Consequence is living in a pivotal moment in his life and career.
The hitmaker out of Queens, N.Y. is finally focused on himself after spending nearly three decades cooking up music alongside the greatest minds in Hip-Hop. Consequence recently released his sophomore studio album Nice Doing Business With You via his label 192 Records. The anticipated body of work is a culmination of his growth as a wordsmith, beatmaker, and father since he dropped his debut LP Don't Quit Your Day Job! on Ye's G.O.O.D. Music 17 years ago.
"It's been a long time coming," he tells iHeartRadio. "I waited my turn and I just wanted it to line up correctly, and it did."
"I'm happy about the response thus far," he continues. "It's a hip-hop album in the traditional sense. So we're going to grind it out. We got more videos coming. We're doing a deluxe version."
Con's latest project is the missing piece his fans have been waiting for. Following his debut album, the 47-year-old rhymer served up various mixtapes including four installments of Movies On Demand and Curb Certified. Despite his dramatic departure from G.O.O.D. Music, Consequence mended his partnership with Ye and continued to contribute to albums like 808's & Heartbreaks (2008) and his self-titled 2018 LP. In addition to writing for Ye, Cons continued to work with his cousin Q-Tip by contributing to A Tribe Called Quest's final album We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service in 2016 in honor of the late Phife Dawg.
Consequence knew there would come a time when he'd have to give fans a follow-up to his revered debut album. He officially began working on it in early 2022 after he received funding from his good pal Ye and planned to release it that same year. Everything changed after Cons dropped the album's first single "Blood Stain" in summer 2022. He decided to switch gears and let the hype surrounding his collaboration with Ye flourish after it spread like wildfire.
"My intent was to actually come out when 'Blood Stain' first dropped," Consequence explains. "But then there was the reception of 'Blood Stain' and then it was Jadakiss co-signing it. So it started a journey that was just like, 'Oh, I'm in a whole new realm," and it was exciting for me. Then I got the Rick Ross and Amerie edition of Blood Stain 2', which will be on the deluxe, and then I got 'Blood Stain 3' with Ghostface Killah and Jim Jones."
Over the summer, the seasoned songwriter delivered the second single "No Apologies" with Ye followed by his surprise collaboration with YNW Melly. The incarcerated Florida rapper, who's currently in jail awaiting his murder retrial, recorded his verse for "Overdose" shortly before he was arrested in February 2019. Cons recruited the rapper's younger brother YNW BSlime to star in the music video and still maintains his relationship with Melly's family to this day.
After ghostwriting for Yeezy and several other artists, Consequence shifted his focus to an up-and-comer with plenty of potential: his son Caiden Mills. Caiden The Crownholder has been rapping pretty much since he could speak. Cons helped launch his son's career when he was 4 years old by featuring the toddler on his single "That Dude" from his 2016 EP A Good Comeback Story. From there, Caiden evolved into a popular MC who's still building his following while under his dad's wing. He released several solo singles in recent years including "The Money Got Me Singing" and "Phase 2." Nearly a decade after his debut, Caiden finally earned his first formal placement on his father's new album on their special track, "The Chase Pt. 3."
Consequence's new batch of hits is just the beginning of what he's got in store for the future. During our conversation, he breaks down the making of several songs from the project like his collaboration with his son, "Relationship Advice" with Chris Rock and Alex Isley plus others. He also teases new music from the deluxe version — including a fresh collaboration with Chuck D of Public Enemy — as well as a collaborative project with Caiden and more. Later on, he touches on A Tribe Called Quest's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and what's next for him.
Scroll below to read the entire conversation.
iHR: Congratulations on your new album! I feel like this album has been in the works for a long time. How do you feel about finally having it out there?
Consequence: Relieved. It was something that I owed to the ghostwriter. I had been spending the better part of the last five years previous to this two-year exercise, engulfed in working with Kanye and did the last Tribe album and developing my son. All of those things, all the above I poured my heart and my soul into because that's what I do. You know what I'm saying? But there was still this missing piece for me as far as why I left off with Day Job. I was supposed to put out a sophomore album with Motown and that didn't work out. And then I wound up doing TV and so I made the best of all my situations for sure. But there was still that unanswered... "are we ever going to get another project?" And so I literally just had to take matters into my own hands and start a label. So I started 192 Records and it was a journey.
"Blood Stain" took a year that I didn't even expect. It just ran like people fell in love with the beat. It was such a classic Kanye moment that I couldn't just veer into the next thing immediately. At the same time, my son was just developing as a kid. He was going from literally a toddler to a kid and now a teenager. So a lot of things happened at once and they all was blessings.
This is your first solo album in 13 years. What's something you want the people to know about it?
I think this is just the start of a new chapter. In this position that I'm in now, I'm a CEO of my company 192 Records. I have a collab album coming with my son before the year is out, which I'm looking very much forward to people hearing. Then we got Caiden's solo album coming top of next year, and then we're going to see what happens from there. Those are the next two benchmarks in the road and I'm excited about both of 'em. And let me not forget the deluxe version of Nice Doing Business With You. We got "What Has America Done" featuring Chuck D of Public Enemy. We got the video coming for that. I'm actually watching it. I was watching it as we're talking. The streets want the "Baby Mars" record with Sheek Louch, so we're going to put that in motion for sure.
I feel like the title Nice Doing Business With You kind of goes along with the motif of your other projects in the past, especially Don't Quit Your Day Job. How did you land on that title and what does it mean to you?
I think what it means to me is it's an analogy, right? So when you part ways doing business, the best way, the polite way to say, I'm straight, it was nice doing business with you, but I'm going to bust this move over here. You know what I mean? So it was analogy for me based on my past. So that's why I said I did owe this to the ghostwriter. I owe this to the person, to the creative who, win, lose or draw, sustained the brand through everything. I went through backlash on TV and this, that, and the third, but it was always the writer who essentially got me out of the s** I got myself into. I owed that entity, that part of my composite as a human being, a proper one, two and that's how we got here. So Nice Doing Business With You was like, it was nice doing business with "Love & Hip-Hop," but I'm out, it was nice doing business. I'm cool. I'm the guy and I'm not going to be shy about it.
Getting into a couple of the records, I feel like you're the first rapper to get Chris Rock and a member of the Isley family on the same track. How did you come up with "Relationship Advice"?
It went through some chambers, but Alex Isley is an extremely talented — obviously, a legacy act. I got wind of her early, early and I got a lot of records with her actually. I did a lot of sessions with her. Some of those will come to light shortly, but this was a favorite of mine. She cut the chorus while I was working on Kanye's gospel album. It was the idea that I had. And then Chris Rock and I worked together on his Tamborine vinyl. That's basically the vinyl interpretation of his Netflix special. He's going on the record to say my verse on "Gone" is his favorite Kanye feature so we built a friendship. We have a great rapport. I just linked up with him and we were having a conversation about —— I'm going through a situation at my crib and he's going through the divorce. We were just chopping it up and I was like, "Yo, could you put that on this?" And literally, he did it. I tweaked it and it became "Relationship Advice."
It's funny because Q-Tip just texted me like he f**ked with that joint. I definitely feel like that's something I think both men and women need to hear. Even in my verse, "Most baby mommas ain't caught or undefeated/Raise your hand if you been caught cheatin'." I think a lot of times men feel like they get sucker punched from a woman scorned. Most of the time it's, "Raise your hand if you've been caught cheating." I mean, what goes around, comes around. You just don't ever expect it to come the way it comes because it's the same woman who used to make you come. But that's definitely a standout joint for me on the project for sure.
I feel you, man. Another standout, in my opinion, is a song with you and your son, Caiden. I feel like "The Chase Pt. 3" is special to you because "The Chase Pt. 2" on A Tribe Called Quest's fourth album was your debut verse. And now, the next version is the first collaboration on an album between you and your son. Talk about that record and how it all came together.
I can't say it any better than you just said it. That's exactly what I was going to say.
Word I felt like that one hit me. But how did you feel after hearing it completed?
When I had the idea of doing the beat, I was doing it for him. It's kind of like how "Spaceship" went. I did my verse and then Kanye as the producer came and was like, "Oh nah, I got to get involved with this just based off of the synergy that you absorb once you hear the first person take a crack at the bat. You know what I'm saying? So once Caiden cracked it, I was like, "Oh nah, I got to jump on. We got to make this. This is historic. You know what I'm saying? The beautiful thing about "The Chase Pt. 3" is... Caiden is reinterpreting my verse and I'm reinterpreting Phife's verse now that he's not here with us. You know what I mean? So yeah, it's definitely dear to my heart.
The fact that you brought up "Spaceship", which is my favorite song off College Dropout, just made this whole explanation that much better, man. Thank you for that. Describe the chemistry between you and Caiden in the studio. What are some of the standout moments that you've had while working on music together?
I think for us it's become what we do. I think we in a really great groove where it's not about per se doing something to assign it to something, if that makes sense. We just cooking. And I think when you just cooking and you're just in that flow, great things happen. He just hit 2 million views in On The Radar's TikTok with his freestyle — that's just because we cooking. We ain't saying, "Oh, we're going to do this and make it make 2 million." It was just... we cooking, you know what I'm saying? That's when you get true artistry. When you just in that momentum space of painting or writing or producing. That's the vibe with us. That allows for growth and managing expectations because we just really just doing us.
Speaking of ATCQ, they're set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. How do you feel about them finally getting on after all this time and how will you be a part of that?
Well, I'm definitely going to attend the ceremony. I was the one who actually said, the second time, I was like, "Yo, listen, don't use the brand and the group as the token negro pick." You know what I'm saying? I kind of been feeling like that so the fact that they got it right in 2024. There's nothing like it. So yeah, I'm obviously excited, happy for that. I think people don't really understand the amount of time that —— and obviously I didn't start with the group, you know what I mean? I came along around Midnight Marauders on "The Chase." We just spoke about it, but to contribute to two albums. I was all in on the last one and Beats, Rhymes & Life. All I can say is "Stressed Out" made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Man, it's crazy. Yeah, man.
I feel like it's going to be a moment in hip-hop history. The entire group deserves it. Getting back into the album though, I know you got the record "Overdose" with YNW Melly, I know how you guys connected in the studio and how respectful he was during the recording process. Given his current legal issues, have you been able to speak with him since the song came out?
I definitely would like to. Definitely looking forward to eventually figuring that out. His brother is in the music video so I've definitely sent my regards his way. It's been little murky because of the way the case is being finagled. But definitely always sending him my regards and hoping for the best possible outcome for everybody. Unfortunately, it's just a terrible situation and hopefully there's healing and growth from it all.
Of course, man. Hopefully there's a positive outcome and you guys will be able to keep that bond going for sure. We already spoke about working with Ye on "Blood Stain." What have you guys been working on lately? He just announced his new solo album is coming out soon. Are you guys working on anything new for it?
We just working on us. As things develop, we will just see where the road turns, know what I'm saying? Anytime we get together, we going to be headed to an award show award so people can bank on that part.