Strength In Numbers?
GENERAL By J. Tinsley on August 17, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Shortly before it hit the net, Karen Civil informed me of Shad’s decision to head over to Cash Money. What ensued next was barrage of commentary on Twitter, 95% of which was negative. On paper, having a label with Lil’ Wayne, Drake, Mack Maine, Nicki Minaj, Omarion and now Bow Wow seems like an excellent investment. But when looking beyond the surface, we’ve seen over and over how this situation has played itself out.
Roc-A-Fella Records — Arguably no dynasty’s (no pun intended) downfall has been documented more than this. There was once a time when a roster which touted Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Memphis Bleek and the rest of State Property appeared invincible. However, it was the addition of their most popular group which would lead to darker days. Cam’ron and his Diplomats were never favorites of Jay-Z and it was made public from the day Killa was named VP. Sure, we were blessed with “Welcome To New York City” but the rumors would run rampant after that. From the Dips exclusion from the Roc The Mic tour to behind the scenes rumblings, the situation boiled over in 2005 with the now infamous breakup.
G-Unit — It’s common knowledge the best G-Unit was the original three: 50, Banks and Yayo. Even with the additions of Young Buck and The Game, the group was still one of the most powerful and popular in music during their peak. They owned the mixtape scene and dominated the charts; life was lovely under the roof Jimmy Iovine built. Unfortunately, things got tricky once Jayceon left and new recruits, M.O.P., Mobb Deep, Olivia (and Hot Rod?) were brought in. The dominance dwindled and none of the members’ careers saw the popularity they once had. Buck is independent, Olivia hasn’t been seen in years, M.O.P. never received their just due with G-Unit and Mobb Deep…yeah. All the while, 50 is struggling to find a release day for his final contractual obligation with Interscope. If you’re looking for a silver lining though, Curtis is still a cash cow.
The Diplomats — During their heyday, this was one of the most powerful movements of its kind. Cam, Juelz, Jimmy and Zeke brought Harlem to the forefront with the classic mixtape series, Diplomats Vol. 1-5. They forced their followers to invest in throwbacks and, in the blink of an eye, the entire state of New York was wearing pink…at least according to Brother Giles. As the acclaim reached new heights, new members Hell Rell, J.R. Writer, 40 Cal and S.A.S. While not directly crediting the group’s dissolving on the expanding roster, many are left to wonder where things would have been had the original core stuck together. Now, everyone has their own group. Juelz-Skull Gang, Jimmy-Byrdgang, Zeke-730, Hell Rell-Top Gunnas…Cam has Vado. Way too many branches for this family tree.
Death Row — Suge had a powerhouse during the early to mid ’90’s. Having a super-producer in Dr. Dre and a bonafide star in Snoop was more than enough. Both released albums which are regarded as some of Hip-Hop’s best in The Chronic and Doggystyle. Add to the fact that Daz and Kurupt were members too, Death Row was a well-oiled machine. In October of 1995, the signing of Tupac Shakur would prove instant dividends with his debut on the label, All Eyez On Me, selling over five million copies by the summer of 1996. However, it was this addition which would lead to the tragic end. Contrary to popular belief, Dre and Pac didn’t see eye to eye much and thus lead to Dre’s exit from the label the following spring (”California Love” was originally a Dre solo record, so say the rumors.). Rumors of Pac’s unhappiness with Death Row were beginning to become public and only intensified after his murder in Las Vegas. Following the release of his sophomore album, Tha Doggfather, Snoop would also turn in his resignation papers. To add insult to injury, Suge would also be sentenced to jail in the role of the beating of Orlando Anderson, which took place only hours before Pac was shot.
With all the break ups, it is good to see that The Lox have managed to tough it out these years. Money can do wonders for what was once thought as a “friendship.” Now, it remains to be seen if Bow Wow’s move to the New Orleans start-up label turned multi-million dollar conglomerate will prove beneficial. For CMR and the recession’s sake, let’s hope so.
Posted in GENERAL, REVIEWS, SMOKE BREAK — Tags: Bow Wow, Cam'ron, Cash Money Records, Death Row Records, Jay-z, Rocafella Records, State Property, Suge Knight, The Diplomats
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32 Comments
AmpGeez a.k.a. Hate Me Now, Thank Me Later Says:
Jay failed for not grooming some young MC’s to rep the brand. You gotta give it to Dame cause it’s obvious who had the vision at Roc-A-Fella.
Does Young Chris even have Hov’s number?
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*dead*
Lol @ amp, but yes, YC does have Hov’s number and even LeBron’s. He just needs to make the call.
Good piece, but you left out that Bad Boy crew from the 90’s.
B.I.G., Ma$e, The Lox, Black Rob & Diddy himself. They had a formidable lineup & if not for B.I.G.’s death, I don’t see any crew unseating them.
Hell, to be honest, a part II to this could work with Bad Boy, Murder Inc and Ruff Ryders.
On paper, having a label with Lil’ Wayne, Drake, Mack Maine, Nicki Minaj, Omarion and now Bow Wow seems like an excellent investment.
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That tour should do some serious numbers.
Hell, to be honest, a part II to this could work with Bad Boy, Murder Inc and Ruff Ryders.
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yep
^^^ Sans Murder Inc.
The females were harder then the dudes and no one outside of Ja & ‘Shanti ever released an album.
In retrospect, Murder Inc. was kind of a one trick pony.
Seven’s production > the combined talents of Murder Inc.
Where the hell is Neef?
@ Amp
B.I.G. > anybody on Death Row
Death Row > Bad Body
I don’t know, B.I.G. never got to do alotta joints with the rest of the crew. We never got a track with everyone on there. If they had all turned their attention on Death Row….I don’t know lol.
Too much greed involved. Everybody wants to be the top dog. A rap super squad will never exist.
closest we have is Duck Down
where roc nation and g.o.o.d music’s roster at
I honestly think Kanye has the better roster than wayne
And is Wayne gonna actually gonna drop any albums besides Drakes??
Big Sean and Cudi get shine and are gonna drop.
What about “All About The Benjamins”?
I think artist have learned their lesson as far as signing with these bigger artists(any fledgling artist on Shady/Aftermath). It’s a conflict of interest to have a boss that is doing the same thing that your doing( and more than likely doing it better). I’m sure it’s cool to be affiliated at first but then what?
It worked better back in the 90’s and early 00’s, but today, no way!
Now, now, let’s not get carried away here, least you forget, there were the halcyon days of The Juice Crew Allstars.
However, I’m still waiting on The Cold Chillin’ Records Story 1995 until Present compilation. Hurry up, already.
Also, J Prince held the roster thing down nicely with Rap-A-Lot.
Semi-unrelated: What ever happened to the T-Wayne album “He Raps, He sings”?
what about Grand Hustle ? dope rooster right now also but need some albums thus too
Dope Rooster???
You talking about Fog Horn Leg Horn right?
Peace, out.
You can easily make a part 2… even a series…
People don’t want to invest for a well-received by the critics Albums !
so of course when u see the 90’s, commercial acclaim was always here
and thus the Master P’s, the Diddy’s thought that it wasn’t a problem to put money on their artists… cuz momoney would be back…
when if u see Duckdown, Rhymesayers
that’s great labels, maybe greater in a certain way… !
just when bow wow had everybody convinced he was retiring… guess whoevers makin them hits at Ym/Cm Has enough to go around…. Just dont spread yurself too thin or u gonna fuk up….
WHAT ABOUT THE DUNGEON FAMILY AND THE RUFF RYDERS, AND EVEN THE CREW AT RAP A LOT RECORDS
B.I.G. > anybody on Death Row
Death Row > Bad Body
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Oxymoron?
No. Big was the better solo artist but as a whole, Death Row was a better unit.
^ I’m cool with that.
Definitely waiting for part two, Mr. Tinsley. Honorable mention: No Limit. Hell, even Dungeon Family got caught up! Bad Boy would be a post all in itself. But the downfall would only point to one man——–>>>Puffy. Shoot, I blame that nigga for the hole in the ozone layer.
Well theres only one thing….(going against the grain here) most of those guys have never achieved the level of fame that lil bow wow has (and NO, absolutely not am I a fan). But, as much as I love Freeway and Beanie, they have never achieved the level of fame that bow wow has. Neither has memphis bleek, juelz santana, jim jones, tony yayo, lloyd banks (i couldn’t even remember his name, haha). They may have more respect, but bow wow was famous in non-rap circles, and he definitely crossed over for a while. However, bow wow would never have the respect from hip hop fans that these other artists do (besides bleek and yayo, ha). I’m sure from a marketing standpoint it would be much easier to make money off bow wow than some of these other guys.
Bow Wow had no competition… how many other 7 year old rap artists was he competing against? So of course he had insane amounts of success.
But you see what’s happened after he moved up from the kiddie ranks. & he’s even imporved as a rapper.
bow wows comp was romeo
None of these matter.
Duck Down is in takeover mode, for real.
They just keep signing and signing talented artists.
Yeah he might of had no competition, but that doesn’t change the fact that he had more fame than the rest. Would you rather have some has beens that were somewhat famous on your label or a has been that at one point was in that upper level of fame? Honestly, how much money can a label really make off tony yayo and memphis bleek mixtapes? Probably in the negative…