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GQ just dropped an awesome oral history of Bad Boy Records entitled, "Aint Nothing Shine Brighter Than That Bad Boy" The Inside Story of Hip-Hop's Most Notorious Label and it is well worth the read. From stories of Puff showing up to meetings draped in a mink and dripping with diamonds to Ma$e getting head by numerous girls outside of the club, the story is a great look inside one of hip-hop's most historic labels. Check out a few clips below and head on over to GQ for the full read... Puffy On Creating Bad Boy's Sound: I got an opportunity one night when [mega-successful R&B producer] Teddy Riley didn't show up to the studio. He had a session at Chung King, this famous studio downtown. So I said, I'm just gonna utilize this time. I had this idea, which was influenced by the mixtapes of Brucie B. and Kid Capri: They would blend hip-hop beats with R&B a cappellas. I took one of Jodeci's a cappellas and put an EPMD beat underneath it, and it was the first record I produced: "Come and Talk to Me," the remix. Puffy On Hearing The Notorious B.I.G. For The First TimeMy mind was blown. I knew instantly that Big was the greatest rapper I ever heard. It was like witnessing a miracle or something. Mel Smith (Senior Vice President of Promotions, Bad Boy) On Biggie: On the East Coast, nobody was making hardcore records. Our records were about girls, how fly you were, and how bad your car was. N.W.A was about that thug street stuff. Biggie brought that world to life. I told Puff, "This is groundbreaking." Keisha Epps (singer, 1990s girl group Total) On Puff: Puffy was very hands-on, and he didn't take any slack—none. Of course, no singer should smoke cigarettes. But I did, and one day I took a break to sneak a couple puffs. He found out and damn near kicked down the restroom door. He was screaming not to mess up his money. I'm like, "Puffy, just wait. I'm not a child." Finally I opened the door, and he said, in his most quiet voice, "Now, were you smoking?" I said, "Yes, but—" Before I could finish, he said, "Get your shit and go home. There's no studio for you today. Orevvvverrrr, if I catch you smoking again." I left. That was one of many memorable moments with Puffy. He would be happy to hear that I stopped. Puffy On Producing "Juicy"One of my strengths was sampling—to try and give people the feeling I got growing up in the '70s and '80s. I remember watching Soul Train and dancing in my living room with my mother. I wanted to fuse those elements with what was going on at the time with "gangsta rap," or reality rap. "Juicy Fruit" was a record that always felt like summertime in the city. June Balloon (Street Team, Bad Boy) On Mase: The ladies love Mase. This one night, we were leaving the club. Everyone hops into the fifteen-passenger van, and these chicks run in the van and right in front of everyone they start sucking Mase's dick! Now they fighting to see who's gonna catch the nut. I mean, it's crazy, and Mase goes, "Wait, hold up. Y'all can't be having my dick go all these different directions. Calm down." One girl's on the phone like, "I told you I was gonna get Mase. Bitch, I told you." Easy Mo Bee (Producer) On Biggie And 2Pac: We all know Pac and Big grew to dislike each other, but I was there while the two were actually good friends. I just happened to be recording the Me Against the World album with Tupac in 1994 when he invited Big up to the studio. It was real crowded. Pac had his crew up in there. Biggie had his crew up in there. I had half of Lafayette Gardens up in there. So many people wanted to see this, because Big and Pac were considered MC heavyweights at that time. Later on, when I heard about the beef, it was a total mystery to me. I was like, "Yo, what happened? We was just in the studio." Mase On Life After Biggie: After Big died, we were searching to see who was gonna carry the torch. Everybody would've had the right to get out of contracts because of the violence. Instead, we rolled together. If I had a verse or beat that was better for you, I'd just give it up. My verses on Puff's first few singles from No Way Out were records I wrote in that one-bedroom apartment in Harlem before I even got to the label. I gave them to Puff, because he was the one with the hot hand. [GQ]

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