"Play the Jamacian version!" --Jadakiss
come close kids let me tell you a little story. Waaaay back in the 90's there was this record company called Bad Boy. And it was run by a Mr. Sean "Puffy" Combs. Puffy had the best hip-hop record label in the world. He had Biggie, Craig Mack, 112, Faith Evans, Ma$e, and a group called the LOX. Now after Biggie's death, Craig Mack pretty much vanished, and it was Puffy and Ma$e crapping up the airwaves with what we will refer to now as Diddy-Hop. Now with the LOX that pop stuff seemed a bit forced, they soldiered on and released their debut "Money Power and Respect." What's that? A gangster movie reference? In rap?
gasp! Anyway, they first single and the song that almost made me hate them was "If You Think I'm Jiggy" which included a sampling of Rod Stewart's song about thinking his funny lookin ass was sexy. That my friends is a no no. I dont care who you sample, Rod Stewart should never EVER cross your mind when making a song. Wait was that a sample or one of thos interpolations or whatever? Same thing to me. You didnt right that shit. And what the fuck is "jiggy" suppose to mean in that context? Thank Jesus, Allah, God, and nem for Will Smith (jump on the train folks! its a oneway trip!! CHOO CHOO!!!!-inside jokes suck dont they?) for making sense of that word. Needless to say that suck was for the streets or anybody with ears or a face. Next up strangly enough was a super thugged-out track, the title track in fact that served 2 purposes: it showed everybody what this group was supposed to sound like, like those guys on the mixtapes and on the Biggie tracks and killed it on "the Benjamins" and it introduced us to DMX (hey, seemed like a good idea at the time). Well lets wrap up this history lesson. The LOX became more and more frustrated with the way Puff was controlling them creatively and they wanted out! But in the words of Puff: "
Eh uh" - or no. So showing how street they were they started a movement that consisted of them taking their fight to the radio and the streets with a campaign called "Let the LOX go!!" T-shirts and all that shit. Cause its not a real campaign without T-shirts (thats a good idea huh? what do you think about it Puff? "
Take that! Take that!" "Vote or Die" maybe?)
. After what seemed like forever they were released from their contracts and allowed to go with friends at Ruff Ryders. But when I looked into the liner notes inside a couple of CDs that the LOX appeared on and where usually the publishing for artist's publishing company names are I kept seeing "Justin's Music" and shit. That nigga Diddy still had them by the nuts. Apparently buying out the contracts the LOX had with Bad Boy wasnt enough and Puff still owned part of their publishing. Which means everything they did he a cut. I dont think you understand. EVERYTHING that is sold with Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch's name on it individually or as a collective he was gettin some of that money. Effed up? Very.
DATELINE: Wednesday Novemeber 16, 2005.
The LOX are on NY's Hot 97 and are expected to announce they were about to sign to Def Jam Records with Jay-Z and of course to promote Sheek's independent release. But Styles and Jadakiss especially had somethings to get off their chests. The publishing. They wanted their publishing. Over 10 years Diddy had been get paid without having to do anything. They have been shorted out money that would have gotten them in very comfy positions in the music industry to launch their record company and blah blah blah. Diddy got em though. Styles passionately, but sensically pleads his case, in Frued (sp?) terms he would be the ego, Jadakiss was off the wall, waaaaay to passionate and wild, (id, like woah), and Sheek- well - he was there, so I'll call him the superego so my point makes a bit of sense. Now when it came time for a music break, Styles suggests that they play "the Benjamins" (which they wrote nearly all the lyrics to) "and think of that check you got off that and off us." Jadakiss added "Then play the rock n roll version..." the DJ Angie Martinez says something- more Kiss, "Then play the Jamacian version!!!"
wow.
Thinking about it I guess gets them a bit hot. They tell about being brushed off several times, how they've been through like 9 lawyers, how hard it was standing next to him performing and really keeping quit about this whole thing for so long, how they constantly feel like quitting, and... how this is their livelihoods (more sp) and how "this shit is worth killing and dying for." It gets really tense for a while until Jadakiss says "Security cant save you when I drop a refridgerator offa building on you! One of dem stainless steel, double door joints!" That shit is hilarious! I threated at least 5 people with maytag vengence!! Later Kiss calms down and tells the Hip hop police they can calm down, they aint really gonna kill nobody.
Diddy calls. He sounds off about how they aint killin nothin and they should have calmed down and talked to him. He claims he's always in his office and how he's always available. Diddy, Diddy, Diddy... Come on now. We've seen you enough times on t.v. you are never in your office. You just pimped out a van cause youre always on the move. So you my dear sir have just earned a "Negro Pleeeeeaase." Diddy says there is an open invite anytime to speak to him.... sigh.
But anyway after Diddy abruptly hangs up. We later find out that Diddy owns Biggie's publishing too. His "best friend."
In the end, nothing is resolved, nothing is announced. Only thing we find out is that Interscope is willing to sit down and discuss things with them. Several people call in and offer to buy out they publishing from Puff (Jermaine Dupre' and (?!) Carmello Anthony(?!) to name a couple) and sell them back to them. We learn of a kind of contract never heard of by me or JD called a lifetime contract on publishing. Now they might have been some dumbass kids with some snake ass lawyers when they signed that contract, but now 10 years later come the fuck on! Diddy you got money and I- I forgot what my point was in writing this shit. As usual...
PEACE
