IN THE GETO: Remember all the hoopla...

IN THE GETO: Remember all the hoopla last summer when Rubin ended his Def-American distribution deal with Geffen Records after David Geffen refused to handle his incendiary Geto Boys rap album? Despite being avidly courted by Warner Bros., Atlantic and Elektra Records, Rubin still hasn’t signed a new distribution deal (though those labels’ distribution wing, WEA Inc., worked the Geto Boys album Geffen had rejected). Rubin has been close to signing with Warner Bros. for months, but no deal has been signed. “Warners is a great place,” Rubin says. “So I’m still hopeful it’ll be done soon.”

One possible sticking point? None other than the Geto Boys, whose songs offer graphic accounts of sex and violence. Insiders say that some of Warners’ top brass aren’t any more enthusiastic than Geffen’s execs about being involved with the controversial rap group. In fact, Rubin now reveals that the Geto Boys, who were signed to Def-American through their own Rap-A-Lot label, may not even be a part of Def-American’s Warner deal.

“There’s a good chance that my involvement with them will be less than it has been,” he explains. “Because of the amount of pressure put on Warners, the Geto Boys record was handled kind of quietly--no one at Warners was really comfortable with it. Rap-A-Lot was very unhappy about the whole thing. Since I’d like to do what’s best for the band, it may turn out to be in their best interests to be distributed by someone else.”

In fact, Priority Records chief Bryan Turner says that his label is now handling Rap-A-Lot and will release the Geto Boys new album, “We Can’t Be Stopped,” which is due out in late June. Priority in turn has a pressing and collection deal--also known as a pick, pack and ship deal--with CEMA Distribution, which handles a host of major labels, including Capitol and EMI Records. CEMA charges Priority a manufacturing and distribution fee, but Priority has its own autonomous sales staff to handle its new releases. Turner says that he doesn’t expect any Geto Boys-inspired problems with CEMA, which has been supportive of pop performers’ artistic rights in the past.