Joell Ortiz stint with Aftermath is officially over. Rumors about Ortiz getting dropped surfaced a while back when Bishop Lamont was interviewed by Hoodhype. Lamont, who is still signed to Aftermath, said during the interview, "From what I heard I think (Ortiz) got dropped...I think dude got dropped 'cause of the whole Interscope thing."
Since then, the rumor mill has been churning. With some rumors saying that Ortiz was unhappy and wanted to be dropped to Jimmy Iovine wanting to get rid of Ortiz. Only Joell knows the truth and delivered the goods to Miss Info.
Info asked about the "Ups and Downs" video that ends with Ortiz getting his release form from Aftermath in the mail and Ortiz revealed that he actually asked to be released from the label.
“I can’t afford to wait. I got a million people waiting on me to come out,” Ortiz says in regards to the release request. “I would have been cheating myself if I would have to sit there and wait (on Aftermath). I have momentum now and I need to take advantage of it now. I need to be coming out with a new record ASAP.”
He affirmed that he is still working with Dre, just not on an Aftermath release.
“Those are my records still,” Ortiz said when asked what would happen with the material that was intended for an Aftermath release. “You are still going to hear me on a Doctor beat! Everything is beautiful.”
But what of the Bishop Lamont interview?
“I checked the interview (with Bishop Lamont) and it was just someone speaking on a situation that they know nothing about,” Ortiz stated in regards to the interview. He also mentioned that he and Lamont have only spoken a couple of times and there’s no hard feelings.
“Me and Dr. Dre deal how me and Dr. Dre deal,” Ortiz said. “They deal how they deal. I wouldn’t comment on him but he commented on me. It’s all good. He just didn’t know what he was talking about.”
Ortiz closed by stating that there are absolutely no hard feelings between he and Dre.
“I want people to understand that I got money in my pocket. I’m working with Dr. Dre. I got a mixtape coming out that’s ridiculous…I got a bidding war going on without trying to create one. I’m feeling good!”
Source
While it's a shame he left, he makes a point. He'd possibly be waiting years to get an album out on Aftermath.
