After the recent wave of PG rappers publicly parting ways with URL, BattleRap.com spoke to URL rep/PG gatekeeper Norbes over the phone, who responded with typical bluntness.
"If you've noticed, I haven't dropped no new PGs and I'm only taking two guys from the last event, period," says Norbes. "From now on, to be on URL it's gonna be way tougher. A lot of these guys weren't good enough anyway. I don't really care to be honest."
Norbes continued, saying that he'd be focusing on only a handful of new talent in 2015. "T-Top, Brizz Rawsteen they're definitely staying. Gjonaj, Tink The Demon, Prep, Chess, Th3 Saga. I'm only gonna focus on these guys and just blow them up ... A lot of these [other] guys, they start doing it and battling for other leagues and their material starts dying down and they're not that good anymore and it's just like 'Why'd I keep you around?' And obviously we don't book them anymore and then they wanna be released [from the contract] and I say 'Sure, good luck, man.'"
URL Proving Ground battlers Prez Mafia and Xcel parted ways with the league in a relatively drama-free split earlier this week. The key sticking point in the situation seems to stem from URL's exclusivity clause for their new prospects, which limits the battlers from taking other match-ups in certain leagues. After rumors that both emcees were fired from their contracts, Prez and Xcel spoke out on their respective departures with the latter recently calling in to Angryfans Radio to explain his side of the story.
Speaking with the Angryfans hosts, Xcel explained his situation and said he is leaving simply to pursue a more flexible battle schedule.
"Since niggas already telling my business, and my business is out in the streets, why not go to the people?" Xcel said. "Why not just put it out there? Fuck it. At the end of the day, everybody wants to know. It's no disrespect to URL. The contracts are what they are. To anybody that can do that, more power to you. At the same time, if you wanna move around and you wanna touch different areas and fan-bases and you wanna be around to do certain things — I can only speak for me. I can only say that right now, where I'm at in my life right now, I'm not working. I don't have a 9-to-5 job. I'm in the streets or I'm battle rapping to feed my kids. I can't feed my kids with three events a year."
Explaining that he spoke with both Norbes and Beasley about ending his contract before the news went public, Xcel detailed wanting to accept other battle offers.
"They definitely helped boost my stock," he started, "but at the same time, how I wanna move, and the things I'm being offered to me that I have to turn down and I'm not in a position to turn down any money and how they wanna do their company, it's two totally different things. I'm not in a position [to turn down] $1,500, $2,000.' I don't know nobody who is. To sit and wait for somebody."
Separately but around the same time, Prez Mafia took to Twitter to announce his own departure, writing that "it was fun" with the league.
Resigning from URL . It was fun no love lost ya #woosah
— 🤬preZMafia🤬 (@prezmafiabx) December 30, 2014
Rookies vs vets and me vs steams is not y I left URL ya .I just grown out of certain aspects of this game .If I wanna stay sane this is best
— 🤬preZMafia🤬 (@prezmafiabx) December 30, 2014
Norbes released his own tweets on the subject in response to Xcel's Angryfan appearance.
@ANGRYFAN007 pg problems Lmao
— 10-8 podcast host mon-fri 12pm est (@streetstarnorbe) December 30, 2014
@xceldakid did anyone speak on u. No.
— 10-8 podcast host mon-fri 12pm est (@streetstarnorbe) December 30, 2014
What do you think about exclusivity contracts in battle rap? Let us know in the comments section below.
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