Blacksmith Records

Last updated
Blacksmith Records
Blacksmith Records logo.gif
Parent company Fontana
Founded2005
Founder Talib Kweli, Corey Smyth
Distributor(s)Element 9/Fontana (US)
Genre Hip hop, R&B
Country of origin US
Official website blacksmithnyc.com

Blacksmith is a music management company and a record label founded by Harlem-born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star. [1]

Contents

Signees include Jean Grae, Strong Arm Steady, Vince Staples and Idle Warship. Kweli has stated he hopes to sign Camp Lo and had expressed interest in signing Rakim as well.

Talib Kweli announced that there will be a 'BlackSmith TV' where people will get information about the label.

The label was originally distributed through Warner Bros. Records but split in December 2008. Talib did confirm to AllHipHop.com that Warner Bros. would still distribute Reflection Eternal & Talib Kweli projects but not any other Blacksmith acts. It's now believed that the label has distribution through Element 9/Fontana with Strong Arm Steady latest project and Idle Warship's upcoming debut album said to have distribution through them. [2] As of 2012 the label is defunct and was disbanded after Kweli's manager decided to focus the Blacksmith brand elsewhere as a Management Company rather than the label. [3] Blacksmith Management is currently home to artists such as Chad Hugo, and Vince Staples, among others.

Artists

Rappers/singers

Producers

Groups

Releases

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Grae</span> American rapper (born 1976)

Tsidi Ibrahim, known professionally as Jean Grae, is an American former rapper. She rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and built an international fanbase. During her career, Grae's unique music and lyrical style earned recognition as a favorite emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black Thought of the Roots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Res (singer)</span> American singer-songwriter

Shareese Renée Ballard, known professionally as Res, is an American singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<i>Quality</i> (Talib Kweli album) 2002 studio album by Talib Kweli

Quality is the debut studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on November 19, 2002, by Rawkus Records. It received wide critical acclaim and had some commercial appeal from the song "Get By", produced by Kanye West. Kludge magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.

<i>Eardrum</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Talib Kweli

Eardrum is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Talib Kweli. The album was released on August 21, 2007, by Blacksmith Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album features guest appearances from Res, Jean Grae, UGK, Raheem DeVaughn, Roy Ayers, Kanye West, Norah Jones, Coi Mattison, Lyfe Jennings, will.i.am, Sa-Ra, KRS-One, Musiq Soulchild, Strong Arm Steady, Sizzla, Justin Timberlake and Marsha Ambrosius.

<i>Hi-Teknology²: The Chip</i> 2006 studio album by Hi-Tek

Hi-Teknology²: The Chip is a sequel album to Hip hop producer Hi-Tek's first album, Hi-Teknology. Born as Tony Cottrell, He had spent most of his time in the low key hip-hop scene of Cincinnati, Ohio who eventually ran into Mood in 1992. Working with them kickstarted his career and affiliated himself with many MCs. He is best known for his collaboration with Talib Kweli on the album Reflection Eternal. He rose in popularity with the underground hip-hop scene and has worked alongside many talented even Grammy-nominated artists such as 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes. Although working with many talented artists and having a huge impact working with Rawkus Records Collective, it was time for him to show off his own unique abilities which led to his three solo albums. The release of his sequel album Hi-Teknology gained quick recognition and was soon to be sought after by many up-and-coming artists to produce their own albums.

<i>Liberation</i> (Talib Kweli and Madlib album) 2007 studio album by Talib Kweli & Madlib

Liberation is a collaborative album by Talib Kweli and Madlib. It was made available as a free download from Stones Throw's Rappcats website, and Kweli and Madlib's MySpace pages for the first week of 2007, beginning New Year's Eve 2007. It was removed about a week later. One cover for the album is an adaptation of a piece by guerrilla artist Banksy, and an alternative cover is a collage of Talib Kweli, a dollar sign, and the Statue of Liberty.

This is the discography of Talib Kweli, an American rapper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idle Warship</span> American hip hop group

Idle Warship was a musical duo composed of Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli and Philadelphia singer Res. Res has appeared on each Talib Kweli album since 2000's Train of Thought. They have also toured together, including on the summer 2005 MGD Flavor 2 Savor mini-tour. They released their debut mixtape, Party Robot, on October 27, 2009 for free. This was originally set for a 2008 release and announced on Talib Kweli's MySpace page in a New Year's blog entry.

<i>Jeanius</i> 2008 studio album by Jean Grae

Jeanius is the third studio album by American rapper Jean Grae. She worked on it with hip hop producer 9th Wonder and intended to release it in 2004, but the album leaked prematurely and spawned various pirated versions of the unfinished project. After Grae's record deal with the label, Jeanius was released on July 8, 2008, by Talib Kweli's Blacksmith Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strong Arm Steady</span> American hip hop group

Strong Arm Steady, often referred to as SAS, is a hip hop group in California's underground hip hop scene. As of December 2009, the act consists of members Phil Da Agony, Krondon, of Los Angeles, and Mitchy Slick of San Diego, California. Originally an amorphous collective of at least eight, formed as an alternative to the gang-focused productions of West Coast hip hop's then-dominant Death Row Records, SAS pared down to four members for recording in the studio and performing live, with Xzibit as the frontman. Since he left the group in 2006, the three remaining members have been a stable trio.

<i>Deep Hearted</i> 2007 studio album by Strong Arm Steady

Deep Hearted is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Strong Arm Steady. It was released on August 28, 2007, through Nature Sounds. Production was handled by DJ Khalil, Da Riffs, J. Thrill, Thayod Ausar, Blaqthoven, DJ Babu, Dubb Knox, Evidence, J Macc and Madlib, with Devin "Dev 1" Horwitz, Phil Da Agony and Krondon serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Planet Asia, Talib Kweli, Black Thought, Blaqthoven, Chamillionaire, Dilated Peoples, Ina Williams, Jelly Roll, Juvenile, PNB, Ras Kass, Saukrates, Styliztik Jones, Tha Alkaholiks, The Game and Xzibit.

Stuart Pflaum, better known as DJ Xplosive is an American music industry figure and digital music pioneer. Pflaum was born on June 29, 1981, in Nashville, Tennessee,. Based in New York City, Pflaum previously worked as consultant to street teams and lifestyle promotions at Asylum Records and Warner Music Group.

<i>Revolutions per Minute</i> (Reflection Eternal album) 2010 studio album by Reflection Eternal

Revolutions per Minute is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal, released May 18, 2010, on Blacksmith Records and Rawkus Records. Composed of rapper Talib Kweli and DJ/hip hop producer Hi-Tek, it is the duo's follow-up to their collaborative debut Train of Thought (2000).

<i>Gutter Rainbows</i> 2011 studio album by Talib Kweli

Gutter Rainbows is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Talib Kweli. The album was released on January 25, 2011, by Blacksmith Music and Javotti Media. The album was originally intended to be released in only a digital format. However, on November 16, 2010, it was announced that Duck Down Records would step in to see the album got a CD release. This included an import edition and a special edition with extras.

<i>Arms & Hammers</i> 2011 studio album by Strong Arm Steady

Arms & Hammers is the third studio album by the American hip hop group Strong Arm Steady. It was released on February 22, 2011, via Blacksmith Records/Element 9. Production was handled by DJ Khalil, Blaqthoven, Jelly Roll, Terrace Martin, Madlib, Mars and Nottz. It features guest appearances from Blaqthoven, Chace Infinite, Jelly Roll, Kobe, KRS-One, Kurupt, Marsha Ambrosius, Planet Asia, Talib Kweli, The Game and Too $hort. This album is dedicated to the memory of Jermaine "Janky" Salmond & Bill "Bigga B" Operian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pumpkinhead (rapper)</span> American rapper (1975–2015)

Robert Alan Diaz known by his stage name Pumpkinhead or P.H., was an American rapper and hip hop artist. He grew up in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn, New York with his mother and younger sister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Element 9 (music)</span> Record label

Element 9 is a music company founded by Stu Pflaum in 2005. The company is based in Cleveland, Ohio and has three divisions with specializations in music publishing, digital marketing and a record label.

<i>Prisoner of Conscious</i> 2013 studio album by Talib Kweli

Prisoner of Conscious is the fifth solo studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on May 7, 2013. The album features guest appearances from Nelly, Miguel, Currensy, Kendrick Lamar, Marsha Ambrosius, Busta Rhymes and Ryan Leslie along with production by RZA, Boi-1da, Harry Fraud, S1, Terrace Martin, Oh No, and J. Cole among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talib Kweli</span> American rapper (born 1975)

Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper. He earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with solo success including collaborations with producers and rappers Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Pharrell Williams. In 2011, Kweli founded his own record label, Javotti Media.

References

  1. "Blacksmith CEO Corey Smyth Forges His Own Style". The Urban Daily. 2011-11-19. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  2. "Idle Warship To Release LP "Habits Of The Heart" On October 24th". HipHopDX. 7 September 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  3. "Talib Kweli Pushes Back "Prisoner of Consciousness," Explains Dismantling Blacksmith Records | HipHopDX Mobile". Archived from the original on 2013-12-28. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
  4. "Artists".
  5. "Release group "Slime in the Ice Machine" by Ameer Vann & Merlyn Wood - MusicBrainz".