Larry Jackson surprised the crowd at the Urban One Summit this week by calling Kanye West during Gamma’s panel discussion, and in typical Ye fashion, he had lots to say.
Before making the call, the Gamma co-founder highlighted the momentum the label has built, shouting out artists like Loe Shimmy, Maleigh Zan, and Snoop Dogg for helping shape the company’s growing roster.
Jackson also took a moment to thank Program Directors for supporting Kanye’s latest Gamma release, Bully. That’s when he pulled out his phone and called the Chicago rapper live during the session.
Ye thanks Urban One and the radio community for getting behind the project, saying the success of Bully means even more to him than some of the biggest moments of his career.
“I just wanted to thank y’all so much for getting behind this on this journey. These number ones mean even more than the Graduation’s and the Watch the Throne’s, and all the number ones before because, as you know, about a year into the project, I went into an episode.”
Kanye went on to explain that the album’s success represents something much bigger than chart positions. For him, it’s a personal victory after publicly navigating mental health challenges.
“So, this right here is a celebration and a victory, a success story for people who deal with mental health crises, to be able to come out of it and actually have number one records. With all the things that were done, with all the things that were said, and for you guys to be so forgiving and so supportive, it just means the world to me.”
Colby Colb, Senior Vice President of Programming at Radio One, shared his thoughts on Kanye West saying Bully is more meaningful to him than some of his classic albums.
“I find it quite interesting considering all the tremendous success he’s had in his career. He also had a period of darkness, so it kinda makes sense. Anytime you have sustained success, and then it goes away and then it’s like ‘Oh, I did it again,’ and now you’re number one again, that’s pretty cool.”
