Arista Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music Group, the North American division of German conglomerate Bertelsmann. Founded in November 1974 by Clive Davis and deactivated in 2011, Arista was re-established in 2018. Along with RCA Records, Columbia Records, and Epic Records, it is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels.
Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American record label founded in 1993 by Sean "Puffy" Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip hop and contemporary R&B artists, beginning with the Notorious B.I.G. Following his commercial success, the label signed other acts, including Faith Evans, Mase, 112, Total, The Lox, Shyne and Carl Thomas. At its 1997 peak, Bad Boy was worth an estimated US$100 million.
Volcano Entertainment is an American all-round music record label founded in 1996 which released albums by Tool, 311, Survivor and "Weird Al" Yankovic. The Volcano Records catalog is owned by RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, founded by producer Jermaine Dupri in 1993. Specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B, and bass music, the label has managed artists such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, Xscape, TLC, Usher, Dem Franchize Boyz, Anthony Hamilton, Jagged Edge, and The Ghost Town DJs.
Dallas L. Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and film producer from Columbus, Georgia.
Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer who served as president and CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, as well as chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Music Group from 2004 to 2011 and Epic Records from 2011 to 2017. He co-founded the record label Hitco Entertainment in the latter year, which was sold to Concord in 2022.
Full Surface is a record label founded in 2001, by American hip hop recording artist and record producer Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean. With the help of his protégé, Cassidy, who was the 1st artist signed, the label was established. The label used to operate through Sony's J and through Universal's Interscope, Motown and Universal Motown. However, the label also had released material through joint ventures with other companies outside the Sony BMG group.
Miss Thang is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was released by Rowdy Records and distributed through the Arista label on July 18, 1995, in the United States. Recorded throughout her early teenage years, the album was conceived under the guidance of Rowdy head Dallas Austin who would emerge as a tutor and father figure to Monica and serve as Miss Thang's sole executive producer. Austin recruited protégés from his DARP production camp such as Tim & Bob, Arnold Hennings, and Colin Wolfe as well as Daryl Simmons, and Soulshock & Karlin to work on the album. It incorporates a wide range of contemporary genres such as soul, pop, hip hop and blues.
The Conglomerate Entertainment is a record label founded by Busta Rhymes. The label was established in 1994 as Flipmode, the name Conglomerate was later adopted in 2010.
Da BackWudz, also known by the name Labratz, was a rap duo from Decatur, Georgia consisting of Marcus "Big Marc" Thomas and James "Sho Nuff" Redding. The duo released one album, Wood Work, in 2006 and the album reached the position of 94 on the Billboard 200. They were signed to Dallas Austin's Rowdy Records and they released their first single, "You Gonna Luv Me", in 2004. Da BackWudz has performed in multiple tours, including BET's 2005 Black College Tour and MTV's Sucker Free Sunday Tour. Thomas and Redding later renamed themselves Labratz, joined together with Heavy Slim and G Wiz, and released one album, Atlantis Rising, before disbanding.
Roger McNair, known professionally as Rampage, is an American rapper who is a member of the Flipmode Squad. He is a long-time collaborator with his cousin Busta Rhymes.
The Untold Truth is the only studio album by American rap duo Illegal, composed of rappers Jamal and Mr. Malik. It was released on August 24, 1993, through Rowdy Records with distribution via Arista Records. The recording sessions took place from late Fall 1992 to mid-Summer 1993 at D.A.R.P. Studios in Atlanta, at Soundtrack Studios in New York City, and at BMV Digital Studios in Newark. The album was produced by Dallas Austin, Diamond D, Erick Sermon, Biz Markie, and Lord Finesse, among others.
"Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" is a song by American singer Monica. It was written by Dallas Austin, Derrick Simmons, and Recall Management for her debut album, Miss Thang (1995), while production was helmed by the former. The song contains a sample from "Back Seat (Of My Jeep)" (1993) by American rapper LL Cool J, which itself samples elements from the song "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" (1973), written by Abrim Tilmon and recorded by R&B vocal group The Detroit Emeralds. Due to the inclusion of the samples, several other writers are credited as songwriters.
Edward Ferrell is an American record producer, DJ, songwriter, and record executive. With business partner Heavy D, he formed the hip hop group Heavy D and the Boyz in 1985, for which he served as the de facto producer and DJ. The group signed with Uptown Records to release seven commercially successful studio albums. He served as Vice President of A&R of LaFace Records from to 1993 to 1995, Executive Vice President of Motown from 1995 to 1997, and Executive Consultant to chairman L.A. Reid of Def Jam Recordings from 2005 to 2007. He also founded the record label Untouchables Entertainment Group, through which he discovered and signed R&B singer Donell Jones.
Kawan Kawmi "KP" Prather is an American record executive. He began his career as a DJ for the Atlanta-based hip hop group Parental Advisory (P.A.) in 1991, which were part of the larger collective Dungeon Family. The group was discovered by Pebbles and L.A. Reid, and were the first act from the collective to sign a major label deal with LaFace Records in the late 1990s, through which Prather launched the imprint label Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment. During this time, he worked in executive or A&R positions on albums for LaFace labelmates including TLC, OutKast, Goodie Mob, Usher, Pink, and Toni Braxton.
Freeworld Entertainment was a record label formed in 1997 by Dallas Austin and Kevin Czinger.
Van Full of Pakistans is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Y'all So Stupid. It was released in 1993 via Rowdy Records. The recording sessions took place at DARP Studios, Doppler Studios, and Bosstown Recording Studios, in Atlanta. The album was produced by member Spearhead X, who plays the narrating prank caller on every skit, Da King & I, Sylvan Sargeant, co-producers the Soul Merchants, with Dallas Austin serving as executive producer.
Y'all So Stupid was an American alternative hip hop group based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was formed by H2O, Unkle Buk, Sha Boogie, Spearhead X and Logic in 1991. After performing extensively in Atlanta's underground circuit, the group was signed by Dallas Austin & L.A. Reid to Rowdy Records in 1992. Their debut album, Van Full of Pakistans, was released on May 25, 1993.
LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achieved its greatest commercial success during the 1990s, dealing largely in the field of urban music. It was originally distributed by its co-creator Arista Records from 1989 through 2001, after which it was shuttered and absorbed into Arista. In 2004, the label was rebooted, and it began operating through Jive Records until both were absorbed into RCA Records in 2011. Today, the label's back catalog and reissues are managed by Legacy Recordings.
