Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group. The label has been dormant since 2006, due to Universal Motown and Universal Republic Records being formed and taking all of the artists from it. Those labels were eventually combined to form the latest iteration of Republic Records.
Loud Records, LLC. is a record label founded by Steve Rifkind and Rich Isaacson in 1991. Rifkind served as the chief executive officer while Isaacson served as the president of the label.
"Lean Back" is a song by American hip hop group Terror Squad. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, True Story, on June 1, 2004. An uptempo hip hop song built for the club environment, it contains vocal performances from group members Fat Joe and Remy and production from Scott Storch. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on August 21, 2004, and topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart for seven weeks. Worldwide, the song reached the top 20 in several other countries, including Denmark, where it peaked at number five.
Lavell William Crump, better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Jermaine Alfred Denny,, known professionally as Red Café, is a Guyanese-American rapper. He formed the short-lived hip hop group Da Franchise in the late 1990s, who signed with the company Violator and saw local success before his departure in 2001. As a solo act, he signed three ineffective recording contracts with Trackmasters Entertainment, an imprint of Arista Records, Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records, an imprint of Capitol Records, and Motown due to label disputes, company fallouts, and creative differences throughout the 2000s.
There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story is the only studio album by American rapper Remy Ma. It was released on February 7, 2006, by SRC Records, Terror Squad Entertainment and Universal Records. The album's release date served as the sixth anniversary of her mentor Big Pun's death. The title and cover art coincides with the 1998 film There's Something About Mary. The album sold over 35,000 copies in its first week and as of 2007, has sold over 160,000 copies.
Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a solo career with the release of his debut studio album, Represent (1993) the following year. Cartegena formed the hip hop group Terror Squad and its namesake record label in the late 1990s, through which he has signed fellow New York artists including Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, and Cuban Link, as well as then-unknown producers DJ Khaled and Cool & Dre.
Shontelle Delia Layne, known mononymously as Shontelle, is a Barbadian singer and songwriter. She released her debut album Shontelligence in 2008. Her second album, No Gravity, was released in 2010. Her singles "T-Shirt" and "Impossible" achieved international success. In 2020, Shontelle released "Remember Me".
Joell Christopher Ortiz is an American rapper and a former member of the group Slaughterhouse. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label. He was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine and was also selected as Chairman's Choice in XXL Magazine.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2008.
Steven Rifkind is an American music entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of Loud Records and SRC Records. He is associated with artists such as Wu Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Akon, David Banner, Asher Roth, Joell Ortiz, and Big Pun. Rifkind has also launched marketing campaigns for companies such as T-Mobile, Adidas, SanDisk, Nike, Pepsi, Levi Jeans, and Starter. According to XXL magazine, he is "responsible for breaking in some of hip-hop's biggest artists in his 25 years in the business".
Kaze, real name Kevin Clarence Thomas, is a rapper from Durham, North Carolina.
Karim Kharbouch, better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he immigrated to New York City with his family at the age of 13 and began his career as a battle rapper in the early 2000s — under the name Young French.
Terror Squad Productions is an American Hip hop and Rap record company founded by Fat Joe in 1997. The label has been distributed by Atlantic, Virgin Records, and Columbia Records. The label's flagship artist was Big Pun.
Majic Massey is an American singer under SRC Records/Universal Motown.
Deleno Matthews, known professionally as Sean C, is an American producer, DJ and "artists and repertoire" (A&R) specialist. Sean is a member of production duo Sean C & LV which is affiliated with Sean Combs' Hitmen producers. As a DJ, Sean C co-founded the New York DJ crew The X-Men Sean worked as an A&R for Steve Rifkind's Loud Records and SRC Records imprints. He is credited as A&R and executive producer for Mobb Deep, Dead Prez, Big Pun, Terror Squad, Remy Ma and The X-Ecutioners. Sean C has produced songs for Jay-Z, Big Pun, Diddy, Jadakiss and Fabolous among others. He was nominated for best rap album Grammy awards for Jay Z's American Gangster and for Big Pun's debut Capital Punishment.
Rich Isaacson is an international music entrepreneur whose influence spans artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, MIKA, Akon, Gustavo Santaolalla, Charles Bradley, Mobb Deep, Melanie Fiona, SafetySuit, and Three 6 Mafia.
Konvict Kulture is a record label founded by Melvin Brown, Bu Thiam and R&B singer Akon in 2003 under the name Konvict Muzik. Artists including T-Pain, Kat DeLuna, Mali Music, Red Café, Dolla, Ya Boy, and Costa Titch have signed to and released singles or albums by the label. Heard at the beginning of many of the label's recordings, besides Akon's own production or songwriting contribution, is the sound of the clank of a jail cell, followed by Akon uttering "Konvict". In 2022, the label was rebranded into Konvict Kulture. By 2011, Fotemah Mba was appointed Vice President of A&R for the label.
