Joe Budden: “Hip-Hop Is A Better Place Without L.A. Reid”
Joe Budden didn’t hold back his feelings agaisnt former Epic executive L.A. Reid as he shared his thoughts on the sexual harassment allegations that came to light towards the 60-year-old on Complex’s Everyday Struggle.
Budden, who has worked with Reid during his time at Def Jam, laid out the allegations on Monday (May 15), as well as Reid’s business dealings, calling him “an executive definition of a flop.” Instead of looking at the successes of DJ Khaled and Future on Epic, Budden questioned the rollout of French Montana’s album MC4 and Reid’s time at Def Jam.
“I did a mental run down at the year at Epic. I automatically went back to French [Montana] and how his album was supposed to come out last summer and it was shipped to Target, but it had to come back,” he said. “That was a big deal. Then I looked to the Future contacts with Rocko and how that was a big deal [for Epic.] When this is your year at Epic, this tells me that L.A. is still L.A. L.A. Reid shouldn’t have a job in the music industry. L.A. Reid is an executive definition of a flop. Every where he has gone, he’s spent more than he has generated everywhere he has gone. Arista is no more.”
He then went on to the allegations made by a female staffer and claimed rumors were circulating during his time at Def Jam. Reid served as the head of the label and Island Def Jam from 2004 to 2011. “There were multiple assistants at Def Jam that said that L.A. Reid liked to call 18-year-olds in his office and soliciting sexual [favors],” he said. “I don’t know if that got out to the public and how he got another job, this news about the assistants, I don’t think this was a secret in the music industry. This speaks to the issue of powerful men and how they’re able to come and go as they please. These companies want to rid themselves of the liability. I’m sure there’s a Bill Cosby list somewhere.”
He added, “I’m just going to say it, L.A. Reid is a sexual predator and now that I have this seat and these allegations are out, let’s just let the cat out the bag.”
The two seem to be at odds over the course of Budden’s time at the label with Reid calling the rapper “too wordy.” It’s been said over the years that Reid’s history with R&B acts featured his strong points, but when it comes to hip-hop, the outcome wasn’t so great. “Hip-hop is a better place today without L.A. Reid, good f**king riddance,” he said.
Watch his take on the claims above.
This post Joe Budden: “Hip-Hop Is A Better Place Without L.A. Reid” first appeared on Vibe.
