By Chuck "Jigsaw" Creekmur
M.O.P. has responded to rumors and accusations that they stole a beat from an emerging producer from Philadelphia.
Over the weekend, a producer named Kil sent out a mass email accusing M.O.P. member Lil' Fame, who is also a music producer, of stealing a beat submitted to the group on CD.
“It’s true I didn’t do the beat ‘Rude Bastards’ as Kil said. I heard it, it was hot and I rhymed on it. I’de never steal a beat, that’s not me,” Lil Fame told AllHipHop.com.
Longtime M.O.P. manager Laze Laze said everything is one big misunderstanding and that the group would never knowingly steal another person's beat.
"I understand the process of credits and turning in a record so I know that this is a clerical error [that] can easily be fixed. But Fame is hurt, being an up-and-coming producer (himself), he knows the struggle of making beats and having to almost give them away to be heard," Laze told AllHipHop.com. "We feel the pain of the kid in his crib, teaching himself how to use Reason, or his first attempt at an MPC 2000."
He explained clearly that M.O.P. "would never take a kids track without making every attempt to give him credit." He also stated that the rumor comes at an odd moment as the group's new CD is slated for released tomorrow.
"It comes at a time when all of our energy should be focused on more positive things like the release of the new M.O.P. album Foundation," he continued. "Nevertheless its our responsibility to speak on it."
Historically, M.O.P. has helped and contributed to the growth of a number of artists, producers and even video directors, Laze said, and the notion of beat-jacking is totally contrary to the legacy of the group.
"In all of our years, we have strived for the underdog, the unheard of producer (DR Period, Mahogany, Jaz-O,, Notts,) the up and coming video director (Hype Williams, Chris Robinson, Brian Luvar, Jessie Terrero). You see all these talented people were brand new, unproven prodigies when they began their respective works with works with the Mashout Posse," he said. "So it comes as a major surprise that someone would say we stole their beat and that we would address it with such disdain."
In an email sent to several sites, including AllHipHop.com's rumor section, Philadelphia-based producer levied his claim against M.O.P. and Lil Fame. Here is the email in full:
"Back in September 2008, MOP, Joe Budden, Termanology and Big Shugg came down to Sonar in B’more and me and my peeps go to the show. I pass out beat cd’s to Term, Joe and during MOP’s show I give it to Laze E Laze’s son (some young n***a) who’s the hype man. Now, fast forward to September 2009 and I’m listening to MOP’s Foundation album on my way home from work and when track #9 “Rude Bastard” comes on….it’s MY F***ING BEAT! Not the same sample, the SAME BEAT! Drum programming, sample, chops…the whole damn beat! Then my man Mills does the knowledge for me to see who got credit for the track on the album and it says “produced by Fizzy Womack”! So…I don’t get a check, I don’t get credit…I don’t even get co production credit! And I’m not looking for no “feel sorry for me” or none of that hoopla…I’m just asking for cats to let ANYONE who ya’ll know who loves hip hop to know who did the track so I can @ least get credit from my peers (hip hop fans and other producer’s grinding out there) for the beat. I’ve been grinding @ this beat thing for YEARS and for my first placement for a major artist to be a jack move…it just ain’t right…but it is what it is…like I said, do me this justice and @ least let the hip hop heads ya’ll know that the bol Kil from Philly gave MOP THAT heat… not no f***ing Fizzy Womack…"
Also, M.O.P. denies that a statement affirming the alleged beat jacking was confirmed by Lil' Fame.
"And the quote on the net is not from me I’m looking into who made that statement as me,” Fame told AllHipHop.com.
M.O.P. says that statement was not sent out by the rapper/producer and they don't represent such disingenuous movements.
Laze concluded:
"We spent a lot of years making our type of music on purpose for that part of society that doesn't get represented. We left labels and sometimes financial security on sometimes our code alone. So it hurts us that any one would call the Mashout Posse thieves. Even in the robbery days it was point blank. And not from the poor."