Royce Da 5’9″ became a Grammy nominee last week when The Allegory, the Detroit rapper’s eighth album, earned a spot in the Best Rap Album category. This isn’t the first time he’s been nominated, having received one at the 2010 awards for his appearance on Eminem’s Recovery. But the version of the album that got released is not exactly the one he wanted. In a recent interview with PSA Hip-Hop’s Threeletterman3, Royce revealed that Cordae was supposed to appear on it but the young rapper’s label, Atlantic Records, blocked him from doing it.
“[Vince Staples] sent his verse last day because originally YBN Cordae was there in that spot,” Royce said. “Atlantic would not clear YBN Cordae, so I had to take him off. They said they wanted to ‘keep him young.’ These labels, they are so caught up young, young, young, young.” He was a bit frustrated by the label’s action, however, and he also pointed out that it put Cordae in a bad position as well.
“Obviously the kid wanted to do it, otherwise, he wouldn’t have done it! So why put him in that position?” he said. “And now the album is nominated for Grammy. You don’t think that in retrospect was a bad move from them?”
Royce’s The Allegory joins D. Smoke’s Black Habits, Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist’s Alfredo, Nas’ King Disease, and Jay Electronica’s A Written Testimony as the other nominees in the Best Rap Album category.
You can watch the interview in the video above. Royce’s remarks on Cordae come around the 27-minute mark.
Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.