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Taking it to the street Before founding Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean "Puffy" Combs worked his way up the ladder from intern to vice president at Uptown Records, where he was the Executive Producer for artists like Mary J. Blige and Heavy D. At Uptown, Combs was responsible for some of the company's most effective promotional strategies. Instead of just relying on flyers, stickers, or other traditional ways of promoting new artists, Puffy put together a "street team." The team would go out to urban housing projects and play basketball with potential record buyers, or go out to the clubs and talk up new talent like it was "the next big thing." This tack was so effective that most record companies have taken on similar approaches to promote to the urban market. Birth of Bad Boy Puffy was fired from Uptown in 1993, and started Bad Boy Entertainment - through a multimillion-dollar deal with Arista Records. During its first four years, the company sold $100 million in records, promoting artists including Biggie Smalls, Li'l Kim and 112. Puffy brought his "street team" approach with him from Uptown, though his most recent efforts have been directed at a different market. His desire now is to appeal to an older, more sophisticated crowd of young black professionals. His own image gained stature when he was named the 16th-most powerful entertainer by Forbes, and appeared alongside Jerry Seinfeld on the magazine's cover in March 1999. Puffy's cross to bear In April 1999, Interscope Records released a Nas video with a scene featuring Puffy nailed to a cross, an image that the Bad Boy rapper had decided was blasphemous and insisted be cut. When the uncut video was released against his wishes, Puffy, his bodyguard, and another friend went over to Interscope's offices and allegedly assaulted Steve Stoute, Interscope's president. They left Stoute injured in his office, leading to assault charges for Combs. He pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment charges in September 1999, and was sentenced to one day in a court-designated anger-management program. Turning tide? Bad Boy was extremely successful in 1997, with rapper Mase's first album and Puffy's "No Way Out" high on the charts. (In April 1999, 21-year-old rapper Mase announced his plan to retire to follow God.) However, GQ Magazine reported that Bad Boy Records revenues dropped from $200 million in 1997 to $35 million in 1998 because of disappointing sales from albums by Total, 112, and Faith Evans. Many music industry observers say the company's success had been largely boosted by the death of 24-year old rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls, or The Notorious B.I.G. Most of the songs released by the label after Biggie's death either featured the performer or were about him. Predictably, many in the music world question the label's exploitation of the slain rapper's demise. All about the Benjamins The company is also criticized for its artists' frequent habit of basing songs on samples from old pop hits, from the Police's "Every Breath You Take" - which provided the base of one of Combs' own hits - to the theme music from Rocky. Plus, all of the big albums released on the label in the past year have been about typical gangsta rap topics - money, ghetto life, sex, and violence. Critics assert that Puffy has managed to sink to the depths of materialism - with more interest in what sells than making music with real meaning. This attitude was exemplified by Puffy's "It's all about the Benjamins" (referring to $100 bills). Another source of negative press has been the rise of Bad Boy's "Bad Girl," Li'l Kim. With her overtly sexual lyrics and outfits, she has been accused of reinforcing negative images of black women. Puffy mixes in King role and soul food In April 1999 the company signed a deal with Dimension films to form a movie company, which will be dubbed (what else?) Bad Boy Films. The first project will be a film called King Suckerman, and will feature Puff Daddy on the soundtrack and in a starring role. The film is slated for a 2000 release. Puffy has also opened a soul food restaurant in New York and is lobbying to expand the influence of R&B and hip-hop artists in the Grammys. Legal woes - and lots of attention If bad publicity is good publicity, then Bad Boy Entertainment has been on an impressive PR rampage. In May 2000, Bad Boy rapper Black Rob was charged with illegal weapons possession and failure to appear in court, making him the third rapper for Bad Boy Entertainment facing criminal charges in six months. The two others, Puff Daddy and Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, face charges stemming from a New York City nightclub shooting in December 1999 that left three people wounded. Adding to his woes, prosecutors indicted Combs for attempting to bribe a witness during the investigation of the club shooting. In Manhattan alone, Combs is listed as a defendant in more than 20 civil suits as well, including several which stem from a 1991 stampede at a basketball game he promoted that left nine people dead. To add to the bad (good?) publicity, in May 2000 The New York Post reported that companies and crew members who worked on Combs' European tour were still waiting to get paid by Bad Boy Entertainment - a month after the final show.
Bad Boy posts job listings on its web site www.badboy-ent.com. If you don't have experience, the only way in (even for an internship) is through contacts. Says one intern, "You have to know someone, or have a relative in the company." It helps to be persistent. Insiders suggest attending events sponsored by Bad Boy, and hanging out at Justin's -- Puff Daddy's restaurant in New York City. It's always full of people from the company, and it's the perfect setting for schmoozing. There are opportunities for interns to get in, as turnover tends to be high. Once you're in, employees say good communication with superiors is the best way to secure a paying gig.
All about the hustle "One of the first things you'll learn here is that this industry is all about the hustle," explains one insider. Insiders report "getting lost" amid the "big egos" and "insecurities", and warn that idealistic music lovers may become jaded. "When you get here, you realize that it's all about generating dollars." Women should be advised that the B-Boy attitude towards women "does carry over to the staff," although there are a number of women in high places. Labeled for free labor Though company dress standards are "very casual" (jeans and t-shirts are the norm), the work ethic isn't. The workday at Bad Boy starts later - around 10 am - but it ends later too. "People often leave the office around 8 p.m.," reports one insider, "and after hours there are a lot of mandatory functions." Few complain, however, at being forced to attend promotional events at Puffy's restaurant and parties thrown by The Artist Formerly Known as Prince). Employees do grumble about the pay - when they can get it. Bad Boy uses a lot of free manpower - in the form of interns hungry to get their feet in the door. Interns do get excellent experience and a lot of responsibility, but few ever get permanent positions, insiders say. Luckily, the contacts they make during their time at Bad Boy often lead to job offers at other labels.
Human Resources
Records;Promotions
Def Jam;Tommy Boy;No Limit;Relativity More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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