Music

Kareem "Biggs" Burke Discusses the Legacy of Roc-A-Fella Records With Angie Martinez

Roc-A-Fella co-founder Kareem "Biggs" Burke had a lot to say about 'Reasonable Doubt's 20th anniversary.

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Complex Original

Roc-A-Fella Records is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Jay Z's classic album Reasonable Doubt, and label co-founder Kareem "Biggs" Burke sat down with Power 105's Angie Martinez to discuss the legacy of the album and the label in general. Calling Roc-A-Fella the most influential rap label of all time, Burke discussed how his business partners Jay Z and Dame Dash had rekindled their sometimes-rocky relationship.

Burke also took some time to talk about how instrumental he was in the development of Kanye West. "I actually picked the singles... I did Kanye's whole first project A to Z," he said, noting that Kanye hadn't really changed much since then. "He was real animated. A lot of times we would play music in the studio, Kanye would jump on the console and start rapping. He definitely had the vision, he already had the names for his next three albums," Burke said, expressing how proud he was of the success that Kanye had.

He also discussed his recent stint in prison, saying that the experience changed him as a person. "I had a job once when I was fourteen... That was the only job I ever had. Once you go to federal prison you're forced to have a job," he said, noting that adjusting to prison was hard for him. "You think about everything. Where your life was, where it is now, about all your relationships," he said. He also shot down Dame Dash's comments that Kanye should have shown him more love, noting that they have a business relationship above all else.

You can watch their entire interview in the video above.

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