Cyrus Langhorne
Epic Records CEO L.A. Reid has stepped forward to speak out on the current legal crunch his label protégé Bobby Shmurda is in.
Speaking on a Rap Radar podcast this week, Reid explained the company possibly not having the funds to bail out Shmurda.
“You know, I’m crazy about that kid and I think about him often and I feel like his better days are ahead of him. I do believe that and I think it’s unfortunate what has taken place but when I heard him, I believed him. That’s what sold me. It felt soulful. It didn’t feel like anybody was play-acting. … [People criticizing Epic Records for not bailing him out,] it made me feel like people don’t know anything about my business. It’s really not their business. That’s the truth about it. We’re not elected officials here, and we’re not at liberty to disclose how we do business. It’s fair practice, I can tell you that. But it’s not the industry that it once was. We seriously don’t make the money we used to make. That’s a fact of life. Bobby Shumrda’s not the same as Snoop Dogg and ‘Murder Was The Case’ who was coming off career-wise, coming off The Chronic. It’s a different era and we’re a publicly held corporation. We’re just not in the same position we once were in. So it’s a different day.” (Rap Radar)
Earlier this month, Judge James Burke set a trial date for February 22 and shut down Shmurda attorney Alex Spiro‘s bail request.
Special Narcotics Prosecutor Nigel Farinha argued that there had already been at least four bail applications that had been denied and that the case had only gotten stronger. He cited Shmurda’s ties to Florida and net worth of half a million dollars. Burke denied the bail request. (Page Six)
Reports of the rapper’s girlfriend being arrest made headlines in late June.
The 20-year-old Shmurda, whose real name is Ackquille Pollard, was busted June 21 after a guard allegedly saw Kimberly Rousseau, 18, pull a black latex glove balloon wrapped in black electrical tape out of her bra and hand it to him. The guard opened the balloon and found a “sharpened metal object” according to a criminal complaint. (NY Daily News)
Prosecutors reportedly wanted Shmurda to agree to nearly ten years behind bars in a weapons case.
The rapper dressed in an orange jumpsuit did not speak speak or acknowledge his family members or Epic Records executives (including label president, Sylvia Rhone) in attendance. Prosecutors reminded the defense that Bobby has a standing offer of an eight-year sentence for his role as the “mastermind” behind the GS9 collective that combined are facing over 100 charges of assault, murder and more. (Revolt)
so in other words we signed him cause he was hot and we were gonna get money off of him he locked so we cant make money off him…so he is gonna sit here
Yea, they doubt they will ever make that money back, and they would only spend it if they gain MORE money off of him, not just enough to be even obviously
long story short is our youngin gotta book up and learn game u dont need a label no more….major come with debt….by the time you cover that debt you have nothing….cats be broke before they loose spins….entourage. marketing through party, cloths , women, jewels homes cars…your own label when you know nothing about running a business all the joys of major life…when you gonna be the one left with the bill either way why take a front with tax…meanwhile labels can write all that stuff off. even women yes strip clubs making it rain counts as client / investor entertainment…
And that is business.
It is business …but i bet it wasnt just business when they wanted to sign him
Actually it was.
during bidding wars you get fed line like your family this and that we believe in u hears an advance cause we have faith….so yeah it was business then to but its easy to see how a youngin can fall for the game
LA been hanging with the Jews for a long time. I don’t blame him from a business standpoint though. Just say nothing if you can’t flat out say “It doesn’t make business sense.”
That’s effed up LA….smh
Business never Personal.
J I dodn’t think it is messed up. This is not like L.A. Reid and him are childhood friends, ran the hallways in the PJ together and watched each others back. This was a kid that sent them a demo, Epic like what they heard and signed him. Bobby ” So call Hood” Should be bailing him out. They were the ones that made him into a local hero. I think Bobby “Drop the soap” on this one.
If it don’t make money it don’t make sense. They pimped Bobby smurda for what they could get and threw him out like trash. If by some chance he beat the case and drops a hit, they going to run back to his corner holding his contract saying how they were always there for him and they want their cut.
He shouldn’t have committed crime, and he’d be free. Why would his job get him out of jail for shit he did? Is Wal-Mart gonna bail u out of jail just because u work there? Nah they could care less as long as u punch that clock when ur scheduled…just sayin
“he shouldn’t have committed crime,and he’d be free”,,,thats how u feel@disqus_UupKuqhDYv:disqus ?,,,I understand that youngans are out here wilding ,,just like I understand George bush doesn’t fit the profile of a “criminal”but he is one ,,but son is still innocent till proven guilty correct ?,,I mean do u know anything about the criminal(no)justice system as it pertains to black males?,,just as a quick reference why don’t you google how many dudes have been “let go”just in the last 5-10 years,, after years of incarceration because they were able to prove their innocence,,,wake up brother
he made a song and snitched on all his guys in it. then they proved them dudes really did shit. thats what you call idiotic.
I’ve been awake, bruh…stop making it a race issue. Just because he makes songs for HIS living, doesn’t exclude him from ‘justice’. It’s not for me to worry about the criminal justice system, because I’m not gonna put myself in a position to have to. I’m just a regular guy who works like everyone else, and when I commit crime I go to jail and I’d never think it’s my boss’s place to bail me out. Why this guy? What about the other guys who are going through the same shit? I hate it for him, but enough about this until someone posts bail.