Steve Rifkind is the man responsible for many of Rap’s legends including Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and Big Pun. He visited The Breakfast Club to discuss his history and new venture with Russell Simmons.
DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne Tha God took the listeners through a Hip-Hop history lesson with a line of questioning that proved their Rap roots.
In an almost 25 minute interview, Steve went through his come up as a music executive, the legacy of Loud Records and SRC.
So we present the 8 things we learned from The Breakfast Club Steve Rifkind interview. Hearing him tell the story about Big Pun and the royalty check was a huge surprise to us.
Let us know your favorite moment in the comments section below.
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Photo: Power 105FM / Youtube
Big Pun
Steve spoke warmly about Big Pun and mentioned that he signed him without listening to even a demo tape. He also stated the Bronx MC was really about his craft. So much so Pun waited almost three weeks before coming by to pick up a six figure royalty check.
The W
Out of all rowdy Rap groups signed to Loud Records at the time, Steve said Wu-Tang Clan was the easiest to deal with.
Mobbing
Steve also mentioned he saw Mobb Deep smoking weed in the Loud Records bathroom and they looked like stars. He signed them right away.
Akon
Steve happened to bump into Kenny Burns in Los Angeles and he played Steve Akon’s “Trouble.” He flew out to Atlanta and signed him right away even though his SRC label was not given any money by its then distributor Universal.
Russell Simmons
Steve has known Russ since he was 18. When Rush launched All Def Digital, Steve suggested they tie in the power of Youtube to launch new artists and Steve was offered a job.
The Abott
When asked about RZA’s idea to sell one copy of the Wu’s album as a single standing piece art, Rifkind says “I would never bet against RZA.”
Twista
Ironically the first artist Steve ever signed was Twista.
Irv
Steve wanted to sign Mic Geronimo but they could not get the sample cleared for “It’s Real.” He feels that if he could have gotten that deal worked out all of Irv Gotti’s future hits including DMX, Ja Rule and Ashanti would have been under the Rifkind umbrella.
