XXL’s 2010 Freshman alumni, Nipsey Hu$$le, announced via Twitter that his much anticipated studio album South Central State of Mind has been postponed indefinitely. XXL spoke to the left coast up-and-comer today (November 29) about his reasoning behind the delay and what fans can expect in the meantime.

Calling his two years in the industry “an educational experience,” Nipsey said pushing his album back was a hard decision that he had to make for himself. “My career as Nipsey Hu$$le is based on my life as Ermias Asghedom," he explained to XXL in an email. "With that being said, it became clear that hard decisions must be made to be successful. As is the case with most people in this game, I am driven by financial motives and creative motives; the question I had to answer is which motive I will give priority to? I spent the last 12 months doing as much hard thinking as possible about what my decision would be and I choose to focus on the quality of my product and the experience of those receiving it over the possible financial benefits of having a major label album released A.S.A.P.”

Speaking on the frustrations of working with Epic, the California native said, “My biggest disagreement with the label was the separation of the processes it takes to develop and release something special: the music, the pictures, the videos, it was all being created and released from separate points of reference therefore confusing the consumers about the identity and integrity of my brand. I will never say something I don’t agree with or believe in…even if the reward is massive!”

Deciding that the pros out weigh the cons, Nipsey has decided he would rather take the time to craft his debut album to his standards while releasing his free mixtape, The Marathon, in the meantime. The Marathon will drop on Decemeber 21, 2010. Staying true to a promise he made to himself when he first started, Nipsey says finally, “My conclusion is as follows: Brand over Business.” –Nicole LoPresti

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