Back in 2003 I finally managed to attain an A&R position and I was in an A&R meeting. I was asked what was big track at that time. It was obvious, it was Fatman Scoop’s ‘Be Faithful’. An incredible genre defining club banger that was a mash up of many different records. It was the holy grail of the hip-hop and R&B scene, but I don’t think anyone had attempted to sign it because of the number of samples. Having lived with the record for years, and playing it night after night in the clubs I figured that I could edit the track to a version that would only require 3 or 4 samples to be cleared rather than the 8 to 10 samples used in the original full length version of ‘Be Faithful’. So the next step was to meet Scoop to discuss a deal.
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I was only in New York for four days and I was finding it hard to secure a meeting with Scoop. On my last night in New York and I kinda gave up hope that a meeting was going to happen. At the last minute I got a message to meet him at a diner on 10th ave in Manhattan at 4am. My flight back to the UK was at 9am.
I connected with Scoop at the diner and he was maaaad cool. Like I’d already known him for years. Within 10 minutes of talking about a deal he said “Cool, let’s get it done”. And that was it.
There were other labels trying to sign the ‘Be Faithful’ record and it didn’t matter. They could never have matched my passion for the track, the culture, or understand the importance of what it meant to DJs. I will forever appreciate Scoop for trusting me with his classic hit. He gave me a chance that literally started my career in A&R. Scoop was my first ever signing. We signed him for two singles and a mixtape something I’m incredibly proud of.
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A couple of months later we cleared the samples, got everything in place then we released Fatman Scoop’s debut commercial single ‘Be Faithful’ in the UK. It went to number one immediately and levelled up his presence globally. It was a beautiful moment. A win for DJ culture. One of the biggest club records of all time was finally available to everybody not just DJs. The biggest party starter was now playlisted on radio stations throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Hip-hop’s biggest voice got the mainstream recognition that he truly deserved. The bookings were bigger, more frequent, and he ventured into TV.
Just over 20 years later ‘Be Faithful’ is still one of the biggest club records of all time.
Scoop was one of the coolest people you could ever meet. He showed nothing but love and warmth to everyone he met. He told me his plans to repay me for signing him and as incredible and thoughtful that it was, I politely declined the gift. I was just doing my job and one of the greatest things he ever did for me was my own personal exclusive dubplate of ‘Be Faithful’ that Scoop voiced for me.
Anyone who has met Scoop or worked with him has their own stories. Legendary radio plugger Rob Pascoe who worked projects in the UK told me he was one of the coolest people to work with. That he actually cared about people. Rob told me that on several occasions Scoop would leave voice notes for Rob’s family that needed a bit of positivity on their day to day. How Scoop sent a birthday message to one of Rob’s family just out of love.
Whether it was the clubs or the boardroom he lit up whatever room he was in. Every DJ embraced Scoop because he was one of us. We shared the same stages with him. Maintained the same calling and commitment to move crowds and shut down shows worldwide. We feel the loss and it hurts that he is no longer with us. But I can guarantee you that he will not be forgotten.
Scoop’s last words on stage were “Make some noise”. Every DJ, every crowd will do just that.
His music lives on. Scoop’s voice will live on louder than ever. We will forever put our hands in the air when we hear the now immortal words “BASS DROP”
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Words: DJ Semtex (@djsemtex)
Photo Credit: Matt Crossick/PA Images via Getty Images
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