GOOD Music
| GOOD Music | |
|---|---|
| File:GOOD Music.png | |
| Parent company | Island Def Jam |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Kanye West |
| Distributor(s) | Def Jam (U.S.) Mercury (outside U.S.) |
| Genre | Hip hop, contemporary R&B |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | New York City, New York |
GOOD Music is an American record label founded by rapper and producer Kanye West in 2004.[1][2]
"GOOD" is an acronym for "Getting Out Our Dreams".
History
2004–07
In early recording days of West, GLC and Really Doe, all three belonged to a group the Go-Getters.[3] Although none of them have an album under the label, West releasing his own albums with Roc-A-Fella, whilst GLC and Really Doe left the label in later years.
John Legend and Common were the first to have albums produced under GOOD Music and between them received seven Grammy Award nominations. Get Lifted with three and Be with four.[4]
Over the years there has been confusion as to what the company actually is. Robbie J was quoted as saying that it "isn't a label", but that it is "a family and like a production company". With only Kanye West, John Legend, Common, GLC and Really Doe signed, Kanye signed his first cousin Tony Williams to GOOD Music to help give him a buzz.
In 2004, rapper Consequence released his mixtape, Take 'Em to the Cleaners, which would find its way into the hands of Kanye West after this West offered him a guest spot on his debut album The College Dropout, he went on to appear on West's second album. Kanye decided to take Consequence under his wing as his protégé, so in 2005, Kanye signed Consequence to the GOOD Music label through a deal with Columbia Records.
In 2006, Kanye signed Sa-Ra. In 2005, Kanye West was doing a radio interview at 102.7 FM, Detroit, Michigan, Big Sean headed over to the station to meet West and perform some freestyle. Initially Kanye was reluctant to hear the emcee, however he gave Sean 16 bars to rap for him, Sean did this and left a demo as well. In 2007, West finally signed Big Sean to GOOD Music.[5] In that same year Really Doe and Sa-Ra left the label.
2008–11
In July 2008, rapper Kid Cudi released his first mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, in collaboration with New York streetwear brand 10 Deep as a free download. The mixtape quickly caught the attention of Kanye West, which in turn spawned his signing to GOOD Music. In the same year West signed Mr Hudson to the label after hearing his debut album with the Library, A Tale of Two Cities.[6]
In 2010, GOOD Music saw the signing of Pusha T, Mos Def and Cyhi the Prynce,[7] who was signed in a joint venture with Akon's Konvict Muzik and the departure of Tony Williams. In the midst of signing Pusha T, Pusha and Consequence began feuding which ended in Consequence leaving GOOD Music.
In 2011, Kanye signed Nigerian artist D'banj and fellow producer Don Jazzy, and signed a distribution with Island Def Jam Music Group.
Big Sean's Finally Famous was the first album released by GOOD Music with distribution by Def Jam. One of the first artist signed to GOOD Music, Common left the label in 2011 and signed with Warner Bros. Records. But he still remains a part of GOOD Music.
2011–Present: Cruel Summer
On October 19, 2011, Kanye West announced on his Twitter plans for a Spring 2012 release of a GOOD Music collaborative studio album.[8] On May 18, 2012, it was announced that the title of the album would be "Cruel Summer", and would be accompanied by a short film of the same name. Produced by West's design organisation DONDA and shot in Qatar, the film was premiered at Cannes Film Festival on May 23. The screening was held in a giant pyramid tent with attendance from West himself, along with his Watch The Throne collaborator, Jay-Z.
The press release quoted the film as being "a fusion of short film and art installation" and an "immersive seven-screen experience."[9] This was the second short film to be directed by Kanye West, after he released 'Runaway' in 2010 with the build up to 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'.
The first single, "Mercy", was released on Good Friday, April 6, 2012, the video followed two months later on June 6 featuring a cast of GOOD Music artists, not just those on the recording, including Mr Hudson, Kid Cudi, Teyana Taylor, Cyhi The Prynce, and D'banj. Keeping to the GOOD Music theme the artwork style followed on from a 2010 GOOD Music promotion, GOOD Fridays. The song was produced by newly-signed in-house producer, Lifted, and featured West, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz.
The second single "New God Flow" was released on July 2, 2012, a collaboration between West and Pusha T. Other material was released in-between the two singles on Kanye's website, including a remix of Chief Keef's "I Don't Like", Big Sean's "Burn" and Pusha T's "Exodus 23:1".
Artists
Current acts
| Act | Year signed | Albums under the label |
|---|---|---|
| Kanye West | Founder | — |
| John Legend | 2004 | 4 |
| Common | 2004 | 3 |
| Big Sean[10] | 2007 | 1 |
| Kid Cudi | 2008 | 2 |
| Malik Yusef | 1 | |
| Cyhi the Prynce[11] | 2010 | — |
| Yasiin Bey | — | |
| Pusha T | 1 | |
| D'Banj | 2011 | — |
| Teyana Taylor | 2012 | — |
| Q-Tip (musician) | — |
Former acts
| Act | Year on the label | Albums under label |
|---|---|---|
| GLC | 2004–2006 | — |
| Really Doe | 2004–2007 | — |
| Tony Williams | 2004–2010 | — |
| Consequence | 2005–2010 | 1 |
| Sa-Ra | 2006–2007 | — |
Producers
Discography
| Artist | Album | Details |
|---|---|---|
| John Legend | Get Lifted (released with Columbia) |
|
| Common | Be (released with Geffen) |
|
| John Legend | Once Again (released with Columbia) |
|
| Consequence | Don't Quit Your Day Job! (released with Columbia) |
|
| Common | Finding Forever (released with Geffen) |
|
| John Legend | Evolver (released with Columbia) |
|
| Common | Universal Mind Control (released with Geffen) |
|
| Malik Yusef | G.O.O.D. Morning, G.O.O.D. Night |
|
| Kid Cudi | Man on the Moon (released with Universal Motown) |
|
| Mr Hudson | Straight No Chaser |
|
| John Legend and The Roots | Wake Up! (released with Columbia) |
|
| Kid Cudi | Man on the Moon II (released with Universal Motown) |
|
| Big Sean | Finally Famous |
|
| Pusha T | Fear of God II: Let Us Pray (released with Decon) |
|
Upcoming releases
- Cruel Summer (August 7, 2012)
- Cyhi the Prynce - Hardway Musical (Winter 2012)
- John Legend - Love In The Future (Fall 2012)
- Big Sean - Second studio album (September 2012)
- Kid Cudi - Indicud (Winter 2012)
- Mr. Hudson - Deliverance (2012)
- Q-Tip - The Last Zulu (2013)
- D'Banj - Mr. Endowed (2013)
- Mos Def - Yasiin Bey Presents (TBA)
References
- ^ Langhorne, Cyrus (Jul 14, 2010). "Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music Is Not A Record Label, "It's Basically A Family And A Production Company"". Soul of Hip-Hop. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
{{cite web}}: Text "SOHH.COM" ignored (help) - ^ Harper, Rosario (Aug 27, 2010). "Kanye West's "G.O.O.D." Music A Beautiful Concept, Says GLC - SOHH.COM". Soul of Hip-Hop. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- ^ Petar Kujundzic (2010-07-09). "Go Getters (Kanye West, GLC & Timmy G) – World Record Holders (Album)". Hypetrak. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
- ^ About G.O.O.D. Music MySpace."
- ^ "Kanye West Almost Walked Away From Latest Protege Big Sean". mtv.com. 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
- ^ McCormick, Neil (July 15, 2009). "Mr Hudson interview for Supernova with Kanye West". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "BBC Music - Artists - Mr Hudson". bbc.co.uk. 2010-08-12. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
- ^ By Matthew Perpetua (2011-10-20). "Kanye Announces G.O.O.D. Music Album | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
- ^ Hypetrak|http://hypetrak.com/2012/05/kanye-west-announces-a-cruel-summer/
- ^ "Kanye West Almost Walked Away From Latest Protege Big Sean". mtv.com. 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
- ^ "BBC Music - Artists - Mr Hudson". bbc.co.uk. 2010-08-12. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
- ^ "Devo Springsteen Interview". DJBooth.net. Jun 11, 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ "G.O.O.D. Music producer Keezo Kane interview with Gowhere Hip Hop". Chicago Now. 2010-03-09. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ "ITS OFFICIAL! D'Banj & Don Jazzy (Mohits) sign to Kanye West's GOOD Music label!". Sturvs. 2011-06-09. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ "HIT-BOY SIGNS TO KANYE WEST G.O.O.D MUSIC LABEL". ddotomen.com. May 7, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2011.