘Oh, okay.’”
Everyone laughed at the music executive’s response because of just how wrong he was.
“I see him ’til this day, I’m like, ‘Aight, man,” Ransom joked. “I look at him like, ‘Aight! That sh*t would never work? Okay.’… Like, who would say some sh*t like that?”
It was also mentioned that Jay-Z struggled to get a record deal as well.
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“This industry really don’t—it’s a lot people in this industry that has no idea what the f*ck they doin’.”
Minaj is undeniably one of the most influential figures in Hip Hop and pop culture, not to mention the game-changing impact she’s had on women in Rap. Stories of her grind to the top have been shared by several of the professionals who worked tirelessly with her before her fame, including Deb Antney.
Antney managed many rappers’ careers, and she often speaks about the dedication Minaj showed before becoming one of the biggest rappers in the world.
We may never know that music exec at Def Jam who passed on Minaj, but she’s more than proved herself. Check out Ransom speaking with Rap Radar above.