Prior to signing a major record label deal with RCA Records, Brian Todd Collins, better known by his stage name of Kid Ink had worked with the likes of Nipsey Hussle, Tyga, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, and more. The Los Angeles-based rapper had also earned a selection for the 2012 XXL Freshman Class and sold over two million records as an independent artist. It wasn’t until Jan. 2013 that the “Rich” performer partnered with RCA and now, it looks like Kid Ink has officially severed his relationship with the record label and is returning to his indie roots.
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The 33-year-old emcee wasted no time revealing his independence during an interview on the Bootleg Kev & DJ Hed show on Real 92.3 LA late last week. Collins revealed that he’s currently sitting on a copious amount of unreleased music due to the creative differences he had with the executive team at RCA. Because of his early success, Kid Ink stated that he been labeled as a radio rapper and wanted to free himself from the perception of not being a multidimensional musician.
“I don’t know how to express this big news. What do you say? I’m free,” Ink jokingly shouted before continuing, “I’m independent again. Free of RCA. (I’m) back in control so, you know really just having fun.”
DJ Hed asked the “Randy Mos$$” rapper why it was important for him to be back in a space of independence. To which, Kid Ink replied:
“I got to a place where what I wanted to do creatively and the way I wanted to release music, the time frame, the way I think things were switching up with how the way the label usually operated changed for them… It got to a standstill because we just weren’t agreeing on things creatively, marketing-wise, or how things should be put out.”
Kid Ink revealed that he wasn’t used to the bureaucratic politics of being on a major label and that being independent has allowed him to maximize his true potential and creative outlets.
With the recent release of singles like “Ride Like A Pro” featuring Reo Cragon and “Holy Grail,” we can expect a major resurgence from Kid Ink in 2020 in the form of his upcoming LP, Almost Home 2, expected to drop this year. Check out the rapper’s full interview on Real 92.3 where he discusses his newfound independence (1:50 mark), the birth of his child, and more in the video provided below.
