Dead Prez Not Joining Roc Nation Roster

Jay-Z's Roc Nation is apparently no place for hip-hop group Dead Prez. Following rumors that the duo were prepping to sign with the label, group member M-1 revealed that they will not be joining the likes of Jay Electronica, Willow Smith and J. Cole.

"We respect Jay, but we are not signing to Roc Nation," M-1 told Vibe.com. "I'm a fan of what Roc Nation has been doing. I'm a fan of Jay-Z's music and more than that I'm a fan of his mind; the way that he has positioned himself to make great moves in this business. I'm not one to think that our independence can be usurped by this great hype and potentially great machine that Jay is putting together."

Although they have no plans of joining the roster, M-1 noted that a collaboration with Roc Nation artists is not out of the question. "Just from watching that situation I see that [Roc Nation] are building themselves to be a formidable opponent to Young Money and other labels," he adds. "But I believe that we can take advantage of working with artists like Jay and Jay Electronica without giving up our rights to being whoever we want to be independently, which is really important to us right now."

Founded in 1996, Dead Prez, which consists of M-1 and stic.man, released their debut 'Let's Get Free' in 2000. The album spawned their most popular hit 'It's Bigger than Hip-Hop.' The duo, who has worked with Kanye West, Jay-Z, and recently, M.I.A., just wrapped up work on their upcoming album 'Information Age.'