is feeling quite secure as a newfound free agent, despite the sheer number of “life-changing,” multi-million dollar record deals he’s been offered from “so many labels.” Tory put out his new mixtape, New Toronto 3, two weeks ago tomorrow, officially releasing him from his contract with Interscope Records. Now that he’s fresh on the market, it’s no wonder that tons of labels are dying to sign him, but Tory says he’s not interested.
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“To be 100 percent, there’s so many labels offering me so much money—like millions of dollars,” he revealed. “I’ve gotten offers that are life-changing offers, but I don’t care. I already own my masters and publishing and everything. So I don’t see any reason to give that to somebody else.” Tory had already made his stance very clear on “Letter To The City 2” off NT3 when he spat, “The next move is goin’ fully independent /And any label offer under hundred mill’ is just offensive.”
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Now that he’s become independant, Tory has more time to focus on scouting talent for his own One Umbrella imprint. He’s already signed promising artists like Melli, Mariah the Scientist, Davo, Kaash Paige, and his very first signee, Mansa. “That kid is probably one of the most talented individuals that I know,” he said of Mansa. “That kid is a problem. He’s a real-life problem.” Tory is making it a priority to try his best to protect his artists from any kind of exploitation in the industry and from encountering any of the obstacles he did in his early days. “When I went through these situations, I told myself there’s good things that came out of these situations and bad things,” he explained. “I never want an artist to feel how I felt. And because I have that [knowledge], that now gives me a better insight on what not to do and how to pay more attention…At the end of the day, you gotta go at things unselfishly.” Catch the full interview with Billboard below: