So Dr Dre saved Interscope and Warren G saved Def Jam?

[Barry Sanders]

We’ve survived and thrived into the twenty-first century because of the staff and the corporate culture at Def Jam, elements nurtured primarily by Lyor Cohen. I go back to the signing of Warren G as a defining moment, both for the company and for Lyor. Warren was a guest MC on and the producer of Mr. Grimm’s “Indo Smoke,” the single off the Boyz N the Hood sound track. Lyor saw the video and was asking everybody, “Who’s that guy? No, not Mr. Grimm. The guy next to him.” He was told it was Warren G. Lyor got on a plane, chased him down and signed him. After that Lyor and Def Jam never looked back.

https://www.smalldemons.com/persons/musicians/Warren_G/see_all/Mentioned_In__10__Books

 

[H.J.Duck]

Suge Lost.
Fool should have signed up warren..

I'm pretty sure Warren himself said that he didn't wanna sign to Death Row because he wouldn't have been the #1 artist there...

I mean shyt, I know I'm probably too young to discuss shyt that happened in the early 90s but everyone knows Snoop was the man back then & Dre had dropped The Chronic & was the one who started the label with Suge.

DX: You sold something like five million albums for Russell during your tenure with his label, but you coulda sold them albums with Death Row instead, why didnt you? Why did the west coast Warren G go to the east coast Def Jam to drop them first two albums?


Warren G: Because it wasnt no room for me over there. I wasnt being treated like I was up-and-coming next. I mean, even thoughactually, they really didnt understand what I was doing. I felt kinda like I was taken as a joke. So, I chose to move on. And I dont mean that as far as justcause we used to clown a lot, so I guess people didnt really take me that serious. So I guess thats just you give what you get. And so I guess they wasnt taking me serious, so I just went out there [and] started doing my thing, because a lot was going on and I wasnt being involved in it, and I was hurt that I wasnt involved. I wasnt there with you guys at a lot of the parties or this, that and this. I was hurt when I didnt get a ticket to get on the airplane to go to New Orleans. I didnt get a ticket. I was hurt, so I went and did my thing. And Russell [Simmons] gave me an opportunity. Chris Lighty gave me an opportunity. And Lyor Cohen [gave me an opportunity]. All three of those guys called me personally and talked to me on the phone. They helped me with the problems that I was going through and stuff like that. And they made a way for me to let people hear my music.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1392/title.warren-g-the-g-code

 

[Barry Sanders]

Def Jam’s response to the West Coast was to become a truly national company. We signed the South Central Cartel out of L.A. and made a record with them, N Gatz We Truss, that was very violent but full of social and political insight. We had a couple of huge pop hits with another South Central act, Domino. We signed Montell Jordan out of L.A., who’s developed into the most successful R&B act Def Jam’s ever had. And Lyor Cohen, who by now was running Def Jam’s day-to-day operations, really turned things around by personally going out west to sign Warren G, whose “Regulate” became the biggest single in Def Jam history.

 

[H.J.Duck]

double post


But...


Like someone said... good to see no one tried to debate Dre/Interscope point.

 

[Barry Sanders]

Suge Lost.
Fool should have signed up warren..

"Well, I didn't want to be waiting," G explained in an interview. "I wanted people to hear what I had. I would have had to really wait for Snoop to do his thing, [Dre] had already did his thing when we did The Chronic. I didn't feel like waiting, you know? Dre was like, 'You need to go on and be your own man and get out there and do your thing.' So I was like 'sh*t,' it hurt but I went out and did it." (Hard Knock TV)

Warren G On Not Joining Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre At Death Row Records, "I Didn't Want To Be Waiting" [Video] | SOHH.COM

 

[mson]

How Redman saved Def Jam
*


After about 1/3 of the interview, Red elaborates about how Def Jam was dead in the water before he really broke loose with Muddy Waters and Docs Da Name. Respect due, but Meth didn't really do much since Tical. After '97, Def Jam was really about to go under.


How Redman saved Def Jam in Hot Topics.. Everything Hip Hop Forum

 

[DANJ!]

How Redman saved Def Jam
*


After about 1/3 of the interview, Red elaborates about how Def Jam was dead in the water before he really broke loose with Muddy Waters and Docs Da Name. Respect due, but Meth didn't really do much since Tical. After '97, Def Jam was really about to go under.


How Redman saved Def Jam in Hot Topics.. Everything Hip Hop Forum

Lots of artists like taking credit for saving a label.

shyt, I even saw MC Serch in the Def Jam book claiming 3rd Bass saved Def Jam when they came out in '89 (despite Public Enemy being at their peak and LL & Slick Rick going platinum the same year).

Red saying those albums saved Def Jam is untrue. Foxy was selling 2 mill, Jay did 5 mil with HKL the same year Doc's Da Name dropped, DMX was selling 3 mil with his albums, etc. etc. Red contributed during that time, but he wasn't carrying the label on his back.

 

[mson]

Lots of artists like taking credit for saving a label.

shyt, I even saw MC Serch in the Def Jam book claiming 3rd Bass saved Def Jam when they came out in '89 (despite Public Enemy being at their peak and LL & Slick Rick going platinum the same year).

Red saying those albums saved Def Jam is untrue. Foxy was selling 2 mill, Jay did 5 mil with HKL the same year Doc's Da Name dropped, DMX was selling 3 mil with his albums, etc. etc. Red contributed during that time, but he wasn't carrying the label on his back.

Muddy Waters came out before those albums.

 

[DANJ!]

Muddy Waters came out before those albums.

And Muddy Waters still didn't save Def Jam.

 

[mson]

And Muddy Waters still didn't save Def Jam.

I remember a quote, I believe it was from Lyhor, saying that they had a lot of bills and that album help keep the lights on.

 

[Techniec]

at all you ignorant azz haters

Alot of morons exposed themselves in this thread

Its a very simple fact thats very simple to understand

By 94 Def Jam was in the hole. Yall bringing up Cool J selling 2 million, it doesnt matter, Def Jam was in bad shape financially. Their books were fukked

And along comes the G Child with the "Woooooo! Now ya know"

How much documented proof needs to be provided to you donkeys?

Regulate the lp- 4 x Platinum
Regulate single- Platinum
This DJ single- Gold
Take a Look Over Your Shoulder album- 2 x Platinum

Yall comparing that to Redmans 2 gold albums in that period?

And at the haters trying to clown Warren"s catalogue

His first five albums over the span of more than a decade were all top 10/15 releases. I Want It All the album went Platinum in 98-99, the single with Mack 10 went Gold. Return of the Regulator was also a top 15 release

I loved Warrens first four albums. Never heard Midnite Hour or G Files

Dudes got bangers for days post Regulate: Annie Mae, Nobody Does It Better, Game Dont Wait Remix, Looking At You, his first four albums were legit dope

Wasnt a rapper by any means but he always dropped great albums with great beats and songs, kept it humble, avoided beef, vindicated himself against the odds, and was essentially co-responsible for Death Row

For some reason dudes Regulate success has hindered his owed respect. Dude produced How Long Will They Mourn Me ya bytch azz muafukkaz. Indo Smoke. Big Bang Theory.

I boycotted that 213 album for years cuz of that bullshyt leaving Warren off the album

the G Child

 

[Dr.HannibalLecter]

Def Jam’s response to the West Coast was to become a truly national company. We signed the South Central Cartel out of L.A. and made a record with them, N Gatz We Truss, that was very violent but full of social and political insight.

'N Gatz We Truss is a personal classic, but @ "full of social and political insight". That album is 100% gangsta and that's it.

 

[Free White & 21]

at all you ignorant azz haters

Alot of morons exposed themselves in this thread

Its a very simple fact thats very simple to understand

By 94 Def Jam was in the hole. Yall bringing up Cool J selling 2 million, it doesnt matter, Def Jam was in bad shape financially. Their books were fukked

And along comes the G Child with the "Woooooo! Now ya know"

How much documented proof needs to be provided to you donkeys?

Regulate the lp- 4 x Platinum
Regulate single- Platinum
This DJ single- Gold
Take a Look Over Your Shoulder album- 2 x Platinum

Yall comparing that to Redmans 2 gold albums in that period?

And at the haters trying to clown Warren"s catalogue

His first five albums over the span of more than a decade were all top 10/15 releases. I Want It All the album went Platinum in 98-99, the single with Mack 10 went Gold. Return of the Regulator was also a top 15 release

I loved Warrens first four albums. Never heard Midnite Hour or G Files

Dudes got bangers for days post Regulate: Annie Mae, Nobody Does It Better, Game Dont Wait Remix, Looking At You, his first four albums were legit dope

Wasnt a rapper by any means but he always dropped great albums with great beats and songs, kept it humble, avoided beef, vindicated himself against the odds, and was essentially co-responsible for Death Row

For some reason dudes Regulate success has hindered his owed respect. Dude produced How Long Will They Mourn Me ya bytch azz muafukkaz. Indo Smoke. Big Bang Theory.

I boycotted that 213 album for years cuz of that bullshyt leaving Warren off the album

the G Child

I'm a real nikka and i support this post

 

[mobbinfms]

Everyone knows that aside from Biggie the West Coast ran 92-96

Wu Tang?

 

[NYK Loyalist]

Redman is in my top 5 all time but the idea that his gold selling albums saved def jam is ridiculous. Back then going gold was just okay. If you think about it selling 500,000 x $10 = $5 million dollars then you have to subtract recording and marketing expenses and after that your not left with that much. Back them labels spent a lot on marketing. Not saying Redman wasn't profitable for them but his albums weren't the ones that kept them from going under