Jay-Z maintained his street mentality as he took over the music industry with Roc-A-Fella Records. In a matter of years, Jay-Z took his $100,000 and turned it into $50 million by 2001. More business deals were closed and Jay-Z became the multimillionaire that he is today. Meanwhile, Memphis Bleek remains around the $50 million mark.
In the past, Bleek said that he would never leave Jay-Z's side because of all that he has done for him. Despite this loyalty, Jay is a part of the opposition. Memphis Bleek has set up a deal for his Get Low label and Jay-Z now has his Roc Nation label. J. Cole is now his sidekick even though Bleek still tours with Jay-Z. However, as his new album nears, Memphis Bleek's focus is becoming the king of New York.
During Jay-Z's heyday, he was considered by many to be the rap king of New York. Even the members of his team were relatively popular. His music dominated the charts and every album was met with praise and a platinum plaque. Throughout this time, Memphis Bleek was considered the number two man. When Jay-Z retired, he stepped aside for Bleek to become the king of New York. It was then that Memphis Bleek signed some artists to Get Low Records and released M.A.D.E.
Apparently, it was not Memphis Bleek's time because the album flopped. In addition to that album bombing, his next album, 534, also had low sales and one notable single. Now that he is own his own, Bleek is confident that he will take the rap game. He has been working on The Process for years and it is set to come out before the end of this year. Bleek released the first single, "Still Ill," early in the year and it became a minor hit for the rapper.
Following the release of his album, Memphis Bleek plans to shift his focus to adding artist to his Get Low label. Once he adds more artists to his label, Memphis Bleek wants to release another album that will shine his light onto them. Bleek has a plan to make him into an equal to Jay-Z, Diddy, and 50 Cent. Memphis Bleek hopes to be to the 2010s what Jay-Z was to the late 1990s and the 2000s. In the past, he said that he did not want to rival Jay-Z. Despite those statements, Jay-Z has often told him to go for what he wants.
Taking heed to Jigga's advice and the chance to become an icon, Memphis Bleek plans to begin focusing more on himself, as opposed to Jay-Z to make himself into the biggest rap act on the planet. With the current state that hip hop is in, someone needs to step up and assume leadership.