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By: Mark T. Wilson
Having your own label in Hip Hop is a thing of the norm now. However, back in the early 90s, it was seen as a level of success. While labels were popping up everywhere, there were a few that stood the test of time and made continuous contributions to Hip Hop. Whether it was Hip Hop or R&B, these labels set the foundation for what was to come today.
From Jay Z to Puffy to Master P, they were the names this generation looked up to and read about on how to be successful businessmen and women. It wasn’t about the number of records sold, although these labels would sell millions, it was about trying to take the culture back from the big brands and give the artists something to call their own. However, not everything is meant to last. Ups and downs will occur for each of these labels but during their run, who was better than these 5?
Roc-A-Fella Records (1994-2013)
For Roc-A-Fella Records, it didn’t matter who was seen as the label head. What they did to and for Hip Hop, can never be duplicated. Jay Z, Dame Dash, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke took closed doors in their faces, and in 1994 they turned that frustration into one of the greatest labels ever. From alcohol to clothing, Roc-A-Fella was a household name.
On the music side of things, no one in Hip Hop can take away what Jay meant and still does to the culture. While their roster was short in the beginning, they would go on to expand in a big way. Paired with Jay Z, the trio would go on to add Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money, Amil, Beanie Sigel, Kanye West, The Young Guns, Oschino and Sparks, Freeway, Rell, Foxy Brown, Christion, Peedi Crakk, DJ Clue, and more. Hell, at one point their roster included N.O.R.E, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, MOP, and Dip Set. As far as in-house production, there was no team better than Kanye and Just Blaze during this era.
Despite their differences, Roc-A-Fella made their mark. And we all know what has spawned from The ROC— Roc Nation. Without that history, would we have Kayne, Ne-Yo, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, J-Cole, or Rihanna? Can you name another Hip Hop chain that holds more weight than that of the Roc chain?
Bad Boy Records (1993-)
A former party promoter became one of the biggest label owners in Hip Hop history when he founded Bad Boy Records in 1993. Puffy was ahead of his time. At Bad Boy Records his lineup expanded well beyond Hip Hop and that’s saying a lot when you take into consideration that he had Biggie on his roster. But Puff wasn’t done there. He added acts such as Mase, Black Rob, Craig Mack, and The Lox. But he wanted more.
Puffy saw beyond all the drug-dealing talk. Even with his roster of hardcore rappers, he wanted a softer side. Bad Boy was flush with R&B talent such as 112, Total, Faith Evans, and Carl Thomas. Hell, at one point, Bad Boy was even home to New Edition. While Bad Boy is still breathing, it will never be like it was in the 90s.
Bad Boy ushered in a new era in Hip Hop where he combined R&B with rap. Their in-house production created a sound that’s still used to this day. Where would artists like Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Missy Elliott, and others be without the guidance of Puffy?
Death Row Records (1992-2005)
Was there a more feared label In the industry than Death Row Records? Spearheaded by the infamous Suge Knight, Death Row came on the scene with a plan. They wanted to rule Hip Hop. With Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, The Dogg Pound, Lady of Rage, RBX, D.O.C., and then Tupac. Hell, they even had MC Hammer at one point. They had quite a run. While good music was produced, it was their beef with not only Bad Bay Records but the entire East Coast that shot them into prominence.
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With Pac leading the charge, there was no stopping Death Row. While catalysts such as Snoop and Dre left, and then the death of Tupac, Suge still tried to make waves with other artists but never equaled their earlier success. In the wake of those earlier days, Knight was still making moves. He would go on to sign Crooked I, Left Eye (TLC), Petey Pablo, and a few others but could not duplicate the success of their glory years.
Death Row was so big that they were about to start Death Row East over in NYC. Throughout their run, Death Row would release 30+ studio albums.
Cash Money Records (1991-2015)
Cash Money Records made their mark in the game the hard way. At their time of arrival, No Limit Records firmly had the South in its grasp but then the other Nola boys came through and they came with a sledgehammer. From that list, Hip Hop would get Juvenile. Turk, BG, and Lil Wayne. As a group, they were on fire but as solo artists, they took it to another level.
It was the same with No Limit, up North and West Coast Hip Hop heads were rocking with Cash Money. Founded in New Orleans by brothers Ronald and Bryan Williams, they would go on to launch one of the best labels in Hip-Hop history. While not as deep of a roster as some other labels, they still made their presence felt. While also having one of the best producers of that era as their in-house producer–Mannie Fresh. Fresh was the RZA of Cash Money.
As years went on, Cash Money did what No Limit couldn’t. They branched off and got bigger. Wayne was regarded as one of the best but then came Drake and Nicki Minaj. It’s just solidified their place in Hip Hop lore. Wayne left Cash Money and started his label in 2015, Young Money Entertainment, and would take Drake and Nicki with him.
No Limit Records (1991-2003)
For any label on this list, No Limit was the blueprint. What Master P did was unseen. It seems that every week No Limit was dropping a project with P leading the charge. A family-based business that controlled the South well before Cash Money came on the scene.
It didn’t matter if you were a fan of Southern Music or not, you caught yourself repeating the words to “Make “Em Say Uhh.” But it just wasn’t the music where No Limit hit their stride. They were the first to branch out and try their hands in movies by doing it independently. No Limit Records also started a Sports Management Company. They were Roc Nation before Roc Nation.
Master P was showing wealth that we didn’t know existed in Hip Hop with gold toilets. Master P made MTV Cribs a household name. No Limit released 70+ albums that sold over 100 million records and produced such artists as Master P, Silkk the Shocker, C-Murder, Mia X, Snoop, and Mystical.
