Tracey Waples on Def Jam, Discovering Wu-Tang, and Signing Method Man

Tracey Waples always heard it first.

Born in Manhattan, raised in Queens and Teaneck, and in Harlem more than she should have been at 14. Her neighbors were the Isleys and the Robinsons of Sugar Hill Records. Her dad called Whitney before the world did. At 15 she walked up to Andre Harrell in Bentley's and asked him what he did. He drove her home and talked to her father until sunrise.

When she needed a job, Dre had just hired Puff. So he sent her to Eddie F's Untouchables, then to Russell Simmons. Russell's interview was one line: "You have a job. Go to work." From there, Def Jam's new era. LL Cool J. EPMD. Redman's first demo. Onyx. Boss. The Chronic Tour with Dr. Dre and Death Row. Then one night on the bus, Fredro Starr played her a loop from a crew out of Staten Island.

She caught the 6AM flight home. By that night she was in RZA's basement. Method Man became her signing.

This is Mixed and Mastered with Tracey Waples.

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