What went wrong with the situation at Atlantic Records?
Phonte: It was just a thing where a rap group is harder to market. I don’t think they knew what they were getting into with us. I think they just saw an opportunity to sign these three happy backpack niggas, who were just gonna be happy to get a deal. But once we got in the building, they saw these are three real niggerish dudes. [Laughs] I mean, niggas ain’t thugs and we ain’t about a whole bunch of ignorance, but we’re just more in the middle than what they realized. So, I guess once they realized that we weren’t going neatly fit into any box that just made it a harder sell for them. There’s a million other reasons I could give, but ultimately I don’t think they believed in us that much. Would you ever sign a deal with another major? Phonte: Hell no! Never again. I mean, there’s stuff that we have going on in the works, so this album could end up on another major. But really, a major label situation is not for me—all the red tape and bullshit that comes with it. Pooh: Personally, I w
