Roy "Sweet" Bailey was not a man people said no to. Or if they did, they didn't say anything else for the next 2 to 6 weeks. Bailey was a classic case of "a jack of all trades master of none". Manager of a dry cleaners, a day player in such films as "Boomerang" and "Vampire in Brooklyn", a sometimes bodyguard and bouncer, connoisseur of fine wines, "Sweet", the ex-marine drill instructor, was in attendance the night the Rodneys were booed off the stage during their first amateur night appearance at the Apollo. The band finished in fifth place after two R&B singers, a comedian and a ventriloquist.. Where the crowd saw buffoonery, "Sweet" saw possibility. He knew what "crossover" meant, and the appeal of a white-sounding black band was not lost on him. What he saw was Jimi Hendrix, Living Colour, Darius Rucker and Joan Armatrading rolled into one.

Bailey met the band backstage and promised them the world. At first, the Rodneys were less than impressed. And it was Rodney Barnett who flatly said no (which was his last utterance for two weeks), but Bailey swore he would put his reputation on the line, and stop at nothing until the Rodneys were the talk of the pop world. Slowly, the band came around. It was Bailey who put the lads in suits (that he took from his own dry cleaners). He also changed the band's name from the Rodneys to the "Rodnees" (after the Monkees), and paid for the band's demos and limos for what he knew would be a long climb to the top, and most importantly, introduced the band to their new drummer, Rodney Scott, a former buddy from the Marine Corps' fife and drum band. Sweet gave Scott the new named "Rodney Modney". Rodney Modney: "If it wasn't for Sweet, I don't know where I'd be today. All I can say to him is: 'Semper fi, brother!'"

On July 1, 1999, the band was again denied entrance to the Visions hip-hop club, it was Bailey who used his hooks to get the boys a showcase. Unfortunately, they were booed off the stage three consecutive nights. (For better or worse, the Rodnees were gaining a reputation) Coincidentally, the same ventriloquist from the Apollo showcase was also on the bill, but Bailey, determined there would be no repeat of that embarrassment, broke the dummy's jaw to prevent him from upstaging his act. Understandably, Bailey denies any accusation that he used threats and violence to promote his band. "I do have a temper, but I don't know where these rumours started, my band got their showcases based on their talent alone." (Read Pablo and Luis' side of the story)* Still, it is curious that the boos turned to a smattering of cheers at a couple of later showcases. This leads one to wonder if Bailey didn't get to some of the audience members as well. Rodney Modney: "If Sweet didn't get what he wanted, he knew what buttons to push. And he usually pushed it till he broke something."

John Rodney: "When guys came to his cleaners lookin' for their suits they left a couple days before, they couldn't have been happy that we were now wearin' them. But Sweet was generous enough to give them free tickets to a Rodnees show. Once in a while, he'd give 'em a refund... and if he was feelin' really generous, he'd give 'em back their suits, dry cleaned and all. Rodney York: " You see, to Sweet, nothin' was too good for the band. We were the ones up there sweatin', puttin' it on the line. Sweet stayed in the background, takin' care of all the business." Incredibly, by June 1999, the Rodnees were earning their way as Sweet predicted. Clubowners were putting hundreds of dollars into Sweet's pocket.....to keep the Rodnees off their stages. But Sweet didn't care. This money was going into his dream project. The band's first CD. Studio owners who had dealt with Bailey in the past, and who owed unfulfilled debts were eager to offer time to the Rodnees. Bailey had his choice. But favors meant nothing. Sweet wanted the best studio he could get his hands on, and he decided on Studio City on Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn. We Mod Like Dat went into production August 16,1999.

Rodney Barnett was the principle singer and songwriter for the group after Sweet Bailey had no luck getting in contact with Neil Diamond and Carole King and Geoffrey Goffin, He left the musical moulding to local studio whizzes, Lindley Farley and Tim McKasty, who produced the Rodnees songs, "Groovy People, Groovy Places", "G. Mack Robinson Caldwell" and what would become their most controversial number and contribute to their undoing, "The Penguin Walk", .At Conquistador Studios, Farley continued production on We Mod Like Dat, and completed the songs "Step Off" and "On My Block" with session engineer, Dave Foreman. By the time WMLD was completed in October, 1999, Bailey had already shopped the CD to DefJam Records. But Sweet, now stepping up in weight class, could not bully a record deal and was left to find new creative ways to promote his band.