West Coast rap duo Rodney-O & Joe Cooley lacked adequate repayment on their first three albums (each of which sold 200,000 copies), and elected to go it alone on the fourth, Fuck New York. They had to sell their cars and possessions to get it done, but they were confident of a return after taking control of the means of production. On that album’s provocative title, Rodney elaborated: "The crux of the LP is about the people who are ripping off New York rap fans. It speaks about the reluctance of some New York people to break a West Coast artist because they feel that rap started in New York." It was hardly the most diplomatic way to introduce themselves to East Coast hip-hop fans.