Business Wars

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Death Row Records vs Bad Boy Records | Interns & Intimidation | 2 Sep 13, 2021

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This episode contains explicit language.

In the 70 and 80s, the founders of Death Row and Bad Boy are coming of age. In the Los Angeles neighborhood of Compton, a young Dre is spinning records before he even learns to read. Dre desperately wants to be a hip-hop DJ, but Los Angeles barely has a hip-hop scene. In New York, on the other hand, rap is popping off. And an 18 year old called Sean “Puffy” Combs has B.I.G. plans for the Big Apple.

They don’t know it yet, but their struggles and successes have already begun to shape the egos and sounds of their multi-million dollar tug of war.

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Death Row Records vs Bad Boy Records | Life After Death | 1 Sep 08, 2021

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This episode contains explicit language.

In the 1990s, the landscape of American music was changed forever by two titans of hip hop: Death Row and Bad Boy. The rivalry between these iconic rap labels would go on to become as legendary as it was notorious. But in these early days? It’s all good.

Death Row Records, the West Coast company, is already the hottest label in gangsta rap. But now that they’ve signed mega-star Tupac Shakur, they’re poised to dominate the industry.

New York-based Bad Boy Records finds an answer to Death Row in The Notorious B.I.G, also known as Biggie Smalls. But first, founder Sean “Puffy” Combs has to convince the young rapper to evolve his sound to reach the masses.

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Summer Food Frenzy: Best of Business Wars Daily Sep 06, 2021

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Summer is a time for barbecues, picnics, and maybe even a stiff drink. When it’s warm out, the business of food really starts booming. That’s why we decided to bring you a roundup of some of our favorite recent food stories from our weekday news podcast, Business Wars Daily.

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The Birth of Vegas | Can Sin City Survive? | 7 Sep 01, 2021

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From a turn-of-the-century railroad stopover to a glamorous entertainment oasis, the evolution of Las Vegas has been one for the books. Casino moguls replaced crime bosses as the kings of the castle, giving "Sin City" the more family-friendly vibe we see today. Although the mob is out, more challenges have moved in — a global pandemic, a statewide drought and competition from other markets are giving the Las Vegas gaming industry a run for its money, raising some questions about its future.

For more, we spoke with Howard Stutz, an award-winning journalist at the Nevada Independent who's covered casinos and gaming for more than 30 years. He's sharing what the Strip was like yesterday, how it's faring today and what it might look like tomorrow.

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The Birth of Vegas | Gambling on the Future | 6 Aug 30, 2021

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Sin City shapeshifts from its long-held ranking as the supreme adult playground on the planet to a bizarre family-friendly amusement park. Steve Wynn sets a redesign trend that emphasizes Vegas visitors who come for things other than gambling. It’s a world of boutiques, restaurants and Disney-esque rides for the kiddies.

But it’s a gamble that won’t pay off. As the new century kicks in, ever-changing Las Vegas goes through yet another attitude adjustment as Wynn and Kerkorian battle to the end. The city suffers a variety of tragic blows, and Wynnheads for a fall from grace no one could have predicted. It’s all part of the remarkable, continuing business growth in a city that is like no other.

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The Birth of Vegas | Sharks In the Lobby | 5 Aug 25, 2021

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The mob’s longtime stranglehold on Las Vegas is weakening as the feds press down harder than ever. Just a few years ago, no one built anything on the Strip without gangster involvement. Now, as the late ‘80s unfold into the ‘90s, rising Vegas mega-developer Steve Wynn begins his rise to battle Kirk Kerkorian as the new kings of the Strip, and they don’t need mob money or influence to do it.

Wynn opens what will become the most financially successful casino resort in the world. And it’s financed not by dark underworld funding, but by Wall Street as the corporate sector steps in to knock the mob from the world it created.

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The Birth of Vegas | Casino Combat | 4 Aug 23, 2021

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Vegas is getting a bad rap in the press, thanks to the increasing spotlight on the mob’s control. The legitimate powers in the halls of Nevada government need something—or someone--to spread a veneer of respectability over Sin City.

That someone arrives. He’s one of the most wealthy, powerful men on the planet. And he’s also a loose cannon. As far as new governor Paul Laxalt is concerned, that’s not a deal breaker.

And rich developer Kirk Kerkorian has plans to build the biggest hotel on the planet. Plans that herald a new wave of building on the Vegas Strip.

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The Birth of Vegas | Nevada Doubles Down | 3 Aug 18, 2021

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The mob faces its biggest threat yet when Nevada governor Grant Sawyer wants control of the state’s top-grossing industry—gambling. The attack includes a strictly-enforced gangster blacklist to keep hoods out of their own casinos. Things get worse when Attorney General Robert Kennedy mounts his own war against the Syndicate, aided by the FBI.

But as the mob and the law battle it out, tourism gets a massive boost when Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack comes to town. They define a swinging image of Sin City that proves unshakable.

Meanwhile, the mob is down but not out, hoping the incoming governor will ease the legal scrutiny. But their hopes are not going to be fulfilled.

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The Birth of Vegas | The Feds Get Fed Up | 2 Aug 16, 2021

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Backing from a legitimate Mormon banker creates major funding for the Vegas mob infrastructure. The underworld is coming out on top in Sin City. But there’s a challenger out for blood: the United States government.

A U.S. senator launches an attack on mob-run gaming, and brings his third degree hearings to town. It’s not the only problem in Vegas. Segregation rears its ugly head, but entertainer Harry Belafonte fights back.

As a destination for all manner of illicit, adult good times, Vegas is firmly on the map. But that may not be a good thing.

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The Birth of Vegas | Sunrise on Sin City | 1 Aug 11, 2021

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In 1931, the massive Hoover Dam project brings thousands of workers to Nevada. They have paychecks and nowhere to spend them. The state legalizes gambling, setting a small, dusty town called Las Vegas on its way to becoming an unsurpassed phenomenon.

The mob realizes there are untold riches to be made in gaming, and by the late 1940s, gangsters Meyer Lansky and Benjamin Siegel are opening casinos on the fledgling Strip.

For the mob, the situation is a dream come true. Gambling is legal, prostitution is ignored, and local politicians are either for sale or agreeable. And best of all, there’s virtually no competition.

But that won’t last.

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