The Oral History of Bad Boy Records

 

GQ recently put together a lengthy oral history detailing the origins, growth and tragedies surrounding historic hip-hop label Bad Boy Records which most notably gave us The Notorious B.I.G. Detailing “an army of rappers, and an ocean of champagne [that] changed hip-hop forever,” the editorial is equal parts nostalgic as it is enlightening. While a choice excerpt appears below, head here to read the piece in full. 

The first album released by Bad Boy Entertainment—twenty years ago this month—was the Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, an instant classic and possibly the most influential rap record ever made. For Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, the label’s founder, it was the first in a remarkable streak of commercial hits: twenty-one straight gold- or platinum-selling albums, including Puff’s own Grammy-winning debut, No Way Out, plus home-grown artists like Faith Evans, the Lox, Mase, Total, and 112. By the mid-1990s, Bad Boy was the biggest label in pop music. This is the story of how it all began.

Jadakiss (rapper, the Lox): Getting on Bad Boy was like being the top pick in the draft, going to play with the Bulls when Mike was there. It put the battery in our back.

Janelle Monáe (singer, Bad Boy artist): Bad Boy was proof that the American Dream was real for hardworking young black artists in the ’90s, just like it had been real for Berry Gordy and all my soul and funk heroes at Motown in the ’60s and ’70s. When I graduated high school, I headed straight to New York. That’s where Broadway was. That’s where Puff was.

Russell Simmons (co-founder of Def Jam): Everything Puffy touched was golden. He just made hit after hit after hit.

Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs: I remember waking up one day and I had six of the Top 10 records. As a producer, I had taken over the charts. Everybody wanted a piece of that Bad Boy sound.

Gabrielle Union (actress): Every jam was like, “Aaawww, shit.” Y’know, one hand covering your face, the other in the air.

Andre Harrell (founder of Uptown Records, Combs’s mentor): Puff was a great groovemaker, and whoever controls the groove controls the attitude.

Cheo Coker (journalist, Notorious screenwriter): Ready to Die is one of the first records to tell the perspective of the street-corner drug dealer that wasn’t all fantasy and gloss. It wasn’t kingpin, Scarface-type stuff. It was similar to what Richard Price did withClockers. But Biggie didn’t take 500 pages. He took an hour of your time, and you could dance to it.

Jessica Rosenblum (party promoter): We could be anywhere—in Palladium or a club in D.C.—Puffy always walked around with a bottle in his hand. Biggie had a bottle. They understood the fantasy. When Bad Boy first started doing videos with mansions and all that, nobody was actually living that way yet. It was a projection of what was to come. Bad Boy sold a dream.

 

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  1. Andre harrell was really the architect behind Puff. Andre was working for Russell Simmons , he brings Heavy D to Russell to sign him but he wasn’t feeling him. Andre took Heavy D and later got a distribution deal with MCA and formed Uptown records. Shit was crazy because they had all the hot acts, As a DJ you had damn near every uptown record in your crate because most of em where club bangers . Andre brought Puff on and later made him A&R . Which was one of the best decision he could ever make . Only problem was Biggie came out at the beginning of the record Dreams and said ” I probably go to jail for f@#king Patti labelle ” . Shit Patti heard it and created a major problem because she was under MCA Records, They we’re going to put out Ready to die , Uptown Records parent company, Puff worked so hard on that album I guess he flipping out on the CEOs at MCA Records. Putting Andre in a bad spot with MCA, He decided to released Puff ( which was most likely the worst decision he’s ever made and he will co-sign that statement, Andre’s doing very well.) but keep him and his staff on payrole. Puff actually did the same thing he did with Heavy D but with Biggie Smalls. Being in business I learn from the JDs, PD, RS,50s , you really have to have alot of balls to be successful in business and fight for what you believe in even when know one else will. Puff Daddy has proven it from His Deal with Clive Dave to 9/11/14.

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