S. Samuel
Houston rap legend Scarface recently talked about his run as president of Def Jam South and why the iconic hip-hop label was unable to sign The King in time.
According to Face Mob, T.I. already had a business arrangement when Def Jam considered inking him before his mainstream shine.
“In all honesty I just believe that we could’ve made the impact back then. We could’ve made the impact back then. Def Jam [Records] wouldn’t f*ck with T.I. no more because Polygram had him first. I tried my fucking damndest to get him at Def Jam. They wouldn’t f*ck with him because he was signed to Polygram before. All the sh*t that’s poppin’ now could’ve been poppin’ back then. We could’ve been moved on to something different,” Face said in an interview. “They could’ve been established and big. They’re established and big now, but that could’ve happened 10 years ago. They didn’t have to fucking wait ten years. They could’ve had it back then. I know what it’s supposed to sound like.” (Hip Hop DX)
Recently, the Geto Boys frontman hit up SOHH over having some Def Jam/T.I. remarks put on blast from earlier this year.
“That interview, which was over a month ago, was NOT about Def Jam,” Face wrote in a statement. “It was an interview I did about my upcoming new record and the new moves I’m making. The Def Jam item is a 2 minute comment from one question I was asked during the interview. Why is everyone trying to start some mess by focusing on that one comment? I left Def Jam 10 years ago. Why is this considered news?” [sic] (SOHH)
Scarface’s Def Jam comments began circulating online in late April.
“I needed a bigger part of [Def Jam] and they wanted to play like I wasn’t bringing business,” Scarface said when asked about his Def Jam exit. “Everything that’s hot right now is what I brought to Def Jam from Rick Ross to T.I. because you know, Def Jam wouldn’t touch T.I.” (WGCI)
Back in 2010, Scarface said he asked former Def Jam head L.A. Reid to be released from being Def Jam South President.
“I think when the powers, Lyor [Cohen], Kevin [Liles] — when everybody left Def Jam, when the wigs left, like, I was over there with LA Reid,” Face revealed in an interview with radio personality EI8HT. “And I didn’t know what kind of sh*t was getting ready to go on over there. So I wanted to save him the hassle of dealing with me because I know I’m not the easiest motherf*cker in the world to deal with. And I respect the move and the decisions that he made by releasing me because I asked him, man to man, to release me and he said, ‘Well, you know I would like to at least sit-down and talk to you but if you still want to leave, I understand.’ A couple of my friends got on that flight to see LA Reid, but I never got on it. I didn’t feel the need to.” (“Street Disciplez Radio”)
