Just some of the interesting facts revealed in the THE BIG PAYBACK!
For A Brief Time, Lyor Cohen Owned Half Of The Source
After the founding editors of The Source magazine walked out in a dispute with publisher Dave Mays, a friend stepped in to negotiate on their behalf. But what Lyor Cohen ended up doing was not the act of a friend...
The Big Payback: pages 472-473
New York's Hot 97 Was Not
The First Pop Station Where Hip-Hop Lived
In 1994, Hot 97 became the first pop station in New York to feature a hip-hop format. But they weren't the first large pop station in the country to do so, and they didn't even invent the slogan that they made famous...The Big Payback: pages 341-344
Cash Money Records Stiffed The Woman Who Got Them Their Landmark Deal
Wendy Day worked for free for the better part of a decade, helping rap artists out of bad deals and helping them negotiate good ones. But the first time she charged a fee, she got stiffed. And that's when things got complicated...
The Big Payback: pages 522-528
Eminem Refused To Betray His Original Producers After Signing With Dr. Dre
The Bass Brothers shepherded the career of Eminem from his earliest days in Detroit. But when Eminem was offered the deal of a lifetime, he refused to leave his old partners in the dust...
The Big Payback: pages 521-522
Damon Dash Founded
Rocawear For Spite
Some people are crushed by rejection, and others motivated by it. Damon Dash founded Rocawear when a well known clothing company rejected his client Jay-Z's endorsement offer. Of course, Rocawear now dwarfs that other company...
The Big Payback: page 598
L.L. Cool J.'s "Going Back To Cali" Is Not About L.L. Cool J.
The title for the landmark song from 1987's Less Than Zero soundtrack was suggested by the song's producer, Rick Rubin, and had a very personal meaning for him...
The Big Payback: pages 188-189
Vibe's Original Name
Was Not Vibe
The magazine that became Vibe was originally named Volume. But when a British magazine laid claim to the trademark in America, Quincy Jones and crew had to scramble. The new name was suggested by the same person who gave Sean Combs his first shot at stardom. The Big Payback: pages 454-458
Fab 5 Freddy's Name
Is A Mistake
Young artist-provocateur Fred Brathwaite's graffiti "tag" was "FRED FAB 5." But then a very close friend who happened to be a big pop star got it twisted on one of her records...The Big Payback: pages 53-58
The "Bridge Wars" Were
Started By Two Guys Who Hated Hip-Hop
Hip-hop fans and New Yorkers especially remember the battle between Mr. Magic's Juice Crew and Red Alert's associates, Boogie Down Productions. But not many people know that the battle between Red Alert and Mr. Magic's crews was set off by an even more venomous rivalry between two radio programmers: Barry Mayo and Frankie Crocker-both of whom had little love for rap... The Big Payback: pages 81-86, 96-98