Arguably the most important southern Hip Hop label of the past few years is looking to expand its roster. Ted Lucas, CEO of Slip-N-Slide Records, spoke with HipHopDX recently to let our readers know just exactly how he plans to do that. Additionally, during our conversation Mr. Lucas explained to DX the origins of Trick Daddy’s recent departure from S-N-S, if Trina will be following in Trick’s footsteps and leaving the label, and even with a couple recent artist’s exodus’ how he plans to keep Slip-N-Slide a commercial force to be reckoned with for a couple more decades.

Following the gold-plaque netting successes of Plies and Rick Ross, the Miami-based label is seeking to take their knack for discovering new talent outside of the Sunshine State. In conjunction with their major-label distributors Def Jam and Atlantic Records, Lucas will begin this coming Saturday (June 7th) going to cities throughout the south and Midwest in search of “The Next Big Superstar.”

“I’m doing a reality T.V. show,” Lucas explained to DX. “I’ma go out here and find out who’s the next real superstar that I can sign to my label. I don’t care if you in a gospel group, or somebody in your church that you know can sing, or that boy that might be working at McDonald’s who be rappin’ all the time while he making them burgers, or that boy that’s on the block that rappin’, come check me out when I hit your city. I don’t care if you’re two hours away, it’s gonna be worth [the trip]. It’s gonna change your life.”

Two eventual finalists will be chosen to compete for a chance to win a recording contract with Slip-N-Slide (partnering with Def Jam or Atlantic). And all comers will likely land on national television once “The Next Big Superstar” hits the air (Lucas is currently in talks with a couple of networks to broadcast his new artist search).

“It ain’t about the T.V. show though,” said Lucas. “I gotta make sure Slip-N-Slide Records can be around another 15, 20 years. And I’m doing this [show] a little different, this ain’t gonna be no American Idol or Making The Band type stuff. I’ma show it to you from a real point of view, where I can go get somebody that’s living in a shack and change they whole family’s lifestyle.”

While Lucas and Slip-N-Slide look to build for the future, it’s the label’s past that seems to be garnering the most media attention at the moment. Reports of S-N-S’ seminal artist, Trick Daddy, leaving his label home of over a decade and signing with a competing southern Hip Hop powerhouse have surfaced [click to read].

“I don’t know if Trick Daddy signed with Cash Money [as a solo artist],” Lucas explained. “My understanding is Trick Daddy started his own label called Dunk Ryder Records, and his group is signed with Cash Money. Now if Trick Daddy signed with Cash Money [as a solo artist], I don’t know. But I have heard rumors about Trick Daddy signing with Cash Money. If he did, man, my blessings go out to Slim, Baby and him. I ain’t got no problems with it. I wish them the best.”

Although in an exclusive report published here at DX earlier today Trick Daddy suggested that he and Lucas’ relationship wasn’t even close enough for their kids to have interacted with each other [click to read], the Slip-N-Slide CEO, who has publicly credited Trick’s now deceased brother, Hollywood, for assisting him in starting the label, insisted he and Trick’s relationship remains on solid ground.

“I ain’t never had no problems with Trick Daddy,” he said. “Trick Daddy’s my brother. I love that man. I mean, like how I love my momma. I love Trick Daddy. There ain’t no problems over here.”

While according to Lucas the personal relationship between he and Trick is still intact, clearly the professional relationship between the two has been over since the commercial failure of Trick’s last solo effort, 2006’s Back By Thug Demand, led to rumors last fall that Trick had been dropped by Atlantic Records.

Subsequent reports have suggested that disputes between Trick and Atlantic over the handling of his album led to a rift between Lucas and his first artist. The CEO asserted there is no wedge between the two, but suggested that Trick’s lackluster touring contributed in some way to the end of their working relationship.

“Trick Daddy’s been doing this for a long time,” Lucas noted before adding, “He’s [had] a lot of hit records. But in this day and age of the music business you gotta get out there and touch the cities. Trick Daddy been able to put hit records out for days, but now the way the music business is it ain’t only [about making] hit records, you gotta get out here and touch the [people]. Just like I’m not sitting behind a desk just waiting on that hit record to fall [in my lap], an artist gotta get out here and go touch cities state-to-state. And I ain’t talking about just because there’s a paid date, I’m talking about promo dates. You gotta get out here and work, man.” Continued on page 2 »