Saigon's Album Pushed Back Again
It looks like Saigon won't be able to tell his story until some time in 2008, as his album is once again pushed back.
The rapper's debut album, The Greatest Story Never Told was set to hit shelves on December 4, but label reps have confirmed it will not be released until early next year. An exact date has not been announced.
SOHH caught up with the self proclaimed Yardfather, whose album has been plagued with setbacks for years and who has had several publicized bouts with Atlantic, his label, is surprisingly cool with the decision this time around.
"It ain't comin out till its ready," Sai told SOHH. "The album's not even done yet. Just Blaze is such a perfectionist, even more so than me. And we keep finding things that can make it better..."
The Story isn't specific to Saigon, but it's that of Black people in general. The rapper said his album is about ways that African-Americans can improve their standing in this country.
"It's the story of what we need to do as black people to get on track," he explained. "We fu**ed up in the country. Our mindset is fu**ed up."
The album tackles such issues as being a father to your children, a positive contributor to your community and becoming economically responsible.
"If I go to any inner city and walk up to the average black man and ask him what his goals are he's gonna say, 'Im tryin to get this money, I'm tryin to get this paper,' but if I ask him what he wants to do with it, he's not gonna have an answer," Sai said. "He won't say, 'I want to invest it, or I want to buy land."
That's the mentality he said his record seeks to correct. Though, being that this is the hour of gangster rap with recent releases like American Gangster smashing box office competition in theaters, and albums and videos piggy-backing the theme, Sai realizes his sales may suffer.
"It don't matter if I don't sell a lot of records," he admitted. "I'm signed to a major label, unless I was selling 50 Cent numbers, I wasn't gonna make no money off this record anyway. All [the label is] gonna say is, 'you didn't recoup.' I got a roof over my head and food on my table ... I don't need to be rich, I'm good ... but I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror."
Though fans will have to wait before they can look for Saigon on the rack, the rapper said it'll be worth it.
"They gonna appreciate it when it comes out," Sai said. "They gonna understand why it took so long, because it's a masterpiece. You can't rush greatness.
Saigon recently released the video for his first single "Come On Baby" and also dropped a remix of the song featuring Jay-Z.The rapper also released a mixtape called The Moral of the Story. The album features original beats and rhymes, the "Come On Baby" remix, "Who Can Get Busy" and "What a Life."
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