During an interview with Kendra G of Philadelphia's 100.3 The Beat (watch below) radio station, Diddy addressed reports that Day26 would be leaving Bad Boy and would be Atlantic Records exclusively. I say reports because that is what they were; not rumors.

"I don't know why that's on the blogs like that," Diddy said when asked if Day26 was off of Bad Boy. "I still have my label deal over at Atlantic. I didn't sell my label. I still have my artists that are over there. From Day26 to Janelle Monae, etc."

"[They are still] part of Bad Boy," he continued. "The Bad Boy imprint will be on there. Unless, Day26 could wake up and say 'we just want the label to say Atlantic.' And that would be cool with me. But, right now, it's Bad Boy and Atlantic. I'm there for them, I'm not abandoning any of the artists over there. I been hearing that a lot on the blogs, but I really don't pay attention to the blogs. I've been hearing it enough to address it; it's not true. I got a great working relationship with Atlantic and we gonna continue we had there; just my future endeavors is gonna be with Jimmy Iovine and Interscope."

I'm planning to write more about this in the future, but it's not "the blogs." Members of the group suggested this was the case and a spokesperson for the group told MTV News that they were in the process of leaving Bad Boy. Statements like this are disrespectful to the work that is done here at Bad Boy Blog and the work that other responsible writers do on their blogs. Blogging is a medium; not a style. I wonder if Diddy lumps all rappers into the same category. And if not, what does he think when other people do it? Just curious.


Thanks Theo for the tip.

At the end of November, we shared a report that indicated that Day26 was no longer signed to Bad Boy, but now to Atlantic Records exclusively. This wasn't a total surprise and the reasons why were detailed in that piece.

I'm still working on confirming the finality of this, but MTV News' Shaheem Reid reports that, according to their spokesperson, the group is "in the midst" (Reid's words) of leaving, so it may not be totally finished yet. Still unclear, but it would seem like it's only a matter of time. Stay tuned.

Latifah Muhammad of The Boombox reports that Day26 is exclusively signed to Atlantic Records now and no longer a part of the Bad Boy Records roster. Group members Willie Taylor and Qwanell "Que" Mosley, quoted in the article, were very complementary about their time at Bad Boy. Willie expanded on his thoughts in a trio of Twitter messages:


If accurate, this isn't a total surprise. It's also not as big a deal as some publications are making it, in an attempt to make this more of a story than it is. It's not "splitsville," Day26 didn't leave anyone. It's highly unlikely that they had the authority to say "we're not signed to Bad Boy anyone." There was almost certainly some level of negotiation and a decision by Bad Boy to allow them to be Atlantic exclusively.

Day26 has always been signed to Atlantic through Bad Boy Records. For their entire career. When Diddy's deal with Atlantic was set to expire, he opted not to continue with them and signed with Interscope Records.

At the time, it was also made clear that any artists that were signed to Bad Boy up to that point would remain at Atlantic - including Day26. Diddy also said that he still had the Atlantic imprint and that he would continue to work with the artists he had signed.

Willie Taylor spoke about the group's situation in October. "It might be Bad Boy/Atlantic, it might just be Atlantic," he said. "Right now, it’s up in the air. We know we not gonna be Bad Boy/Interscope though. That’s not even part of the situation." So, we already knew this was an option, just last month. And, apparently, after negotiation they will just be signed to Atlantic Records. If that is the case, we here at Bad Boy Blog wish them well.

I've reached out to both Atlantic Records and Bad Boy Entertainment for further confirmation.

In the clip below, Millions of Milkshakes of West Hollywood, California launches the Day26 "So Good" Shake with the group on hand to make it. It consists of vanilla ice cream, caramel, a chocolate Hershey bar and walnuts, topped with whipped cream.

Day26, nominated in October in the "SOUL/R&B - Favorite Band, Duo or Group" category in the 2009 American Music Awards, did not pick up the victory during tonight's program. On his Twitter, group member Willie Taylor mentioned that The Black Eyed Peas had been given the award.

"Beauty's a B****" by Day26 is now in our audio player. The song sounds as though it may be unfinished, with a break in the middle where a guest verse could presumably have gone.

When the Bad Boy Blog Twitter account was recently followed by @awe_ent, it looked as though Brian Angel of Day26 may have returned to Twitter, after leaving the service in April. But, I wanted to wait until I had something official to confirm it.

In the video below, Angel explains that he is back on Twitter and that the account is him. Welcome back.

Brian Angel of Day26 is featured on a new single from Houston rapper Trae tha Truth called "Something Real." The song also features Slim Thug and Plies. As Brian explains in the video below, he appears on the hook and for ad libs and remakes a portion of R&B group Jodeci's "Jodecidal Hotline." Listen to the track on XXLMag.com.

Day26 has been nominated in the "SOUL/R&B - Favorite Band, Duo or Group" category of the 2009 American Music Awards, airing on November 22 at 8 PM ET on ABC. You can vote for them online. They are going against The Black Eyed Peas and Mary Mary.

Bad Boy's recent move to Interscope has left questions regarding the acts signed to the label at the time of the deal. It sounds as though Bad Boy may continue to distribute these artists through Atlantic. All signs point to them being with Atlantic in one form or another, however.

Willie Taylor of Day26 said as much when speaking to Rap-Up.com about the move. "It might be Bad Boy/Atlantic, it might just be Atlantic," he said. "Right now, it’s up in the air. We know we not gonna be Bad Boy/Interscope though. That’s not even part of the situation." According to the article, Diddy called the guys and broke the news to them himself.