At first it was unclear where M.O.P. would find a recording home after being seemingly torn between the newly-formed Damon Dash Music Group and Jay-Z-helmed Roc-A-Fella Records. The Brownsville Brooklyn team and Dash initially revealed they would embark on a label deal through DDMG, but now group manager Laze E. Laze says the group will make a clean, amicable break from all parties.
In a statement, Laze said, “You see Roc-A-Fella was never our home. It was the home of Jay-Z, Biggs and Damon Dash. No, that’s not us, or Kanye or Cam’ron, It’s the house that Jay-Z, Biggs and Dash built. And those days are gone.”
Laze continued to explain and even say sorry for signing to The Roc in the first place, an act that occurred in 2002, but never produced an album from M.O.P. The band released street singles like “Put It in the Air, ” which featured Jay-Z. Earlier still, they featured a scorching appearance on “U Don’t Know,” a remix from Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse. Although they made other sporadic appearances and indie albums, their Roc debut, Ghetto Warfare, never materialized.
“I want to apologize to the fans of M.O.P. for signing a deal with Roc-A-Fella Records. Well, I didn’t do it alone. We all had to sign. So, from Bill [Billy Danz], Lil’ Fame Foxx, Rocko, Flip [and] the whole First Family – we apologize,” Laze furthered. “With that I think every other act that signed owes the same apology, with the exception of Bleek, Beans and Amil.”
Laze E. Laze said he had a reflective revelation at Dame Dash’s recent birthday party.
“It became so clear to me when I looked at these guys together again. At Damon’s birthday, party Jay and Dame looked natural. It was like they never split. Jay [was] effortlessly handling the overwhelming stares of groupies and super groupies and Dame seeming to gain confidence with Biggs on one side and Jay on the other. It’s the ROC,” he said.
“No, we didn’t belong there. That’s our cousin’s house. We love our cousins and we are welcome, but we never lived there.”
“[Jay and Dame’s split] was the classiest divorce I’ve ever seen,” Laze said, but said he realized that M.O.P. is a group that charters a different path. “M.O.P.…we were destined to travel the desert, vagabonds, wild hyenas searching for bones or a fresh kill. We aren’t classy we are rough, hard a** ashy knuckle ass n***as.”
“And the only peace we are ever going to have is when there is a war going on, that’s our lot in life.”
Concluding, Laze said that M.O.P. has secured an unspecified recording deal domestically and are seeking another for the international market.