re: Which rap record label was "'bout that action" the most?

Now let's look into the real reason behind the Cash Money/No Limit animosity back in the day. Just like Terrance "Gangsta" Williams was a known drug kingpin & hit man in New Orleans in the 90s, so was Master P's cousin Randall Watts. In 1997, Watts was chased down, shot & killed in the courtyard next to the infamous Rose Tavern club in the Calliope projects.

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There used to be a rainbow-colored mural of Randall Watts painted on the outside of the Rose Tavern. Known as Calliope Slim, Watts was something of a folk outlaw in and around the Calliope Projects, where he earned a reputation as an enforcer for local drug gangs. “Randall Watts was a notorious hitman,” his cousin, Percy Miller, C-Murder’s brother, said in an interview with F.E.D.S. magazine. Miller is a Calliope native better known as the rap mogul Master P. “When you would say that name, people would just run.”

Watts was a regular at Rose Tavern. After he was gunned down in Calliope’s central courtyard in 1997, a parade of pallbearers carried his body from the funeral home into Rose Tavern, chanting “gangsta, gangsta” and dousing the casket in beer. The scene wouldn’t exist had CNN not been in town to film a segment on Master P, then fast on his way to becoming one of the richest men in America.

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New Yorker article about Rose Tavern



Master P's 1997 Heaven 4 a Gangsta was a dedication to Watts. So was I Miss My Homies (at the 4:28 mark during Silkk the Shocker's verse, Randall Watts appears on the headstone)


Heaven 4 a Gangsta

I Miss My Homies

CNN segment in 1997

It was rumored around New Orleans that Gangsta had some involvement in Watts killing. It caused tension between the Calliope & Magnolia projects at the time. Like the streets don't talk, Gangsta & Baby would approach Master P only a few months later after the murder of Watts in an attempt to spark up some Cash Money/No Limit collaborations. Cash Money hadn't yet signed their deal with Universal Records & were hoping that working with No Limit would give them added appeal to the major labels. Bad move.

When the two met Master P face to face with their proposal, it was followed up with P slapping Gangsta in the face & the No Limit crew pulling guns on Baby & Gangsta. P basically made both of them tuck their tails & kick rocks. This is the whole reason behind the Baby & Master P animosity. It's why Cash Money & No Limit never did work together. It wasn't until artist left both labels that they began to work together despite crossing paths for years in New Orleans. Neither Baby or P never spoke on what happened. Baby for obvious reasons but P talks about it without saying the real reason behind the beef in this interview. He just hints at it slightly.

P is an OG

I mentioned in another thread the hotel incident in 2000 where Master P, Big Boz & 2 others went in Pimp C's hotel with ski mask on, threatened him at gun & knife point (pernt ) then beat the frick out of him. (They broke several of Pimp's ribs & closed one his eyes shut) If you missed the thread here's a the link to it.

LINK

I have the book I talk about in that thread but I haven't completely finished it as of yet. I'm right at the time Ridin Dirty was made yet when I got the book I went right to the chapter of the Pimp C/Master P incident to read exactly what brought about the entire episode. I knew about it from listening to the Sweet James Stories but didn't know the real details outside of what was mentioned in a few songs. These two Breakfast Club interviews from just a few months back is what convinced me to buy the book. Julia Beverly was the owner of Ozone Magazine & author of the book. The Ozone was a magazine that covered southern Hip Hop for years. The Beverly interview is of her promoting the Pimp C book. Master P was on just a few weeks later & was asked about the situation that was mentioned in the book. P beats around the bush as he doesn't like discussing things that went down in the streets. To hear Julia Beverly discuss the incident go to the 15:05 point in the interview. To hear Master P get questioned about his part in the incident, go to 19:00 mark of the interview. (Its long but I suggest watching the whole interview. It's one of the most in depth interviews P has ever given. He lies his arse off when he says he didn’t "fight anybody in the streets" though. )


Julia Beverly Breakfast Club interview

Master P Breakfast Club interview

Here's a C-Murder shot at Cash Money, Juvenile & Mystikal (Mystikal was fricking Monica on the side. He also mentions he is down with UNLV which is direct shot at Baby)

I don't think you wanna mess wit Tru ya lil child
Why would a n**** call himself Juvenile
Like Benny Hill, we slap kids in the head
I bet ya scary arse still piss in the bed
I'm New Orleans baby, you sweeter than honey
This Tru Records city n**** frick Cash Money
I'm C, C-P-3, uptown G
I frick with UNLV, Lil Ya and Tec-G
I'm a bad arse Miller boy, a killer boy
Get them cement shoes and put yo arse in a river boy
And all those girls that left No Limit on bad terms
Keep it up and we gon plant you like earthworms
Mystikal (Mystikal), you da hoe
Yeah I heard you got fricked before
And if anybody out there don't like what I said
Let it be known my favorite color is red

C-Murder Bet ya

To anybody who questions No Limit & Master P's strength in the streets in comparison to Suge & Death Row, listen to Snoop here. He was in both camps & knows what's up.

Snoop sets the record straight

For those who listened to the Julia Beverly interview, anybody think Pimp C was hitting that on the slick? She has a big snozz but I would smash. WYHI?





Rap A Lot & J.Prince street shite coming soon.......

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I still to this day put 400 Degreez down as one of the greatest southern rap records ever produced. The Manny Fresh beats especially the use of an actual bass playing those bass lines is special.

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The 400 Degreez production was on point. It was Mannie Fresh's greatest work just like Ridin Dirty was for Pimp C. The two had a thing for live instrumentation & an early behind the scenes connection the Pimp C book goes in depth about. They two met around 1994 & exchanged contact info in that meeting. Mannie openly admits to being influenced by Pimp's work on Super Tight & even borrowed some of Chad's signature techniques that he was the first to use.

Matter of fact Pimp C suggested that Fresh use the same guitarist Corey "Funkafangez" Stoot he used for Ridin Dirty.

Corey "Funkafangez" Stoot



(One Day, Diamonds & Wood, Hi Life were the tracks Funkafangez played on. Pimp C also used New Orleans guitarist Leo Nocentelli of the group The Meters)

Leo Nocentelli


Maybe Funkafangez handled the bass too on 400 Degreez. I can't find anything on who actually played the bass for sure though.

Fresh was very good for a short period. (I think Dr. Dre & Pimp C are unmatched when it comes to production but Jazze Pha, The Dungeon Family & DJ Quik belong in this conversation as well. Pimp in my opinion will always be underrated for the musician he really was. He played numerous instruments himself.) Being the only in house producer caused Fresh to burn out too soon trying to produce all those albums. No Limit had a decisive advantage having Beats by the Pound which was made up of five producers.

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I will say as I am nearing my 33rd birthday I listen to old No Limit way more. Mr. Ice Cream Man, Ghetto D and TRU to da Game (in particular). There is a rawness that Cash Money just never hit, and I'll be damned I don't want to throw some 'bows to "Swamp Aggin" to this day.

What are your feelings towards the two labels in terms of just music?

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We are about the same age. I was a fan of both & grew to appreciate what both labels brought to the table. It's too bad street dealings got in the way of these labels working together in the studio. I have numerous albums from both that I will listen to at a moments notice.

I suggest you get the Pimp C book. It's not just about his life but it portrays just how closely artist from all regions were intertwined especially in the south though. The book is the real deal.

I would also say this. Most of the current production in the rap industry is subpar. Outside of a very small amount producers, the use of live instrumentation has become extinct. It makes for tracks that have no chance at longevity on the charts or with the fans. These generic beats come & go. It's like an assembly line where it's quickly on the next "hot song".

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The incredible funkafangez should have his name on the cover of Ridin Dirty and 400 Degreez. what a massive boost to those albums and why both are in the pantheon of rap's greatest.

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Funkafangez found a nice niche for several years playing on several different albums by southern artists off the strength of Ridin Dirty & 400 Degreez but those two albums were the ones he contributed to heavily.

On July 29 of the upcoming year, will mark the 20th anniversary of Ridin Dirty's release. When that date comes, I'll do in depth breakdown of the making of the album with information from the book (for those who haven't read the book) & some from other sources. It will be eye opening for any UGK fan especially those who view Ridin Dirty as the classic that it is. So many real life experiences shaped the making of that album. There's also a reason for the big upgrade in production in comparison to Too Hard to Swallow & Super Tight (Pimp C hated that entire Too Hard to Swallow album except for Pocket Full of Stones & he had every reason to. The album was modified by Jive Records using 2 other producers. The final product that was released was not Pimp's actual work.)

In the time being, I'll drop this teaser. UGK was flown by Jive to Chicago to record Ridin Dirty. When Pimp & Bun returned home to Port Arthur & played the masters of the album to Pimp's mom, (Mama Wes) she looked at them both & told them something that they thought they would never hear from their biggest fan. Mama Wes told them that the album was garbage & they needed to redo it. She said recording the album in Chicago had caused them to lose their "edge" & that they needed to modify the album in the studio in her Port Arthur home. They ended up doing just that & the rest is history.

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Kendrick captures a great band sound on TPAB and Chance the Rapper's work with Donnie Trumpet have put those two in a separate level of today's hip hop.

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That is true. Don't forget Big K.R.I.T as well although I was a bit disappointed in Cadillacita. It was ok but I expected more from that album.

Rap a Lot continued.....

I mentioned the situation around Big Mike earlier but here are entire details.

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After getting into trouble as a kid in New Orleans, he moved to Houston to live with his grandparents and nowadays moves back and forth between the two cities.

This probably has something to do with why his music doesn't sound stereotypical of either region. The energy and up-tempo pacing on albums like his 1994 classic Somethin' Serious has a New Orleans flavor, while his lyrics are full of slang from Houston and other parts of the South. According to Mike, he taught Snoop Dogg phrases like "I don't love dem hoes" while they shared an apartment during their Death Row Records days. (Big Mike also introduced Snoop to UGK's underground album, A Southern Way which Snoop became infatuated with. It was meeting Big Mike & hearing that album that influenced Snoop to get to know his southern ties back in Mississippi.)

Mike's short-lived deal with the Los Angeles label came about because Dr. Dre was a fan of Convicts, the duo consisting of Mike and Houston rapper Mr. 3-2. But as Death Row co-founder Suge Knight dragged his feet on their project, Mike began to consider his options.

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A Rap-A-Lot representative told him that Willie D was leaving Geto Boys, and invited him to fill the spot. And so Mike returned to Houston and contributed to the group's 1993 LP Till Death Do Us Part. Though it was a strong album and eventually went gold, at the time it was seen as something of a failure, coming on the heels of the group's commercial and critical pinnacle, We Can't Be Stopped.

Mike was booted from the group shortly after he and Scarface had a physical altercation of some sort. Mike suggests 'Face was jealous over Mike's increasing fame. But Mike now had a platform to launch his solo career, and his first two Rap-A-Lot albums, Somethin' ­Serious and Still Serious, cracked Billboard's Top 40. The latter, released in 1997, peaked at No. 16 and demonstrated his commercial viability.

Around this time, Mike says, he attempted to collect some money he was owed by Rap-A-Lot. He called up founder J. Prince, who said sure, he could have his money, but he always wanted him to sign a new record contract.

This was news to Mike. His old contract hadn't expired, and besides, other labels were expressing interest in his services. Unsure what to do, he balked.

Apparently this didn't go over too well with Prince. Mike remembers their call being put on speakerphone, with someone lurking on Prince's end of the line barking threats. "Do you know who you're talking to?" Mike recalls the man saying. "Something could happen to you!"

Mike tried to put the conversation out of his mind. That night he fell asleep like normal in his house in a new Missouri City subdivision. But in the middle of the night, as he lay next to his pregnant girlfriend, something woke him.

"Did you just tell me to get up?" he asked his lady. She said she hadn't, so he lay back down, but sleep wouldn't return. Something felt eerie.

He walked into the living room and sat down. After pausing for a moment, he lit a cigarette and began a conversation with his maker. "Lord, I feel like somebody's plotting against me," he prayed. "Please watch over me. Don't let nothing happen to me."

Mike made the sign of the cross and leaned over to ash his cigarette. At that very moment, shots rang out and he heard the sound of glass smashing. A bullet penetrated the wall behind him, right where his head had been a moment earlier.

He hustled out of the room, avoiding the bullets and injury. His girlfriend was okay too, thankfully, as were his children — who, against their routine, happened to be with their mother that weekend.

It was divine intervention, Mike thought. Today, he doesn't come out and directly accuse Prince or anyone at Rap-A-Lot of orchestrating the shooting.

"Draw your own conclusions,"he says. (Calls requesting comment from the label for this story were not returned.)

Still, he felt what he felt, and in the coming days did a lot of thinking. He didn't go to the police, he says, because as a "street dude" that violated his code of ethics.

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Shortly thereafter, he made the decision that would dramatically alter the course of his life. He attempted to burn down a studio used by Rap-A-Lot, as well as the imprint's headquarters.

Mike won't go into details about the evening, but was quickly pinched for the studio fire. He served time in various spots around West Texas, and was released a little more than halfway through his six-year sentence.

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HoustonPress article on Big Mike after his release from jail for the arson incident

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“Let’s just say it got kinda ugly. It got ugly to the point where some things went down and I had to do some time”. –Big Mike

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Let's look at the situation around one of the original Geto Boys DJ Ready Red.

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Historically it was one of the original Geto Boys DJ Ready Red who was the first to expose the situation to the world when he famously left the group in 1991 after becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of earnings.

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“I stood my ground on that one and I have no regrets all these years later because I see that nothing has been accomplished. [J. Prince] still has all the money. Everybody has been through something dealing with this record company and nobody has anything. I’m glad I got out.” “A lot of other people who left Rap-A-Lot were victims to home invasions; they got pistol whipped, and got their equipment took back, but I was going to the gun range. I was learning to shoot, learning how to take care of myself, and defend myself, so if you was gonna run up on me you was gonna get double tapped.” –DJ Ready Red

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There have also been rumors about Z-Ro & Scarface getting beat downs in clubs for disparaging remarks & threats to leave Rap a Lot. These quotes don't confirm those rumors but they don't do anything to squash them either.

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It’s alotta people scared, and the fear they have is so strong that they will let another MAN get paid for their hard work.” –Z-Ro

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Both Z-Ro & Scarface are no longer on Rap a Lot records but yet they still are. J. Prince actually owns the copyrights to their names. Neither can do work on any other label under the name Z-Ro or Scarface. Scarface is now known as the Artist Formerly Known as Face & Z-Ro is now The Mo City Don. Both "claim" those artist are dead & that these new names represent a new birth. In some ways they are correct but in the end, it's because of the power of J. Prince.

Rap a Lot continued again......

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DX: I thought you were done with the Scarface moniker, like period. You told me the last time we spoke for HipHopDX, right before the release of Emeritus, that you were about to become “The Artist Formerly Known As ‘Face,” and that…
Scarface: -- That’s who I am too. I swear that’s who I am.

DX: The Artist Formerly Known As ‘Face?
Scarface: Yeah that’s me, without question. I think that the major distribution company that [I just] signed to [will still] probably try to use [the name] Scarface as a bargaining tool [Laughs] But…from a music standpoint, I’m a totally different person [than Scarface was]. So I feel like it’s gonna be super-important to do these mixtapes [as Scarface], because where I’m getting ready to take my listeners [with my next album is] into the mind of a true fricking artist, of a true fricking master at this craft. Muthafrickas can block my moves, they can block me from doing publishing deals, or block me from recording anywhere else, or block me from doing mixtapes, but they couldn’t block my ability to create.

DX: Now you know I gotta ask, just because [of] a couple comments you’ve made here, are you saying that Rap-A-Lot [Records is] trying to put the kibosh on some shite…?
Scarface: No, Rap-A-Lot…Rap-A-Lot is Rap-A-Lot, now. But, if you look at all of the moves in – I mean, whoever it be [that I’ve recorded for], whether it be Rap-A-Lot, whether it be Def Jam, whether it be Asylum, whether it be anybody that’s stopped me [and] that made it to where I couldn’t go out and be the artist, and the executive, that I am… Now I get a chance to go be me. [See], it’s different when you doing something for somebody else, as opposed to when you do it for yourself. My whole entire career has been dedicated to doing for everyone else. And when I say everyone else, that’s whoever falls under everyone else besides me. Now that I have made a jump into another role as the chief of my own frickin’ tribe now, I’ll benefit from it…

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Scarface's HipHopDX interview

Z-Ro explains his name change to The Mo City Don

Anyone remember J. Prince being Floyd Mayweather's manager almost 13 years ago & the ugly situation that happened to Mayweather's camp for crossing Prince?

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Mayweather found himself in some trouble when he was in a fierce contractual battle with Prince. Top Rank stepped in and advanced him $610,000 to settle with Prince, and also cut Prince a check for 20 percent of Mayweather’s $3.05 million dollar purse for fighting Phillip Ndou.

The situation with Prince, a well known figure in the rap world, escalated to a dangerous level when several men showed up to the Top Rank Gym on September 11, 2003 and roughed up Leonard Ellerbe and former camp member Thomas Summers, sending both to the hospital.

Mayweather’s camp has never confirmed the story, but both DuBoef and Arum claimed to have saved a “shaken” Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who told DuBoef ‘These are bad guys, you have to help me save my family.’

“I said, ‘Let me give James a letter of credit,’ ” Arum said. “And Floyd said — I’ll never forget it — ‘James don’t take no letter of credit.’ ”

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Benard Hopkins on the Rap a Lot vs Mayweather camp incident:

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“Hey, listen, at the end of the day, when I look at guys, and some rappers that I ain’t going to mention, that talk about gangsta, talk about street, talk about going to jail, talk about being hard on the street, that remind of Floyd Mayweather. Floyd Mayweather is no tough guy. And Floyd Mayweather can tell you about, and Ellerbe can tell you about when a couple of guys came up in Top Rank’s gym and they was taking two to three weeks to scrub blood out of the stains of the carpet that was in there. Where was the gangsta then? See, they know I know.”

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Even Floyd Mayweather can't escape J. Prince's wrath

Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of Rap a Lot Records existence. In those 30 years, J. Prince has become the most feared, ruthless, untouchable, made man in the entire music industry/sports world that most people outside of the rap world, know little about. He likes it that way but say his name too loudly & he may send his Rap a Lot Mafia goons to your front door. Now, would anyone who said Suge & Death Row hold the title for label "most bout that action" , like to change their vote? Props to Paul Allen. He knew the real deal in the beginning.

On Life featuring Master P, Big Ed tells a story so detailed that it has be a story based on real events. Master P's former bodyguard, V-90 & Big Boz are involved in the plot of this story.

[Master P]
You know what?
The ghetto got me so crazy.
My life, it almost feel like I'm a phone call or ring away from death.
Ain't this fricked up?
Big Ed, tell a story of the streets.

[Big Ed]
My n**** Jay got his arse snatched, why wasn't he strapped?
Kidnapped by four n***** dressed in black.
Aww that's it, they called his momma
Told her, no joke, we got your son, she updated me on da drama.
Her voice trembled, she was hysterical
The bounty was a hundred g's
For her to ante up, it would take a miracle.
Shes very spiritual.
She got on her knees and prayed to God that I would help her, yo.
We'll get em back, I do anything to help my dawg.
Try to relax, I hit you back, let me make some calls.
For situations like this,
I keep a safe full of money with 100 round clips.
I told my lady, get the cash and the mags
No questions asked we filled it up in a duffle bag.
I through in my camoflauge fatiques
My A-R, a hand grenade, and an ounce of weed.
Head out the front, put the bag in the trunk right next to the m-1,
and the pistol grip pump.
Hit my dawgs on the celly, mercenary group of killers.
We're methodical n***** with infraded triggers.
Put the Lexus in reverse, and let's roll double 0,
Limo tint big body black four do'
Meet V-90 at the diner with Burt bought my bad arse hoe China,
Who smuggles dope in her vagina
chocolate, jet black hair, slanted eyes you shoulda seen her.
Bad arse body look, flexible like a ballarina.
Seated at a booth, three n***** a broad and bullet proof.
Met for combat, made more calls, met up the troop.
I told'em Jay got snatched.
The Dowen boys got connects on silencers for gats.
Bring me four, meet me by Jay mom's crib
I'll be there in ten, it's time to get it how we live.
When I got there she said that the jackers know about me.
That I got cheese with the Miller boys out the Calliope.
Now they want two fifty, it's cool though.
It's time to act a fool though, heard a knock at the front door.
Reach up my shirt and put the gat to the peep hole.
(who is it? )It's my n**** Boz, open up the door.
A red n****, this n**** down to kill n*****.
But hold up, the plot gets thicker.
He said, Jay's a trick arse n****, nobody snatched the n****.
He's plottin on me, tryin to get richer.
He's hiding at the Motel 6, room 220.
How many hoes in this world? My n**** plenty.
Boz got this ho named Wendy, stripper slash dancer.
Red met her at Chocolate City in Atlanta.
She got a twin sister Candy, Boz hooked Candy to Jay.
Jay, fell in love with the ho and got a baby on the way.
But he's broke and busted, down and out disgusted.
Scheming on me, him and Candy discussed it.
Candy told Wendy, and Wendy told Red
Red told me my n**** Jay wants me dead.
Not my n****, but I gotta investigate.
We drove to the Motel 6, seen his car, checked the license plate.
(yeah that's him)See what happens when you try to pack fair.
Peeped in the window, seen Jay gettin rode in the chair
That's that ho Candy, workin it backwards.
Lookin at her titties got my dick hard like she's a private dancer.
Kicked the door down, his pants down, my gat in his face.
Pushed the ho off the n**** and shot his dick off his waist.
And that naked ho Candy pussy is wide open.
Jay can't believe she betrayed him, his eyes is wide open.
Jay tell me why n****? Before you die n****.
I would have gave you some money, didn't have to lie n****.
But I can't kill ya cause a n**** love you too much.
So V-90 shoot him in his head and throw him in his own trunk.
Watch your click.(watch your click)
Cause n***** switch when you get rich.
That Tec and ski mask, cause life's a bitch.

Life - Big Ed feat. Master P

Hypnotize Minds

I don't care about which rappers threatened which rapper.

Who was moving keys and catching bodies?

You seem really passionate about this. Settle down.