HARRY O vs. J PRINCE CLASH OF THE TITANS

Over the last decade or so, some of the most storied and most influential drug dealers have regained their freedom from federal prison. Street legends like  OAKLAND — Darryl Reed, once called the “crack king” of Oakland, was released from prison in 2016, a year after President Obama granted him clemency. The former drug kingpin known on the streets as “Lil D” was released from a federal prison in Oregon on Dec. 28, 2016, 26 years into a 35-year prison sentence for manufacturing and possessing crack and cocaine to sell.

Ricky Donnell "Freeway Rick" Ross (born January 26, 1960) is an American author and convicted drug trafficker best known for the drug empire he established in Los Angeles, California, in the early to mid-1980s, which ended in life sentenced in federal prison. Ross would secure his freedom in 2009. Ross’s gross revenue claimed to be more than $900 million and profits. Ross sold "$3 million in one day."[8] According to the East Bay Times. In his rise, prosecutors estimate that Ross exported several tons of cocaine to New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and made more than $500 million between 1983 and 1984.

The latest to join this pantheon is Michael “Harry O” Harris,  a former cocaine kingpin convicted in 1988 of attempted murder and narcotics distribution. But now, after serving 32 years behind bars, Death Row co-founder Michael “Harry-O” Harris was one of 143 people whose sentences were commuted by former President Donald Trump on his final day in office. Harris was the head of a drug empire in the early 1980s before he switched to legitimate business practices. He invested in real estate, owned a limousine service, an exotic car dealership, a construction company, and a Beverly Hills hair salon. Harris even produced a Broadway play called Checkmates that featured an up and coming star named Denzel Washington. What should have been a celebration of his freedom has been interrupted with allegations that he supposedly snitched on Rap-A-Lot Records owner and founder James “J Prince” Smith.

In an interview, J Prince---whose company signed a multimillion-dollar distribution pact in 1995 with EMI-owned Virgin Records--said: “Mike Harris is a pathological lying snitch. I guess he must be working with the feds trying to bring down black-owned companies. I started Rap-A-Lot with my own money.”  Thus the beef and allegation that Harry O was born mostly through Suge Knight in interviews with a significant assist from J Prince. Harry O has gone on record to debunk the allegations. “I am not afraid of the truth,” Harris said. “But I am truly disturbed by these insinuations that I am some rat. I am not a rat. If I was a rat, I could have been home free ten years ago. I want to make it very clear that I have never cut any deal with the government. I was brought down here by subpoena. I had no choice in the matter.” The beef between the two bosses mostly went noticed for 20 years until Baton Rouge rapper Boosie went on VladTV and repeated statements made by the SouthWest Don J Prince, “Harry O is a rat!”

"J. Prince" Prince has denied that the legendary Houston-based label is co-owned by convicted drug kingpin Michael "Harry-O" Harris. Prince did not attend a hearing in Los Angeles back in 2006 relating to the matter. However, attorney Steve Goldberg claimed that his client is owed money. The incarcerated Harris charges that he owns half of the company and provided startup capital to launch Rap-A-Lot. He also claims that he is rightfully entitled to half of the label’s earnings, dating back to its formation in 1986. However, Prince fiercely denies Harris and Goldberg’s claims that Harris was an early investor in the label that helped launch the careers of the Geto Boys, Scarface, Yukmouth, and the Luniz, among others."I’ve been dealing with Feds, snitches, and rats all my life, conspiring to destroy Rap-A-Lot and me, J. Prince told AllHipHop.com in 2006, "This is nothing new to me. You have this Harris guy, an L.A. rat. Who is lonely and desperate because the best thing that ever happened to him has divorced him and moved back to Houston with all his money."  Referring to Harris’ estranged wife, Lydia Harris. “The only explanation that I have for him waking up in prison after 20 years saying that I made an oral agreement for 50 percent of Rap-A-Lot is he must think that his ex-wife [Lydia] still has a special place in her heart for me," J Prince. 

Rap-A-Lot Records founded in 1987. But DEA documents show that a confidential informant said that Harry O provided $200,000 in proceeds to launch the label. A statement that Harry O would admit to some ten years later in the now-infamous L.A. Times article 1997. Harry O has been mute on the subject thus far, but in an exclusive Breakfast Club radio interview, J Prince claimed that Harry O’s statements led to investigations by the DEA, IRS, and FBI. There have been rumors that Harry-O was involved with Rap-A-Lot, and Charlamagne asked if the Death Row icon was a founder of his label, as well. "Never," answered Prince. "That lie needs to be cleaned up. Harry-O never had any business whatsoever where Rap-A-Lot was concerned. The only thing we did in the music industry together was he took the Geto Boys on tour with a couple of dates in L.A. and Oakland with The Fat Boys and Salt-N-Pepa back in the day. And then, that was in 1989 or '90." When speaking about how the rumor of Harry-O's involvement with Rap-A-Lot began, Prince said, "From what I understand, it came out his mouth." He added that he heard from their mutual friend Darryl “Lil D” Reed, former Oakland, California “King Of Crack” kingpin, that Harry-O told him that he owned the Geto Boys way back when. "That caused me a lot of problems when a man makes that statement, a lie like that." Of course, there was nothing there to find. I want to clear that up more so than me; I hope someday he will clear it up because I think it'd be better for his resumé." Although J Prince did not reiterate statements he made some 20 years earlier, the implication was clear.

In 2014 former original Geto Boys Member Sire Jukebox talked about Rap-A-Lot Records' origins on Murder Master Music Show. According to Jukebox, Harry O was an intricate part of the Geto Boys and Rap-A-Lot “Harry O was like a father figure to me James (J Prince) use to fly us to California and Harry would treat us like kings.” Also, Jukebox stated that Harry O was responsible for their early tours with the Fat Boys and Mac Hammer “Harry believe in us, and what we were doing he invested in us as well as Rap-A-Lot so whatever you’re hearing about him is a damn lie he was a good due he took care of us and James (J Prince.)

Michael Harry O Harris hasn’t made any public statements referring to the matter. According to what he has told the BOP in recent sentence reduction requests, he plans to move to Texas and work as a prison rights activist with a ministry he has ownership of in San Antonio.

Peter Ross Editor-In-Chief

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