What if FP...

[DevilsJim89]

Ok, so I'm listening to "Men In Black" and im wondering, what do you think woulda happened if Jive accepted "Men In Black" for Will and FP signed (or signed again) to Jive in 1997? Do you think "Men In Black" still woulda been hit and do you think FP's music career wouldn't be shadowed by his movie career like it was on Columbia? If he never left Jive, do you think "Men In Black" woulda been a JJFP song and there would be no "Will Smith" albums?

What if FP signed to Def Jam instead of Columbia or what if he would sign to Def Jam now? Do you think he'd get more respect as a rapper since people there like LL Cool J and Russell Simmons know what JJFP did for rap.

What y'all think - just something to think about as we await new music.

Edited November 12, 2004 by DevilsJim89

[Hero1]

if he'd signed to jive he would have never worked with trackmasterz cause they were sonys producers.. jive in 97 had become less hip hop and more pop though..who knows what would have happened :dunno:

[bigted]

jive in 97 had become less hip hop and more pop though..who knows what would have happened :dunno:

:werd: That's the reason why KRS-ONE left Jive after releasing "I Got Next" 'cause he didn't want to be on the same label as Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and Nsync! :ditto:

[mfuqua23]

The only reason I'd go 2 Jive is 2 knock some sense into Britney (if U know what I mean) :kekeke: Just a lil joke. Even Mobb Deep went 2 Jive 4 Britney "I'm tryna grip Britney, so I made Jive sign me..."

anyway. It'z hard wit that what if. R U lookin at it like it wouldn't have got promotion like it did. I think the sound would kinda be different if it was a JJFP track.

[JumpinJack AJ]

I think Jive would have done better musically, but i'm not sure about promotion. Jive wouldn't have treated FP as a Hollywood megastar recording music...they would have treated him as an emcee. They wouldn't try 2 control the finished product of the album as much as Columbia. Columbia may have changed his image 4 the worst...but they did back him properly for BWS.

Jive is good about treating a pop artist like a pop artist, a Hip-Hop artist like a Hip-Hop artist, and R-N-B artist like and R-N-B artist, and so on. They never turned in2 a pop label, they just signed on some of the biggest names in pop music....how u gonna dog 'em 4 that, that's called smart business.

[TopDawg14]

I think Jive would have done better musically, but i'm not sure about promotion. Jive wouldn't have treated FP as a Hollywood megastar recording music...they would have treated him as an emcee. They wouldn't try 2 control the finished product of the album as much as Columbia. Columbia may have changed his image 4 the worst...but they did back him properly for BWS.

Jive is good about treating a pop artist like a pop artist, a Hip-Hop artist like a Hip-Hop artist, and R-N-B artist like and R-N-B artist, and so on. They never turned in2 a pop label, they just signed on some of the biggest names in pop music....how u gonna dog 'em 4 that, that's called smart business.

Well said, AJ.

I'm not sure if FP would have benefited more being at Jive. Like AJ said, it's a business and it's all about moving units. If you move them, they love you; if you don't then it bon voyage(just ask Brandy about Atlantic).

I think FP is making the right move here by doing his own thing. I've been saying for a couple of years now that with the technology artists really don't need labels, just distributors. Cut out the middle man and control your music and image.

[mfuqua23]

I think FP is making the right move here by doing his own thing. I've been saying for a couple of years now that with the technology artists really don't need labels, just distributors. Cut out the middle man and control your music and image.

That may just be the thing within the next few years. Maybe 5 years from now.

[Silver Tiger]

Jive probably would have given us much better promotion for BTR. We might even already have the new album by now. Maybe.

Def Jam is an interesting idea too. We'd probably get the Cool J collab we've been waiting for.

God Blessa!

[sonic1988]

according to the jazzyjeff and the fresh prince greatest hits cd the MIB song is considered JJ+FP. so I dunno what to tell you.

[JumpinJack AJ]

On the JJ+FP Greatest Hits, they state that "Men In Black" and "Just Cruisin'" are performed by "Will Smith." They were added on as bonus material. I like the way they put those trax 2 add some new flava 2 an album filled with previously released music.

[Hero1]

On the JJ+FP Greatest Hits, they state that "Men In Black" and "Just Cruisin'" are performed by "Will Smith." They were added on as bonus material. I like the way they put those trax 2 add some new flava 2 an album filled with previously released music.

really? at the time i wondered why theyd put it on..u could already get those traxs on the mib soundtrack and big willie style.. i would have preferred 2 more jjfp traxs or sum unreleased/remix material other than those 2 will smith tracks

[JumpinJack AJ]

I think it waz a good idea. If it waz filled with only previously released stuff. The Megamix waz brand new and fresh, "Lovely Daze" waz a real surprise, "Yo! Home To Bel-Air" waz also great since it wazn't commercially released at that point. Since "Men In Black" and "Just Cruisin'" were on the MIB soundtrack, i think some old skool fans probably didn't pick up the soundtrack. By Jive putting those trax on their, it probably caught up the old skool fans who didn't buy the MIB soundtrack...and since both of those songs were hits, they fit in right at home. "I Wanna Rock" and "The Things U Do" were the only trax that were worthy of being on the Greatest Hits album so i like what they desided 2 go with...especially since they weren't exactly hits...just overlooked singles.

[DevilsJim89]

I think the UK version of Greatest Hits has a little better track listing. I gotta get my hands on that version. I guess Jive also put Just Crusin and Men In Black on JJFP Greatest Hits to make it sell more since they were hot tracks at the time.