Veteran rapper Joell Ortiz is opening up about his feelings about the demise of hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse as he enters another new era in his career.
In an interview with Sway Calloway on Monday (October 27), Joell Ortiz opened up about his regrets over the demise of rap groups that once looked poised to redefine entire genres and cultures cooperation within. Even though Otis is promoting his new album War, he revealed his nostalgia and missed opportunities with the band, and shared some harsh truths about what could have been.
“When things go wrong and you wish you could get them back, I’m one of those people because that’s a special moment for me,” Ortiz began, acknowledging the shared feelings he shared with the rest of the Slaughterhouse crew. Unique connections, including Royce da 5’9″, Joe Budden and KXNG Crooked.
“Things weren’t going the way I wanted, so I found a way.”
When pressed by Sway on what he might want to “take back,” Ortiz admitted that he wished he hadn’t “backed out” earlier before voicing his concerns.
“I wish I could tell those guys, ‘Do you remember those special ones?’ I know this is business, I know all of us entrepreneurs are trying to get different packages, but I wish I could just say, ‘Guys , we created something bigger than all of us, and it happened naturally,'” he said.
“Let’s keep doing this.”
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Finally, Joell Ortiz lamented that financial interests ultimately took precedence over their shared art.
“I should have said, ‘Son, you’re all messing around,'” he said. “What are you doing? Forget this, this and that. Let’s keep making fire music,” illustrates the conflict between art and commerce that ultimately led to the band’s breakup.
For those of you who remember, tensions between the Slaughterhouse bandmates erupted publicly online in 2022 during a heated Instagram Live between Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce Da 5’9 — which occurred after Ortiz and KXNG Crooked Slaughterhouse released the album they co-wrote, Rise & Fall. Not only did Budden refuse to listen to and support the album, he infamously claimed on live that he was more powerful than any individual member of the band.
Here’s the best part of Slaughterhouse’s IG Live argument
Joe Budden lets Joell Ortiz suck his cock and he gets hot.
— Club Ambition (@ClubAmbition__) March 5, 2022
Slaughterhouse’s debut studio album Welcome to: OUR HOUSE has reached impressive heights since its release in 2012. attention, with singles such as “My Life” reaching the Billboard Hot 100. Although not certified by the RIAA, the album’s commercial success proved the band’s potential. Ortiz’s recent reflections add a bittersweet flavor to the band’s legacy, highlighting what fans and the rap community lost when Slaughterhouse disbanded.
Watch the clip above to hear Joell Ortiz speak passionately about the matter.