Greedhead Music

Last updated

Greedhead Music
Greedhead logo.png
Founded2008
Founder Himanshu Suri
Genre Hip hop
Country of originUnited States
Official website www.greedhead.net

Greedhead Music is an independent record label founded by Himanshu Suri of Das Racist. Initially, Suri founded Greedhead Music as a management and recording company in 2008 to manage Das Racist. [1] Greedhead's first releases were the group's 2010 mixtapes, Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man . Das Racist's first commercially available album, Relax , was also the first commercial release on the Greedhead imprint. Greedhead has since released solo mixtapes by both Kool A.D. ( The Palm Wine Drinkard [2] and 51 [3] ) and Heems ( Nehru Jackets ). [4] The label has also released works by Dash Speaks, [5] Weekend Money, [6] Keepaway, [7] Lakutis, [8] Big Baby Gandhi, [8] Le1f, [9] Antwon, [10] and Meyhem Lauren, [9] as well as non-hip-hop acts like singer Safe, [9] Scottish bhangra act Tigerstyle, [9] and comedian Joe Mande. [11]

Contents

On July 9, 2015, Suri announced that he would be effectively shutting down Greedhead. He claimed that the cost of releasing and promoting free releases for the label's roster left him more than $10,000 in debt. Suri added, however, that his own music would continue to be released on the Greedhead imprint. [12]

Roster

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Das Racist</span> American rap group

Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu. Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconventional style, Das Racist was widely hailed as an urgent new voice in rap, after occasionally being misunderstood as joke rap when they first appeared.

<i>Shut Up, Dude</i> 2010 mixtape by Das Racist

Shut Up, Dude is the first mixtape by American hip hop trio Das Racist. It was released as a free download by Greedhead Music and Mishka on March 29, 2010.

<i>Sit Down, Man</i> 2010 mixtape by Das Racist

Sit Down, Man is the second mixtape by American hip hop trio Das Racist. It was released as a free download by Greedhead Music, Mishka, and Mad Decent on September 14, 2010. It gained over 40,000 downloads in its first week of release. An album release show was held at Santos Party House on September 16, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action Bronson</span> American rapper (born 1983)

Ariyan Arslani, professionally known as Action Bronson, is an American rapper, songwriter, chef, wrestler, and television presenter. Born and raised in Queens, New York, he released his debut mixtape Bon Appetit ..... Bitch!!!!! in January 2011 and independently released his debut album, Dr. Lecter, in March 2011. In August 2012, Arslani signed his first major-label deal with Warner Bros. Records, but was later moved to the Atlantic Records-distributed label Vice Records.

<i>Relax</i> (Das Racist album) 2011 studio album by Das Racist

Relax is the only studio album by American hip hop trio Das Racist. It was released by Greedhead Music on September 13, 2011. It peaked at number 111 on the Billboard 200 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heems</span> Indian American rapper

Himanshu Kumar Suri, better known by his stage name Heems, is an American rapper from Queens in New York City. Best known for being part of the alternative hip hop group Das Racist, Suri is also the founder of Greedhead Music, an independent record label. In 2012, Suri released his first solo mixtape, Nehru Jackets, on his Greedhead imprint and in conjunction with SEVA NY, a community-based organization from Queens of which Suri is a board member. In August 2015, Heems announced that Fox had bought his story rights for a potential sitcom, and that he was working on the pilot. He is currently a member of Swet Shop Boys along with actor and rapper Riz MC and producer Redinho.

<i>Nehru Jackets</i> First solo mixtape by rapper Himanshu

Nehru Jackets is the first solo mixtape by American rapper Himanshu. It was released on Himanshu's own Greedhead Music label on January 17, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Mande</span> American screenwriter

Joseph Mande is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor.

<i>The Palm Wine Drinkard</i> (album) 2012 mixtape by Kool A.D.

The Palm Wine Drinkard is the first solo mixtape by rapper Kool A.D., of the rap group Das Racist. Released in January 2012, it is the first of two mixtapes released by Kool A.D. that year, with 51 following in April. The mixtape takes its name from Amos Tutuola's novel The Palm-Wine Drinkard.

<i>51</i> (album) 2012 mixtape by Kool A.D.

51 is the second solo mixtape by rapper Kool A.D., formerly of the rap group Das Racist. The mixtape, released in April 2012, is a follow-up to Kool A.D.'s debut solo mixtape, The Palm Wine Drinkard, which was released in January 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kool A.D.</span> American rapper

Victor Vazquez, also known by his stage name Kool A.D., is an American rapper, record producer, author, and artist. He is from the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Vazquez is best known for being a member of the New York-based rap group Das Racist, though he has also been a member of the bands Boy Crisis and Party Animal. Vazquez has also released his own solo material, including numerous mixtapes. Mother Jones magazine described his work as "a thoughtful effort to deconstruct and rearrange cultural objects in ways that challenge our deepest assumptions about society and cultural products".

<i>Royalty</i> (mixtape) 2012 mixtape by Childish Gambino

Royalty is the sixth mixtape by American rapper and actor Donald Glover, under the stage name Childish Gambino. It was released by Glassnote Records on July 4, 2012. The album has many featured artists and is produced by Glover and his co-producer Ludwig Göransson, as well as Beck, Boi-1da and Skywlkr.

Alec Reinstein, better known by his stage name Despot, is an American hip hop artist from Queens, New York City. He was signed to rapper El-P's label Definitive Jux in 2004. Despot has been a part of the New York underground rap scene for over a decade. Despot is associated with the Smart Crew collective and was a co-owner of Santos Party House.

<i>Wild Water Kingdom</i> (mixtape) 2012 mixtape by Heems

Wild Water Kingdom is the second solo mixtape by American rapper Heems. It was released on Heems' own Greedhead Music label on November 14, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Le1f</span> American rapper

Khalif Libasse Diouf, known by the stage name Kalifa, formerly known by the stage name Le1f, is an American rapper and producer. Diouf also founded the record label Camp & Street, with Boody, DonChristian, and Chaz Requina. Diouf garnered attention for unique musical and performance styles, as well as his role as an openly gay rapper. Following a series of well-received mixtapes and EPs, Diouf's debut studio album, Riot Boi, was released in November 2015.

<i>63/19</i> 2013 mixtape by Kool A.D.

63 and 19 are mixtapes by Kool A.D, released as a double-album on February 7, 2013. The albums include collaborations with Pictureplane, Young L, SKYWLKR, Keyboard Kid, Trackademicks, Fat Tony, Mike Finito, Lakutis and Spank Rock as well as a beat Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys originally made for Das Racist.

Hugh Anthony Allison, better known by his stage name Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he debuted with the release of his first mixtape, The Big Fat Kill, in 2008. Allison would follow-up with what is considered to be his breakout project, the mixtape Lost in Translation, released by Mishka NYC in 2011. He signed his first major-label record deal with Universal Republic Records, in 2012, which he subsequently left. In 2017, with the release of Allison's fourth EP Brainiac, he launched Chocolate Rabbit, his own record label imprint. His self-titled debut studio album was independently released in 2019.

Aleksey Weintraub, better known by his stage name Lakutis, is an American rapper from New York. He has collaborated with Das Racist, Hot Sugar, and Kitty. He has also toured with Le1f and Antwon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DonChristian</span> American rapper

DonChristian Jones, also known as DonChristian is a New York-based rapper, producer and visual artist. His work spans musical and visual performances, rap, installations and public murals blending both genres of painting and hip-hop and referencing classical and contemporary styles. Jones is a co-founder of Public Assistants, a Resistance Community Space focused on mutual aid, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Big Baby Gandhi is a Bangladesh-born American rapper from Queens, New York. His first mixtape, Big Fucking Baby, was released in 2011 to highly positive reception from music critics. As a result of the attention he got from his first mixtape, Gandhi was signed to Greedhead Music, on which he released his second mixtape, No1 2 Look Up 2, in 2012. Artists featured on No1 2 Look Up 2 include Das Racist, and Fat Tony. In early 2013, he posted on his Tumblr that he would retire from making rap music after 2013. On December 6, 2013, he released his first full-length album, Debut. Big Baby Gandhi came out of retirement in 2017 with his release 27 and proceeded to drop various loose tracks since. In 2019 Big Baby Gandhi released a studio album We Live In A Society with features from Mr. MFN eXquire and Victor Freeze.

References

  1. "Labels to Watch". The Fader . December 15, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  2. Mlynar, Phillip (January 9, 2012). "Hive Five: A Greedhead Records Primer". MTV Hive. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  3. Trammell, Matthew (June 15, 2012). "Kool A.D.: 51". Rolling Stone . Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  4. Kennedy, Channing (January 17, 2012). "Das Racist's Himanshu Suri: Rapper, Jokester, Community Organizer?". ColorLines . Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  5. Gompers, Sjimon (July 12, 2013). "Week in Pop: Au Palais, Castle, Loveskills, Salvia Plath, Winter". Impose . Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  6. Gillespie, Blake (October 2, 2012). "Weekend Money, Naked City". Impose . Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  7. Cohen, Ian (January 9, 2012). "Keepaway: Black Flute (Greedhead, 2012)". Pitchfork . Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Ramos, Mike (December 1, 2011). "Lakutis' I'm In the Forest EP and Other Reasons You Should Really Be Paying Attention to Greedhead Music". The Stranger . Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Chris Barth (September 5, 2012). "From Wall Street Headhunter To Indie Rap Mogul: Das Racist's Himanshu Suri". Forbes Magazine . Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  10. Rice, Matt (October 29, 2013). "Matt on Music tackles 10 albums". The Eastern Echo . Retrieved November 1, 2013.
  11. Lobenfeld, Claire (March 8, 2014). "Premiere: Comedian Joe Mande Releases Standup Mixtape "B***hface" Featuring A$AP Yams, Roy Hibbert, Amy Poehler, and More". Complex . Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  12. Helman, Peter (July 9, 2015). "Heems Folds Greedhead Label, Calls Out Unappreciative Roster". Stereogum . Retrieved July 10, 2015.