E-40 has been enjoying a fistful of wins on hip-hop’s 50th birthday. Not only has he visited the White House, including a recent trip this week to see President Biden, but he’s also had a street renamed after him and released his newest cookbook, Goon With the Spoon, with his West Coast brethren Snoop Dogg.
“It’s always good to have additional revenue streams,” 40 told Billboard as he also boasts a spirit line titled Earl Stevens Selection and his multi-flavored ice brand Goon With a Spoon. “You want your checks here and there. You want your wire deposits here. You wanna make money from all over the place. You gotta have octopus arms in this game. That’s one thing about me: I’ve always been in that mold. From selling tapes out of the car, I’ve been an entreprenaire. It’s entrepreneur and millionaire all in one.”
Despite his various wins across the business sector, 40’s passion for hip-hop remains sky-high, as proven by the release of his new album Rule of Thumb, Rule 1. The project is the first of a two-part release, with the second offering dropping in 2024. The first collection includes features from Gucci Mane, Larry June, Too Short and YoungBoy Never Broke Again.
“He’s an old soul,” 40 says of YoungBoy, who is featured on “Get My Life Right.” “He’s been there before. That’s a deep, young man. I always liked him. Birdman hit me one day and was like, ‘Hey, YoungBoy wants you on one of his songs.’ He sent it to me, we connected, and I knocked out one for his album.”
40 also spoke on his friendship with the late Nipsey Hussle and how he was initially supposed to on the Victory Lap standout “Grinding All My Life.” “He didn’t tell me when he needed it back. Next thing you know, I was like, ‘Oh man. This one of them ones too.’ Sometimes I’ll say, ‘When you need it back?’ We didn’t even discuss it. He just sent it. Next thing you know, he put a ticket to the face. I was like, ‘Damn.’ But, man, I miss Nipsey. He was really a good dude. He always showed me respect. He really patterned his hustle after mine. I really miss him and I think he would have really made an impact in rap right now if he was still living.”
Watch E-40’s full interview with Billboard.
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