50 Cent recently confirmed signing DJ Pauly D to his imprint G-Note Records, a move that he says came about after the Jersey Shore star began shopping deals at different labels. Speaking with RollingStone.com, Fif explained how he inked the deal with Pauly and what he plans to accomplish with the reality star.
“When Pauly came by to see me, they had options,” he said. “They had several places that they were going, and people that were interested in doing a deal with him. Obviously, the momentum from Jersey Shore was spun off into him being the first one to have his own independent series. They’re moving places and DJing in front of bigger audiences, and getting ready to make moves internationally, where the DJ is the star, overseas. When I sat with him, I saw the opportunities we could have moving forward, with brand extension and packaging the music.”
Referring to him as a mix of DJ Drama, DJ Khaled and David Guetta, the G-Unit general also reflected on how the industry has changed over the years and how major labels aren’t providing the backing they should.
“I don’t think they’re taking into account the marketing dollars it takes to be a superstar,” he said. “To be a recognizable talent as an artist, within a community of a whole lot of artists, sure, you can do that on your own. But when you move into different tiers, there’s still a benefit to majors. But this is from someone who’s already established themselves – the new guy might want to take a shot on his own and see what happens.”
