It’s a beautiful afternoon on South Beach in late January; comfortably cool despite the sun shining overhead. Slip-N-Slide has finished settling into their new location, a colorful home converted to an office just a few blocks from the beach in an affluent area. Inside, I’m greeted by a few new faces before being led into CEO Ted Lucas’ office, a small yet comfortable room with a private bathroom. The walls are adorned with Trick Daddy and Trina plaques and magazine covers. I wait for him to finish his phone conversation before commenting, “Your name is all over the streets right now.” Without missing a beat, he responds, “That’s a good thing.” In the year since I’ve last visited, the label has endured its share of controversy. Most recently, the news of their new distribution deal through Capital/Priority Records was overshadowed by various rumors and diss tracks from disgruntled artists. Slip-N-Slide is clearly at a crossroads. Even though many of the individuals involved with the label’s early successes have left on bad terms, Lucas does have several promising projects ahead.

Debbie Bennett, a former employee of Luke Records, was once Slip-N-Slide’s behind-the-scenes backbone. According to sources, Bennett resigned after a heated argument with a co-worker. “Debbie is always going to be at Slip-N-Slide,” Lucas insists, “I might put her in the next video just to prove she’s still here. Debbie’s just taking a little time away from the music business.” Just over the bridge less than five minutes away, Debbie Bennett, working behind a desk at the Iconz Music Group, declines to comment.

Interviewing Ted Lucas is a battle of wits. He responds to controversial questions politely, quietly, calmly, with a poker face and a slight smile, making it nearly impossible to catch him off guard. Even underneath the trained exterior, you get a glimpse of both of Lucas’s personalities. According to him, there’s Ted Lucas – the businessman – and Touché, the hustler.

Ted Lucas – the businessman – doesn’t elaborate when it comes to the specifics of his multi-million dollar deal. “I’m not the type to brag about money,” he explains, “But it’s the type of deal I’ve been waiting to get for a long time.” In contrast to their earlier joint venture with Atlantic Records, Slip-N-Slide’s deal with Capital/Priority is a distribution deal for several new artists, including Don Yute and Duece Poppi. Trick Daddy and Trina’s 2004 projects will remain distributed by Atlantic. Trina’s manager, a former Slip-N-Slide employee, resigned and distanced himself from the label, spawning rumors that Trina would be handled directly by Atlantic. “That’s simply not true,” Lucas says, emphasizing that Trina is a Slip-N-Slide artist, even fielding phone calls during our interview regarding her studio time.

Introduced to dancehall artist Don Yute (think Sean Paul with a ‘fro) by Greg Street, Lucas signed him after hearing his single with the Ying Yang Twins. In 2004, Lucas plans to release six albums: Don Yute, Trick Daddy, Trina, Duece Poppi, Lost Tribes, and a Slip-N-Slide 10 Year anniversary compilation album. Trick Daddy’s collaboration with Tupac, “Old School,” and Trina’s controversial “Big Ol’ Dick,” already have the streets buzzing.

After ten years, you’d expect a label with two superstars, a stable of young talent, and six upcoming releases to have an air of anticipation. But somehow, it just doesn’t feel that way. The future feels uncertain. Perhaps it’s the rumors that the label is “broke” (which Lucas’s assistant angrily denied on 305hiphop.com), perhaps it’s the scathing diss track directed at Ted Lucas from (former) Slip-N-Slide artist Rick Ross, or perhaps it’s Slip-N-Slide artist Money Mark’s murderous track entitled, “The Death of Ted Lucas.”

After the sun sets, Money Mark directs me by phone to a quiet middle-class neighborhood in North Miami, where he and a friend are lounging in the open trunk of his car, parked in the front yard. “You see what we’re stuck sitting out here doing?” he asks rhetorically. “Money laundering.” Money Mark and his partner C.O. make up the duo Tre+6, who have been signed to Slip-N-Slide Records for nearly ten years. In separate interviews, they vented their frustrations.

C.O. and Money Mark contributed more than the average artist. In addition to their own project, which was never released, they served as ghostwriters, hype men, and all-around Slip-N-Slide reps. “C.O. showed Trina how to rap, how to pronounce words. I was writing her lyrics. A lot of people recognize the time and effort we put in,” Money Mark says, “We’re just people, so we can be replaced, but [Ted] should have at least made sure we were breathing and eating.”

“Every nigga I knew [at Slip-N-Slide], the only thing we really wanted was to get off the streets,” Mark continues. “I don’t wanna be hustling all my life.” Who is to blame for the missed opportunities? C.O., by phone, quietly explains that he’s a politician, not an instigator. “I don’t blame anybody except myself. I learned a lot from the situation, and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to share my experiences with other young artists. I want to show them the ropes so they won’t fall into the same traps I did.” Money Mark points out that although Lucas is responsible for all final Slip-N-Slide decisions, many decisions are influenced by lawyers who are only concerned with the bottom line. “I blame lawyers, to a certain extent,” Mark says, “But the bottom line is greed. Greed, greed, greed. That’s the title of this muthafuckin’ article: greed. I can give you a list of people who will tell you that Ted Lucas is greedy. He suffers from greed.”

“I’m gonna put it like this,” Lucas says firmly, “Trick owns a beautiful house. Trina owns a beautiful house. I’m in the music business, I ain’t in the babysitting business. If you can bring me a hit record, I’m gonna do what I’ve got to do for you to be successful. I’m gonna take care of you. Hit records solve everything. Diss records don’t sell.” So basically, everyone got what they deserved? Lucas smiles politically. “I’ve got much love for [C.O., Money Mark, and Rick Ross], and that’s why I signed them in the first place. There’s no love lost, no beef. God bless ‘em, I want ‘em to be successful. Good luck.” Money Mark is a bit more cynical. “Do I wish Slip-N-Slide the best?” he laughs incredulously, “Hell no.” He pauses. “I haven’t even got all my plaques! I’m missing four, five, six plaques. That’s like my Superbowl rings! That’s some bullshit. How you gonna not give a nigga his plaques?! But he wishes me the best, right?” Money Mark laughs. “Just take care of the niggas around you making sacrifices. They leaving they wife, kids, sick momma at home just to make sure you eat.”

Rick Ross, who was signed to Slip-N-Slide for over two years, says, “[Ted Lucas] ain’t spend no money. He gave me a little weed, but no real money.” From a CEO’s perspective, however, Lucas points out the costs that a label incurs on behalf of an artist. “I put a lot of money into production. Jazze Pha produced a song for Rick Ross. That wasn’t free. I flew Rick Ross around the country to sit down with different producers. Just give me that one hit record. That’s all I need. I can’t release an album just because y’all think it’s done.”

Ross says that initially, he was happy to be a part of the Slip-N-Slide family. “It takes time to really judge a person’s intentions. But I watched my comrades, who were committed and talented, work hard, and their shit went down the drain.” Over time, Ross says, “I came to a point where I realized that Mr. Lucas is not really a hustler. He doesn’t want to be a multi-millionaire. He’s comfortable with his quarter million. Ted should have fuckin’ exploited Atlantic Records. He should have released fifteen albums by now.”

“At Slip-N-Slide,” C.O. says, “It was like a waiting game. But what are we waiting for? A miracle?” According to C.O., many of Trick’s records were only released “by accident” after bootleggers started circulating the tracks. “[Ted] would only put out records to capitalize off the moment. He never hustled to make something happen. There’s a difference between hustlers and opportunists. What if Def Jam had quit when the Beastie Boys were on top? Russell Simmons was a hustler, but [Ted Lucas] is not a hustler.”

Lucas laughs at the accusation. “Trick is a thug, Trina’s the baddest bitch, and Touché is the hustler. Believe that. I put a lot of money in niggas hands around here, and that’s just the truth. I got the Iconz a deal.” On Rick Ross’ diss track, however, he alleges that Lucas “blindfolded” the Iconz. “I blindfolded the Iconz?” Lucas laughs, “I gave the Iconz a P&D deal [with Elektra]. They controlled their own music and made $4 off each album. Not just anybody can go get a deal like that. I made that deal happen.”

“Ted really should stop walking around with his chest out like he the black fuckin’ Tommy Mottola,” Ross snorts, “He need to just be honest and admit that he really don’t know what the fuck he doing. He was blessed to be around talented muthafuckers like Trick Daddy and Trina. A lot of people don’t realize the shit that Trick has been through. He represents a lot for the South – the hustle, the grind. Trick kept the lights on all these years.”

In fact, the only thing they all seem to agree on is Trick Daddy. “Trick respects us as people and as artists, and [on the road] he pays real well,” Money Mark says, “But everything else was always a tug-of-war.” Even if he’s no longer with Slip-N-Slide, Ross says he’ll always have love for Trick, even issuing a challenge to Trick’s Atlanta rival, T.I. “I’m tired of T.I. beating around the bush. Nigga, clarify yourself! On your records, who you talking about in Miami? Don’t talk to my city like that,” Ross shakes his head.

“[Ted Lucas] ain’t taking care of his people, so he must not have any money,” Ross concludes. “That’s Record Label 101 – he can’t even complete putting out an indie album! [Duece Poppi’s album] was supposed to drop November 2nd, and that shit ain’t even come out. Slip-N-Slide ain’t even had the courtesy to tell that man that his shit got pushed back. Niggas got families, bills,” Ross says, “That man [Lucas] got a condo on the beach. Garbage-ass contracts. Playin’ with a man’s financial situation? That’s disrespectful.” According to Money Mark, Lucas gave him and C.O. a $20,000 advance five years ago. Since then, Mark claims that studio paperwork was frequently changed or misplaced, preventing him from receiving proper royalties. “I made a lot of money doing shows, but not that long-term money that I need to establish me as a grown man,” says C.O.

So where did all the money go? Money Mark leans back farther into the trunk, trying to get comfortable. “I don’t know, you’ve gotta ask Ted,” he says smoothly, with a slight smile. “Ted’s the one with the Ranges, the new Benzes, the new cribs, the office on South Beach. Must be nice.” C.O. points out that most of Slip-N-Slide’s original staff have left. “People’s eyes were opened. They got tired of being pimped.” According to Money Mark, Lucas’ business practices have affected his independent career. “I can’t get some of the hottest producers out here ‘cause Slip-N-Slide owes them money!” Mark sighs, “Ask David Banner where I met him – sittin’ in Slip-N-Slide office waiting on a check. How you gonna leave a talented nigga like David Banner waiting for money? And [Lucas] had the chance to sign the Ying Yang Twins and Lil Jon, but he said they were too whack.”

With the details of Tre+6 (C.O. & Money Mark’s) release still being negotiated, Lucas says, “Really, the cards are in their hands. I respect their position, because if I’d been on a label for ten years and I ain’t had my own album released I’d feel that way too. But it’s all about the music – I just give the public what they want. Give me a hit record and the deal is done.” Mark and C.O. plan to continue pursuing their music careers and ghostwriting for other artists. As ghostwriters, it seems that Money Mark and C.O.’s talents will be sorely missed at Slip-N-Slide, with Trina’s newest single dropping lyrical gems like “Nelly got a big ol’ dick, I know I told you I’d be true / But Nelly got a big ol’ dick, so I’m leaving you.” Rick Ross, loosely affiliated with Miami label Poe Boy, has continued hitting the streets with mixtapes and underground tracks.

Through the whole experience, C.O. and Money Mark say they’ve learned what not to do. C.O. says, “It’s always business now, never personal.” Money Mark points out that as former classmates of Lucas, he and C.O. didn’t even think to question their contracts. “The message is, don’t trust nobody!” says Mark. “We signed it out of love,” add C.O., “Because we felt like we were a part of something, and we believed in it.”

So, what exactly is the future of Slip-N-Slide? Only time will tell for sure, but everyone has their own theory. “Think about all the other labels that have come and gone. Slip-N-Slide just isn’t real no more. The love’s not there no more. You could keep doing something forever, but once you realize it’s all being done in vain, it’s not fun anymore,” C.O. summarizes. “I haven’t seen no good movement from Slip-N-Slide since the collapse, about a year ago,” Money Mark agrees. Of course, Lucas is optimistic. “I didn’t get a chance to concentrate on the music in 2003,” he rationalizes, “Everything in this game is about ups and downs. There were some people that couldn’t hold on last year when things were a little rough.”

In some Miami circles, it seems that Lucas has gained a Suge Knight reputation. Rick Ross disagrees, asking, “Why would anybody be scared of a businessman who goes to the office every day?” Lucas smiles while responding, “Rick Ross don’t know me. I ain’t gonna give the Feds nothing to use against me in a court of law, so I’ll just say God bless him.” So, are people afraid of Ted Lucas? He thinks for a minute before answering, “Nah, I’m just respected. But there’s two different people. Ted Lucas is a businessman, but Touché is nobody to be fucked up with. Rick Ross was blessed to meet Ted Lucas.” Money Mark looks confused at the question. “Why would anybody be scared of Ted? I guess he tries to give off that image. But ‘gangsta’ is a way of life. A real gangsta would make sure I’m eating. There’s rules. He’s gotta take care of his people. When you’ve got soldiers, that’s a blessing. You’re only a leader if you’ve got followers.”