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Star Trak Entertainment | |
---|---|
Parent company | Universal Music Group |
Founded | 2001 |
Founder | The Neptunes Rob Walker |
Defunct | 2015 |
Status | Inactive |
Distributor(s) | Interscope Geffen A&M (United States) Polydor (United Kingdom) |
Genre | Various |
Country of origin | United States |
Location | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
Official website | startrak |
Star Trak Entertainment was an American record label, founded by the Neptunes and Rob Walker in 2001. It was launched as an imprint of Arista Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment from its formation until 2003, after which it operated under Virgin Records, a subsidiary of EMI, and ultimately Interscope Geffen A&M Records, following EMI's merger with Universal Music Group. The label ceased operations in 2015. Its name is a reference to the 1960s TV program Star Trek .
Star Trak was formed in 2001 by the Neptunes. The label was partially funded by Arista Records (from Bertelsmann Music Group) in a joint-venture. Pharrell Williams would sign longtime friends, Clipse. Their debut album, Lord Willin' , was released in 2002 led by the hits, "Grindin'", "When the Last Time", and "Ma, I Don't Love Her" After the success of the album, the label would sign Kelis, Vanessa Marquez, Fam-Lay, N.E.R.D and pop rock band Spymob, who provided backing instruments for N.E.R.D's debut album In Search Of.... The label released a compilation album during the summer of 2003, entitled, The Neptunes Present... Clones. In late 2003, Star Trak Entertainment released the highly successful album, Tasty , by Kelis led by the hit single "Milkshake." In early 2004, Star Trak linked with EMI's Virgin Records for a new distribution deal. The first release from this deal was Fly or Die by N.E.R.D.
In mid-2004, Star Trak signed EMI cousin label, Doggystyle Records to a distribution deal and soared to new heights behind veteran Doggystyle Records rapper, Snoop Dogg. A few months later, Star Trak Entertainment left EMI's Virgin Records before completing a year with the label. They ended up moving operations over to Geffen Records and Interscope Records. Here, they would release Snoop Dogg's album, R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. The album was led by "Drop It Like Its Hot", which would be yet another hit single for the fledgling label. This album would go Platinum in the US like some other Star Trak Entertainment releases. It also had many other hit singles. After the album's release, the label was in a surplus and could afford to spend money on new things, so they signed underground Houston, Texas rapper Slim Thug & in 2005, he released his debut album, Already Platinum. This album would give Star Trak Entertainment yet another hit, "Like A Boss", and "I Ain't Heard of That."
After the release of Slim Thug's album, Geffen Records was partially absorbed into Interscope, which moved Star Trak into an exclusive distribution deal with Interscope and ended all business with Geffen as Snoop Dogg stayed and took his Doggy Style imprint with him. During this time, the label added Kenna and Robin Thicke to their roster.
In 2006, Pharrell released his debut solo album, In My Mind. The album provided another two hits for the label and capitalized what is the Neptunes sound. These singles were "Can I Have It Like That", with Gwen Stefani, and "Number One", with Kanye West. Other releases in 2006 were Robin Thicke's second album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke , which featured the hit, "Lost Without U." The last 2006 release was Clipse's second album, Hell Hath No Fury , the album featured another hit for the label, "Mr. Me Too." This was their first release through their Re-Up Gang Records imprint. Because of constant delays on the album's release date, and a small amount of production, then low record sales, Clipse asked for their release from the Jive Records label with in terms released them from Star Trak Entertainment moving their Re-Up Gang Records imprint to Columbia Records. Star Trak Entertainment has since signed Teyana Taylor to their roster, along with Chester French, Natasha Ramos, Epoch When and Sergio Veneno. In 2007, Kenna released his album, Make Sure They See My Face. Releases for 2008 included N.E.R.D and Robin Thicke. Releases for 2009 included Chester French, Teyana Taylor, Kenna, Clipse and Teriyaki Boyz. In 2013, the label saw success once again with the chart-topping single "Blurred Lines", performed by Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell & T.I. [1]
Artist | Album | Details |
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N.E.R.D | In Search of... |
|
Clipse | Lord Willin' |
|
The Neptunes | Clones |
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Kelis | Tasty |
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N.E.R.D | Fly or Die |
|
Snoop Dogg | R&G: The Masterpiece |
|
The High Speed Scene | The High Speed Scene |
|
Slim Thug | Already Platinum |
|
Pharrell | In My Mind |
|
Robin Thicke | The Evolution of Robin Thicke |
|
Clipse | Hell Hath No Fury |
|
Kenna | Make Sure They See My Face |
|
N.E.R.D | Seeing Sounds |
|
Robin Thicke | Something Else |
|
Teriyaki Boyz | Serious Japanese |
|
Various Artists | Fast & Furious |
|
Chester French | Love the Future |
|
Clipse | Til the Casket Drops |
|
Robin Thicke | Sex Therapy: The Session |
|
Various Artists | Despicable Me |
|
N.E.R.D | Nothing |
|
Robin Thicke | Love After War |
|
Robin Thicke | Blurred Lines |
|
Robin Thicke | Paula |
|
Geffen Records is an American record label, founded in 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the now-defunct Geffen Pictures, it is owned by the Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) faction of Universal Music Group (UMG).
The Neptunes are an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, while Hugo tends to stay behind the scenes.
N.E.R.D. is an American rock and hip hop band, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1994. The Neptunes were signed by Teddy Riley to Virgin. After producing songs for several artists throughout the late 1990s, the duo formed the band with Shay Haley as a side project band of The Neptunes in 1994. N.E.R.D.'s debut album, In Search Of..., sold 603,000 copies in the United States and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also awarded the second annual Shortlist Music Prize. The band's second album, Fly or Die, sold 412,000 copies in the United States, but shipped at least 500,000 units, certifying it Gold.
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams, often known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes, which he formed in 1992 with Chad Hugo. 15 of their productions peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, which includes four songs that peaked atop the chart. He also formed the alternative band N.E.R.D. with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams serves as lead vocalist. He has been considered one of the most influential music producers of the 21st century for his impact on popular music.
R&G : The Masterpiece is the seventh studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 16, 2004, by Doggystyle Records, making its first on Star Trak Entertainment and Geffen Records. Recording sessions took place from November 2003 to September 2004 in each of several recording studios. The album's production was handled from The Neptunes, The Alchemist, Lil Jon, Hi-Tek, Warryn Campbell, and L.T. Hutton, among others.
Charles Edward Hugo is an American record producer. Alongside close colleague Pharrell Williams, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in 1992, with whom he has produced numerous hit records for various artists. He is also a member of the band N.E.R.D., alongside Williams and Shay Haley, and co-founded the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Williams in 2001. In contrast to Williams, Hugo does not perform on records.
Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, mainly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, but changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group's formation, before changing it to No Malice once more in 2012 following his conversion to Christianity. Based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the duo was discovered by producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the artists to work in tandem. Williams served as executive and lead producer for each of their albums, as part of the Neptunes and as a frequent guest performer. As key figures in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop, the duo's frequent subject matter is based around illegal drug trade.
Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss is the sixth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 26, 2002, by his Doggystyle label, alongside Priority and Capitol Records. Following his departure from the No Limit Records, he later signed a recording contract to Capitol through Priority Records. The album was supported by two singles, both featuring Pharrell: "From tha Chuuuch to da Palace" and "Beautiful", the latter also featuring Charlie Wilson.
Diane Martel is an American music video director and choreographer.
Lord Willin' is the major label debut and second studio album by hip hop duo Clipse. The album was released on August 20, 2002, in the United States by Star Trak and Arista. Recording sessions took place over a year, beginning in 2001. Production was handled by The Neptunes.
The Neptunes Present... Clones is a compilation album produced and released by American production and songwriting duo The Neptunes. It was released on August 19, 2003 and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The album featured six singles; "Frontin'" by Pharrell Williams, "Popular Thug" by Kelis, "Light Your Ass on Fire" by Busta Rhymes, “Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Fam-Lay, "Hot Damn" by Clipse and "It Blows My Mind" by Snoop Dogg.
Already Platinum is the debut studio album by American rapper Slim Thug. It was released through the Neptunes's Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Geffen Records on July 12, 2005. Its original release date was scheduled for February 2005, but heavy bootlegging and numerous delays held the album back, forcing a vast majority of its original track listing to be replaced. The original track listing included a version of the track "I Ain't Heard of That" which featured Jay-Z.
The Evolution of Robin Thicke is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Robin Thicke. It was released on October 3, 2006, by Star Trak Records and Interscope Records. The production on the album was primarily handled by Pro J and Robin Thicke himself with additional production by The Neptunes. The album also features guest appearances from Faith Evans, Lil Wayne and Pharrell. In February 2007, a deluxe edition of the album was released, which included all three new bonus tracks.
The following is a discography of production by the Neptunes, a production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.
Spymob is an American alternative rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Best known for their appearance on the 2003 Star Trak Entertainment compilation The Neptunes present Clones, with the song "Half Steering...", they also provided backing instruments for N.E.R.D.'s 2002 debut In Search Of.... Their major label debut, Sitting Around Keeping Score, was the first rock album to be released on The Neptunes' Star Trak label. In 2014, the band released their second album, Memphis independently. Additionally, all four members have provided session work and touring support for other artists including N.E.R.D, Paramore, Snoop Dogg, Kelis, and Mike Doughty.
Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA) is an American umbrella label operating as a unit of Interscope Capitol Labels Group, owned by Universal Music Group. It currently consists of record labels Interscope Records and Geffen Records.
Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. After choreographing the video for Beyoncé's 2006 single "Ring the Alarm," she signed a recording contract with the Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Interscope Records the following year. Taylor appeared on MTV's My Super Sweet 16 prior to the release of her 2008 debut single, "Google Me." Despite failing to chart, she gained further attention for her uncredited guest performances on Kanye West's 2010 songs "Dark Fantasy" and "Hell of a Life" — both from his album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). She parted ways with Star Trak and Interscope in favor of West's GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings two years later.
Fast & Furious: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Justin Lin's 2009 action film Fast & Furious. It was released on March 31, 2009 via Star Trak Entertainment and Interscope Records. Production was primarily handled by The Neptunes. It features contributions from Pitbull, Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes, Don Omar, Kenna, Lil' Jon, M.I.A., Natasha Ramos, Robin Thicke, Rye Rye, Shark City Click and Tego Calderón.
"It's in the Mornin'" is a song by American R&B singer Robin Thicke with American rapper Snoop Dogg. Was released on 2010 as the single of his fourth studio album Sex Therapy: The Session, with the record labels Star Trak Entertainment and Interscope Records.