Reginald C. Dennis: Death Of A Dynasty Pt 2
Having read Part 1 [click to read] of the HipHopDX "best of" from the groundbreaking interview with former Source Music Editor Reginald C. Dennis, we offer you Part 2...
HipHopDX: After Benzino threatened to start puttin niggas in bodybags if his next album didnt get at least four mics, I suppose you werent surprised to see his Made Men album get 4.5?
Reginald C. Dennis: Nope, not at all. But to be fair, I never listened to as much as one song from that joint, so I really cant say what it deserved. Who knows, maybe it was worth the rating? People still bump that album, right?
DX: You said the 94 Source Awards were such a disaster that you cant bring yourself to talk about itthus making it an even more enticing topic. Can you shed a little light as to why it is such a painful memory?
RD: At the end of 1993, Dave [Mays] informed us that he was planning to turn The Source Awards into a major event and that he needed the editorial staff to pitch in wherever necessary. This was right as the conflict between Dave and editorial began to escalate and many of us were not looking forward to the prospect of spending our few moments of downtime slaving away on one of Daves side projects. But at that point, we were still a team and we all understood that to the outside world if the Awards didnt come off as advertised, the blame would fall mostly on editorial, so we tried to make the best of the situation. It was tense, though. Dave was in the habit of handing out unsolicited critiques of the editorial side and only really treated people in a civil manner when he needed something. If he didnt need to parade advertisers through the editorial plantation or need brown faces to accompany him on meetings, Dave treated us as little more than a bunch of chattering voices that he was under no obligation to listen to.
As the launch date drew closer the show was in April, right when Ray [Benzino] really started bugging out it became clear to us on editorial that Dave wasnt nearly as adept with dealing with the politics of such an undertaking as he thought he was. The guest list was a disaster, with dozens of Hip Hop pioneers not even invited. And who had to deal with those explosive situations the editorial side! We all have our horror stories, but I had to spend a very tense 15 minutes in the hallway outside of the office trying to stop two old school legends from rushing into Daves office and hanging him out of the window until he coughed up some tickets. And if it wasnt for Russell Simmons stepping in and basically tearing Dave a new asshole, the 1994 Source Awards would have had very little in the way of old school representation and participation. DJ Hollywood was the best part of that night, and Dave had no clue who he was.
But it got worse. As the buzz surrounding the awards began to build, so did talk of a possible boycott by artists and organizations who felt that The Source had no legitimate right to select and judge who or what embodied Hip Hop. KRS-One caused a huge problem during the home stretch. Not only was he not going to appear at the awards, but he was also going to badmouth it and do his best to derail it. Dave got really scared and begged Jon [Shecter] [click to read], myself and a few other brown faces to have lunch with Kris and get him back on board. Thing is, KRS is no fool and every problem he had with the award show was valid. We werent looking at the entirety of the Hip Hop spectrum; we were only focusing on rap. We had no category for best graffiti or best b-boy. And Kris took great pains to let us know that he felt the magazine was losing its focus and if we were not careful we would wake up one day to find ourselves working at an urbanized Rolling Stone. He was correct on everything he said, but the way he said it to us whew! Believe me, you dont want to be across the table from KRS-One when he is belligerent, surly and has an axe to grind. It was the worst lunch ever and was typical of what we had to deal with while Dave was back in the office fucking up the comp list, stepping on toes and making our lives miserable with an award show that none of us wanted to be a part of.
[click here to read about the Zulu Nation threatening 2Pac, and Suge recruiting Biggie to Death Row]
DX: What are some of the other events that were the writing on the wall for this downward spiral?
RD: In 1994 people said we were crazy, but the arc of the universe bends towards justice and today, in 2005, I dont think there are many people outside of Dave and Ray who would doubt the veracity of our actions. The very same industry that once sided with Dave has now abandoned him. We accused Dave of managing The [Almighty] RSO, thus giving them an unfair advantage causing a huge conflict of interest. Today Dave will happily tell you that he was indeed the manager of the group and his actions were totally justified. Dave accused us of being unprofessional, of being unmanageable, of using the magazine to air our petty beefs and start vendettas that were bad for business. Well, that seems to be their standard operating procedure these days. We were accused of using Hip Hop as a means for us to live out ghetto fantasies that we were never really built for, but really, that seems to describe David Mays far more than any one of us.
I dont think Dave is a happy man. His friendship with Ray has cost him dearly in all aspects of his life. And while he tries his best to project a veneer of steely calm and unwavering capability, those who know him and have seem him in his quiet moments will tell you a different story.
Dave had a friend once, the very same person he once tapped to replace James Bernard. One night he called her up and cried and cried and cried and cried. Dave blubbered to her that he wished RSO would just die.
When he found out that Sonya Magett, our fashion editor, could not be enticed to return to The Source, he called a former staffer and cried and cried and cried. He could not understand why Sonya had lost all respect for him. Unfortunately for Dave, the former staffer that he called used to be married to a man who is like a brother to me. The world is small and very few secrets are kept.
There was a man on The Sources marketing team who once witnessed Ray berating Dave in the office. It seems that Ray was upset at the lack of community outreach programs affiliated with The Source (back in the day James Bernard and I would spend a lot of our down time visiting schools and lecturing and mentoring young people, there was no official Source mandate to do so, we just did it on the strength) and screamed on Dave to the point where he burst into tears. Im trying, Ray, he wailed like a little sissy.
One of our old interns had an interesting discussion with an RSO member who was busy loitering around the office one day. The intern, a very good friend of ours, was a bit miffed at something Dave had said to him. The RSO member had a remedy one he said worked for him whenever he felt that Dave had forgotten his place. Just slap him, was the sage advice. Just slap him.
There was another man on the marketing team, a person who started back when we were there. It was his second day on the job and he witnessed something that shook him to the core of his being. Ray locked the two of them in Daves office and lovingly placed a pistol to the side of Daves head. Homeboy was crying, is what this marketing man told anyone who would listen.
We know someone who lives right next door to Daves parents in DC. When the situation went down between us and Dave, the fallout was far reaching. The two neighbors stopped talking to one another. It was a sad situation, but one day Daves mother sought out her former friend, apologized for the despicable actions of her son and explained, David is afraid, he is in way over his head and cant figure a way out of this.
I could go on, but once youve heard one story youve heard them all. Dave is Dave. His heart pumps pink Kool-Aid. For all of his love of the ghetto, he never learned lesson one of surviving in the hood: Under no circumstances are you to you ever give your lunch money to a bully. It is far better to take the ass whoppin than to be some nigga's personal ATM. But Dave never seemed to figure that out and that is why he is in the dire straits that he currently finds himself. I once met a man who introduced himself to me as Dave Mays future extorter. Really, now, is that what you want to be known for? Its worse than pathetic.
[click here to read about how Reginald orchestrated a plan to get Benzino finally put on the cover of The Source.]
This is just the tip of the iceberg, just a fraction of the details Reginald C. Dennis provided.
Click to revisit all the legendary stories...
Part 1: The Greatest Story Never Told [click to read]
Part 2: Benzinos Hostile Takeover [click to read]
Part 3: Mays, Benzino, and a Gun [click to read]
HipHopDX: After Benzino threatened to start puttin niggas in bodybags if his next album didnt get at least four mics, I suppose you werent surprised to see his Made Men album get 4.5?
Reginald C. Dennis: Nope, not at all. But to be fair, I never listened to as much as one song from that joint, so I really cant say what it deserved. Who knows, maybe it was worth the rating? People still bump that album, right?
DX: You said the 94 Source Awards were such a disaster that you cant bring yourself to talk about itthus making it an even more enticing topic. Can you shed a little light as to why it is such a painful memory?
RD: At the end of 1993, Dave [Mays] informed us that he was planning to turn The Source Awards into a major event and that he needed the editorial staff to pitch in wherever necessary. This was right as the conflict between Dave and editorial began to escalate and many of us were not looking forward to the prospect of spending our few moments of downtime slaving away on one of Daves side projects. But at that point, we were still a team and we all understood that to the outside world if the Awards didnt come off as advertised, the blame would fall mostly on editorial, so we tried to make the best of the situation. It was tense, though. Dave was in the habit of handing out unsolicited critiques of the editorial side and only really treated people in a civil manner when he needed something. If he didnt need to parade advertisers through the editorial plantation or need brown faces to accompany him on meetings, Dave treated us as little more than a bunch of chattering voices that he was under no obligation to listen to.
As the launch date drew closer the show was in April, right when Ray [Benzino] really started bugging out it became clear to us on editorial that Dave wasnt nearly as adept with dealing with the politics of such an undertaking as he thought he was. The guest list was a disaster, with dozens of Hip Hop pioneers not even invited. And who had to deal with those explosive situations the editorial side! We all have our horror stories, but I had to spend a very tense 15 minutes in the hallway outside of the office trying to stop two old school legends from rushing into Daves office and hanging him out of the window until he coughed up some tickets. And if it wasnt for Russell Simmons stepping in and basically tearing Dave a new asshole, the 1994 Source Awards would have had very little in the way of old school representation and participation. DJ Hollywood was the best part of that night, and Dave had no clue who he was.
But it got worse. As the buzz surrounding the awards began to build, so did talk of a possible boycott by artists and organizations who felt that The Source had no legitimate right to select and judge who or what embodied Hip Hop. KRS-One caused a huge problem during the home stretch. Not only was he not going to appear at the awards, but he was also going to badmouth it and do his best to derail it. Dave got really scared and begged Jon [Shecter] [click to read], myself and a few other brown faces to have lunch with Kris and get him back on board. Thing is, KRS is no fool and every problem he had with the award show was valid. We werent looking at the entirety of the Hip Hop spectrum; we were only focusing on rap. We had no category for best graffiti or best b-boy. And Kris took great pains to let us know that he felt the magazine was losing its focus and if we were not careful we would wake up one day to find ourselves working at an urbanized Rolling Stone. He was correct on everything he said, but the way he said it to us whew! Believe me, you dont want to be across the table from KRS-One when he is belligerent, surly and has an axe to grind. It was the worst lunch ever and was typical of what we had to deal with while Dave was back in the office fucking up the comp list, stepping on toes and making our lives miserable with an award show that none of us wanted to be a part of.
[click here to read about the Zulu Nation threatening 2Pac, and Suge recruiting Biggie to Death Row]
DX: What are some of the other events that were the writing on the wall for this downward spiral?
RD: In 1994 people said we were crazy, but the arc of the universe bends towards justice and today, in 2005, I dont think there are many people outside of Dave and Ray who would doubt the veracity of our actions. The very same industry that once sided with Dave has now abandoned him. We accused Dave of managing The [Almighty] RSO, thus giving them an unfair advantage causing a huge conflict of interest. Today Dave will happily tell you that he was indeed the manager of the group and his actions were totally justified. Dave accused us of being unprofessional, of being unmanageable, of using the magazine to air our petty beefs and start vendettas that were bad for business. Well, that seems to be their standard operating procedure these days. We were accused of using Hip Hop as a means for us to live out ghetto fantasies that we were never really built for, but really, that seems to describe David Mays far more than any one of us.
I dont think Dave is a happy man. His friendship with Ray has cost him dearly in all aspects of his life. And while he tries his best to project a veneer of steely calm and unwavering capability, those who know him and have seem him in his quiet moments will tell you a different story.
Dave had a friend once, the very same person he once tapped to replace James Bernard. One night he called her up and cried and cried and cried and cried. Dave blubbered to her that he wished RSO would just die.
When he found out that Sonya Magett, our fashion editor, could not be enticed to return to The Source, he called a former staffer and cried and cried and cried. He could not understand why Sonya had lost all respect for him. Unfortunately for Dave, the former staffer that he called used to be married to a man who is like a brother to me. The world is small and very few secrets are kept.
There was a man on The Sources marketing team who once witnessed Ray berating Dave in the office. It seems that Ray was upset at the lack of community outreach programs affiliated with The Source (back in the day James Bernard and I would spend a lot of our down time visiting schools and lecturing and mentoring young people, there was no official Source mandate to do so, we just did it on the strength) and screamed on Dave to the point where he burst into tears. Im trying, Ray, he wailed like a little sissy.
One of our old interns had an interesting discussion with an RSO member who was busy loitering around the office one day. The intern, a very good friend of ours, was a bit miffed at something Dave had said to him. The RSO member had a remedy one he said worked for him whenever he felt that Dave had forgotten his place. Just slap him, was the sage advice. Just slap him.
There was another man on the marketing team, a person who started back when we were there. It was his second day on the job and he witnessed something that shook him to the core of his being. Ray locked the two of them in Daves office and lovingly placed a pistol to the side of Daves head. Homeboy was crying, is what this marketing man told anyone who would listen.
We know someone who lives right next door to Daves parents in DC. When the situation went down between us and Dave, the fallout was far reaching. The two neighbors stopped talking to one another. It was a sad situation, but one day Daves mother sought out her former friend, apologized for the despicable actions of her son and explained, David is afraid, he is in way over his head and cant figure a way out of this.
I could go on, but once youve heard one story youve heard them all. Dave is Dave. His heart pumps pink Kool-Aid. For all of his love of the ghetto, he never learned lesson one of surviving in the hood: Under no circumstances are you to you ever give your lunch money to a bully. It is far better to take the ass whoppin than to be some nigga's personal ATM. But Dave never seemed to figure that out and that is why he is in the dire straits that he currently finds himself. I once met a man who introduced himself to me as Dave Mays future extorter. Really, now, is that what you want to be known for? Its worse than pathetic.
[click here to read about how Reginald orchestrated a plan to get Benzino finally put on the cover of The Source.]
This is just the tip of the iceberg, just a fraction of the details Reginald C. Dennis provided.
Click to revisit all the legendary stories...
Part 1: The Greatest Story Never Told [click to read]
Part 2: Benzinos Hostile Takeover [click to read]
Part 3: Mays, Benzino, and a Gun [click to read]
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