After releasing his Troubles Of The World single “We On” featuring Lupe Fiasco in 2007 and crafting The Testimony Of Gemstones the following year, Demarco “Gemstones” Castle decided to leave the Lupe Fiasco’s 1st & 15th imprint to focus on his faith. The incarceration of 1st & 15th CEO Charles “Chilly” Patton and death of his close friend Reginald “St. Nic” Coleman impacted him and was part of the reason he went in a different direction.

In 2010, Gemstones, who wrote, produced and appeared on parts of Fiasco’s critically acclaimed albums Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor (2006) and Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool (2007), returned to rap with an independent release titled On The Road To Glory: My Story. In 2012, the DXnext alum dropped his Elephant In The Room mixtape.

After years of not collaborating with Lupe, Gemstones says business had something to do with why they are doing their own thing. He says their friendship went beyond music.

Read the full story/interview on HipHopDX.com.

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