Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. Carter issued his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release, in a joint venture with Priority Records. The label has signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Juelz Santana, Freeway, Jadakiss, Teairra Marí, State Property, and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013.
Case Woodard is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for the 1990s hits "Touch Me, Tease Me", "Happily Ever After" and "The Best Man I Can Be" with Ginuwine, R.L. and Tyrese, as well as the early 2000s hits "Missing You" and "Livin' It Up" with Ja Rule. The latter two earned him two Grammy Award nominations.
The Cool Kids are an American hip hop duo composed of rappers Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish. The Cool Kids' music had been released primarily to the independent Chocolate Industries via their own label C.A.K.E. Recordings. Reed and Ingersoll have made appearances in numerous forms of media, as well as in collaborations with other artists such as Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist, Mac Miller, Boldy James, The Neptunes, Curren$y, Dom Kennedy, Larry June, Pac Div, Travis Barker, Lil Wayne, King Chip, Asher Roth, Ab-Soul, and Chance The Rapper. The Cool Kids are also members of the hip hop collectives All City Chess Club and P.O.C. founded in 2010–2011.
This page lists a discography of albums and extended plays released under or distributed by Def Jam Recordings, a division of Universal Music Group, which had been created in 1984. Records distributed by another label, but released under Def Jam, are also included or otherwise reviewed. Also included are albums or EPs that were released under Rush Associated Labels and subsidiaries like Original Black Recordings, DJ West, Def Soul, Disturbing tha Peace, Def Jam South, Roc-A-Fella Records, Murder Inc. Records, and GOOD Music.
Asher Paul Roth is an American rapper from Morrisville, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his 2009 debut single "I Love College," which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and foresaw the birth of frat rap, a college-oriented subgenre of hip hop.
Redman Presents...Reggie is the seventh studio album by rapper Redman. It was released on December 7, 2010, through his own label Gilla House Records in conjunction with Def Jam Recordings. The original title of the album, as promoted in the booklet of Blackout! 2, was going to be Reggie Noble "0" 9 1/2. It would also be his final album with Def Jam, after being signed to the label for 19 years.
"Heard 'em All" is a single by American singer Amerie from her fourth studio album, In Love & War, released in September 2009. In the US, the song served as the second single from the album, following "Why R U". The official radio edit of the song features rapper Lil Wayne, with both versions being featured on the album. Its release was confirmed by Def Jam's official site. It was released in the UK on April 5, 2010.
Pilot Talk is the third studio album by rapper Curren$y. It was released under Damon Dash's DD172 record label division, BluRoc Records. The album was originally scheduled to be released on March 23, 2010. However, it was later postponed and then given a June 15, 2010 release. The album was then pushed back and released on July 13. The entire album is solely produced by Ski Beatz except "Prioritize", which is produced by Nesby Phips, and "Roasted", which is produced by Monsta Beatz. Ski Beatz also remixed the song "Breakfast" for the album which was originally produced by Mos Def. Several music videos were shot for the album promotion and can be found on CreativeControl.tv
Justin Lewis Scott, better known by his stage name Big K.R.I.T., is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Meridian, Mississippi, he began his musical career in 2005. He was signed to Def Jam Recordings by Sha Money XL in 2010, and first gained recognition following the release of his single "Country Shit" in September of that year. The following year, he guest appeared on T.I.'s promotional single "I'm Flexin'", which became Scott's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
24 Hour Karate School is the debut album by hip hop record producer, Ski Beatz. Originally, the album was set for a March 30, 2010 but was pushed back due to sample clearance issues. The project was then given a September 7, 2010 release date, however, was not released until September 21. Guest appearances featured consists of Curren$y, Jim Jones, Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz, Jean Grae, Wiz Khalifa, Stalley and Camp Lo. Mos Def was also scheduled to appear on the album, but was removed due to clearance issues.
Kyle Alfonso Myricks, better known by his stage name Stalley, is an American rapper from Massillon, Ohio.
Shante Scott Franklin, better known by his stage name Currensy, is an American rapper. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, he signed with the regionally-based labels Cash Money Records and Young Money Entertainment in the mid-2000s, although he released no albums for both. He signed with DD172 to release four albums before signing with Warner Records to release his fifth album and major label debut, Weekend at Burnie's (2011). In February of that year, he founded the record label Jet Life Recordings.
The Stoned Immaculate is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Curren$y. It was released through Warner Bros. Records on June 5, 2012. This release was his first "major" release through Warner Bros. The album features guest appearances from Pharrell, Wiz Khalifa, Estelle, 2 Chainz, Wale, Marsha Ambrosius, Daz Dillinger, Big K.R.I.T., Fiend, Corner Boy P, Young Roddy, Trademark da Skydiver, and Smoke DZA.
Nicholaus Joseph Williams, better known by his stage name Trinidad James, is a Trinidadian-American rapper, songwriter and music video director. In December 2012, he signed with Def Jam Recordings to release his debut single, "All Gold Everything" commercially that same month. The song peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned a remix featuring fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I., Jeezy and 2 Chainz. He was dropped from the label in 2014 after failing to promptly record a debut album.
Live in Concert is a collaborative EP by American rappers Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y. The EP was released on April 20, 2013, by Jet Life Recordings and Rostrum Records, and consists of the two rapping over songs from Bobbi Humphrey's Fancy Dancer album. The EP was originally planned to be released as a free mixtape in August 2012, but was released to retail as a way to avoid sample clearance issues.
"Thug Cry" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Rick Ross, released on March 13, 2014 by Maybach, Slip-n-Slide, and Def Jam, as the 2nd and final official single from his sixth studio album Mastermind (2014). The song was produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, written by Betty Idol and features a guest appearance by American rapper Lil Wayne, along with a hook performed by Betty Idol. The song has since peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The sample comes from "Heather" by Billy Cobham (1974), which was previously used in songs such as "93 'til Infinity" by Souls Of Mischief (1993) and in "No Wheaties" by Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA & Curren$y (2010).
Alex Washington, better known by his stage name Trademark da Skydiver, is an American rapper. He was a member of the hip-hop group Jet Life and also performs under the aliases "Super Villain" and "Flamingo Barnes".
Cydel Charles Young, known professionally as CyHi the Prynce, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Stone Mountain, Georgia. He signed a major label recording contract with Akon's Konvict Muzik, in a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings in 2009. The following year, he gained mainstream attention for his guest appearance alongside Jay-Z, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, and RZA on Kanye West's 2010 song "So Appalled" from his album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). He was then credited with extensive songwriting work on West's further releases, resulting in five Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Song, as well as one additional nomination for his work on Travis Scott's 2018 single "Sicko Mode."
Canal Street Confidential is the eighth studio album by American rapper Curren$y. The album was released on December 4, 2015, by Jet Life Recordings and Atlantic Records.
Bassey Ikpi is a Nigerian-born American spoken-word artist, writer, and mental health advocate. She has appeared on HBO's Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry five times and her poetry has opened shows for Grammy Award-winning artists. She's also the New York Times bestselling author of I'm Telling The Truth But I'm Lying. In 2020 she judged the Indiana Review Creative Nonfiction Prize. She also features on the OkayAfrica's 100 Women campaign 2020 honoree list, which celebrates women building infrastructure for future African generations.
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