-Stoute became Nas’s manager in 95. He’s the one who put Nas with the TrackMasters and pretty much guided his career after Ilmatic dropped.
-AZ had leverage. In 94 his verse on Life’s A bytch started a bidding war to sign him. Sugar Hill went platinum. Doe Or Die went Gold. The Firm wasn’t called a SUPER group for nothing. It’s because three of the most buzzing rappers in NY joined forces (Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown)
-The Firm was the Brain child of both Nas and Stoute, Stoute dealt with business matters and by his own account, Cormega’s attitude was bad for business. Nas has said too that Mega’s attitude was that of someone who felt that Nas owes him something. If I’m a multi platinum artist and a homeboy of mine came OUT the pen acting like I was his little man’s, id drop that entitled nikka too. Mega himself has admitted he was immature back then and made mistakes.
The group supergroup was Stoute, the concept was Nas. It was Nas, AZ & Mega...there was no Foxy when the group initially formed. She didn't even debut until '96. Mo Money video is '95, Mega's all in that. On the Real in '95. And there's NO WAY Stoute would even form a group with someone like Mega in it. He's all about the $$$ and wanted to take Nas to superstardom. AZ had Sugar Hill, a fly laid-back lyricists that the ladies would love, as well as the streets. Nas is Nas. Mega a 100% certified street dude, fresh out of jail with raw street sounding tracks, a flow not as smooth, a hot head. Hell, that's like Stoute wanting to add Jungle.
This is how I believe the entire thing went down...just on the info that is known. Stoute wants in on Nas. He sees the potential of a great lyricists that's also fly...BIG, Kane, one of those dudes. Naturally, he wants in, since he's a self-admitted opportunist.
What you working on?
My next album, then me AZ and my man Cormega gonna do an album as a group.
Cormega? 'What up with Cormega, did you see him' dude? What's material he got? Who he signed with?
Just came home. He signed with Chris Lighty. They taking him to DJ
OK. We will work something out with him. To be large, y'all need a girl, though. I'm gonna put you with Trackmasters, and this young girl Foxy Brown gonna be the next thing. I'm gonna add her.
According, to Fox and Mega, they knew he wasn't gonna be in the group when he was refusing to pay Stoute. Now, according to Mega, he went to them like "y'all might as well replace me with Nate, cause that's what's gonna happen anyway." Their actual beef didn't start until the freestyle. Fukk Nas & Nature was a direct response to the freestyle. We've never heard Nature's side...and Nas doesn't say ish.
Hell, look at how Nature was treated. And at the time, Nature and Nas were killing mixtape tracks together. Nature's in 0 press runs. 1 appearance on Rap City, and was never in camera view. I remember it, because they were in a restaurant, and Joe Claire did the interview...but they kept having to pan over to ask hm questions. One photo in The Source with 100 dudes NOT in the group, and didn't even make The Source cover. (I think I still have it, it was a double cover, with Jay-Z being the other one).
Look at everyone that got deals or made it to albums based on being someone's man. There's no way all of those folks paid the cost. A lot of them had to get to the album based on A-List saying "that's my man, he stays". In looking at The Firm, how did Wiz make the album? So, Wiz had 10stacks to get on it? Half-a-Mil? He obviously didn't want Nore on it, but Nore was running with Nas. Gavin probably made it just off being a producer, but how did the beat make it on the album in the first place...an album with TM & Dre? Being Foxy brother helps.