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Death Row Records vs Bad Boy Records | Interns & Intimidation | 2

2021-09-13

This episode contains explicit language.

In the 70 and 80s, the founders of Death Row and Bad Boy are coming of age. In the Los Angeles neighborhood of Compton, a young Dre is spinning records before he even learns to read. Dre desperately wants to be a hip-hop DJ, but Los Angeles barely has a hip-hop scene. In New York, on the other hand, rap is popping off. And an 18 year old called Sean “Puffy” Combs has B.I.G. plans for the Big Apple.

They don’t know it yet, but their struggles and successes have already begun to shape the egos and sounds of their multi-million dollar tug of war.

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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Join one replies to listen a business wars one week early and ad free and the wonder yap down. The one to react in your apple or Google play Mobile Appstore. Today, a note to listeners. This episode can means adult content and language. It's obvious, six, nineteen, eighty, nine, that the Jean Louis Arena in Detroit dont your dress on stage with fellow members and end up anyway, but they just been performing their head straight out. A company and a twenty day and fans filling the venue hard going nuts. In many ways the group the portray on the map
Elevated gangster rapid from obscurity to mainstream their music has been the subject of media outrage, since the album was released and their song, but the police has caught the attention of the FBI. Just a few days before this show the group's management got an ominous. We worded letter on Department of Justice letterhead it read dating violence and assault is wrong. Music places significant role in Society- and I just you to be aware of the FBI's position relative to the song and its message tonight. The Detroit Police Department is out in force, they have a command centre under the arena, and so Three hundred officers are there any other
The crown fired a heading out on individual manager, manager, Heller made a deal with their promoter, Darrell Brooks. If the group were formed, but the police they would be Fun twenty five thousand dollars that song is off limits, but every time is a break between tracks a crowd. chance a line of officers flags in every way on each side of the stage. Dray exchanges looks with his bandits. Therein agreed they're gonna play it Dray looks to the lead him see, signalling him the come in on to one two there's a series of the sound like gunfire the audience,
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equal housing, lender licensed in all fifty states in America, consumer access, not a larger number. Thirty thirty. From wondering I'm David Brown, and this is business wars. This is up So two of death row versus bad boy records in turns and intimidation, In our last episode, death row teamed up with two bucks occur to push its dominance of gangster wrapped in new heights and bad way launched a new era of hip hop glamour with a notorious, be hygiene
but in the early seventys the days of robbers, sipping champagne are still far in the future. The found of death row in bad boy come of age. on opposite coast, p, deeply influenced by the music culture and vital struggles of their neighborhoods. It's obvious nineteen. Seventy one of those perfect, southern California summer night. That begin just after sunset the LOS Angeles neighbourhood of Captain, a young to raise running to turn table that is Moms House Party Everyone dancing and laughing playing music. Does the tree he's you're. So Drain is moms. First, child is born, as two weeks after her sixtyth birthday, The father leaves before Dray learns to walk.
drain? Mom keeps them afloat with a series of low paying jobs, but violence is never very far from the families door, police s. Made that there are now as many as six hundred street gangs in LOS Angeles County and seventy thousand gang members. Compton is neighbourhood of compact homes, with lawns that once held the promise of the black american dream, but just housing policies, high unemployment and the explosion of crack cocaine, combined to turn it into one of the most dangerous sites in the country as yours his teenage years. Dray wants to make music that expresses the rough world. That's waiting for him size house. Great desperately wants to be a hip, hop dj but in nineteen. Eighty six he's stuck on the wrong coast A New York LOS Angeles, barely has a policy. The west still shaking off the disco era in order to give book Drake
plays gigs in colorful sequence and a Jerry curl hairdo betting, this free time, he's designing, beats the donkey. The damn about the dance floor, this music, is meant to blast out of sub with like the ones Ordered by the shabby low writers, cruising Compton Boulevard,. Is nineteen eighty seven in a studio torrents California Doktor Dray, is lined up a group of up and coming wrappers from New York to record a new song but when they hear the track, They don't want any part of it. It feels to California so Dray turns to his new business partner, a neighborhood. Acting there whose profits are funding this studio time His name is Eric right, he's a hustler not you prefer. but he's not a rapid that doesn't deter doktor dray one there,
to do this. You ll be perfect, you're right. I don't rap I don't see why the Could I be on this track? How serious this track is you drain knows there's something true in right experienced. that will translate through, is unique, voice. Drake, coaches- through the track lie by line take after take until They have boys in the who saw it becomes an underground success, dry, transforms Eric ride into easy together bill in the face of music in the group. in Way West Coast gangster wrath. Officially arrived It's early. Ninety. Ninety one in LOS Angeles they had come,
is of historic disco in funk label. Solar records lives in a bland office, complex that houses affair, or of lawyers offices. But down one hallways, were dray calls the first love of my life it's a state of the art mixing board making machine with as many knobs in dials as the cognitive, a jet I'll Dray wants to do is sit in front of those buttons and make music he hates dealing with business. But he also hates getting screwed over by this Why he's produced a string of gold and platinum records for easy ease company, but he doesn't feel I keep getting his share of the profits. drain NOS one guy. He thinks can help a giant with a soft voice who goes by sugar. Like drain Marian shook, and I grew up in court, dre. He grew up
a stable home with his mother and father. section in the neighborhood is controlled by the blood, but he's not again he's a star football player. He goes on Lay in college even place two games in the end. I fell for the allay rams, but that it work out so sure. what's his have to good use and becomes a bodyguard for the singer body breath underneath his menacing physique show scattered my for business, and he Weekly learns enough to move from being the hired muscle to, using tell him manager, which makes him. The perfect man to solve trays problem should I need you to give me. Others contract easy taking money in my pocket. Whatever it takes, Do it sure raises an eyebrow brow, stray smile I'll take care of it.
what happens next? Will forever be a part of hip hop, though details very according to the most common version, should takes easy into a room in the solar records. Billy three guys as big as should stand over easy, whose only five foot three the big guys hold baseball bat. They they have easy business partner, tied up in a van with a gun to his head enough for a reason? have to use the bats, he signs to document the releases drive from his contract now free for me, drain should decide to start their own label. They'll call it death row its nineteen eighty, eight Sean puppy,
is hiding out in the bathroom of an Amtrak train on his way. Washington DC to New York City ways. Have you it ready. hiding out because, as usual he hasn't bought a ticket can afford he's a business Major Howard University, the prestigious historically black college in Washington DC, put puppies not in class he's the throwing the wildest parties. Howard, is ever seen, and it's not just for fun Sitters packing venue as central training for him future in the music business he's already got it all planned out, he's going to in his own label, healed the kingmaker, who elevates all of blackmail, two new height, but he oh see is still a long way from that. Take it that way
you waited out in this bathroom as long as he has to but he's on his way to New York for his first, on the way to becoming music royalty a two day Internship at a record label on pop, his first day at work. He has to do the usual enter and tasks. delivering mail and washing and waxing is bosses car This isn't just can a record level. This is uptown records, but the most important labels in hip, hop and are indeed his boss. Is Andrei herself legendary music executive who helped led Motown record. He also to stand as a vice president of Deaf JAM. The pioneering hip hop label that Corporate pedigree might intimidate other people, not PA even as an intern he's already got the Harlem swagger, there will take him to the
top of the music industry he gets it from his father- even though he barely knew the man, the other comes was a true hustler in the Harlem tradition, but he paid heavy price for his criminal connections. He shot dead near central park before his son terms, three puppies raised by his mother, when Middle School. She moves from Harlem to the Middle Class New York suburbs, his wife neighbours don't invite him over play in their backyard pools. This sit well with a kid who craves being the centre of attention. He gets the Nick puffy in high school from the way you always struts around with his chest. Puffed up he's hungry for success. Even then is eighteen. Ninety one puffy the labels head talent, scouted, leaving uptown. He takes his boss, rail to lunch
the unleashes his pitch for the job full force. Let's make uptown the home of ghetto fabulous. Now know our uptown have that hall kind of cool hustler cachet too. That's not our audience. What do you know about our body? What do I am your demographic make you rich. He gets the job. Hurray can already sense that puffy is visionary. Kid has genius for selling music is something that's more than sooner entertainment, It's a talent. The translates perfectly to puppies passionate side project working is I profile, party promoter around New York City and its this work that puts puffy front dense honor in a national tragedy. One threatens to and the bad boy story
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He's gone from in turn to head talent, scale long, sigh, the uptown artists. He's brought in members of the legendary New York Hip Hop group run DMZ There are thousands more people crowding the street thing can possibly fit into the venue. All of them are desperate to get in people are starting to jostling each other as they try to add to the front. Puffy asked them least, to put up a barricade, to the crowd. Pushes thousands when, for a single door into the GM some trap on the steps others press yes towards glass, shatter. Amid the chaos puffy give see, the yard, a concert governor strewn across the entrance. By the end of the night. Nine p They're dead, Dozens more are injured.
The story becomes national news with puffy the young record exec in the headlines The tragedy fuels public perception of rap music is dangerous and unlawful. Roll Rivera devotes a showed a placing blame for the deaths coming up next honour. All that is wrong Here's a killing your kid sent, the rapid puffy, is deeply shaken. Some of the dead are people he knew. Uptown lawyers advise him to lay low. He can't attend the funerals in the end. he's not found criminally liable. Still many call for poverty to be kicked out of uptown, but a real sticks by it. It's late, nineteen. Ninety two, the staff at uptown, are gathered for a meeting. Harold ahead of the label, sits at the conference table flank other high level executives there
waiting on puffy, but he is nowhere to be found. Povey Now, twenty one years old and already of vice president, the youngest at that level anywhere in the recording industry, it took him just two years in the business, to become a millionaire the weight of the day that's from the previous year is real, but that's done Nothing to decrease. His energy bore his swagger. He has a motto: can't stop won't stop. The top breasted uptown Wanna talk to puffy about his spending habit feelings wasting too much money promoting is artist. Puffy doesn't the criticism. Well, finally arrived at the meeting. He charges in with his shirt off ready. A trade blows. He points to the white executive. He said specks of undermining him and his artists don't ever disrespect
nobody does down with me, mother Fucker Somehow puffy keeps his job yet again. For rail is willing to put up with puffy, because it see like every album. Puffy touches goes gold or platinum. Puffy a marketing genius. He has a knack for turning his artists into aspirational figures body, men of his vision of a ghetto fabulous. He sells millions of albums with armed, be artists like Josie and Mary J oblige thanks to his career uptown, when puffy walks into a club, is almost guaranteed to hear one of his artist even with his success. He know, That is a long way from the cutting edge of hip hop culture. He feeling, like he's behind the times we go to her office with the idea of starting his own label as an imprint of uptown. As usual. He d
sensor himself in front of his boss. I would like to get it shit. streets while reality they want truth. They want rough. They want tough It's almost like a girl ignore insane girls like bad boys, and that's why the labels gotta be called bad boy. Sits in silence bad boy wrap, goes mainstream we real and sees not do, is playing Thanks to you, put him on MTV. After a while, her real response, the boss, can be, as blunt is as protegee shit Here they are one line in the jungle you're looking at puppies devastated. this places is home. Andre Hariri was like a father figure. This is puffs first setback, but his rise to power is just getting star.
Puffy causes lawyer to tell him the bad news the fuck do I do, but his attorney Doesn't offers sympathy can grow relations Sean this the best day of your life on the next episode puffy fights to win the trust of a new artist, the notary Biagi, while after dray, ensure ignite struggle to bring death rose, first released a market and politics I'm and wrap view together when an uprising, engulfs LOS Angeles. From wondering this is episode to death row versus bad boy for business world. If you like our show, please give us a five star rating in a review and be sure to tell your friends. Follow business wars on apple casts: Spotify, Amazon, music, the wonder reactor wherever you're listening right now, listen free. By joining one replies,
to find some links and offers from our sponsors and the episode nodes. Supporting them helps us keep offering our shows for free another you can support the shows by filling out a small survey. It wondering calm, slash survey and tell us what business stories you'd like to hear a quick note of recreations you ve been hearing in most cases We can't know exactly what was said at the time. Those scenes your dramatization, but their based on historical research and we use many sources when researching our stories. But we specially recommend chain, who diary pokers book, unbelievable the life death after life of the notorious Biagi. Also Zack, oh Molly, Green Bergs book three kings, daddy Doktor, Dray, J, Z, and here pops multi billion dollar rise, we'll canyon Mire wrote this story. Karen low is our senior producer and editor edited and whose by Emily Frost Poyser by Amari Williams, sound designed by Kyle Randal Arson,
He had producers, K, young, are produced Dave, shilling, our exit, producers are Jenny, Lauer, Beckmann and Martial Louie, created by or Non Lopez for wondering. hi Andean, Patrick coasted, that seen within Patrick and Amazon original podcast, where I talk to Hollywood top actors about some of the most iconic scene. Define their careers to go behind the scenes of your favorite movie moments to free just going Amazon Dotcom, slash that sea
Transcript generated on 2021-09-13.