A rumor broke yesterday that Hip Hop legend L.A Reid was fired from Def Jam. However, sources told Allhiphop.com that the man that who signed acts like TLC, Toni Braxton and Baby-Face while with Arista has not been let go.
Def Jam was once the biggest record label in the music industry but things started to decline when record sales rapidly decreased for everyone. Some may argue that it’s the talent signed to Def Jam or blame it on LA Reid’s ostentatious business moves (like signing Shyne straight out of prison) that caused Def Jam’s recent decline.
Which leads us to this suggestion. Maybe good artists like Fabolous, Jeremih and The Roots can get the appropriate attention they need to build their careers if the label trimmed some fat. Here are five artists that should be kicked off the Def Jam roster rather than L.A. Reid.
Shyne
Shyne “Jamal Michael Barrow” now Jamal Michael Barrow Leviy( changed to reflect his Jewish background) served most of his 10 year sentence in prison before being released to the likes of LA Reid who went to bat to get him signed to Def Jam. Upon his first few days of freedom, Shyne was deported and even though that didn’t seem like it would stop him, he released some freestyles that made fans realize that Shyne needs to hang up his Yamaka.
Ace Hood
Ace Hood is about to release his third album but his label boss DJ Khaled is still more known than he is. Hood was featured on a few other projects but his career never really kicked off; not even Trey Songz could help.
Curren$y
Who? Yeah, I’m aware that you probably don’t know who this is. Curren$y has been featured along side artists Lil’ Wayne (“Grown Man”) and welp, that’s it. You can catch him spitting freestyles on his block or for Internet radio but nothing to boost his career. I didn’t even know he had a record deal. His laid-back flow hasn’t gotten him far.
Rocko
Rocko sold 28,000 copies of his debut album it’s first week; enough said. He was once dating R&B sensation Monica, which is the closest he should have gotten to the record business.
Playaz Circle
One hit wonders Playaz Circle scored big time with their first song “Duffle Bag Boy.” It looked like a clear road to stardom for the College Park duo; “Duffle Bag Boy” was the summer anthem. However, Playaz Circle’s career took a backseat when member Tity was shot(well at least that’s what they want us to believe). 50 cent got shot nine times and it did nothing but help so we won’t count that as an excuse!
