Def Jam Recordings
| Def Jam Recordings | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Russell Simmons Rick Rubin |
| Distributor(s) | The Island Def Jam Music Group (US) |
| Genre | Hip hop, R&B, Heavy Metal |
| Country of origin | US |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Official website | Official website of Def Jam Recordings |
Def Jam Recordings is an American based hip-hop record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group.
Company history
Beginnings
Def Jam was founded by Rick Rubin in his dorm room at New York University.[1] Russell Simmons joined Rubin shortly after when they were introduced to each other by Vincent Gallo. The first releases on Def Jam Recordings were LL Cool J’s “I Need A Beat” and the Beastie Boys' “Rock Hard,” both in 1984. The singles sold well, eventually leading to a distribution deal with CBS Records' (which would later become Sony Music Entertainment) Columbia Records the following year. The first full-length album released by Def Jam Recordings was LL Cool J’s Radio in December of 1985. The following year, Def Jam created a short-lived subsidiary label called OBR Records, catered toward R&B artists—the first artist signed to that imprint was Oran "Juice" Jones, who enjoyed success with his hit single “The Rain.” As the decade drew to a close, the label signed Public Enemy, whose controversial lyrical content garnered the company both critical acclaim and disdain.
Lyor Cohen became president of Def Jam in 1988, after winning a power struggle with Rubin, who would shortly thereafter leave the company to form Def American Recordings (now known as American Recordings).
Def Jam under PolyGram
In the early 1990s, the company created “Rush Associated Labels”, a larger moniker under which Def Jam and its various auxiliary labels would operate as subsidiaries. By 1992, despite recent multi-platinum selling releases from LL Cool J., Public Enemy, and EPMD, Def Jam ran into severe financial troubles and was faced with folding. Salvation came in 1994, however, when PolyGram purchased Sony’s 50% stake in Def Jam Recordings—subsequently bringing the label into their fold. Following PolyGram’s acquisition of the company, Def Jam released Warren G's Regulate...G Funk Era, which went triple platinum and effectively revived the label.
Def Jam remained in the black, as its veteran star LL Cool J released his widely successful album Mr. Smith in 1995. The label later signed a then-teenaged Foxy Brown, whose debut album Ill Na Na became a platinum seller in 1997. The same year, Def Jam struck up a distribution deal with Damon Dash’s Roc-A-Fella Records, and soared to even greater heights with rapper Jay-Z as its central star as the decade drew to a close. PolyGram acquired an additional 10% in Def Jam Recordings in 1996, further strengthening their ownership of the company. Shortly thereafter, “Rush Associated Labels” was renamed “Def Jam Music Group.”
Def Jam under Universal Music Group
In 1998, PolyGram was purchased by Seagrams and merged into its Universal Music Group. Following Universal Music Group’s take over of PolyGram, it purchased the remaining interest of Def Jam Recordings, and soon after merged it with Island Records to form The Island Def Jam Music Group. In spite of the formation of IDJMG, Def Jam and Island continue to operate as separate imprints underneath the bigger umbrella. In 1999, Def Jam created an R&B spin-off label called Def Soul Records, which inherited many of Island Records’ urban artists, including: Dru Hill, Sisqo, The Isley Brothers and Kelly Price. Def Soul also issued recordings by Musiq, Montell Jordan, Case, 112, Patti LaBelle, and Christina Milian. In 2002, Def Soul was absorbed into its Def Jam parent.
Today Slip-N-Slide Records and Disturbing tha Peace Records are among the labels distributed by Def Jam. Roc-A-Fella Records was sold to the company in 2004. Russell Simmons sold his stake in Def Jam in 1999 for a reported $100 million to focus more on his Phat Farm clothing line and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN).[1] Jay-Z was appointed President and CEO of Def Jam in 2004 and remains in that position as of Summer 2007.
Footnotes
- ^ Herschberg, Lynn. The Music Man. New York Times Magazine. 2 September 2007.
Artists
See also
- The Island Def Jam Music Group
- Roc-A-Fella Records
- Disturbing tha Peace
- Def Jam South
- Slip-N-Slide Records
- List of record labels
- Def Jam Vendetta
- Def Jam: Fight for NY
- Def Jam: Icon