The New York Times did a piece earlier this week on rapper Bobby Shmurda, who has been in jail for the last two months. He expected his label to post his bail, but hasn’t heard a word from them.
I empathize with him… but I have to side with the label on this one.
In the two months that Ackquille Pollard, better known as the Brooklyn rapper Bobby Shmurda, has sat in jail on gang conspiracy and gun charges, his mother has visited twice a week. His hip-hop idols have offered words of support.
But Mr. Pollard says that he hasn’t heard what he wants from his label, Epic Records — namely a firm reassurance of its backing and help making his $2 million bail: “When I got locked up, I thought they were going to come for me,” he said in an interview from the Manhattan Detention Complex, “but they never came.”
Barely six months ago, Epic wooed Mr. Pollard, 20, with a seven-figure, multi-album deal, largely on the strength of one viral hit, known in its censored version as “Hot Boy.” With the label’s support, that song went on to reach No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
But now, Epic has distanced itself, declining, despite pleas from music industry figures like 50 Cent, to help the rapper get out.
I see where he’s coming from, but I don’t subscribe to that mentality. What you do with your life is none of my concern, and I’m not going down in flames with you if I wasn’t involved.
In the business world, your personal life is your responsibility. Your problems don’t exist when you’re on the clock, and yet you represent your company when you’re off the clock. Whether he’s innocent or guilty is irrelevant; the company you work for is not responsible for bailing you out of your personal problems, nor does it have any obligation to do so.
Because of the label’s silence, Shmurda is looking to get out of his record deal. From his perspective, he made them money so they should have his back. Knowing the complexity of most label contracts, I don’t see that happening any time soon.
Life isn’t fair. You just have to roll with the punches and keep moving forward. Once you start believing that the world owes you something, you’re on a slippery slope that leads to nowhere.
I grew up around people who did what they had to do in order to survive. However, you have to be willing to suffer the consequences of your decisions. If I get in trouble with the law, I can’t expect my employer to post my bail or get upset that they don’t offer. Neither should he.
