Lyor Said Drake Shook His Hand & Almost Signed Deal With Def Jam
Cohen also calls Rich the Kid a “clown” and says the rapper should call him.
Lyor Cohen stopped by The Breakfast Club to speak about a variety of topics. The industry veteran took time to talk about the Migos and 300 Entertainment drama, Rich the Kid, Kanye West and more. He also spoke about how he almost signed a deal with Drake while Lyor was head of Def Jam. “The truth is Drake shook my hand,” Cohen said around the 18-minute mark. “It doesn’t matter. He didn’t stop the party. I’m happy for him and I’m happy for his fans.”
Back in 2010, Cohen said spoke about another situation where a deal with Drake fell though and the importance of the handshake. “A very disappointing thing,” he said. “But I’m a lover of rap music. I want good things to happen to this industry. I have so much good fortune and already have everything. I feel like we have a terrific company, and we’re very old-school in that once we grip someone’s hand, fundamentally we believe that’s a deal. But that’s not this generation. They’ll grip someone’s hand and say they’re coming, but if someone offers them more they will renege. That’s not how we get down.”
They then spoke about the topic of Rich the Kid, Migos, and 300 Entertainment at the 58-minute mark. Charlemagne and co. asked Cohen about his side to the story after Rich the Kid posted a story earlier this week ranting about trying to get out of his contract with 300. “F*ck 300 [Entertainment], y’all suck,” Rich said, in the now-deleted video recording. “Listen, y’all gotta let me out this d*mn contract. I don’t wanna be with y’all no f*ckin’ more. I told y’all I get y’all this money back. I don’t wanna be with y’all label no more. Y’all suck. Y’all is trash. Listen, young independent artists, do not sign with 300 Ent. They’re the worst, worst label ever.”
Lyor was not vibing with what Rich had to say about his co-owned label. “I don’t feel good about hearing that, but it sounds like he’s a clown. Maybe it’s a late night ‘something.’ Here’s the thing. I give money early. I sign a contract early. What about a contract-money doesn’t mean anything these days? I don’t know what his problem is. He should call me. He has my number. You see if he calls me.”
Watch the interview above.
