Lyor Cohen on The Breakfast Club: Talks Migos Issues with 300 Ent, Kanye West + more!

[Piff Perkins]

Lyor respresents institutional exploitation that does far more harm than individual actors. Yeah, it's messed up how Puff and others took advantage of their own. But again, they were institutionally backed and probably influenced.

Backed and influenced by who? I'm curious.

 

[lib123]

Backed and influenced by who? I'm curious.

Major labels whose heads have no cultural connection with them...unlike Lyor.

 

[Spin]

What this interview proved is Lyor is a pure hustler. He contradicted himself multiple times if you listen closely. He starts off the interview acting like he was so poor with holes in his shoes and then seconds later said he was working for a bank. At the end of the interview, he didn't know Breakfast Club already has a YouTube channel yet he runs the YouTube music division.

Dame brings up valid points, but unless people start to change artists will continue to get hustled. If it wasn't Lyor, it would be someone else. The entertainment industry will always be a place where exploitation happens. You have broke artists obsessed with becoming famous and will sign away their life for peanuts. Obviously this isn't every artist, but that's how the game works.

The big takeaway is people/artists need to understand their VALUE and stop selling themselves short.

 

[Devil Plisken…CMS]

“Puffy’s no different”
“Baby’s no different”
“It’s all about making money anyway”

Kanye jumps out the window and says something silly but of course Lyor & The Doug Morrises of the world will support him.

Why you may ask?

Jews are rarely apart of the diatribe. I wonder how the tree would shake if Yeezy Yeezy had some strong opinions about Jews...

I wonder how business never personal it stays

“He tells it like it is”

Oh ok..those Zionist are sooooo transparent lol

 

[Piff Perkins]

Best/most interesting point made in that interview was the strip club dilemma and "brown paper bags." At the end of the day, touring is the life blood for an artist. Selling records is less and less important in an age when your music can be consumed multiple ways without you seeing a dime. You have to tour. That was perhaps the biggest point J Cole made in that "diss" record he released. It's why Cole will be around forever, or as long as he wants. He has a fanbase, the fanbase loves him, and they know he puts on a dope live show.

My counter point and what I wish TBC asked Lyor...look at 300's artists. Fetty can't tour because he can't sing, he's a studio artist in every sense of the word. Some people can get away with that - hell, if you want to keep it a buck, The Beatles were studio artists. But MOST people can't get away with it. Thug tours...but he sounds terrible. Not as bad as Fetty but again...studio artist. Migos on the other hand can tour, they may not be good but their music isn't shackled to effects/studio. Yet 300 lost them, but still has Fetty and Thug...

You want my criticism of 300, or one of them? Outside of Migos, they signed artists with little tour potential or artist viability. Their artists came out at a perfect time to take advantage of the streaming and youtube waves. They sold a LOT of singles (remember Trap Queen?). But where are those artists today? Fetty is completely irrelevant. In an era where melody dominates, a dude with a unique sound and look like that is basically dead. Why is that?


Thug is basically stuck in place. When he came out, he was the most alternative and unique looking rapper out. He was like a rap version of Prince (look wise, NOT in terms of talent). He's super talented, and his talent also coincides with what's hot now (melody). Yet each project he releases sales around 17-20k before disappearing. Meanwhile Future blew up. And then a host of weird looking rappers emerged who do what Thug does, but on a bigger level. Uzi is way bigger than Thug, and it took no time.


Point being...for all the dope advice Cohen gave, his artists happen to go in the opposite direction, and happen to make the label short term financial success. So...what's not adding up?

 

[Spin]

Best/most interesting point made in that interview was the strip club dilemma and "brown paper bags." At the end of the day, touring is the life blood for an artist. Selling records is less and less important in an age when your music can be consumed multiple ways without you seeing a dime. You have to tour. That was perhaps the biggest point J Cole made in that "diss" record he released. It's why Cole will be around forever, or as long as he wants. He has a fanbase, the fanbase loves him, and they know he puts on a dope live show.

My counter point and what I wish TBC asked Lyor...look at 300's artists. Fetty can't tour because he can't sing, he's a studio artist in every sense of the word. Some people can get away with that - hell, if you want to keep it a buck, The Beatles were studio artists. But MOST people can't get away with it. Thug tours...but he sounds terrible. Not as bad as Fetty but again...studio artist. Migos on the other hand can tour, they may not be good but their music isn't shackled to effects/studio. Yet 300 lost them, but still has Fetty and Thug...

You want my criticism of 300, or one of them? Outside of Migos, they signed artists with little tour potential or artist viability. Their artists came out at a perfect time to take advantage of the streaming and youtube waves. They sold a LOT of singles (remember Trap Queen?). But where are those artists today? Fetty is completely irrelevant. In an era where melody dominates, a dude with a unique sound and look like that is basically dead. Why is that?


Thug is basically stuck in place. When he came out, he was the most alternative and unique looking rapper out. He was like a rap version of Prince (look wise, NOT in terms of talent). He's super talented, and his talent also coincides with what's hot now (melody). Yet each project he releases sales around 17-20k before disappearing. Meanwhile Future blew up. And then a host of weird looking rappers emerged who do what Thug does, but on a bigger level. Uzi is way bigger than Thug, and it took no time.


Point being...for all the dope advice Cohen gave, his artists happen to go in the opposite direction, and happen to make the label short term financial success. So...what's not adding up?

Uzi is Thug with better management. You are def right about being a good tour artist. Travis Scott is another example he has a loyal fanbase.

One thing Lyor does well is move around when he knows his current gig is about up. He mentioned reinventing himself about 10 times in the interview and that's what he does. His first big move was moving from Def Jam to run Warner. He got that job based on his previous buzz from leading Def Jam. However, once he got there, he suddenly was surrounded by more pop/rock executives and he never meshed. HitsDailyDouble used to run weekly cartoons dissing him and they're "the streets" of the insider industry. He managed to convince Google to fund 300 Ent while he was getting kicked out of Warner. Once he put together a little streak with Migos, Thug, and Fetty he jumps ship to YouTube.

 

[Piff Perkins]

Lyor ethering Culture II


His second to last point was true. The days of career execs running shyt are over. We're back to hustlers and "the unemployable" taking over. Pee, Coach K, Top Dawg, Dave Free, Tunji, Ibrahim (Dreamville), etc. A mixture of former gangstas and smart dudes from various cities who know how to spot great (black) talent.

 

[LEEeveryday]

This shyt won't stop until nikkas learn how to play the game in a more advantageous way for the community...

 

[KillbertArenas]

Fukk that dude

 

[Cynic]

And he’s a proponent of the alt-right

They don't f*ck with Jews breh ...

The part about issues would be nice if he wasn't the reason LASERS turned out the way it did

 

[GoldenGlove]

@ him being oblivious to the BFC being on Youtube already.

"I wish you guys were on Youtube"


That's basically a prime indication that he's never watched a BFC interview before in his life

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

I haven't watched the interview only the clips online with CTG pressing him about this and I don't give a fukk about him mentoring the artists but I guess the top guys like MJ or whoever had that personal relationship with their execs so people think that's the way it should be.. IDK he don't seem no worse than Diddy, or master p or birdman or anyone else, like you said at the end of the day its business you responsible for your own life, no one quits smoking cigarettes let alone drugs until they themselves want to and are tired of it. the fans let these bitter artist shape their opinion of these guys

it's a really good interview... i LOVE exec interviews way more than rappers... rappers usually talk about themselves and the same old "fake industry" talk

execs usually break down the business... and then you sitting there like cause you only hear from artists, not realizing somebody invested millions in them, AND told them up front

of course he's done some shady shyt... that's also business but dude on here talking bout 18 hours of rehearsal footage from run dmc, beastie boys, etc first tour... about screaming out "who's hoooooouse" and then run taking that.. about how he spoke to his artists straight up and said "you're a junkie and you need to get off that" and they don't listen... how he does not care about anything but talent... so be a junkie all you want, if you got talent, he's gonna work with you... how he sits down with you and tells you the exact deal you're gonna get... and when you try and say "but this other label..." he's gonna simply say, "so go fukk with them, goodbye"

i would MUCH rather that guy... then puffy or jay hugging me every 5 minutes... calling me brother... calling me family... while sharking me out of my money.. then when i ask for the truth from my "family", then the business man comes out on some "b-b-b-b-but you wouldn't lyor to let you out your deal"

well then be lyor all the time nikka... don't be brother dame 90% of the time and Dame Cohen when I ask for my money

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

Best/most interesting point made in that interview was the strip club dilemma and "brown paper bags." At the end of the day, touring is the life blood for an artist. Selling records is less and less important in an age when your music can be consumed multiple ways without you seeing a dime. You have to tour. That was perhaps the biggest point J Cole made in that "diss" record he released. It's why Cole will be around forever, or as long as he wants. He has a fanbase, the fanbase loves him, and they know he puts on a dope live show.

My counter point and what I wish TBC asked Lyor...look at 300's artists. Fetty can't tour because he can't sing, he's a studio artist in every sense of the word. Some people can get away with that - hell, if you want to keep it a buck, The Beatles were studio artists. But MOST people can't get away with it. Thug tours...but he sounds terrible. Not as bad as Fetty but again...studio artist. Migos on the other hand can tour, they may not be good but their music isn't shackled to effects/studio. Yet 300 lost them, but still has Fetty and Thug...

You want my criticism of 300, or one of them? Outside of Migos, they signed artists with little tour potential or artist viability. Their artists came out at a perfect time to take advantage of the streaming and youtube waves. They sold a LOT of singles (remember Trap Queen?). But where are those artists today? Fetty is completely irrelevant. In an era where melody dominates, a dude with a unique sound and look like that is basically dead. Why is that?


Thug is basically stuck in place. When he came out, he was the most alternative and unique looking rapper out. He was like a rap version of Prince (look wise, NOT in terms of talent). He's super talented, and his talent also coincides with what's hot now (melody). Yet each project he releases sales around 17-20k before disappearing. Meanwhile Future blew up. And then a host of weird looking rappers emerged who do what Thug does, but on a bigger level. Uzi is way bigger than Thug, and it took no time.


Point being...for all the dope advice Cohen gave, his artists happen to go in the opposite direction, and happen to make the label short term financial success. So...what's not adding up?

cohen left 300 before all that fall off... and he says in this interview to look at migos album then the sequel.... then he simply said "well there you have it"

as in.... they was hot when i was there... once i left, they allowed them to put out bullshyt records and not work them right..

execs matter too.. MJ was flames but without Motown and QJ, would he have the same success? Sometimes you need someone to say "nah breh that shyt ain't it" lyor has signed so many hits, i don't doubt his ear

 

[Easy-E]

as soon as he heard whispers of Jay getting the job at Def Jam, he was on RapCity shopping himself while promoting Purple Haze.

Apparently Jay was owed a lot of royalities and Def Jam offered him the job to split the difference

 

[Rayzah]

cohen left 300 before all that fall off... and he says in this interview to look at migos album then the sequel.... then he simply said "well there you have it"

as in.... they was hot when i was there... once i left, they allowed them to put out bullshyt records and not work them right..

execs matter too.. MJ was flames but without Motown and QJ, would he have the same success? Sometimes you need someone to say "nah breh that shyt ain't it" lyor has signed so many hits, i don't doubt his ear

Yea execs and a&r’s matter and the artist gets all the blame when they put out the wrong songs. It’s a team effort that’s why I think the Indy route doesn’t work for everyone. It’s gets you paid more but that’s about it