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James Cruz on Managing Busta Rhymes & Missy Elliott, LL Cool J Telling Him to Shut Up (Part 3)
Posted
July 8, 2022
Views
61,927
Likes
980
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147
Engagement
1.82%
July 8, 2022
61,927
980
147
1.82%
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In this clip, James Cruz talks about Bad Boy's resurgence back in the early 2000s, citing a new wave of artists such as Black Rob and Shyne because discussing why so many hip hop fans initially disapproved of the latter because he reminded them too much of Biggie. This prompts Shawn Prez to share a story about his days working behind the scenes with Bad Boy Entertainment and witnessing firsthand how hard Shyne worked. From there, Cruz and Prez reminisce back on their days at Bad Boy during the late 90s by comparing the degree of difficulty of working with the company to earning a PhD or becoming a member of the Navy Seals. From there, they revisit the infamous night when a shooting took place at Club New York, that would forever change the lives of Shyne and P. Diddy. Cruz also talks about his allegiance to Bad Boy Entertainment before giving a shoutout to some of the music businessmen who have influenced his life the most such as Chris Lighty and the legendary Steve Rifkind (he discovered Wu-Tang Clan in the early 90s).
As the conversation moves along, James Cruz talks about the moment when P. Diddy encouraged him to leave Bay Boy Entertainment for a managerial position at Chris Lighty's upstart label, Violator. He reveals that although Lighty became his mentor and brother, they actually started off as rivals in the world of hip-hop nightlife. Cruz goes on to state that they were introduced by a woman who would go on to become a very important business woman in hip-hop, Jessica Rosenblum. After Rosenblum recommended that Lighty make Cruz his righthand man at Violator. Lastly, Cruz talks about how overwhelmed his was, initially, when Violator assigned him artists such as Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J and Missy Elliot and some of the mistakes that he made during his early stages with the famous record label, before sharing a story about how LL Cool J told him to shut up during a meeting.
Interview by: Shawn Prez
Check out his youtube channel at
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