DAAAAAAAAMN it has been foreeever since I've hit you guys off with some info!! I need to stop staying away so long...every time a legit rapper gets free shouldn't be grounds for me to blog (lol). Soooo on to the topic on hand....Saigon. If many of you may or may not know Saigon and Just Blaze (one of my favorite producers) were freed from their album contract with Atlantic Records. Well its not like we didn't see this coming right? This project was (in my humble opinion) doomed from the start. So let us break down what led to Sai-boogie being released shall we....
I first heard about Saigon in 2005 (bout the time everybody else did lol) when he had first signed to Atlantic Records. I thought well this can't be a bad move for him cause dude is fresher than fresh milk or new orange juice! I mean look what they did for T.I.'s career and Twista was seeing a nice resurgence back into Hip-Hop. Not to mention they also had Fabolous, Trick Daddy, and Fat Joe at the time. Needless to say Atlantic was the place to be at that point. At that time Atlantic had started their Joint Chiefs promotion which included Fat Joe, Twista, Trick Daddy, Fabolous, and T.I. along with new comers Bump J (a prospect from Chi-town who also had bad luck with the label) and Saigon.
Needless to say 2005 was a good year for Atlantic and it Hip-Hop roster. Twista album "The Day After" went gold, Trick Daddy's "Thug Matrimony: Married To The Street" (originally released in 2004) was Trick's first number one album, Fat Joe's "All or Nothing" had production spots from Scott Storch, Just Blaze, Swizz Beatz, Cool & Dre, & Timbaland and did ok on the charts, T.I.'s Urban Legend (also released in 2004)was doing reasonable well for his second release. And Fabolous had a gold album with "Real Talk" (which was released in 2004). Everybody in the house of Atlantic was doing very well and the newbies where right on schedule as well. Around that time new comer Lupe Fiasco was brought into the fold to round out the roster.
But going into 2006 thinks started going sour. Fat Joe had already gone from the label. Fabolous had left for Def Jam in a fabled "trade deal" between Atlantic & Def Jam that sent Musiq to Atlantic. Lupe's debut album "Food & Liquor" was often delayed but released in September of 2006, Bump J was dropped, despite having a Kanye ready single,label drama with both Trick Daddy & Twista started around the same time. But things still looked good for Saigon since has album was scheduled for a 2006 release until it didn't happen...
Despite have one of the most anticipated albums Saigon, Just Blaze and Atlantic began having problems. Saigon began voicing his complaints with his recording home say that Atlantic was nothing but a house full of "ringtone artist." He voiced his concerns & troubles with the label on his myspace blog in the summer of 2007, even going as far as to say "Not to worry though, my fans will hear my entire album very soon whether they put it out or not..." a few weeks after the early June posting things seem to take a turn for the better when Saigon announced he had signed with Violator Management. This still did not help however seeing that Sai's actions also would cause a little back and forth on myspace between Just Blaze & Saigon.
Things still looked hopeful as Saigon's album "The Greatest Story Never Told" was slated for a early December release right next to Wu-Tang Clans reunion album. The December date came and went and still no album released. Then it was announced that Just Blaze & Sai decide on pushing the album back because the said it could be tweaked more. Saigon even said that Just was a "perfectionist" find other ways to make the album better. The album was then set for a early 2008 release.
Still no release date in sight, the album seemed more like a fable or folklore as it had not seen the light of day. Numerous accounts of sample clearance problems and problems with the brass at Atlantic added more fuel to the fire of the album ending up in the fire. Both Saigon and Just seemed to lay low for a while. Saigon would surface to do some guest appearances on 9th Wonder's "Dream Merchant 2" and The Roots' "Rising Down" and continue his appearances on the HBO show "Entourage."
Enter late May of 2008. Almost out of nowhere Saigon announces that he and Just Blaze have been released from their Atlantic Records contracts. Not only did they escape they were also able to take the album and all of the masters with them!!! Which in the world of music is very hard to do for for any artist new or old. He was stated as saying Atlantic was a home of "Ringtone Artists" and blamed Atlantic and Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua for lack of promotion and support (Hip-Hop had left Atlantic Records to join Columbia Records earlier this year). Saigon also stated that new labels offers were starting to fly at him and Just Blaze, but he was not in a rush to sign on to another major. He was quoted as saying "I'm not that excited about going to a major label, They would have to make it so I'm set for the rest of my life. [Labels] want too much for the little that they're giving."
Now here are the stone cold options Sai has in front of him. Columbia Records is #1, even though he may not be a fan of Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua, he and Just Blaze have a great relationship (along with Gee Roberson) who started the careers of both Just and Kanye, and are currently managed by Hip-Hop's company Hip-Hop Since 1978. Option #2 is Jay-Z. After resigning as President of Def Jam, Hova signed on with Live Nation to create his Roc Nation Imprint and the rumors are flying more this way due to Jay-Z and Just Blaze's relationship. Those are two solid options for sure. He could also go way left and sign to Interscope like Wale did. Or even Def Jam (but they seem to be a more R&B driven label as of late).
Well like everyone else we will have to wait and see. Saigon said he would like the album to be out by September of this year, hopefully that will be the truth because in the create Hip-Hop climate we need some better music (especially after the Carter III fiasco).
Alright, I'm leaving you with that...sit on it, think, make post, do the dew, whatever lol.
Xcalibur Prime
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