Daniel Martin, also known as "Dank," of Klosed Custody Records, hit up Wayward to spill his version of the events that led to his Topeka record label to file a lawsuit against Tech N9ne and Strange Music for allegedly using Klosed Custody's talent, Brandon "Bizzy" Evans, without paying credit or management percentages to Klosed Custody. (Strange Music isn't saying much, but it has disputed the allegations and vowed to fight back in court.)
According to Martin, Klosed Custody Records was a project that came from eight years spent in the Texas prison system for attempted murder and aggravated robbery. "As bad as that place was, it made me a better man. I spell Klosed with a K and custody with the C, out of respect for Kansas City," he says. (The lawsuit, however, says that "Klosed Kustody," not Klosed Custody, is suing Tech N9ne and Strange Music.)
"I've known Bizzy since 2005," says Martin, referring to a rapper, Brandon Evans, who is signed to his label. "He saw I was bringing Lil Wayne, Weebie, and Dem Franchise to Topeka in May of 2006 and started coming to the studio. We had a good relationship. I made him an official member of Klosed Custody in September 2008. After his album came out, things only got better, but after I introduced him to Tech, he got strange on me!"
Martin met Tech N9ne in 2005, after Martin was released from prison. "I met Tech through a promoter named Baja Ali (Nook) 4 Block Ent. He's Tech's brother's cousin. He took me to Tech's video shoot for the Bubble song ["Bout 'Ta Bubble"]. Tech and I exchanged numbers because I was getting back in the music scene after an eight-year hiatus," Martin says.
"I never had any type of relationship with Tech," Martin says. "I saw [Tech] again on January 16, 2010, and gave him a Bizzy Get Right or Get Left CD and asked him to listen to it and get on a track with Bizzy or Ko Streetz. I then called Bizzy and told him to come to Cabaret's in Topeka to meet Tech and introduced Bizzy to Tech as my artist."
According to Martin, this is when Bizzy began to work with Tech without his label's knowledge. "I never got Bizzy featured on 'Loud' or 'Sex To The Beat'! It was all done behind my back after I introduced them," Martin says.
"The reason I'm suing Tech and Strange Music is because Tech knew that Bizzy was signed to my label and used his superior name, recognition and established position in the music industry to induce Bizzy to repeatedly violate his contract," Martin says.
"At the end of the day, I'm a man, whether I'm locked up, on the block or in this music industry. Nobody is going to take anything away from me and me not do anything," says Martin. And he has a message for readers, too: "And for all the idiots posting comments on The Pitch: It shows what kinda heart you got!"
Showing 1-50 of 120
