There is a reason why hip-hop fans have heard little from Atlanta-based rapper Yung Joc the last few years. Because of contentious legal entanglements with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records, Joc says he’s been unable to release a commercial record. Instead, Yung Joc recently released a free album, Grind Flu, under his Swagg Entertainment through Jive Records in protest of his continued legal quagmire with Diddy’s label.“Right now, there is no current situation with Bad Boy right now. We’ve been in talks [about] being released … I just don’t think at the present time that regime is the right outfit for me, considering I work very hard as an artist and I’m still in the position where I’m not able to put out my music because of some conflict of interest,” the Grammy-nominated artist told rolling out exclusively. “I’m being held back in a sense. There’s no hard feelings. Once again, no regrets, no gripes. It is what it is. No matter what I do, I try my best to make the best of the situation [as] possible.”
Joc shot out of a cannon in 2006, sailing into stardom off the hypnotic club anthem “It’s Goin’ Down”, the bestselling ring tone in Warner Bros. Music Group history. But the magic carpet ride seemed to hit an air pocket and crashed with the revelations of Joc being allegedly legally shackled by Diddy’s record label. But Joc has bucked back, making his declaration of independence to rolling out.
“A lot of people are like ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa! A free album?’ I can’t release an album commercially and it is what it is. They ask, ‘Why you want to drop the mixtapes?’ I’d rather get paid for the hard work I do. I want to be paid for it.”
And getting paid, he is. Yung Joc, born Jasiel Robinson, owns two automobile-related businesses and also has a sunglasses line. Additionally, Joc is backing the group Hotsylz and their single, “Looking Boy”, through Swagg Entertainment. His work ethic is what got Joc ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the 20 richest rappers in 2006.
“I was workaholic before I even met Puff. I was a workaholic before Puff was Puff. How would I know sweet if I hadn’t tasted bitter? I just refuse to sit around and continue to ask what’s going on, you dig what I’m talking about?” he says defiantly. “That s— is for the birds. This [is] how I feed my family. I’ll be damned if I let a n—- put his foot on my neck and keep me down. I want to [live to] see my kids go to college.” – terry shropshire
