The homey Eskay went in on this whole matter.

“Well, I think of him as an ar-tiste. An ar-tiste can move with their heart, and move with the times. If what you’re asking is if he’s moved on, or if he’s dated or not dated, the answer is that he’s always been a great ar-tiste. A lot of the great ar-tistes, at the time you’re talking about, were artists like Jay-Z, who are still on top today. Not much has changed to be completely honest. People who decided to do film or comedy with their careers, it’s because they had the range and talent to do it. It had nothing to do with gangster rap['s declining popularity.]”

Sidebar: Def Jam’s just scooping up everybody. Oh hai, J. Lo.