dottedline Dallas-based T-Town Records (DSR) signs $7 mil label deal with Universal Records
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s the industry turns its focus towards the screwed-and-chopped city of Houston, its often overlooked brother three hours north, Dallas, is preparing for a takeover of its own. T-Town Music, home to Dallas powerhouse DSR, recently signed a label deal with Universal Records comparable to Cash Money’s multi-album situation. Imran Majib, one of the youngest A&Rs at Universal Records, sought out T-Town after extensive research as his first signing. “They were probably the only [unsigned] powerhouse in the indie market from Texas,” Majib says. “They reminded us a lot of the stuff people like Swishahouse and Chamillionaire were doing on their own. The following they had independently really attracted us.” Although many labels had already approached T-Town co-CEO George Lopez (his partners are Trinidad Delgado and Allen Powell), Universal came with the right numbers. “We’d talked to a lot of other labels, but nobody had the budget that we wanted for each of our projects. We wanted to be the next No Limit and drop 14 projects in one year. I wanted to start with four albums, and I wanted $2 mil per album. Universal came to the table and said they’d do it as a joint venture.” says Lopez. After signing the $7 million dollar deal, Lopez laughs, “Oh, yeah, we all splurged. Everybody bought some cars and jewelry. Three of us invested our money.” In 2006, T-Town/Universal expects to drop three solo albums from members of the DSR camp: Big Tuck (March 28th), Tum Tum (July), and Fat Bastard (November). If all goes well, DSR’s group album will be dropping in 2007. “We definitely have high expectations for this camp,” says Majib. “Nothing less than what Cash Money accomplished.” “We’re definitely trying to get the spotlight on Dallas,” says Lopez. “Dallas has always supported what Houston’s done, and now we’re looking for our own thing, our own sound. We’re basically talking about the same things, but the delivery is different even though we’re all from Texas. It’s two different styles, but it’s all Texas.” With the Universal machinery behind them, expect the spotlight to be on DSR in 2006. - Julia Beverly
Alabama’s 334 Mobb signs with Def Jam
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ith the exception of Dirty, now signed to Rap-A-Lot, and Dirty’s artist Lil’ Burn One, not many rappers represent the small town of Montgomery, AL. Brothers Big Ken (also known as Supa Star) and Sawed Off set out to put their city on the map, even adopting the area code (334) as their moniker. 334 M.O.B.B. set out to create a name for themselves through mixtape appearances, internet hype, and collaborations with artists like Bonecrusher and David Banner. Versatile and well-rounded, they were able to stretch their money by producing their own songs. “We don’t want to be pigeonholed as rappers,” says Supa Star. “We can do it all, from emceeing, production, and performing.” As their indie buzz started to grow, 334 M.O.B.B. still came across many obstacles. “You can get good money being indie,” explains Supa Star. “But there’s a lot of cons. A lot of DJs and reporters won’t holla at you. It’s hard being independent, man. There’s a lot more hard times than good times.” “A lot of industry cats don’t want to listen to you,” adds Sawed Off. “Only a few DJs - Chuck T and Wally Sparks - looked out for us when we were indie.” Ray Romulus, an A&R at Def Jam, sought out 334 M.O.B.B. as his second signing. He’d heard about the group while meeting with a producer who’d worked with them. “I just saw they were a little different, especially coming out of Alabama,” says Romulus. “There hasn’t been anything coming from Alabama, and also the fact that they produced. They were real talented, and I liked the fact that they’re brothers.” The clincher was their newest single, “Take A Picture.” “When I first heard it,” Ray recalls, “I was like, ‘This is outta here.’ It’s a hit. I heard the rest of their records and I knew they were talented.” CEO L.A. Reid agreed, and after meeting with the group, wouldn’t let them leave the building - literally - until they signed a deal. As Def Jam prepares to put the major label muscle behind “Take A Picture,” 334 M.O.B.B. hasn’t lost sight of what brought them this far. “The music industry is a big hustle,” says Sawed Off. “You gotta have the hustle in your system to make it. You gotta have the mind to go out and get it.” The major label deal hasn’t caused them to lose a firm grasp on reality. “No one cares about you in this industry,” says Supa Star. “You’re just a paycheck to these muthafuckers. There’s a lot of snakes, man. It’s all about prayer. I prayed to God and said, ‘This is all I have. This is all I know. This is not a want, this is a need,’ and that’s when things started happening.” - Julia Beverly & Rohit Loomba (photo: Julia Beverly)
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