Illionaire Records

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Illionaire Records
Illionaire Records logo.jpg
The logo of Illionaire Records
Founded2011 (2011)
Founder The Quiett, Dok2
Defunct2020 (2020)
Distributor(s) CJ E&M, Genuine Music Inc.
Genre Hip hop
Country of origin South Korea
Location Seoul, South Korea
Official website http://www.illionaire.kr

Illionaire Records was an independent South Korean record label formed in January 2011 by rappers The Quiett and Dok2. The label also represents rapper Beenzino. Despite its small size, Illionaire Records was considered one of the most influential hip hop record labels in South Korea due to the popularity of its artists. [1] [2] [3] As of 6 July 2020, Illionaire Records announced via their official social media accounts that they are now defunct.

Contents

History

Friends and rappers The Quiett and Dok2 formed Illionaire Records on January 1, 2011. They signed rapper Beenzino later that year. The Quiett later said in an interview with Complex that he wanted to start a small label to avoid the traditional k-pop major label system. "On major labels, the money made by the artists is first given to the company to pay the bosses, managers, and staff members. In our case, we’re the bosses," he said. The label has only one employee and none of the three rappers are bound by contracts. [2]

The label experienced a surge of popularity in its first few years due to Dok2's many collaborations with Korean-American singer and rapper Jay Park. [1]

Illionaire Records toured Korea in the summer of 2012. [4] On November 11, the three artists released the free track "Illionaire Gang" to coincide with their "Illionaire Day Concert." [5]

In 2014, the label were the headliners for the "Asian Music Festival Summer Concert" in New York City on May 21. [6] That summer the label also released a compilation album entitled "11:11." [7]

Dok2 and The Quiett represented Illionaire Records on the third season of the TV rap competition show Show Me The Money, where they were the producers of winning contestant Bobby of IKON. [8] They, being well known only under-ground initially, garnered more public recognition after they appeared on Show Me the Money.

On 6 February 2020, Illionaire Records announced via Instagram, founding member Dok2 and the label mutually agreed to terminate his contract. [9] No official reason was given for the departure.

Illionaire Records announced on 6 July 2020 that they will close their record label via their official Instagram [10] and Twitter [11] account. They stated they will continue to support their artists in their future endeavours. No other reason was provided for their sudden departure.

Subsidiary Projects

Dok2 and The Quiett formed a new label under Illionaire in September 2016. After announcing Ambition Musik, they introduced three rappers, Kim Hyo-eun, Changmo, Hash Swan, and later, Ash Island and Leellamarz through the official Ambition Musik Instagram account. For the first time, Dok2 and The Quiett didn't think to scout Changmo, Ash Island, and Hash Swan, so fans guessed that it would be Superbee and myunDo or Microdot, but it wasn't true. After establishing Ambition Musik, new members joined through Ambition Musik, not Illionaire.

Influence on Korean Hip-Hop

Before Illionaire Records came out, showing off money to people was not ethically right in Korean culture. People used to think that rappers were always having trouble with earning money, and it was actually true as the first generation of Hip-Hop artists had trouble with earning money. However, Dok2 didn't care what other people say or think about him, so he showed him making tons of money with his rap music. Hip-hop used to be a music genre that not many people liked, but Illionaire Records has helped to lead the Hip-Hop culture to the mainstream from the underground.

Concert Tour in the US

2016

2017

Background of Korean Hip-hop culture

Towards the end of the Korean War, Korean people became more acceptable westernized culture. [12] Especially, the biggest change was accepting Hip-hop culture. Since Korea had really conservative beliefs, it was hard to mingle with a culture that expresses freedom and criticizes society, like Hip-hop does. However, as people's thought has been changed, Hip-hop gained a lot of popularity. Dok2 is one of the pioneers of Hip-hop in Korea.

Artists

Sub-labels

Awards

2020 10th Gaon Chart Music Awards Record Production of the Year - Changmo "Meteor" (for Ambition Musik)

Related Research Articles

Korean hip-hop, also known as K-hip-hop or K-rap, is a subgenre of the South Korean popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dok2</span> South Korean rapper

Lee Joon-kyung better known by his stage name Dok2, is a South Korean rapper, record producer and co-founder of now-defunct Illionaire Records.

Soul Company was an independent Korean hip hop record label and talent agency based in Seoul, South Korea. It was founded in 2004 by rappers Kebee and The Quiett and played an important role in the foundation of the underground hip hop scene in South Korea. The label represented rappers such as Crucial Star and Mad Clown. Soul Company's dissolution was announced in September 2011, and the company ceased operations in November of the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Quiett</span> South Korean rapper

Shin Dong-gab, better known by his stage name The Quiett, is a South Korean rapper, composer, lyricist and record producer. He is widely known within the South Korean hip hop community for founding several major hip hop record labels, including co-founding record labels Soul Company in 2004, Illionaire Records in 2011, and Ambition Musik in 2016, the latter two with fellow rapper Dok2. He founded label Daytona Entertainment in 2020 and has remained since after Illionaire Records closed its doors.

<i>Love & Life, The Album</i> 2012 studio album by Dok2

Love & Life, The Album is Dok2's latest album which was released on February 24, 2012. The first single from the album is Love & Life, which features Rado, who is also one of the main producers for the album. This album was released under Dok2's very own independent Korean hip hop label, Illionaire Records, which had a joint formation alongside The Quiett.

<i>Do It for the Fans</i> 2011 mixtape by Dok2

Do It for the Fans is Dok2's latest mixtape which was released on November 15, 2011. This mixtape was released under Dok2's own independent Korean hip hop label, Illionaire Records, which he formed with Beenzino and The Quiett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beenzino</span> South Korean rapper (born 1987)

Lim Sung-bin, better known by the stage name Beenzino (빈지노), is a South Korean rapper. His stage name is a play on that of Boston rapper Benzino, combined with "빈" from his birth name. Beenzino first gained popularity through the duo Jazzyfact, which he formed with Shimmy Twice in 2008. And he made his first official public appearance at Dok2's Hustle Real Hard Concert on June 5, 2011, and has since released three solo albums, as well as other works in collaboration with hip hop producers Primary and Shimmy Twice, and as the duo Hot Clip with South Korean rapper Beatbox DG. He is noted for his melodic style of rapping.

<i>Show Me the Money</i> (South Korean TV series) 2012 South Korean TV series

Show Me The Money is a South Korean rap competition TV show that airs on Mnet. The show has grown in popularity since the first season aired in 2012 to the eleventh season in 2022, and it is credited for increasing the South Korean public's interest in hip hop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swings (rapper)</span> South Korean rapper

Moon Ji-hoon, better known by the stage name Swings, is a South Korean rapper. Formerly under the label Brand New Music, he is currently signed to P Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E Sens</span> South Korean rapper

Kang Min-ho, better known by the stage name E Sens (Korean: 이센스), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2009 as a member of the hip hop duo Supreme Team, which disbanded in 2013. In 2015, he released his first solo album, The Anecdote, which won Album of the Year at the 2016 Korean Music Awards. He released his second album, The Stranger, in 2019.

The fifth season of the series Show Me the Money, known as Show Me the Money 5, premiered on May 6, 2016 and ended July 15, 2016. It is on broadcast every Friday at 23:00 KST on Mnet.

The third season of Show Me the Money (SMTM3), which aired in 2014, saw a huge change in production as prominent figures of the Korean hip-hop scene participated in the show. Over 3,000 people auditioned this season, 1.5 times the amount last season, including underground rappers, non-Koreans, students, and previous SMTM contestants. The winner receives one hundred million won prize money, a record deal, and an opportunity to hold a special performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Changmo</span> South Korean rapper

Ku Chang-mo, known mononymously as Changmo, is a South Korean rapper and producer. He released his debut album M O T O W N on March 18, 2016. In October 2016 he joined Dok2 and The Quiett's sub-label, Ambition Musik.

The sixth season of the series Show Me the Money, known as Show Me the Money 6, premiered on June 30, 2017 and ended on September 1, 2017. It is on broadcast every Friday at 23:00 KST on Mnet.

The seventh season of the series Show Me the Money, known as Show Me the Money 777, premiered on September 7, 2018 and ended on November 9, 2018. It is on broadcast every Friday at 23:00 KST on Mnet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leellamarz</span> Musical artist

Kim Min-kyum, better known by his stage name Leellamarz, is a South Korean rapper and singer. He was a contestant on Show Me the Money 5. He released his debut album Y on July 7, 2017. In June 2019 he joined Dok2 and The Quiett's sub-label, Ambition Musik.

Yeom Hyeon-su, better known as Yumdda (Korean: 염따), is a South Korean rapper and former VJ for MTV Korea.

Ambition Musik is a South Korean hip-hop label founded by rappers Dok2 and The Quiett on September 29, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coogie</span> South Korean rapper

Kim Jeong-hun, known professionally as Coogie (Korean: 쿠기), is a South Korean rapper and songwriter. He gained popularity when he appeared on Show Me The Money 777 in 2018. He signed to hip-hop label ATM Seoul where he released the studio album Up! (2020), extended plays Coogie (2018), Emo #1 (2018), and S.O.S (2019), and the mixtape I Got A Feeling (2021). In 2020, he released the single "Fadeaway" with Jvcki Wai, Paloalto, The Quiett, and Bassagong, which won Collaboration of the Year at the Korean Hip-hop Awards.

<i>24:26</i> 2012 EP by Beenzino

24:26 is the extended play (EP) by South Korean rapper Beenzino. The album was released on 7 July 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 Lee, Madeline (15 January 2015). "2 CHAINZ AND ROLLIES: THE NOISEY GUIDE TO KOREAN RAP LABEL ILLIONAIRE RECORDS". Vice. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 Cho, Jaeki. "The Rise of Illionaire Records, the Independent Label Taking Korean Hip-Hop to the Next Level". Complex. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  3. ↑ "15 Korean Rappers You Should Know That Aren't Psy". XXL Magazine. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "ILLIONAIRE RECORDS, 'They Love Who? (Remix)' Free Track Revealed". HiphopKr. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "The Quiett, Dok2 and Beenzino Releases Free Track 'ILLIONAIRE GANG'". HiphopKr. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Beenzino, Dok2 & The Quiett To Perform In NYC For Asian Music Festival Summer Concert". KpopStarz. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "1LLIONAIRE Records Releases "연결고리 (YGGR) (ft. MC Meta)" Official MV". HiphopKr. July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Rappers Dok And The Quiett Confirmed As 'Show Me The Money 5' Producer-Judges" . Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  9. ↑ "일리네어레코즈와 Dok2는 2020년 2월 6일 부로 각자의 길을 가기로 결정했습니다. ..." Instagram. 1llionaire_records. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "1LLIONAIRE RECORDS OFFICIAL (@1llionaire_records) • Instagram photos and videos". instagram.com. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  11. ↑ Twitter https://twitter.com/1llionaire . Retrieved 2020-07-06.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ Dixon, Dwayne. "East Asian Youth Cultures Spring 2015" . Retrieved 2018-02-26.
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