Kyambo Joshua: I Signed Kanye to Roc-A-Fella, Not Dame Dash (Part 10)

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Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua sits with DJ Vlad to revisit Kanye West’s move from producer to Roc-A-Fella artist, disputing the idea that Dame Dash was the driving force behind the deal. Joshua explains how Kanye’s early work came through Hip Hop Since 1978, why labels hesitated over the “producer-rapper” stigma, and how demos featuring “Jesus Walks” and “Hey Mama” helped shape the vision for *The College Dropout*, *Late Registration*, *Graduation* and *Good Ass Job*. He also recalls seeing Tupac: Resurrection with Kanye, the creation of “Bonnie & Clyde” for Jay-Z, and how “Through the Wire,” “Slow Jamz” with Twista, and “All Falls Down” pushed Kanye into the mainstream. The conversation also touches Atlantic, Def Jam, The Blueprint, The Black Album, Common, John McNeely, Westwood, and the unsolved killing of Joshua’s brother Bob, referenced by Jay-Z on “Lucifer.”