For those of you wondering what happened to Ras Kass, the west coast MC has just announced his exit from Capitol/EMI.

After several years of litigation, West Coast MC John Austin aka Ras Kass and recording label Capitol Records / EMI have entered into a settlement agreement, the exact terms of which have not been disclosed. While details of the agreement are not known, Ras Kass is now legally able to seek out new recording agreements and can seek out new deals with new labels.

October 2007 sees a final and legal end to all of these disputes. Ras’ managment team Asti Management (Styles P, DJ Kid Capri) is anxious to begin shopping the MC for a new deal and Ras himself is very satisfied with the final resolution. “I am just relieved and…anxious to finally be able to pursue my passion, spread my wings and remind the world why Ras Kass is one of the greatest MC’s of all time; dead or alive!” Ras says via a statement.

Sometimes, you just have to wonder why majors keep artists like Ras Kass and Joe Budden tied down to a deal for so long. In today’s hip-hop climate, a Ras Kass, albeit remarkable on the mic, is not guaranteed to shift large units. So, being on a major makes no sense to me, unless he’s willing to crank that soulja boy.