Jay Z and Roc-A-Fella Records thought that they had lost four years worth of master tapes a decade ago, but it turns out they lucked out: The tapes were actually stolen by an idiot. Chauncey Mahan, a producer who had worked with Jay at the time, made off with the recordings and recently made a less-than-skillful attempt to extort the rapper.
Mahan called Live Nation and Roc Nation to let them know that he would turn over the tapes for $100,000-not a bad deal considering the $15-20 million estimated worth of the property. Jay's people settled for $75,000 but actually sent the LAPD to deal with Mahan. The producer wasn't arrested, but he won't be auctioning Jay's tapes anytime soon, and he'll probably be dealing with extortion charges in the long run.
A) Trying to extort a major record label/performer by meeting them at a storage unit is a stupid idea. B) Trying to auction off the works of one of the world's biggest entertainers and expect the rest of the world to not notice would've been a dumber idea. Producer Just Blaze, who worked with Mahan and Jay at the same time gave a humorous recollection of the former's bungling ways via Twitter on Monday.
For example:
01) "We had to re record "streets is talking" vox. Why? Bc Chauncey," Blaze said of Jay's track off of The Dynasty.
02) "The Dynasty intro sample flanges the entire time.. Guess why!? Chauncey." Self-explanatory. But for the ultimate production fail, check out:
03) "If you listen to Bleek's version of "is that your b***h" you'll notice it's in mono. Why? Bc Chauncey. Lol." Yes, a so-called music producer managed to record a track in mono in the year 2000.
What Mahan was thinking is beyond us, but it reminds us an awful lot of the blackmail scene featuring Morgan Freeman and a member of Wayne Enterprises from The Dark Knight.
"Let me get this straight, you think that your client, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante, who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands, and your plan is to blackmail this person?" Mr. Fox asks. "Good luck!"
