Rotimi Reveals Why He Left 50 Cent’s G-Unit Label to Pursue Afrobeats Dream

Image: DP

Nigerian-American Afrobeats star Rotimi has opened up about his decision to leave 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records, citing creative differences as the reason for his departure.

In a recent interview on Adesope Live, the Love Rhythm crooner explained that the disconnect stemmed from G-Unit’s inability to understand the Afrobeats sound at the time.

Rotimi revealed that during his time with G-Unit, Afrobeats was gaining traction in parts of the U.S., like Boston and New York, but hadn’t yet become mainstream in the Western world, particularly Los Angeles.

“I was signed to G-Unit, but then in 2017/2018, Afrobeats was not mainstream in the United States. Davido and Wizkid had records that were gaining traction in Boston, New York, but it wasn’t mainstream at that time,” he shared.

According to Rotimi, his former label boss, 50 Cent, struggled to grasp the genre’s potential: “50 Cent and I had a conversation. He was like, ‘What’s this sound you are trying to do?’ I said, ‘Bro, it’s Afrobeats.’”

Rotimi had strong faith in his track Love Rhythm, which he believed had the potential to be a massive hit. However, 50 Cent’s uncertainty about the direction prompted Rotimi to seek a label that aligned with his vision.

The artist amicably parted ways with G-Unit and made history by becoming the first Afrobeats artist signed to Empire, a label that understood and supported his creative direction.

“He let me out of my deal because we disagreed on the creative process. Empire understood my vision,” Rotimi said.

Source: DP

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