Jim Jones revealed that he handed on signing J. Cole, The Weeknd, and Drake, saying the long run famous person rappers had no picture.

Jim Jones admitted that he neglected three future superstars—Drake, J. Cole, and The Weeknd —claiming he had an opportunity to signal every artist however handed for varied causes.

Speaking on “The Art of Dialogue,” Jones opened up in regards to the missed alternatives that would have altered the course of his govt legacy.

In 2009, he was named Vice President of Urban A&R at Koch Records, a powerhouse in the independent music label space. That function gave him the authority to scout and signal new expertise, and he had all J. Cole and Drake in his orbit earlier than they blew up.

“J. Cole used to be in my studio all the time. I can’ say that wholeheartedly, and then Drake, Alan Grunblatt [Koch VP] let me hear some of his music. But I kept telling him [Grunblatt] he [Drake] had no image. I didn’t understand it, it didn’t connect, but he could rap his ass off,” Jim Jones revealed.

As for The Weeknd, Jones mentioned a private tragedy clouded what may have been a significant enterprise transfer. He defined that he flew to Canada to fulfill the Toronto singer, however the timing couldn’t have been worse.

That similar day, his shut good friend and fellow rapper Stack Bundles was shot and killed. Jones mentioned he wasn’t in the precise psychological area to make selections.

Before anybody dismisses his story as revisionist historical past, it’s price noting that Jones was in a professional place to signal all three artists. As a high govt at Koch, he had the authority and platform to deliver them on board.

His personal success on the label—via albums like On My Way to Church and Hustler’s P.O.M.E.—helped elevate Koch’s standing within the business. Still, Jones mentioned he doesn’t dwell on what may’ve been.

“Would it have been nice? Yeah, that might have been dope. But who knows, they might have not had the success that was given to them from the work they put in if it would have went through the channels that I had to offer,” Jim Jones said.

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