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 its the best decision to make because now Im 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 Im 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 Mobs 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 wasnt seeing eye to eye, and we really werent speaking to each other. But at the end of the day, Im a business person, so Im gonna do whatever needs to be done to handle the business and make sure it gets handled correctly. But were 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 duos new contract would have left the remaining members of the group, M.I.G. and Cyco Blac, without a deal.
Princess refuted Diamonds explanation.
“The Diamond and Princess project wouldve 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 wouldnt even have made since for them to get dropped. And thats just speaking about the legalities of the situation.”
“Im f***ed up about the [situation] because weve 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 aint 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 everyones best interest.
Diamond, who in August released a solo mixtape entitled B#### 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. Its just a totally different situation than how the Crime Mob thing was. Cause we didnt 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, whos gearing up for the release of her mixtape Taking Over The Dome.
“Its no beef. Its really just the business. We wish her much success on everything that she does. Were just all on different agendas right now, and whatever works, I pray it works,” Princess said.