drumline

Memphis Bleek Says Jay-Z Was Upset That He Didn’t Take “Drumline” Roll

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Memphis Bleek shared many memorable moments on a recent episode of Drink Champs. One new revelation that he revealed shed light on a pivotal moment in his career. The former Roc-A-Fella rapper told the story for the first time, that he was initially offered the lead role in the 2002 film Drumline. Surprisingly, he turned it down, and Nick Cannon nabbed the role instead. This role eventually catapulted Nick Cannon to stardom, but at the time, Bleek had reservations since he wanted to focus on his rap career instead.

Bleek also shared that his mentor at the time, JAY-Z, was not happy that he decided not to accept the role. In his own words, Bleek said, “Oh, man. If I could go back — y’all n-ggas don’t know this, I never told this story. I turned down Drumline. He wanted me to do it and everything, and I was scared,” Following his candid admission, Bleek shared that he had hesitated to accept the role, even though it could have been a significant turning point in his career. He candidly reflected on this missed opportunity, expressing how he might have chosen differently if he had known the immense impact the film would have.

Read More: Memphis Bleek’s “Drink Champs” Appearance Covers Jay-Z, Illegal Highs & More

Memphis Bleek Reflects On Passing Up “Drumline” Role

“Hov was mad at me!” Memphis Bleek continued to speak. “I remember Hov was super-steamed at me. Like, ‘Why you ain’t do it?!’ And I remember telling him, ‘Bro, I was scared. I’ve never acted.’ And I remember Hov, he paid for acting classes for me.” Bleek recollected that he had a fear of jeopardizing his music career. At the time, he was on the cusp of success. And the prospect of stepping into acting posed a significant risk. He worried about the consequences of potential failure, particularly when it came to returning to his roots and explaining any setbacks to those who had supported him.

“You know what’s so ill? Me and Nick [Cannon] had the same management,” Bleek went on. “Nick wanted to be a rapper so he used to be in Marcy with me back in the day. And Nick took the role and here we are.” Although now Bleek recognizes the impact of the film, he does wish he could go back in time to pursue that opportunity. “But that’s one thing … if I could rewind time, I would have did that,” he said. “I was on some, ‘I’d rather to do this rap s**t.’ Almost like Ja [Rule] did with the Fast & Furious s**t. I super f***ed up with that.” “Rap was everything to me then,” Bleek concluded. “Hip Hop, it saved my life, so I didn’t want to jeopardize that.”

Read More: Memphis Bleek Reveals Jay-Z Warned Him About The Downfall Of Roc-A-Fella

The post Memphis Bleek Says Jay-Z Was Upset That He Didn’t Take “Drumline” Roll appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

T.I. Was Up For Nick Cannon’s Role In “Drumline”

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Over 20 years ago, Nick Cannon starred in Drumline, a fan favorite that helped spawn a franchise. It’s difficult to envision anyone else other than the media mogul tackling the lead character, but according to T.I., he was also up for the role.

Tip sat down with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay and spoke about the development of his film career. Initially, he was a Rap star immersed in Atlanta’s music scene, which opened him up to lucrative relationships. This included connecting with legendary producer Dallas Austin. At the time, Austin was dabbling in movies, and T.I. wanted in.

Read More: T.I. Rejects Canceling Nick Cannon: “You Can’t Villainize One Of Our National Treasures”

“He was telling me about his first film,” T.I. recalled. “I was always like, ‘Yo bruh, put me in it.’ And he was like, ‘Aight, yeah man. Say less.’ He sent me to go read and I read and they were like, ‘Man, you got to learn how to play the drums.’ And I was like, ‘I could play like I could play the drums.’ They were like, ‘Nah, you gotta learn how.’ I was like, ‘Man, I don’t wanna do that.’

When T.I. seemingly rejected the role, he wasn’t aware that it was for Drumline.

“I just didn’t want to commit myself to it at the time. It wasn’t there,” he further said. “But I read, and I didn’t get it, and that movie went on to be Drumline. Yeah, I was reading for Nick Cannon’s part.”

Read More: T.I. Explains To Nick Cannon How Trap Music Is Like “The Wire”

Looking back, Tip doesn’t see it as a missed opportunity but as a stepping stone. Additionally, the Rap mogul said he and Cannon joke about the Drumline debacle.

“Look, that opened the door for me to do ATL,” he also revealed. “After I didn’t get the role for Drumline, I went back to Dallas and said, ‘Man, next time, bruh, just give me the role. I ain’t going to read or nothing. Just give me the role.’ And he was like, ‘Cool,’ and he just gave the role for Rashad in ATL.”

“All things happen for a reason. What God got for you can’t no one take from you.”