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Just a year after the release of the highly praised Enter the Wu-Tang, Method Man was the first to break away from the Shaolin family. On Whut?, the now-iconic Red established his buttery yet acerbic rapping style, which would attract disciples and copycats for years to come. In the video for “Tonight’s Da Night,” Red gestures to Q-Tip, musing, “Like Q-Tip, I kick more styles than Bruce shoes kick / But tonight’s the night, what I write tonight / This type of funk with the flavor like Mike ‘n’ Ikes.” He spends the record folding in comedic prods inspired by his mentor Biz Markie, with whom he’d previously toured. Post-EPMD and pre–Def Squad, Redman unleashed his first proper effort in Whut?, which blended Parliament samples and “Jersey block party” vibes and topped it off with a sneer.
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On Mama Said, LL Cool J set a new standard for lighthearted peacocking in hip-hop. Other than the title track, which won LL a Grammy in 1992 for Best Rap Solo Performance, the album also houses classic beef track “To Da Break of Dawn,” which disses en vogue rappers like MC Hammer, whom LL compares to a whistle-toting PE teacher (an insult so confusing, it might sting twice as much). LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)Ī year after LL’s commercially successful Walking With a Panther received a tepid response from the hip-hop community in 1989, producer Marley Marl threw the veteran rapper a cred lifeline with Mama Said by highlighting his aggro roots with thudding beats in a slick recording.
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Most notable, however, were tracks “Brothers on My Jock” and “Hardcore,” which introduced a pre-Wu-Tang, then-Padawan Redman who tested his now-legendary growls with intricate tongue-twisters like “Punk push a pen and pencil when I’m pissed / Pack pistol posse, flow some more pro shit.” That unflappable bass line on “Brothers” is the stuff of very good dreams - dreams that went on to inspire future rap nobility like Jay Z, Outkast, and Das EFX.ĥ.
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It was a game-changer, one that zealously introduced the full force of DJ Scratch’s heavy funk samples, from James Brown to Funkadelic to Steve Miller Band. The album - with other cuts like “Rebel Without a Pause” taking shots at then-president Reagan, “Don’t Believe the Hype” setting a target on the American media - paved the way for later political acts like Dead Prez and Cypress Hill.įor Erick Sermon and Parrish “PMD” Smith’s first Def Jam release (and third overall), the duo declared war on sucker emcees. 56 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. preaches on “Bring the Noise”: “Never badder than bad cause the brother is madder than mad / At the fact that’s corrupt like a senator …” And then, an actual challenge: “Radio stations, I question their blackness / They call themselves black, but we’ll see if they play this.” They did, and the track hit No. It Takes a Nation marked one of the first times hip-hop took a political stance that looked far beyond the local. and the obnoxious Flava Flav both embraced a galvanizing, aggressive delivery. Producers the Bomb Squad stuffed it with James Brown and jazz samples Chuck D. This influential East Coast rap crew chased up their debut, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, with this even more definitive follow-up. Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) Many call this album, which diversified Def Jam’s roster as much as it elevated Slayer’s deeply influential sound to new heights, the greatest thrash recording of all time.ģ. Surprisingly, these thrash-metal maestros invited Rick Rubin to produce their third studio album, a technically complex, face-melting release. It helped bring mainstream audiences to hip-hop, and made the Beasties stars. “She’s Crafty” speeds up the guitar riff from Zeppelin’s “The Ocean” and adds some drum machine. Kerry King of then-labelmates Slayer rips the ballsy guitar solo in “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn,” the rowdy homage to the trio’s home borough. It was the first official Beasties LP and the first full-length rap record to top Billboard charts. This album was one of the first to successfully blur the borders of rock and hip-hop. In honor of Def Jam’s recent 30th anniversary, here’s a list (unranked!) of the label’s 21 most important albums. From its raucous early Beastie Boys releases all the way to its more contemporary Kanye West and Frank Ocean offerings, the label has continually proved itself to be one of hip-hop’s most popular and influential entities.
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For what started as an NYU dorm-room project in 1983, it’s safe to say that Rick Rubin’s Def Jam Records has far surpassed the hydroponic tinkerings of your average Bobcat.