In an interview with Billboard, Hopsin announced a new album, No Shame, as well as his signing to 300 Entertainment, the same independent record label that houses Migos, Young Thug, Fetty Wap, and Dae Dae. It’s an unusual signing on both sides, but one that may prove mutually beneficial in the long run. While Hopsin first came on the scene with his own independent label, Funk Volume, the endeavor eventually dissolved amidst disputes with his business partner, Funk Volume co-founder and CEO Damien Ritter. Meanwhile, although many of the rappers on 300 Entertainment’s roster are proven hitmakers, they’re not known for being lyrical whiz kids, whether that assessment is fair or not.
Hopsin’s addition could add a little more lyrical clout to 300, expanding their musical palette beyond catchy trap anthems, and his exposure to the rest of the label’s roster may benefit his hit-making potential. While irreverent, battle-rap romps like his “Ill Mind Of Hopsin” href=”https://uproxx.com/webculture/hopsin-ill-mind-of-hopsin-8-new-video/” target=”_blank”>However, those original fans who might be worried that 300 CEO Kevin Liles’ influence might change Hopsin too much needn’t worry; if the video for his first 300 single “Witch Doctor” is any indication, he’s just as much the Hopsin of old. He still wears those white contacts (which look extra freaky in the black-lit music video for “Witch Doctor,” which you can watch above), and he’s still spitting the trademark acerbic wit that made him a favorite of fans of complex rhyme schemes at the height of his Funk Volume days.
If anything, being on a more professionally-oriented label just might provide him with the structure he needed to take his career to the next level. It seems Hopsin himself agrees: ” “I am very excited at the fact that I partnered up with 300. They are doing an amazing job at helping me expand my career.” Hopefully, this second chance works out for him, simply because second chances are so rare in the music business.
No Shame, Hopsin’s first album in over two years, will be available November 24.
