By Tai Saint Louis
AllHipHop.com learned on Wednesday (November 28) that Polo Grounds Music signed former Crime Mob member Diamond to a joint management deal with Atlanta-based Cookies and Milk, a full service administration company, which handles publishing and A&R administration for producers like Lil’ Jon, DJ Toomp, Don P, and DJ Don Cannon, as well as BME Recordings and Polo Grounds Music.
"We are thrilled to work with Diamond, because she is a complete artist," Polo Grounds president Bryan Leach told AllHipHop.com. "Her solo recording career is just the tip of the iceberg. With our focus on film and modeling, new doors will continue to open for her."
The new management deal has already resulted in an endorsement deal for the rapper, who publicly severed ties from Warner Brothers recording group Crime Mob this week, although Leach was unable to release the details of the deal.
Diamond and Crime Mob have been at the center of the rumor mills this week, following an informal announcement at the Dirty Awards that she was no longer a member of the group.
Though she was first to speak on the situation, Diamond says the decision to have her leave Crime Mob was not her own.
"The whole idea was brought to my attention by the group," Diamond stated, speaking exclusively to AllHipHop.com. "[But] I feel like it’s the best decision to make because now I’m able to take [advantage] of the choices and opportunities that was presented in front of me the whole time while I was in the group, and not feel like I’m being disloyal to the group or being held back."
The rift in the group seems to have originated from a proposed recording project that would have found Crime Mob’s leading ladies releasing an album without the inclusion of the group.
"Everybody says that me and Diamond are who everybody knows out the group," Princess said. "So Warner Brothers decided that me and her would do an album together. With the album came a reality show. And all of this was already on the table, they was ready to cut the check . But at that time, me and her wasn’t seeing eye to eye, and we really weren’t speaking to each other. But at the end of the day, I’m a business person, so I’m gonna do whatever needs to be done to handle the business and make sure it gets handled correctly. But we’re not the same people, so she saw it a little different than I saw it."
Diamond indicates that the one of the reasons she passed on the opportunity to record an album with Princess is that the duo’s new contract would have left the remaining members of the group, M.I.G. and Cyco Blac, without a deal.
Princess refuted Diamond’s explanation.
"The Diamond and Princess project would’ve added one more to the Crime Mob in total, as far as how many CDs we gotta turn in, before we can get off of the label," she said. "We already did two, the Diamond and Princess would have been three, so we still had three more to do. So it wouldn’t even have made since for them to get dropped. And that’s just speaking about the legalities of the situation."
"I’m f***ed up about the [situation] because we’ve been together for all this time," Cyco Blac tells AllHipHop.com. "I feel like this something she been had in the works. [But] we been putting in work. We ain’t just eating of nobody. We got talent. Crime Mob is a Franchise. We gon’ continue eating."
Despite the irreconcilable differences, all involved seem in agreement that the decision made is in everyone’s best interest.
Diamond, who in August released a solo mixtape entitled Bitch Music hosted by Big Mike, DJ Scream and DJ Don Cannon, believes this will give her an opportunity for better exposure.
"Crime Mob, we had a lot of good music, and for some reason, we still stayed underground! When 'Rock Yo Hips' went Pop, we were supposed to crossover," she says. "The most important thing is new management. So whether I do go to another label or whether I am still under Warner Brothers, I have a great machine behind me. It’s just a totally different situation than how the Crime Mob thing was. ‘Cause we didn’t have the right management and at certain times it was the label."
Crime Mob and Diamond also insist that the separation is not a sign of any beef or competition.
"At the end of the day, we just gotta respect the situation for what it is," says Princess, who’s gearing up for the release of her mixtape Taking Over The Dome.
"It’s no beef. It’s really… just the business. We wish her much success on everything that she does. We’re just all on different agendas right now, and whatever works, I pray it works," Princess said.