Post by Paula on Jul 12, 2005 20:14:57 GMT -5
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Far from over, 30.5.05
There are a lot of people running around Rococo nightclub in London ’s Leicester Square – producers,, promoters,a photographer, make-up artists and the club owner – all in aid of Lisa Maffia ’s new venture:a record label.
Fresh from coming second on Channel 4’s sports reality competition The Games, Lisa, (pictured), has organised a photoshoot for North Star, the first signing to her fledgling label Maffia Recordz, and she’s busy making sure every-thing goes to plan.
Finally satisfied, she sits down to talk about her new project. ‘I launched the label in May last year,’ the 25-year-old excitedly reveals. ‘Every artist loved to complain that their label “didn’t do it right” or that “they flopped me”, so I thought sometimes labels do make mistakes ’coz they’re trying to make money.
‘I understand, ’coz it’s a business, but they do lose focus in caring about you after a while. So I said to myself, “I can do this, ’coz I care and I know what it’s like,” and that’s how the label began.’
She met North Star through group member Chyna, who featured on Lisa’s last single, Woman of the World, before she was dropped by her label Independiente.
On hearing the word ‘dropped’ So Solid’s first lady immediately responds: ‘I wasn’t completely dropped. It was a mutual agreement. ‘Independiente took me where I wanted to go and they couldn’t take me any further. I wanted to explore other areas but I don’t think that they had the faith in me that they should have.
‘It was a bit of a let-down, but it doesn’t matter now ’coz I’m going to do it my way and do it maybe a better way.’
Lisa has funded Maffia Recordz with her own money and co-runs it with Charles Intsiful, who makes his vision for the company clear. ‘I’d like it to be like a Roc-a-Fella, where we do our own movies, make good music – not anything negative.
‘We’ll try to be positive and show that there’s a lot of musical potential here as well as proving that you can still make it in the corporate world doing your own business as well.’
Maffia Recordz has its own television production facilities as well as in-house producers and songwriters. Things appear to be going swimmingly in Lisa’s life. It’s a shame that the same can’t be said for So Solid Crew leader Megaman, who is currently in jail on murder charges.
‘I haven’t had contact with Mega even before he was arrested, ’ she says. ‘I haven’t seen him in months, absolute months.
‘I’ve heard he’s OK. Some of my friends have been up to visit him and his son’s mother is a friend of mine and she said he’s fine.’
It appears that Megaman is not the only So Solid member that the petite south Londoner has lost contact with. ‘I don’t get to see a lot of them. But I do remain in contact with Harvey and Romeo.
‘The rest of the guys are here, there and everywhere. Asher D’s acting, even Harvey is in and out of football, and he’s getting married, so everybody has their separate lives now.’
Lisa is certainly making the most of her’s. Her bashment-tinged single Shake will be coming to a store near you soon and she promises, ‘I will be back with another album’.
