Defsounds

It's almost like selling Fool's Gold. For those that don’t know the meaning, it means to offer something that appears to be very valuable but it's actually not real. Is that what is happening with Aftermath Entertainment? Dr. Dre, perhaps the most talented and credible producer in the hip-hop industry, is known for his super tight production as well as his vigorous work ethic and dedication to projects. So why does it seem like no one can even drop a successful album with him? Well with the exception of Eminem and Snoop Dogg, there haven't been many success stories coming out of that camp. I've thought about possible reasons for this happening and I really can't think of too many. Maybe there are too many powerhouses in one company?

Let's take a look at the tree. At the top we have Aftermath, Dr. Dre's company. Aftermath signs Eminem who in turns starts his own label under Aftermath, Shady Records. Shady Records then signs 50 Cent. Together Eminem/50 become possibly the most successful artists to ever grace hip-hop. 50, being no stranger to profitable business transactions, decides he wants in and starts G-Unit Records. His record company now, signs a slew of above average hip-hop artists including Mobb Deep and MOP. Oh and don't forget The Game. He was originally on Aftermath, but it seems that the powers that be thought he may do better joining forces with G-Unit as that would appear to be more marketable at the time. So, The Game goes from sitting on the dusty shelf at Aftermath (top of the tree), to shining and getting recognition at the end of the food chain (bottom of the tree). What a disaster that turned out to be.

50 and The Game bump heads, but boost sales for G-Unit in the process and The Game is eventually back on just Aftermath, where he has a decent amount of success but not as much as you would think being with Dr. Dre. Due to his disputes with 50 Cent, The Game left Aftermath Entertainment and signed with Geffen Records to terminate his contractual obligations with G-Unit in the summer of 2006. Throw some Interscope ownerships in this mix and you have a confusing organization of millionaires with an enormous amount of power. So.....we see albums out now that have the "Aftermath/Interscope/Shady/G-Unit" logo. Seems like too many hands in one pot. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the paperwork involved in contractual issues.

Rakim was signed to Aftermath and there was so much talk about what a great collaboration that would be. Legendary MC with a legendary producer…..how COULDN’T it be ill? What about Busta Rhymes? He almost ALWAYS had a hit. How about Eve? The Firm? Bilal? Truth Hurts? Even Dawn from En Vogue…..And most recently, Joell Ortiz!! He was signed in ’06!! I thought there would be more Latinos shining in the game with that one, but, alas, he’s gone now too and has NOTHING to show for the past 2 years there. And I almost forgot about Raekwon……that match-up alone seems already classic. It’s been really quiet about that album though….hopefully this year we’ll hear something.

What exactly happens to these artists when they go over there? Another guess could be that since Dre has so many other projects to work on, it’s impossible for him to focus on so many . Even his OWN album! Detox? Unless your album has 10,000 tracks on it, it really shouldn’t take 8 years to drop. Unless you’re an unsigned artist without a label.

Either way it’s pretty sad. What appears to be a heaven for artists, only winds up to be a purgatory. Just a place to sit and wait. So happy to finally get there, but then you realize all that glitters ain’t gold…another case of Fool’s Gold being sold to the masses.