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Well, to start
off this letter to RapCoalition, I want to explain in no way am I
intending to slander anyone or any company. I am merely portraying my
experiences in the world of entertainment prior to returning to finish
my formal education.
My journey began in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. My introduction to
the entertainment world began at a video shoot for Oaktown's 3-5-7. MC
Hammer's female rap group was shooting their "Yeah-Yeah-Yeah"
video in Los Angeles. My friend Steve Reamer and I were supposed to meet
Hammer there to discuss the possibilities of being involved in the music
business. Once we got there we were told that we were going to be extras
in the video. So, after waiting what seemed to be an eternity, we
finally shot the scene that included the extras.
Meeting with Hammer after the video shoot, he told Steve and I that we
should make up some dance steps to go with his show that was going
around then. At the time, Hammer was on the "Budweiser Superfest
Tour." Hammer left us with a tape of his show and asked us to come
up with some new routines to brighten up the show. Hammer then returned
to performing on the tour and kept in touch with us in the meantime.
When Hammer returned to Los Angeles for a few "spot dates," he
asked us to join him. We were unexpectedly asked to "cameo"
our new routines to the show in the middle of the performance of
"Turn This Mutha Out." When we, we being the soon to be known
group as Ho Frat Ho, came out, the crowd went crazy. Hammer's eyes lit
up and we could tell that nothing was the same. After the show, we were
approached by George Duke, Tony Tone Toni, and asked if we were under
contract with anyone. We instinctively said that we were working with
Hammer and we were waiting to see what was going to unfold with the
situation. This performance was at the Circle Star Theater, right
outside Los Angeles. When Hammer once again went back out on tour he
told people such as Guy, Heavy D, and Kool Moe D that he had a group of
guys that were going to join the tour and really pick up the pace of
things. We had no idea this was taking place.
Hammer had us formally come out to join the tour as back up dancers
during the latter part of the tour. He named the group "Ho Frat
Ho." The name derived from us being college students at respective
colleges in California. I was a member of the Honorable Kappa Alpha Psi
Fraternity, Incorporated. The rest of the group members, Alonzo, Alvin
and Michael were not members of any fraternities, but they were heavily
influenced by the "stepping" style of them. Some people noted
that our dance steps resembled the styles of Omega Psi Phi and Alpha Phi
Alpha. None of this was done in attempts to portray ourselves as a
fraternity, but merely to give credit to their great styles of
expression, although my fraternity brothers did not see it that way.
Anyway, in the midst of Hammer's show he began to introduce us as his
new group of guys that he "found" in college. During a break
in Hammer's show he would formally introduce us and the crowd would go
crazy when we came out to the song of, "Im A Ho" by Whoodini,
who incidentally later signed under Hammer's management company. We
lasted the rest of the tour and returned to Northern California with him
when it ended. We were interested in being artists ourselves so we began
to work on music of our own. Hammer then began to work on plans for us
to be one of his many groups on his label. This all being done without
our knowledge.
The more people we met the more we found out that Hammer intended for us
to be on his label. We signed our Management contract with Hammer in
Virginia when we were there for a few spot dates. The Management
agreement was with Bust-It-Management. We were given the night to read
and sign our contracts which were to be express mailed back to
California. Little did we know, we signed matters that dealt with
"publishing" and "advances."
We ultimately signed away 100% of our publishing and we also signed away
the "rights" to our name. We also signed the Record Deal on
Bust-It-Records. We had no idea that having our management company and
our record company being managed by the same person posing any problems.
None of us had ever been involved with contracts or anything of this
sort. We had no idea of the concept "Conflict of Interest."
Hammer was working on a deal with Capitol Records that made Hammer
promise to produce several groups within a specific time frame, and we
were one of the supposed groups he would deliver to them.
As a method of "paying" us or sustaining or daily lives, we
were "advanced" our record deal money. We were given a
paycheck twice a month. We continued to "Dance" for Hammer but
were receiving "advance" money in the meantime. Sounds a
little crazy to be "Dancing" or rendering services, but being
"paid" with "our" advance money on our "Record
Deal."
Well, anyway, we would continue to do this for a number of years without
thinking of anything begin wrong. We recorded our debut album, "Ho
Frat Ho" in 1992 and shot our first video at Southern University in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The video did extremely well and was one of the
most requested videos on "The Box."
The actual number of albums we sold is questioned to this day. We were
never told exactly how many albums were sold and did not know how to
find out, nor did we know whom to call to find out. We were met with
resistance when it came to us wanting to work with outside producers and
writers. Hammer had and "In-House" production team that
mass-produced tracks for the artists that were on the label. We were
approached by noted producers as Spiderman and Freeze, Teddy Riley and a
number of others. We approached our management and requested that we use
some of the tracks that the outside producers created. As guessed, we
did not use any outside producers due to our management stating that it
would be cheaper to use "In-House" producers who were on
"salary."
One agreement that Hammer and I made was that if I fulfilled my
obligations to the contracts that I signed, he would help me return to
obtain my college degree. December 12, 1992, we were sitting in the
offices of Bust-It-Management and Records when we were told that we were
no longer needed on the label. We received our December 1st
"paycheck-advance" and were expecting our December 15th
"paycheck-advance" when we were told that there would be no
more.
Shocked, stunned, dismayed, hurt, and afraid I had to figure out what to
do. I went to my apartment, gathered as much as I could in two army
bags, and left for Los Angeles, never to return to the Bay Area. I soon
found out that I was to answer for years of back taxes that were not
taken out of my "paycheck-advances." I had not consulted with
a financial advisor of any sort due to my lack of knowledge of being in
the "business."
Fall of 1993, after lingering around Los Angeles and attempting to evade
everyone I knew, and that knew I was back home, I left for Southern
University. I called Hammer and asked if he would make good on the deal
we made. He said yes. When I arrived at Southern University I found that
Hammer had in fact kept his promise and had my tuition check waiting for
me. During my years of finishing my undergraduate study, I lost personal
contact with Hammer due to his veiling himself behind many people
answering the phone or just not calling me back. I saw when it became
news that Hammer had filed bankruptcy that I really wanted to talk to
him but, he either never got the messages that I called or he was just
not calling me back. He did continue to pay for my college tuition but I
was unable to personally talk to him anymore. I also heard that he did a
"Behind the Music" interview where he stated that all of his
people had abandoned him in his time of need, and that all of his people
had "used" him. I wanted to ask if I was included in that
category of people that he said used him, but I have not had the chance
to personally talk to him.
I have been lucky. I am graduating from Law School in May of this year,
2001. I plan to work within the entertainment industry dealing with
negotiations and contracts. I want to work in the field of The Motion
Picture Industry to the actual recording of artists' albums. I want to
take my experiences as a young artist in the music industry coupled with
my legal education to find ways to help artists.
I want to thank RapCoalition for giving me the opportunity to tell my
experiences in the music industry and I want to challenge all
prospective Rap Artists, Singers, and producers to spend a little money
to have an entertainment attorney carefully read over any and all
contract agreements before you sign them. I did not do so and it was a
costly mistake.
In ending, I want to give full respect to HEAVY HO, who passed away
December of 2000 and to my father who passed away on his birthday,
Easter Sunday of 2000. My dad did not make it to see me graduate from
Law School, but I am striving to make him proud. I love you DAD.
Cidney Hollis
Southern University Law Center
Student Bar Association Vice-President 2000-2001
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