Rapper Jeezy has stated his decision to cut ties with Def Jam after twenty years with the label.
This action is set to be followed by the release of an independent double album later this week through his CTE New World imprint.
The album, I Might Forgive and But I Don’t Forget, will be out on the music platforms from November 3.
I Might Forgive is set to include production from Ricky Polo, ATL Jacob, Cubeatz, Hendrix and more, whereas But I Don’t Forget will be entirely steered by production collective J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League.
Jeezy, born Jay Wayne Jenkins, has had a long working history with Def Jam, having collaborated for his 2005 debut Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 and numerous follow-up projects.
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The Atlanta native’s departure from Def Jam marks a pivotal point for the rapper, whose debut studio album was released via Def Jam South. Every album since then has been released through the imprint in tandem with CTE, including his last solo album The Recession 2 which was released in 2020. That same year, he re-upped his deal with Def Jam and signed on as a consultant.
During an interview with HipHopDX, Erik “Rook” Ortiz, a major player in the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League’s part of the album shared how the double LP, I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget album was birthed.
“As you work on the album, you start talking about life, talking about music, experience and all that. So it just became more songs and more songs and more songs, and then one day, [Jeezy] was like, ‘Y’know what? This gon’ be a double album.”
“[The album is] very mature. He opens up about a lot of subjects — some things people might be curious about or never even knew about him. It’s very meticulously put together”, “Rook” further stated.
This past August, Jeezy invaded the publishing world with his first book, a New York Times bestseller, Adversity for Sale: Ya Gotta Believe, which explored how he overcame the obstacles in his quest to become successful in business and music and divorce from Jeannie Mai.
While speaking about his split from Mai, the 46-year-old star admitted that it was not an impulsive decision and “comes with a heavy heart.”
In his memoir, Jeezy discusses mental health and therapy and how he has come to terms with therapy being essential to his progress as he continues to thrive in the music business.
On the Tamron Hall Show, the rap veteran opened up about his lessons about vulnerability.
“I learned that vulnerability is power. I thought something was wrong with me, thinking I come from poverty, this is just how it is. I didn’t understand trauma and all these different things so when I started to get the words for it, I started to understand and grab tools, [and] I started to become better. I started my journey and that’s why I’m expressing it and putting it in the book because I didn’t know I was depressed for like eight years of my life straight.”
Speaking on his growth, the Atlanta native recently revealed that he used to suffer from depression and didn’t even recognize it as his condition went undiagnosed for nearly a decade.
The tracklist for his “I Might Forgive … But I Don’t Forget” includes:
“I Might Forgive…”
1. I Might Forgive
2. My Name
3. No Complaining
4. They Don’t Love Me
5. Trust No One
6. Sad
7. Couldn’t Lose if I Tried
8. Rewrite History
9. Never Had a Bad Day in My Life
10. This Too Shall Pass
11. Don’t Deserve Me
12. If I’m Being Honest
13. Don’t Cheat
14. Shine On Me
15. Keep The Change
“But I Don’t Forget”
1. Delusional
2. Nothin to Prove
3. Titanic
4. Everything About Me Is True
5. Expectations
6. Claim to Fame
7. What I Gotta Do
8. My Intentions
9. Never Be a Fan
10. Sade
11. Don’t Let Up
12. Since Pac Died
13. Free Champagne
14. No Choice