Music: Bad Boy Axes 14-Year Old
HOT 104.com News Desk

Akron, OH - Jerome Childers was supposed to be Bad Boy’s next big thing. Instead, the young R&B singer from Akron became just another casualty of the deteriorating situation at the record company run by Sean "Puffy" Combs.

The legal paperwork terminating Jerome’s contract with Bad Boy was sent last week to his parents, Keren and Stanley Childers, who manage their son’s music career. They hope to ink a deal with another record label by this summer.

"We felt it would be in Jerome’s best interests if he went to a company that was going to make him a priority," Keren says.

In December 1998, Jerome's future looked as bright as Puffy’s million dollar smile. "Too Old for Me," Jerome’s contribution to "Bad Boy Greatest Hits Vol. 1," was chosen as the first single from the album. Videos for two versions of the song were shot, one with Puffy, the other with Noreaga.

"They’re calling [Jerome] junior Puff," Puffy told MTV.

With a cover of Stevie Wonder’s "Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer" by Jerome on the "Belly" soundtrack to boot, it was no wonder Rolling Stone pegged him as a rising star. He was signed to Bad Boy in 1996 after talent scouts spotted him performing in Akron and brought him to Puffy’s attention.

Bad Boy took too much time with Jerome, as far as his mother is concerned.

"The main problem was the fact that when you have a CEO who is an artist, too, things get pushed back," says Keren. "We wish Puffy the best. But we weren’t happy with the way things went down. The communication could have been a lot better."

In November, the Childers family learned that the label planned to drop Jerome from its roster. His mom-and-pop management is ready to move on, especially in light of Puffy’s personal and professional troubles.