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, F**k 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.