Errol Louis at the New York Daily News did an article on G. Dep:
Dep sat down to talk with me last week — two days after getting released from jail — about the ups and downs that took him from the top of the music charts to a cell on Rikers Island. ...
I could hardly believe the quiet, wary man across the table from me was the same G. Dep who made the hip-hop classic "Special Delivery," which carried an infectious beat and a video that introduced the world to the wiggly dance called the Harlem Shake. ...
When I met him, Dep had just spent 23 days on Rikers after a Jan. 15 arrest for grabbing and breaking a display-model cell phone during an argument with a T-mobile salesman in a Manhattan store. Dep's bail was only $750, but he stayed in Rikers because he couldn't raise the cash — a sign of how far he'd tumbled since the heyday of the Harlem Shake. ...
I feel sorry for G. Dep. I like a lot of the music he produced at Bad Boy and it's unfortunate to see it work out like this.
However, how do you blame Diddy here? I mean, yeah, blaming Diddy is the cool thing to do, or whatever, but it strikes me as very bogus here. Details are mentioned about his contract ($350,000 for 5 albums), but not enough of them. I'm not familar with how they usually work, but I don't see anything wrong with it. He signed the best offer he had. Otherwise - he wouldn't have signed it. I'm guessing that $350,000 is an advance of royalties. Sales for "Child of the Ghetto" were not good and G. Dep has only delivered 1 album out of 5. So, if he's only released 1 album when Bad Boy paid him for 5, isn't Bad Boy the one being short changed here?
Diddy does not need to school his artists on money management. That's not his job, nor should it be. If G. Dep spent all of his money, that is G. Dep's fault. If he got himself into drugs, that is his fault. If he gets himself locked up for breaking a cell phone, that's his fault. I've heard people say things like "well, Diddy makes his artists do these things by not taking care of them." That's nonsense. Do you have $350,000? Have you made $350,000 in your life? I haven't. I don't care if you are a normal person, or a somewhat known rapper, it's money. And you have to manage it.
And I'm sure he could have made more money, too. By working. And now is where someone will say "Diddy owns his publishing." It makes sense that he'd own some of it, but not all of it. Who stopped him from doing shows? If one expects to live forever off of their initial record contract advance (or whatever it was), that's not reasonable. There is more money to be made, but it takes some work. People might think "what happened to G. Dep? Diddy!" But, what really seemed to have happened to G. Dep was drugs. Again, it's unfortunate.
He's let some people down, people that invested in him, so he's got some relationships to mend, I'm sure. He's got work to do, personall and professionally. But, I hope Dep gets it all together and makes a good comeback, hopefully with Bad Boy.
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Eddie Gibbs wrote:
After the death of B.I.G, the abandoment of the LOX, Loon, Mase, Craig Mack, Mary J.and others, as well as the imprisonment of Black Rob, and G-DEP, I would like to see P DIDDY take the iniative to say "enough is enough". As the CEO of BADBOY RECORDS, you should set standards for your artists, but also have a support mechanism in place just in case things go awry.
As far as G-DEP is concerned, he is definetly on his way back! In fact, he never lost his lyrical talents. Most people do not know, but after the lost of his Grandma (Momma Mae), who was the mentor/solid rock in his foundation, G-DEP never fully recovered. He was never accustomed to expressing his feelings to anyone except Momma Mae-thus explain the dependacy/usage of the drugs.
As his New Manager, I can confidently promise you that G-DEP will be back! Just think about the hard drugs & times Mary J. Blige, Richard Pryor, and a host of others experienced before a caring person, or someone significant in their lives intervened.