1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: Disgrayland as a production of Double Elvis At The stories 2 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:19,240 Speaker 1: about Mariah Carey are insane. Her sister drugged her and 3 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: pimped her out when she was only twelve years old. 4 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: Her first husband hired not one, but two security guards 5 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 1: to follow her every move. Then he held her at 6 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:32,879 Speaker 1: knife point, well a butter knife, in front of his friends. 7 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: She lived under a microscope in a mansion full of 8 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: hidden cameras and recording devices. A squadron of armed guards 9 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: patrolled her home. That same squadron almost shot her colleagues 10 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,840 Speaker 1: when she disappeared for a thirty minute joyride. But even 11 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: when she endured an oppressive home life, no one could 12 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: imprison the decade defining five octave voice of Mariah Carey. 13 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: She wrote countless number one albums and number one singer 14 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: while essentially in lockdown, including that undying harbinger of holiday 15 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: joy that starts playing the moment You're Thanksgiving leftovers hit 16 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: the freezer. I'm talking, of course, about all I want 17 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: for Christmas is you, because under any circumstances, Mariah Carey 18 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 1: made great music, Unlike that music I played for you 19 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,839 Speaker 1: at the top of the show. That wasn't great music. 20 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: That was a preset loop from my melotron called doodlely 21 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: Do Doodle Doo MK one. I played you that loop 22 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 1: because I can't afford the rights to That's the Way 23 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: Love Goes by Janet Jackson. And why would I play 24 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: you that specific slice of moth to a Flame Cheese? 25 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: Could I afford it? Because that was the number one 26 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: song in America on June fifth, nineteen ninety three, And 27 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: that was the day twenty four year old Mariah Carey 28 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: married sony CEO Tommy Mottola, locking her into eight years 29 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: of constant surveys in one hell of a marriage. On 30 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: this episode, Sister pimps Mansion Imprisonment an all time holiday 31 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: banger in the Diva Mariah Carey. I'm Jake Brennan and 32 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: this is Disgraceland. Mariah Carey tells us every year that 33 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: she doesn't want a lot for Christmas. Not presents, not packages, 34 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: boxes or bags. She just wants a little old fashioned 35 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,519 Speaker 1: holiday joy, that feeling you get when you hear Nat 36 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: King Cole sing about chestnuts and open fires, or when 37 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: you take the first bite of a warm sugar cookie 38 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: fresh shot of the oven. Every year, like clockwork, Mariah's 39 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: ubiquitous holiday hit reminds us that all she wants for 40 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: Christmas is You, nothing else, and every year we believe her. 41 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: But on this particular Christmas, Mariah carry had so much more. 42 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: If Santa's workshop is in the North Pole, his secret 43 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: second home is a ski chalet in Aspen, Colorado, aka 44 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: Mariah Carrey's holiday House. Every room in the chalet looks 45 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: like a Norman Rockwell painting. Two Christmas trees glow in 46 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: the windows. One sparkles with homemade ornaments and family photos, 47 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: and the other is decorated with butterflies and cherubs, snow 48 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: angels and sleigh tracks dimpled the fresh coat of snow 49 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: outside Inside, rich sects wafted through the halls, stuffed shells, 50 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: linguini with white clam sauce, coco cookies, and decading cakes. 51 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: This is Martha Stewart level hosting on your Italian Grandma's 52 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: pep pill stash, the ultimate winter wonderland for the woman 53 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: who owns Christmas like no one else, Especially today, because today, 54 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: December twenty fifth, twenty nineteen, Mariah Careyes inescapable Christmas song 55 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: All I Want for Christmas is You is at number 56 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: one on the Billboard Hop one hundred, twenty five years 57 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: after its release. Not that she needed another number one song. Hell, 58 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,239 Speaker 1: she already broke Elvis Presley's record for the most number 59 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: ones eleven years earlier, back in two thousand and eight. 60 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 1: She was doing just fine for herself with or without 61 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: a new chart topper, But this one just felt different personal. 62 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: All I Want for Christmas was never a love song. 63 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 1: It was a wish, a prayer for her Christmas just 64 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 1: like today, filled with family harm, joy. Because it wasn't 65 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: always like this. There wasn't always children's laughter in the 66 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: air and sleigh bells were ringing on Christmas Day from 67 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 1: Mariah Carey. Often there was screaming, arguing, insults flying across 68 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: the room, and maybe even fists. There was no Christmas 69 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 1: music at the carry household tonight, only a chaotic symphony 70 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: of raised voices, harsh words, sharp as knives meant to 71 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 1: cut right to the bone. Mariah was eight years old 72 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: or maybe ten, didn't matter. Most Christmases went down like 73 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: this in her family. The pattern was always the same. 74 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: Mariah's mother would scrape together whatever she could, deck her 75 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:49,480 Speaker 1: modest home with holiday cheer, advent calendars filled with chocolates, 76 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: mulled wine with a hint of cinnamon in every sip. 77 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: She worked with what she could afford in order to 78 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: make every Christmas a memorable one. And they were memorable Christmases, 79 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,919 Speaker 1: not in a good way, because Mariah's older siblings sucked 80 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 1: the holiday atmosphere out of the air the second they 81 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: stepped through the door. Their names were Morgan and Alison, 82 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: and they didn't think twice about stealing Christmas from their 83 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:19,359 Speaker 1: little sister. They resented Mariah and their mother for living 84 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,720 Speaker 1: together without the two of them away from their quick 85 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: tempered father. Morgan, Alison, and Mariah shared the same parents, 86 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,919 Speaker 1: a white Irish mother and a black Venezuelan father, but 87 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: they didn't share all the same traumas. Morgan and Alison 88 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: dealt with the wreckage of their parents' divorce when Mariah 89 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: was only three years old, around the same time, their 90 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,239 Speaker 1: mother seemed to grow a backbone and told their father 91 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: that quote he would not beat this one unquote in 92 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: reference to Mariah. You can read between the lines. Morgan 93 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: and Alison thought Mariah got off easy with the divorce. 94 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: They thought she got off easy with everything. The way 95 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:01,719 Speaker 1: Morgan and Alison saw it, Mariah was the golden child. 96 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:06,039 Speaker 1: Mariah had lighter skin, dirty blonde hair, but Morgan and 97 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: Allison didn't know that the same hair remained an unkempt 98 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 1: tangle throughout Mariah's childhood because their mother didn't know how 99 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: to properly style and maintain black hair. They didn't know 100 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: the kids still cornered Mariah and sleepover. It's just to 101 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: hurl racial slurs at her. She wasn't immune to the 102 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: ugliness of racism, no matter how light her hair or 103 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: her skin was. Morgan and Allison, though they couldn't see 104 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: any of that. They just saw a white passing girl 105 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 1: shielded by her white mother in a white neighborhood on 106 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: Long Island. Mariah was more protected than Morgan and Allison 107 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: ever were, and that's why Morgan and Allison didn't give 108 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: a shit about protecting Mariah. Go ahead, let her dream 109 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: about a happy holiday season, a corny one filled with 110 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:50,160 Speaker 1: caroling in snowball fights. Mariah could wish all she wanted. 111 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 1: It wasn't going to happen, not here, but not if 112 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: Morgan or Allison had anything to say about it. The 113 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: man was before the smoke from the gunshot could clear 114 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: blood spouted from the wound in his neck as he 115 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: fell to the floor with a thud. His wife surveyed 116 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: the grizzly mess before. She wasn't supposed to be here. 117 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: She wasn't supposed to be the murderer who was supposed 118 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: to be Morgan. Morgan was the kind of young adult 119 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,400 Speaker 1: who mingled with the wrong crowds, the kind that could 120 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: get blood on your hands if you weren't careful. Morgan 121 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: was no stranger to violence. Physical fights with his father 122 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: taught him how to fend for himself at an early age. 123 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:32,199 Speaker 1: The police were sick of prying the two men off 124 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: of each other, to the point where Morgan and his 125 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:36,400 Speaker 1: father couldn't even legally be next to each other anymore. 126 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 1: So it's not that surprising that the wife of a 127 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,839 Speaker 1: man named John William Maddox reached out to Morgan through 128 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: a mutual connection and made him attempting offer kill her 129 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: husband and she'd fork over thirty grand Morgan agreed and 130 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,839 Speaker 1: accepted twelve hundred dollars up front. Morgan never thought twice 131 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: about tearing into his own father, but in the end, 132 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: he couldn't tear a stranger's head off, even if paid well, 133 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:03,960 Speaker 1: he let the future black widow do her own dirty work, 134 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: and then he snitched. Mariah was in the third grade. 135 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 1: She saw the courtroom sketches, heard Morgan whisper to their 136 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: mother about avoiding jail time. The fact that her brother 137 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: was involved in her murder case wasn't shocking to her. 138 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: She understood what Morgan was capable of, but she couldn't, 139 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: for the life of her, figure out her sister Allison. 140 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: Alison's attacks on Mariah were sporadic. She drug Mariah with 141 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:31,960 Speaker 1: a full tab of value. She tossed a cup of 142 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 1: boiling tea unto Mariah's back, giving her third degree burns. 143 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: One time, Alison even offered Mariah a long fingernails worth 144 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: of white powder, which thankfully Mariah didn't accept. Alison egged 145 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: her on, just try it, just a little bit. Who cares? 146 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,400 Speaker 1: Twelve year old Mariah cared, thank you very much. She 147 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: booked at home and abandoned Alison in her hefty bump 148 00:09:54,960 --> 00:10:00,720 Speaker 1: of cocaine. Then Alison did what she always did, acted 149 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: normal and loving for a little bit, just long enough 150 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: to quell Mariah's anxiety. She rang Mariah one afternoon and 151 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 1: said she and her boyfriend would be by to pick 152 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 1: up Mariah for some quality time together. Mariah eagerly waited 153 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: outside to watch for their car. Sure enough, Alison's boyfriend 154 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 1: pulled up right on time, but there was no Alison 155 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: in the passenger seat. It was just him and the 156 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: handgun on his thigh. Twelve years old is a funny age. 157 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,160 Speaker 1: Mariah was just old enough to know that her sister's 158 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: mystery powder was actually drugs, but she was too young 159 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: to know her sister's boyfriend was also her pimp. As 160 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 1: Mariah got in the car, the pimp boyfriend promised her 161 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: they'd link up with Alison later. In the meantime, he 162 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: had places to be, like the drive in movie theater. 163 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: The boyfriend parked the car, Alison never showed, so Mariah 164 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:58,200 Speaker 1: became the boyfriend's date by proxy or maybe by design. 165 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: He knew better than to take Mariah, a twelve year old, 166 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,400 Speaker 1: to the drive in, and he definitely knew better than 167 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: to kiss Mariah on the lips in the front seat 168 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: of his car. It was unspeakably wrong not to mention 169 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: unspeakably stupid in a gast onlooker in the car parked 170 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 1: next to them gockd at the assault and plane view 171 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 1: through the passenger window. The pinp boyfriend backed down and 172 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: drove Mariah home without another word. Finally someone was looking 173 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: out for her. Thank god, someone was watching. Mariah carries 174 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,679 Speaker 1: black Mercedes race towards her mansion, one hand on the 175 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: wheel and the other holding the half eaten French fry. 176 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: Mariah's friend, Chicago rapper De Bratt, claimed the last one 177 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: of the fries in the fast food bag from the passage. 178 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: You see. They exchanged a glance and burst into giggles 179 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: over absolutely nothing. Debrat's phone buzzed. She didn't have to 180 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,880 Speaker 1: answer to know who was interrupting their bubble of girl time. 181 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: It was Jermaine, who was back at Mariah's home recording 182 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: studio with the girl group Escape. He was blowing up 183 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 1: the Bratt's phone every five minutes. Jermaine Duprie wasn't the 184 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:30,920 Speaker 1: kind of guy to crack down on a thirty minute 185 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 1: break when it was time to record a new collaboration. 186 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:37,839 Speaker 1: Mariah's husband, Tommy Mottola, on the other hand, he was 187 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:41,959 Speaker 1: a different story. The Brat snapped her phone open again. 188 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,440 Speaker 1: You'll brad get the hawk back here. It was panic 189 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,840 Speaker 1: in Jermaine's voice. De Bratt didn't get it. They were 190 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: one mile away at tops after picking up a Lozzi 191 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: order of drive through French Fries. What was so wrong 192 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 1: with that she couldn't see what was developing on the 193 00:12:56,320 --> 00:13:01,600 Speaker 1: other end of the phone. Back in the studio, the 194 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: guard leaned over the console and looked Jermaine Dupre dead 195 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:07,120 Speaker 1: in the eye. He was going to ask him one 196 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: more time, where is she? Jermaine repeated that he had 197 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 1: no clue. The guard escalated from a question to a demand, 198 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: tell us where she is. The guards began to pull 199 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: their guns for their holsters. Jermaine's blood iced over. No, 200 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:24,839 Speaker 1: not today. He wasn't going to get shot over a 201 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:28,480 Speaker 1: joy ride. He dialed the Brat again, but the guards 202 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:30,839 Speaker 1: were sick of waiting. They were on the move, now 203 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: filing into two black SUVs for a rescue mission. The 204 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:37,680 Speaker 1: men did have far to go. Mariah's Benz was already 205 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: winding up the lengthy driveway, passed the security station, passed 206 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:47,280 Speaker 1: both gates directly towards the small militia of men assembled 207 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 1: outside the mansion. Mariah's home looked like something out of 208 00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: a kid's imagination. The Georgian style mansion sprawled across the wopping. 209 00:13:55,440 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: Twenty two thousand square feet French windows punctuated its timeless 210 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 1: red brick exterior, staggering double stacked chimneys on the roof. 211 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:07,200 Speaker 1: Two gazebos, one for each pond in the backyard, separating 212 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 1: Mariah from her neighbors, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and film 213 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:14,080 Speaker 1: producer Stanley Jaffey. It was a vision straight out of 214 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:16,880 Speaker 1: a picture book, like a fairy godmother dropped a castle 215 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:21,800 Speaker 1: in upstate New York. Mariah called it storybook manner. Her 216 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 1: extravagant hamlet was nestled in Bedford, New York, forty miles 217 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:29,160 Speaker 1: outside of Manhattan. Out Here, New York City was just 218 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: a concept. There were so many things to do with 219 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: Storybrook Manor that Mariah and her husband, Tommy barely needed 220 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: to leave the estate. And that's exactly how Tommy liked it. 221 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 1: The thing is, Tommy wasn't just Mariah's husband, He was 222 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,120 Speaker 1: her boss too. He was the CEO of Sony Music 223 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: Entertainment in a big wig at Columbia Records, one of 224 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 1: Sony's main record labels. In nineteen eighty eight, Tommy signed 225 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 1: Mariah to Columbia Records and proceeded to pump Sony's flush 226 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: budget into her debut album. Sony forked over eight hundred 227 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 1: thousand dollars just to produce the record, another million for 228 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: marketing and promotion. Tommy topped it off with another five 229 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: hundred grand to remake one of Mariah's music videos. He 230 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:14,480 Speaker 1: didn't flinch at the frightening amount of zeros it took 231 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: to roll out Mariah's self titled debut. Everything in Tommy's 232 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: world was big by design, big security measures, big block 233 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: in his briefcase, big chauffeurs driving big armored limousines. The 234 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: acts he worked with were even bigger. To his credit, 235 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:34,560 Speaker 1: Tommy kick started the careers as some of music history's 236 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: biggest names, starting with Hall and Oates. He go on 237 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: to sign decade defining artists of the nineteen nineties and 238 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: early two thousands, including Celine Dion, Destiny's Child, Shakira, and 239 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:50,280 Speaker 1: Jennifer Lopez. When artists said yes to Tommy Mottola, they 240 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: won big. It was not in your best interests to 241 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 1: tell him no under any circumstances, even if he asked 242 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: to start a romantic relationship with you despite the one 243 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,960 Speaker 1: age gap, even if he wanted to get married and 244 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 1: build a thirty million dollar mansion. In Mariah Carey's case, 245 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 1: all of the above. Mariah wielded an earth shattering five 246 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 1: octave voice, but she didn't have an actual voice. Tommy 247 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: was the only person allowed to say no in the relationship. 248 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 1: No music that a man like him couldn't easily relate to, 249 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: no social outings with friends, no acting lessons, no privacy period. 250 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 1: Tommy hired two bodyguards to specifically follow Mariah's every move, 251 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:36,880 Speaker 1: even within their own home. They had strict orders trail 252 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: Mariah like a shadow everywhere except the bathroom, and when 253 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: she has to powder her nose, wait for her outside 254 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 1: the door. So long as Mariah was that storybook manner, 255 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: Tommy never had to wonder what she was doing. He 256 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 1: could watch over his wife at any hour, like a 257 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 1: shepherd guarding his flock, or more accurately, stalking it. He 258 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: loved the buzz Mariah using the intercom system installed throughout 259 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: their mansion, or take a peace and his wife through 260 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 1: one of the hidden cameras and recording devices nested throughout 261 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 1: the house. Mariah didn't even know where they all were, 262 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:09,879 Speaker 1: and that was Tommy's secret because Tommy was allowed to 263 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: keep secrets, but for Mariah, keeping secrets was a serious offense. 264 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: She still managed to keep a few things to herself, though, 265 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:24,480 Speaker 1: like her inside joke about storybook manner, which she privately 266 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 1: nicknamed Sing Sing, a reference to the infamous maximum security 267 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: prison in New York. Not that Mariah could share the 268 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: joke with anyone, since she wasn't even allowed to see 269 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:37,840 Speaker 1: or make her own friends. Then there was the emergency 270 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: bag that Mariah stashed underneath their bed, filled with just 271 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,199 Speaker 1: enough necessities to leave on a moment's notice, and that 272 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: was laughably sad too. Mariah couldn't even sneak into the 273 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,399 Speaker 1: kitchen at night to write lyrics without Tommy butting in 274 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:55,679 Speaker 1: on the intercom. What you doing? So Mariah found the 275 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 1: workaround the one place she knew Tommy hadn't planted any 276 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 1: recording devices, her shoe closet, one of the opulent touches 277 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:07,360 Speaker 1: Mariah tacked on when the home was designed. Tommy got 278 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:10,480 Speaker 1: a subterranean shooting range replete with the bona fide artillery 279 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: of weapons, and Mariah got a sixty four channel recording 280 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: studio in a shoe shrine modeled after Coco Chanel's own closet. 281 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: So when de Bratt wanted a grand tour of Storybook 282 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:23,640 Speaker 1: Mansion earlier that day, Mariah knew that the shoe closet 283 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 1: was the only place they could speak freely. That was 284 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,440 Speaker 1: where they could hatch a daring plan. Mariah spoke softly, 285 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:33,880 Speaker 1: as if she were talking about scoring a brick of cocaine. 286 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:38,640 Speaker 1: I want to go get some French fries, sneaking out 287 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,960 Speaker 1: a sing sing, I mean storybook manner was that serious. 288 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:45,120 Speaker 1: De Bratt didn't understand that. At first. She didn't get 289 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: Mariah's tone or Jermaine's frantic calls. But when the two 290 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,680 Speaker 1: women returned home to an army of guards, each armed 291 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:56,960 Speaker 1: and ready to reclaim Mariah, it clicked. Mariah and de 292 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,440 Speaker 1: Bratt were gone for maybe thirty minutes, but even half 293 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,199 Speaker 1: a minute out of Tommy's jurisdiction was unacceptable. It was 294 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,520 Speaker 1: a close call, a little too close for Tommy's comfort. 295 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: He needed to crush Mariah's desire for these little excursions. 296 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,640 Speaker 1: But from Mariah, the road to freedom was just beginning. 297 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:29,879 Speaker 1: We'll be right back. After this word, word word, She 298 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:33,160 Speaker 1: felt the cold metal dig into her cheek and her 299 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: mouth went dry. She didn't dare breathe, let alone shift 300 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: an inch in her seat. She just stared at the 301 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,920 Speaker 1: fireplace in front of her, careful not to let her 302 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: gaze wander, not over to Tommy, not to his colleagues 303 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: gathered at the dinner table. The nerves in her face 304 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:53,480 Speaker 1: prickled with fear. She could feel the metal warming against 305 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 1: her cheek. Now the situation was inevitable. Frankly, it was 306 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:02,720 Speaker 1: amazing that Tommy hadn't corn sooner. Mariah Carey was well 307 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 1: aware she was in a dead end marriage, locked inside 308 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: a designer dungeon they called home, a nineteen nineties version 309 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 1: of Ronnie and Phil Spector, she fully expected to die 310 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: at storybook manner, and then haunted her trademark whistle notes 311 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:21,639 Speaker 1: rattling the rafters for all of eternity. At least it 312 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:24,880 Speaker 1: wasn't a gun being held to her face. Tommy could 313 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: have pulled a pistol on her, or any of the 314 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 1: other weapons he kept at home. No, this was a knife, 315 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,439 Speaker 1: a butt, her knife. Tommy grabbed it and slowly swiped 316 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: it across his wife's face, right in front of their company. 317 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 1: Tommy could sense a breakup was on the horizon, and 318 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:45,679 Speaker 1: he wasn't the one doing the dumping, so we started 319 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:49,640 Speaker 1: making concessions to smooth things over. He let Mariah take 320 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 1: those acting lessons. She was allowed to attend social events 321 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: without him, as long as she was accompanied by armed security. 322 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,880 Speaker 1: Of course, he even bought her a red convertible Jaguar, 323 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 1: but these were empty gestures. Mariah was ready to walk, 324 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,399 Speaker 1: and she was strong enough to walk. That's what pissed 325 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,679 Speaker 1: Tommy off the most. The Mariah had the audacity to 326 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,919 Speaker 1: leave him after everything he did for Tommy took Mariah 327 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:16,960 Speaker 1: in when other labels couldn't make heads or tails of 328 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:19,679 Speaker 1: her groundbreaking bund of pop and R and B. He 329 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,160 Speaker 1: gave her a home at Columbia and Sony when Atlantic 330 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:25,360 Speaker 1: said they already had their teen girl star or when 331 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 1: Motown said they didn't want quote another Tina Marie situation 332 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:32,199 Speaker 1: unquote meaning a situation where listeners couldn't tell if she 333 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:36,720 Speaker 1: was white or black. Honestly, though Tommy's attitude about Mariah's 334 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: biracial identity wasn't much better. He tried to steer her 335 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,640 Speaker 1: away from anything adjacent to hip hop for as long 336 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 1: as possible. In his eyes, it was a successful strategy. 337 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: Mariah's self titled debut album went to number one in 338 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,719 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety on the Billboard Hot two hundred. It remained 339 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 1: there for eleven consecutive weeks. Mariah maintained a stranglehold on 340 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 1: the top of the Billboard Hot one hundred two, bagging 341 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:02,280 Speaker 1: four back to back number one singles with the iconic 342 00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 1: rollout of Fantasy Always Be, My Baby, Honey, and My 343 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: All between nineteen ninety five. In nineteen ninety eight, Fantasy 344 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:14,879 Speaker 1: actually debuted at number one, an unprecedented feat in Billboard 345 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:18,679 Speaker 1: history for a female solo act. Tommy even convinced Mariah 346 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 1: to make a hit Christmas album at the time when 347 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 1: original holiday music took a back seat to the same 348 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 1: old bing Crosby jingles. Tommy did all that for Mariah, 349 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:34,120 Speaker 1: or maybe Mariah did all that for Tommy. Maybe Tommy 350 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:37,879 Speaker 1: had it all backwards. Mariah was the one who wrote 351 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,800 Speaker 1: all these genre defying hits, and she curated a sound 352 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: that was mature for teen pop, yet too danceable to 353 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 1: be dismissed as easy listening. Tommy had a little saying, 354 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:49,159 Speaker 1: you do what you do and I'll do my magic. 355 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: But Mariah didn't need magic when she had talent and spades, 356 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:59,280 Speaker 1: and deep down, perhaps Tommy knew it too. Back at 357 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: the dinner table in front of the guests, Tommy drew 358 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,119 Speaker 1: the moment out let Mariah sweat. With the knife pressed 359 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 1: to her cheek. He flexed what little power he still 360 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: held over her. Their colleagues didn't tell Tommy to knock 361 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: it off, just like everyone else in Mariah's life, too 362 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:17,680 Speaker 1: scared to say anything. People who worked with Tommy Mottola 363 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:20,440 Speaker 1: knew about the poorly concealed wrath that simmered just below 364 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,200 Speaker 1: his cool facade, ready to boil over at any moment. 365 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:27,360 Speaker 1: Saying no to Tommy Mottola never worked out well for anyone. 366 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 1: And then again, Mariah's reward for saying yes to Tommy 367 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: for eight plus years was a knife digging into her face. 368 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:41,680 Speaker 1: She officially had nothing left to lose. After that night, 369 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,200 Speaker 1: she used her five octave voice to make one of 370 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:48,400 Speaker 1: the biggest moves of her career. She said no, No 371 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,560 Speaker 1: to constant surveillance, no to sleeping with a getaway bag 372 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 1: under her bed, no to public humiliation and fearing her 373 00:23:56,359 --> 00:24:00,480 Speaker 1: own husband. Mariah Carey filed for divorce in nineteen ninety 374 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,199 Speaker 1: seven and started chatting up labels who could buy her 375 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:06,840 Speaker 1: out of her contract with Columbia. Virgin Records stepped up 376 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:09,600 Speaker 1: to the plate with one hundred million dollar deal. So 377 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:13,439 Speaker 1: long Sony and Syonara sing sing. As of two thousand 378 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 1: and one, Mariah Carey was free of Tommy Mottola. That's 379 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: both a boss and a beau, or so she thought. 380 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: In reality, nothing was ever that simple, because you don't 381 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:36,120 Speaker 1: just leave Tommy Mottola. What's my motherfucking name? The deep 382 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:40,200 Speaker 1: voiced rapper delivered that line and the booming opening moments 383 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 1: of the song playing on Mariah's stereo, and Mariah couldn't 384 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:48,160 Speaker 1: believe what she was hearing. She knew that voice, not 385 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:50,199 Speaker 1: just because she was a fan of the artists that 386 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 1: it belonged to, because it was in her new music too, 387 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:59,040 Speaker 1: her unreleased music. Jah Ruhle thundered over another pop stars 388 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 1: delicate voice chorus of the song. Someone clearly wanted to 389 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 1: beat Mariah to the puncheon dropping a collab with him, 390 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:07,919 Speaker 1: and whoever it was, wanted it to feel like a 391 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,960 Speaker 1: slap in the face. Mariah didn't have to sit and 392 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,840 Speaker 1: wonder who was behind all this. There were certain coincidences 393 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:17,880 Speaker 1: pertaining to Mariah's new music that had her ex's name 394 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 1: written all over them. Coincidence Number one. Rainbow, Maria's final 395 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:27,400 Speaker 1: album with Columbia, received a suspiciously low amount of promotion, 396 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:29,919 Speaker 1: and we're not just talking about a low budget and 397 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,679 Speaker 1: lack of planning. Mariah heard that Tommy actually pulled her 398 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:37,359 Speaker 1: stand up ads and promotional materials from record stores. The 399 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,919 Speaker 1: gloves had come off. Coincidence number two. Mariah sampled the 400 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,639 Speaker 1: song Firecracker by Yellow Magic Orchestra for her new song 401 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:50,159 Speaker 1: lover Boy, but before Loverboy could hit airwaves, another artist 402 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: sampled the same track, a new girl on the block 403 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:59,159 Speaker 1: named Jenny Jennifer Lopez, Columbia's new it girl. She not 404 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:02,280 Speaker 1: only stole this, but she turned around and released her 405 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:07,919 Speaker 1: own song I'm Real in record timing. It felt staged, deliberate, 406 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 1: but apparently that blow wasn't enough. Coincidence number three the 407 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:18,240 Speaker 1: I'm Real Remix featuring none other than Ja Rule, directly 408 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,440 Speaker 1: after he and Mariah worked on a new collaboration called 409 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:25,000 Speaker 1: if We Not To mention the negative stories about Mariah's 410 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:27,640 Speaker 1: personal life that were popping up the papers seemingly out 411 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:32,040 Speaker 1: of the blue. It all added up to one thing sabotage. 412 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: Mariah suspected Tommy Mottola had industry spies lurking around reporting 413 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:39,959 Speaker 1: back to him in Columbia. Fine, if Tommy was going 414 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:41,960 Speaker 1: to hire moles, then Mariah was going to hire a 415 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:45,240 Speaker 1: spy of her own. She dialed a San Francisco detective 416 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: whose former clients included President Bill Clinton in Courtney Love. 417 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,600 Speaker 1: Mariah's heart skipped a beat when the private investigator contacted 418 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:58,920 Speaker 1: her with the results. No, she wasn't imagining things. Yes, 419 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:03,480 Speaker 1: her beliefs were founded. That's a quote. Mariah never took 420 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 1: Tommy to court over the whole ordeal. She didn't need to. 421 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:10,159 Speaker 1: Once the private dick started making comments to the papers 422 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: about the case. The coincidence is mysteriously tapered off. Even 423 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:18,119 Speaker 1: though Tommy denied everything. Less than two years later, in 424 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:22,439 Speaker 1: two thousand and three, he left Sony. Maybe Tommy's magic 425 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 1: with Columbia finally ran out, and maybe it was all 426 00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:50,760 Speaker 1: sleight of hand to begin with. The men reviewed the 427 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: plan one more time. This property was more complicated than 428 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: their usual hits four point two acres of land, nearly 429 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:03,640 Speaker 1: thirteen thousand square feet of mansion, nine bedrooms, thirteen bathrooms, 430 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:09,360 Speaker 1: unlimited potential for looting, but also unlimited potential for failure. 431 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:12,360 Speaker 1: This robbery would be a big one if they could 432 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:15,720 Speaker 1: pull it off, Bigger than robbing the Rapper Gunna or 433 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 1: any of the airhead social media influencers they targeted in 434 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:22,159 Speaker 1: the past, even bigger than stealing from players for the 435 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:26,119 Speaker 1: Atlanta Falcons in the Atlanta United The so called Drug 436 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:30,000 Speaker 1: Rich Gang pulled off those burglaries without even cracking at gatorade. 437 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:34,120 Speaker 1: They were efficient, slick. Their members have been swiping from 438 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: homes in the Atlanta area for years. Their men marked 439 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 1: themselves with hats and chains branded with the letters r X. 440 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: One of the men got those letters inched on his face. 441 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 1: They flaunted their affiliation the way celebrities cloaked themselves and 442 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:53,760 Speaker 1: Louis Vauton's LV logo and Gucci's signature interlocking gs. Drug 443 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:58,000 Speaker 1: Rich membership was something to be coveted. Nothing intimidated their men, 444 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 1: not luxury card acting, not armed home invasions, not even 445 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:06,480 Speaker 1: committing false imprisonment and holding a sixteen year old girl 446 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:09,480 Speaker 1: hostage killing time. While the other men made off with 447 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:14,800 Speaker 1: their families, Beamer and Mercedes Drug Ridge took care of business. 448 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 1: The gang had ways of keeping pesky tenants in their 449 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 1: place if they interfered with a burglary. It was nothing 450 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:23,600 Speaker 1: to force someone out of the shower at gunpoint, even 451 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 1: less to fire in the direction of a family member 452 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,680 Speaker 1: lingering at home. And if the threat of bullets didn't 453 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:31,800 Speaker 1: keep nuisances out of the way, the Drug Ridge Gang 454 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 1: had more inventive ways of securing the bag, like tying 455 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:38,959 Speaker 1: up an unlucky homeowner with a makeshift dogged leash and 456 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 1: walking him on all fours until the job was done. 457 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:44,680 Speaker 1: But the gang didn't have to worry about anything like 458 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:48,560 Speaker 1: that today. The owner of the targeted estate wouldn't be home. 459 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 1: She made that clear on Instagram with posts from the 460 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:54,920 Speaker 1: BET Awards in Los Angeles. She shared a photo of 461 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 1: her goddess like figure wrapped in a luxurious black belt 462 00:29:57,640 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 1: chain debona dress that cascaded into her gold train. The 463 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 1: estates owner had a taste for extravagance that was unmatched. 464 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: Legend had it that she even had a room in 465 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:10,960 Speaker 1: her house just for shoes. That's how the Drug Ridge 466 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:13,440 Speaker 1: Gang knew that they'd have plenty of clothes to choose 467 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: from Mariah Carry's house. On June twenty seventh, twenty twenty two. 468 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: The gang sent three men for the task, just enough 469 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 1: hands to carry a serious amount of loop. They crept 470 00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: across the estate's sprawling acreage, broke down the back door 471 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 1: with brute force guns on their hips, bags in their 472 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 1: hands to fill with clothes and shoes. The gang left 473 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:42,160 Speaker 1: all electronics in their place. This trip was all about 474 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: the designer drip. Later, the men left as quietly as 475 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: they entered, the bags over their shoulders, bulging with blink. 476 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: It was just like Christmas. It was that time on 477 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:01,440 Speaker 1: December twenty fifth, when everyone's Chris started to wind down. 478 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:05,840 Speaker 1: Signs of a successful holiday were scattered around Mariah ski chalet, 479 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 1: empty cups of cocoa and eggnog, shredded wrapping paper overflowing 480 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 1: from trash cans. A seasonal playlist on low volume but 481 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:18,080 Speaker 1: still humming in the background. All I Want for Christmas 482 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:21,160 Speaker 1: Is You was naturally tossed into the mix, which was 483 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:25,560 Speaker 1: one hundred percent appropriate. On Christmas Eve twenty twenty two, 484 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,560 Speaker 1: All I Want for Christmas Is You crushed the record 485 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: for single day's streams on Spotify's global charts with over 486 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:36,000 Speaker 1: twenty one point two million spins. It was just as 487 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:38,320 Speaker 1: true with twenty twenty two as it had been in 488 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:44,920 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety four. Mariah Carey owned Christmas. But owning Christmas 489 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:48,760 Speaker 1: doesn't come from streams and record stores. For Mariah Carey, 490 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: it meant a little bit more. It meant making her 491 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:55,560 Speaker 1: own security in her happy place when no one was 492 00:31:55,600 --> 00:32:00,240 Speaker 1: protecting her, or someone was protecting her too much. Her 493 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,200 Speaker 1: burglary at her Atlanta home was behind her by now. 494 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,720 Speaker 1: Mariah put the estate on the market that fall. The 495 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 1: Drug Ridge gang invasion had shattered her sense of safety, 496 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,320 Speaker 1: so she moved out, and she moved on. It wasn't 497 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:16,640 Speaker 1: the first luxurious match and she had to walk away from, 498 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:19,320 Speaker 1: and it might not even be the last. But she'd 499 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:24,560 Speaker 1: leave all over again if she had to, because Mariah 500 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 1: knew that the real luxury was finding security, even if 501 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:30,920 Speaker 1: it meant walking away from the people who claimed to 502 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 1: love her, even if she had to make her own 503 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,400 Speaker 1: sense of peace and preserve it in a Christmas song. 504 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 1: And no sibling, no husband, no burglary could take that 505 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 1: away from Mariah Carey. I'm Jake Brennan in this this disgraceland. 506 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 1: Disgraceland was created by yours truly and is produced in 507 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:07,840 Speaker 1: partnership with Double Elvis. 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