As N.O.R.E. makes the media rounds, promoting his recently released album Drunk Uncle and his Drink Champs podcast, the Queens rapper paid a visit to Power 105's The Breakfast Club, talking his new album, Michael Jordan's taste for rap and more. At the 36:30 mark though, N.O.R.E., who released Drunk Uncle via Thugged Out Militainment and Empire, makes a surprising admission about being an independent artist.

After explaining how he doesn't want to be "Eminem famous" and prefers a marginal celebrity profile, N.O.R.E. says, "I want to do new business ventures. I’ve been getting money in hip-hop for quite some time. I’m independent, I hate it. I hate being independent, that’s a fact." Breakfast Club host Angela Yee then asks the rapper if he would sign a major label deal, to which he responds, "I would get jerked, too! I would want to get jerked. Envy, I don’t mind bothering him. I’ll call him ten times." The latter portion of the quote is in reference to many of the self-funded and initiated efforts independent artists have to make to promote their music. The conversation from there digresses into an explanation of N.O.R.E.'s relationship with DJ Clue, whom he at one time had tensions with.

On a recent episode of Drink Champs, N.O.R.E. and Fat Joe briefly discussed Joe's status as an independent artist, and with The Breakfast Club, N.O.R.E. explains the drive for veteran rappers to continue releasing music. "I think having a hit record is like smoking crack or being addicted to drugs," he says. "You never stop. As much as I’m telling you that Drunk Uncle may be my last project for a long time, it’s because I want to focus on opportunities presented to me on TV  and I want focus on the podcast."

Check the full Breakfast Club interview up top and listen to Drunk Uncle via iTunes now.

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