Jay Talks to Billboard

Jay-Z has a recent interview with Billboard.com to discuss where rap music is at, his recent successes and of course the big rumors that he is leaving Def Jam. Here's a few highlights from the interview at Billboard.com: "So, what about the all the rumors that you're leaving Def Jam? The rumors are about only because my contract is up. If we can work something out that's beneficial to all parties involved, we'll see. But it's not about money. It's really about trying to invest in the future, trying to invest in maybe coming up with a new model. Because going in hard making records with artists and throwing those records into a system that's flawed is not exciting for me. It's not the music; people ingest music the same way. It's just that the model of selling CDs has changed. So doing things the typical way is not in the best interests of anyone and not exciting for me. My whole thing is, how do we invest in the future? If everyone is committed to doing that, then I'm sure there's a deal to be made. Where do you see hip-hop a year from now? As a person who is optimistic about hip-hop, I look at albums like "American Gangster" and Kanye West's "Graduation" as albums that people can emulate because they were made with nothing but the highest of integrity and passion about putting your all into the music. People tend to emulate success, so hopefully they'll emulate the blueprint of those albums and we'll have some great music. I believe that if you are a musician making great music, all the smart guys will figure out the model for what's next and how to monetize it." Read the Billboard entire interview here. Amen to that. Let's hope the Jay and Kanye albums with all their success can inspire more rappers to make filler-free albums full of great music.