from Rock & Rap Confidential/2000
In the weeks leading up to the late March release of the Murderers’ Def Jam debut, Irv Gotti
Presents The Murderers, there was a lot of hot air about how the group’s name would somehow cause
permanent harm to America. Behind that smokescreen was the fact that Def Jam’s parent, Universal
Music Group, told the Murderers that they wouldn’t release their album if they didn’t remove "anti-
police" lyrics. Def Jam head Russell Simmons, who owns an ad agency with a $10 million contract to
promote the New York City police department, was happy to observe a code of silence even though
Universal promised to more aggressively censor lyrics in the future. [from Rock & Rap
Confidential/2000]
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