At one point, Reason nearly walked away from music entirely—even while signed to Top Dawg Entertainment. Frustrated with label constraints, the Carson, California rapper considered returning to his old 9-to-5.
“I contemplated giving up music for a year and a half. I was updating my resume, ready to walk away,” he told Audiomack co-founder Brian Zisook. “At the time, it was a fair deal for a new artist with no name. But the length of the contract was tough [for me].”
“I contemplated giving up music for a year and a half. I was updating my resume, ready to walk away.”
I spoke with Reason (@_Reasonofficial) about his journey—from signing to TDE, nearly quitting, and how independence helped him fall back in love with music.
A thread: 🧵 pic.twitter.com/sIsrcfhMhJ
— Z (@BrianZisook) February 28, 2025
Reason’s contract included a multi-album commitment with a 50/50 revenue split after recoupment. Despite coming in with an album ready to go, delays stretched beyond a year.
“That’s when I realized the delays weren’t just about development—it was [how] the label operated,” he explained. “I couldn’t drop music when I wanted. I couldn’t feed my fans. I even updated my resume to go back to my old job [as a tech recruiter].”
After seven years with TDE, he exited in 2024. Now independent, Reason has full ownership of his masters and released his latest project through a one-album distribution deal.
“Independence let me fall back in love with music,” he shared. “Now, I own my work … and I have the freedom to move how I want.” He also refused an advance.
“I didn’t want to be in that position again. Now, I see royalties immediately instead of waiting to recoup debt.”
A strategic move helped expedite his departure. When Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s feud erupted, Reason publicly praised Drizzy’s diss track “Push Ups.”
“The only fans I really lost were fans that I shot myself in the foot in, but I had to do that to get out of the label deal,” he admitted on “Bootleg Kev” last night.
“When the Dot and Drake beef started, I felt like Top [Dawg] and them were kinda, like, dragging their feet a little bit … And I knew that if I kinda sparked a fire a little bit that they would be like, ‘We gotta separate from this.’ So I started tweeting shit on the side of Drake purposely. There are fans that hate me for that.”
TDE released him within a month.
