There was a time when the mere mention of Eminem’s record label, Shady Records would make any MC not down with them shake in their tims. Besides the fact that the label was home to two of the highest selling rappers of all time in Eminem himself and 50 Cent, the rest of the label was also jam packed with additional talent like Obie Trice and D12. It was all but guaranteed that every release they put out would go on to sell at least a million copies.
Even the Shady Empire wasn’t immune to the sales slump that hit the music industry though. Add to that the departure of Eminem’s first protégé Obie Trice, 50 Cent’s decreasing sales, and talk of Dr. Dre’s Detox album with no release date in sight and it becomes evident that the once invincible label is in fact mortal.
Although the roster is talented and deep including Cashis and Bobby Creekwater, none have released albums. Keeping all this in mind, it’s no surprise that long time Shady soldier Stat Quo has finally picked up and left.
Signed to the label for five years and given a bunch of release dates Stat left the label without an album to his name. His album Statlanta was highly anticipated and rumored to be a masterpiece. Sixshot.Com’s Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. ONG>Jon Michael recently caught up with Stat Quo to discuss his departure from Shady Records, his relationship with Eminem, and whether he thinks Detox will ever come out.
Sixshot.Com: So Stat the recent news is that you’re no longer with Shady Records.
Stat Quo: Yeah, I'm no longer down with Shady/Aftermath.
Sixshot.Com: How did the split go down man?
Stat Quo: I signed to Shady in late 2003 and other than being on the Re-Up album and some other projects I wasn't really seeing my career move at the rate that I wanted it to. I didn't see an end in sight in terms of a release date for my album. If you're not Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, or Eminem they're not really trying to put your album out and I can understand that with the music business being the way it is. It was just my time to go.
Sixshot.Com: Let me ask you, as far as your album goes would you say it was more so Jimmy Iovine holding it back or Eminem and Dre holding it back?
Stat Quo: I really don’t think it was a Jimmy thing but at the end it kind of was because Jimmy wanted an Eminem, 50 Cent, and Dr. Dre album. I was supposed to come out like three and a half years ago and from a business standpoint that would have been the best move because at the time they had the game on lock. They could have sold blank CD’s at that time. People would have just bought it off the name.
I think Dre is overly, like I think he had a certain apprehension because of things that may have happened with certain projects in the past so that’s why my album was taking so long. When it came time to choose a record we couldn’t mutually agree. A lot of time an artist will just drop the single to kind of force the hand of the label but we weren’t all on the same page so it would have been hard to get it to radio and all that. We wouldn’t have had that financial backing for it, you know what I’m sayin’?
Sixshot.Com: So who was it that was disagreeing about the first single?
Stat Quo: It was all of us, all of us that were involved in the project. Em and me had made a decision and then was like, “I don’t know” and once that gets thrown in there, you know what I mean? Dre liked a record that I did and thought it was the one but it didn’t do too well at radio and I was apprehensive. It was on The Re-Up but it didn’t really take off like it was supposed to.
Sixshot.Com: All right so let’s say your album came out three and a half years ago like it was supposed to, how do you think it would have done?
Stat Quo: Ah man it would have been incredible. I would have sold three or four million records. Shady was crazy back then. Everything was selling plus I had the right product. I had great music plus I’m from the south and the South was already doin’ it’s thing. On paper you couldn’t ask for a better situation but different circumstances fucked it up. Me as a businessman I never would have held my record because I knew it was hot and we had the game so on lock. When I signed, 50 had just came out. Even The Re-Up sold a few million worldwide and the movement wasn’t even as crazy as it was.
Sixshot.Com: How many release dates did you have?
Stat Quo: That’s like sayin’ how many kids Shawn Kemp got? (Laughs) How many kids he got? (Laughs) Release dates are irrelevant. Those shits are irrelevant. Those shits just come and go. They mean nothing. Let me tell the public something. An artist isn’t coming out unless they got a song that’s playing on the radio or they got a video that’s about to be in regular rotation, you know what I’m sayin’? Shit just isn’t like it was. Back in like 1992-1995 you could put out a song that wasn’t necessarily geared towards the club and it might work. It might not get a lot of play but the label will put it out just to see what it does. Now they need that song because they’re spending so much money on the album. By the time the song reaches the radio they already spent 5-7 million dollars on the album so you gotta sell crazy to make some money.
It’s all fucked up. Hip-hop was never meant for motherfuckers to be spending 5,6,7 million dollars on an album. Keep the costs low, make great music and then you don’t have to worry about trying to make a single that everybody is going to like so you could sell millions and millions of records. Everybody just wants to sell 12 million records their first time out. They want to hit the lottery instead of working. It’s like instead of having a job and making a million dollars throughout your whole life they want to make that million in one day. They don’t want to build up a career.
Everybody’s talking about Lil Wayne sold a million copies in his first week. Lil Wayne has been out forever. That man built up a career. I would rather sell two or three hundred thousand, maybe gold or whatever, do three or four albums and build up my fan base. I’ll be able to perform anytime and anywhere I want in the country. I would rather build up my fan base. There are people who love Lil Wayne seriously, you know what I mean? I like that path.
Sixshot.Com: You and Obie Trice are both gone and you two were major pieces to the puzzle. Do you think Shady Records is going to be the same?
Stat Quo: I mean I don’t know. The clock is definitely ticking. It’ll obviously be a little different because we’re not there. They got a talented roster though. You can’t deny that. The only way I see the artists on Shady/Aftermath coming out is if Eminem, 50, and Dre put out their albums. If they don’t then Bobby Creek and D12 can’t put out their albums. The stockholders need these records to come out.
They need these millions of dollars so there could be a Shady Records and an Aftermath or a G-Unit. In my opinion it’s just a case of why would I spend all of this money on a maybe when I could just do the sure thing? When Dre, 50, or Em put out an album you know they’re going to sell. They want the sure thing but that’s just my opinion. They could turn around tomorrow and put out everybody’s album but I doubt it.
Sixshot.Com: In your opinion, is Dre’s album ever going to come out?
Stat Quo: Um, maybe in 2010. I told him that one time before and he laughed at me. In my opinion I don’t think it’s coming out anytime soon. I want it to come out. I want him to put his record out. He works hard and makes so much great music. I think Dre and Em are just very important to hip-hop music. Rap is real 'single-driven' right now and that’s kinda changed the whole scope of rap music.
Not a lot of people are just putting out that real hip-hop, so if Em and Dre do then that helps hip-hop as a whole. It’s not just about oh I need to put out a Stat Quo album It’s about hip-hop overall. Eminem and Dre are really important to hip-hop. I know Em is going to put out an album I ain’t even worried about that. Dre I don’t know. I really don’t.
Sixshot.Com: So what about all the music that you recorded while you were over there?
Stat Quo: Jay, I think you already know what’s good with that. (Laughs)
Sixshot.Com: It’s coming out, isn’t it?
Stat Quo: You already know. (Laughs) I said it and that’s what’s gonna happen. It’s got nothing to do with money at all. It just has to do with all that work I did not being in vein. We’re talking about me being in the studio for two and three days in a row working hard and making great music. People have to hear that People want to hear that. I don’t know when. They’ll hear it when the time is right but I’m not gonna sit here and say that I’m not putting that music out.
Sixshot.Com: Has your relationship with Eminem been affected by this situation?
Stat Quo: I haven’t talked to Eminem in a while so I really don’t know. I haven’t talked to Dre or anybody over there for a while. When he was sick in the hospital I sent a get well soon type of deal over to his house but I really haven’t spoken to him. He’s good dude but who knows? It probably has affected the relationship.
Sixshot.Com: What was Eminem’s reaction when he found out you wanted out of your deal?
Stat Quo: It was a mutual thing and from their side it was like, “okay cool” At Interscope they want albums for 50 Cent, Dre, and Eminem and that’s what it is. There’s nothing to be upset about, you know what I mean? There’s nothing to be mad about. This is a business man. Those three albums make sure that Interscope can have those fancy offices and all those people can have jobs. They depend on Dre’s album. They depend on Eminem’s album. They depend on 50 Cent’s album. Do I have some personal animosity about not getting to put my album out? Yeah. But you gotta realize that this is a business. I can’t cry over no spilled milk. I’m not gonna sit over here and be mad at Eminem or whoever.
I’m not mad, I’m good. I thank them for everything they did for me. I think that’s some ho ass shit when somebody leaves a team and then talks shit about them. That’s not my style. I’m not on that shit. They gave me a chance and helped me out. Is there things I wanted them to do differently? Yeah, but there’s things they wanted me to do differently so it is what it is. I’m not gonna disrespect those gentleman because they did some shit for me, Paul Rosenberg, all of them. Those are good people at the end of the day and they’re just trying to make it themselves.
Sixshot.Com: So Stat be honest with me. What labels are approaching you?
Stat Quo: Ah man you might want to interview my attorney about that. I haven’t really thought about any of that yet. All I’m about right now is rap. I’m just making music and I’m putting out everything that I record. I just want people to hear my voice. I’m just waking up in the morning and recording. I really feel like a robot man. It’s just so automatic. You know when a fighter is in the best shape of their life? I feel like that man. All I do is rap about what I see and what’s going on around me. I don’t really get caught up in all that other shit. I’m good. My family is good. I got good friends. I’m good. It’s a recession outside but we makin’ due. I can’t complain. I ain’t really worried about all the other shit because talent always rises above everything.
Sixshot.Com: All right Stat so now that you’re off Shady Record what can we expect to see from you?
Stat Quo: Just get ready to see the grind and the grit. I’m putting music out every month. I just put out The South Got Somethin’ To Say. Thanks to everybody that checked it out and if you didn’t already then go get it. It’s not hosted by no DJ, no disrespect to the DJ’s. Ya’ll could take it off there and make your own mixtape; I don’t give a fuck man, however ya’ll wanna do it. I’m putting out 12, 13 joints every month. It’s easy man. Rapping is like having a conversation for me. You wanna be an MC right now? You wanna do this? You gotta be prolific man, that’s what it is. Big up to Sixshot.Com too. I appreciate you brother.
www.myspace.com/statquo
Even the Shady Empire wasn’t immune to the sales slump that hit the music industry though. Add to that the departure of Eminem’s first protégé Obie Trice, 50 Cent’s decreasing sales, and talk of Dr. Dre’s Detox album with no release date in sight and it becomes evident that the once invincible label is in fact mortal.
Although the roster is talented and deep including Cashis and Bobby Creekwater, none have released albums. Keeping all this in mind, it’s no surprise that long time Shady soldier Stat Quo has finally picked up and left.
Signed to the label for five years and given a bunch of release dates Stat left the label without an album to his name. His album Statlanta was highly anticipated and rumored to be a masterpiece. Sixshot.Com’s Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. ONG>Jon Michael recently caught up with Stat Quo to discuss his departure from Shady Records, his relationship with Eminem, and whether he thinks Detox will ever come out.
Sixshot.Com: So Stat the recent news is that you’re no longer with Shady Records.
Stat Quo: Yeah, I'm no longer down with Shady/Aftermath.
Sixshot.Com: How did the split go down man?
Stat Quo: I signed to Shady in late 2003 and other than being on the Re-Up album and some other projects I wasn't really seeing my career move at the rate that I wanted it to. I didn't see an end in sight in terms of a release date for my album. If you're not Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, or Eminem they're not really trying to put your album out and I can understand that with the music business being the way it is. It was just my time to go.
Sixshot.Com: Let me ask you, as far as your album goes would you say it was more so Jimmy Iovine holding it back or Eminem and Dre holding it back?
Stat Quo: I really don’t think it was a Jimmy thing but at the end it kind of was because Jimmy wanted an Eminem, 50 Cent, and Dr. Dre album. I was supposed to come out like three and a half years ago and from a business standpoint that would have been the best move because at the time they had the game on lock. They could have sold blank CD’s at that time. People would have just bought it off the name.
I think Dre is overly, like I think he had a certain apprehension because of things that may have happened with certain projects in the past so that’s why my album was taking so long. When it came time to choose a record we couldn’t mutually agree. A lot of time an artist will just drop the single to kind of force the hand of the label but we weren’t all on the same page so it would have been hard to get it to radio and all that. We wouldn’t have had that financial backing for it, you know what I’m sayin’?
Sixshot.Com: So who was it that was disagreeing about the first single?
Stat Quo: It was all of us, all of us that were involved in the project. Em and me had made a decision and then was like, “I don’t know” and once that gets thrown in there, you know what I mean? Dre liked a record that I did and thought it was the one but it didn’t do too well at radio and I was apprehensive. It was on The Re-Up but it didn’t really take off like it was supposed to.
Sixshot.Com: All right so let’s say your album came out three and a half years ago like it was supposed to, how do you think it would have done?
Stat Quo: Ah man it would have been incredible. I would have sold three or four million records. Shady was crazy back then. Everything was selling plus I had the right product. I had great music plus I’m from the south and the South was already doin’ it’s thing. On paper you couldn’t ask for a better situation but different circumstances fucked it up. Me as a businessman I never would have held my record because I knew it was hot and we had the game so on lock. When I signed, 50 had just came out. Even The Re-Up sold a few million worldwide and the movement wasn’t even as crazy as it was.
Sixshot.Com: How many release dates did you have?
Stat Quo: That’s like sayin’ how many kids Shawn Kemp got? (Laughs) How many kids he got? (Laughs) Release dates are irrelevant. Those shits are irrelevant. Those shits just come and go. They mean nothing. Let me tell the public something. An artist isn’t coming out unless they got a song that’s playing on the radio or they got a video that’s about to be in regular rotation, you know what I’m sayin’? Shit just isn’t like it was. Back in like 1992-1995 you could put out a song that wasn’t necessarily geared towards the club and it might work. It might not get a lot of play but the label will put it out just to see what it does. Now they need that song because they’re spending so much money on the album. By the time the song reaches the radio they already spent 5-7 million dollars on the album so you gotta sell crazy to make some money.
It’s all fucked up. Hip-hop was never meant for motherfuckers to be spending 5,6,7 million dollars on an album. Keep the costs low, make great music and then you don’t have to worry about trying to make a single that everybody is going to like so you could sell millions and millions of records. Everybody just wants to sell 12 million records their first time out. They want to hit the lottery instead of working. It’s like instead of having a job and making a million dollars throughout your whole life they want to make that million in one day. They don’t want to build up a career.
Everybody’s talking about Lil Wayne sold a million copies in his first week. Lil Wayne has been out forever. That man built up a career. I would rather sell two or three hundred thousand, maybe gold or whatever, do three or four albums and build up my fan base. I’ll be able to perform anytime and anywhere I want in the country. I would rather build up my fan base. There are people who love Lil Wayne seriously, you know what I mean? I like that path.
Sixshot.Com: You and Obie Trice are both gone and you two were major pieces to the puzzle. Do you think Shady Records is going to be the same?
Stat Quo: I mean I don’t know. The clock is definitely ticking. It’ll obviously be a little different because we’re not there. They got a talented roster though. You can’t deny that. The only way I see the artists on Shady/Aftermath coming out is if Eminem, 50, and Dre put out their albums. If they don’t then Bobby Creek and D12 can’t put out their albums. The stockholders need these records to come out.
They need these millions of dollars so there could be a Shady Records and an Aftermath or a G-Unit. In my opinion it’s just a case of why would I spend all of this money on a maybe when I could just do the sure thing? When Dre, 50, or Em put out an album you know they’re going to sell. They want the sure thing but that’s just my opinion. They could turn around tomorrow and put out everybody’s album but I doubt it.
Sixshot.Com: In your opinion, is Dre’s album ever going to come out?
Stat Quo: Um, maybe in 2010. I told him that one time before and he laughed at me. In my opinion I don’t think it’s coming out anytime soon. I want it to come out. I want him to put his record out. He works hard and makes so much great music. I think Dre and Em are just very important to hip-hop music. Rap is real 'single-driven' right now and that’s kinda changed the whole scope of rap music.
Not a lot of people are just putting out that real hip-hop, so if Em and Dre do then that helps hip-hop as a whole. It’s not just about oh I need to put out a Stat Quo album It’s about hip-hop overall. Eminem and Dre are really important to hip-hop. I know Em is going to put out an album I ain’t even worried about that. Dre I don’t know. I really don’t.
Sixshot.Com: So what about all the music that you recorded while you were over there?
Stat Quo: Jay, I think you already know what’s good with that. (Laughs)
Sixshot.Com: It’s coming out, isn’t it?
Stat Quo: You already know. (Laughs) I said it and that’s what’s gonna happen. It’s got nothing to do with money at all. It just has to do with all that work I did not being in vein. We’re talking about me being in the studio for two and three days in a row working hard and making great music. People have to hear that People want to hear that. I don’t know when. They’ll hear it when the time is right but I’m not gonna sit here and say that I’m not putting that music out.
Sixshot.Com: Has your relationship with Eminem been affected by this situation?
Stat Quo: I haven’t talked to Eminem in a while so I really don’t know. I haven’t talked to Dre or anybody over there for a while. When he was sick in the hospital I sent a get well soon type of deal over to his house but I really haven’t spoken to him. He’s good dude but who knows? It probably has affected the relationship.
Sixshot.Com: What was Eminem’s reaction when he found out you wanted out of your deal?
Stat Quo: It was a mutual thing and from their side it was like, “okay cool” At Interscope they want albums for 50 Cent, Dre, and Eminem and that’s what it is. There’s nothing to be upset about, you know what I mean? There’s nothing to be mad about. This is a business man. Those three albums make sure that Interscope can have those fancy offices and all those people can have jobs. They depend on Dre’s album. They depend on Eminem’s album. They depend on 50 Cent’s album. Do I have some personal animosity about not getting to put my album out? Yeah. But you gotta realize that this is a business. I can’t cry over no spilled milk. I’m not gonna sit over here and be mad at Eminem or whoever.
I’m not mad, I’m good. I thank them for everything they did for me. I think that’s some ho ass shit when somebody leaves a team and then talks shit about them. That’s not my style. I’m not on that shit. They gave me a chance and helped me out. Is there things I wanted them to do differently? Yeah, but there’s things they wanted me to do differently so it is what it is. I’m not gonna disrespect those gentleman because they did some shit for me, Paul Rosenberg, all of them. Those are good people at the end of the day and they’re just trying to make it themselves.
Sixshot.Com: So Stat be honest with me. What labels are approaching you?
Stat Quo: Ah man you might want to interview my attorney about that. I haven’t really thought about any of that yet. All I’m about right now is rap. I’m just making music and I’m putting out everything that I record. I just want people to hear my voice. I’m just waking up in the morning and recording. I really feel like a robot man. It’s just so automatic. You know when a fighter is in the best shape of their life? I feel like that man. All I do is rap about what I see and what’s going on around me. I don’t really get caught up in all that other shit. I’m good. My family is good. I got good friends. I’m good. It’s a recession outside but we makin’ due. I can’t complain. I ain’t really worried about all the other shit because talent always rises above everything.
Sixshot.Com: All right Stat so now that you’re off Shady Record what can we expect to see from you?
Stat Quo: Just get ready to see the grind and the grit. I’m putting music out every month. I just put out The South Got Somethin’ To Say. Thanks to everybody that checked it out and if you didn’t already then go get it. It’s not hosted by no DJ, no disrespect to the DJ’s. Ya’ll could take it off there and make your own mixtape; I don’t give a fuck man, however ya’ll wanna do it. I’m putting out 12, 13 joints every month. It’s easy man. Rapping is like having a conversation for me. You wanna be an MC right now? You wanna do this? You gotta be prolific man, that’s what it is. Big up to Sixshot.Com too. I appreciate you brother.
www.myspace.com/statquo
