Steve Rifkind

Last updated

Steve Rifkind
Birth nameSteven Rifkind
Born (1962-03-02) March 2, 1962 (age 61)
Merrick, New York, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Record executive
  • entrepreneur
  • investor
Years active1969–present
Labels

Steven Rifkind (born March 2, 1962) is an American music entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of Loud Records and SRC Records. [1] He is associated with artists such as Wu Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Akon, David Banner, Asher Roth, Joell Ortiz, and Big Pun. [1] [2] [3] Rifkind has also launched marketing campaigns for companies such as T-Mobile, Adidas, SanDisk, Nike, Pepsi, Levi Jeans, and Starter. [4] According to XXL magazine, he is "responsible for breaking in some of hip-hop's biggest artists in his 25 years in the business". [5]

Contents

Life and career

Origins

The son of record producer Jules Rifkind, growing up in Merrick, Long Island, Rifkind had an early affinity for R&B and hip hop music. In the 1960s and 1970s, the elder Rifkind managed Spring Records, whose clients included James Brown and Millie Jackson.[ citation needed ] In his youth, Rifkind worked for his father at Spring, even working as a promotion man on "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" by the FatBack Band in 1979, widely regarded as the first rap song ever recorded (it beat Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight into record stores by weeks).[ citation needed ] After leaving Spring Records, Rifkind relocated to Los Angeles where he managed the R&B group New Edition from 1986 to 1988.[ citation needed ].

Loud Records

As the founder and CEO of Loud Records, which was established in 1991, Rifkind helped the bi-coastal hip-hop label focus on "street-themed" hip-hop. Loud was influential in launching the careers of several hip-hop stars in the early and mid-1990s; most notably Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Three 6 Mafia, and Big Pun.[ citation needed ] At Loud, Rifkind supplemented his artists' success with branding and cross-promotions. Loud's holdings included a film division and a clothing line. [6]

Loud's success led to Rifkind selling 50% of the company to RCA in 1996. [7] In July 1999, Loud moved to Sony.[ citation needed ] Loud launched its film division in 1999, signing a multi-year pact with Dimension/Miramax. [8] Loud Film's first and only project, Paid in Full (a film on which Brett Ratner, Jay-Z, and Damon Dash were partners with Rifkind) was released in 2002. [9]

The new millennium

Today, Rifkind is still deeply involved in the hip-hop and R&B world. After losing the Loud Records name after its being sold to Sony in 2002, Rifkind started Street Records Corporation (a second SRC).[ citation needed ] Early artist signings included David Banner, as well as R&B singer Akon.[ citation needed ] In 2003, Rifkind joined the Universal/Motown Records group as vice president.[ citation needed ]

In 2007, Rifkind acquired limited rights to the Loud Records name from Sony and released Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams under the Loud banner. [10]

Along with operating SRC, and his ever-expanding roster of corporate clients, Rifkind's latest ventures include investments in Coalition Music Group, a Reggaeton label, as well in Kid's Block, an educational DVD series for children, featuring music by the Trackmasters production team. [11] 2008 saw the foundation of the Rifkind Thal Group (RTG), a technology marketing company. Its first client was SanDisk, [12] a data-storage products developer and manufacturer.

The Street Team Concept

The Street Team promotional model, as pioneered by Rifkind, is based on the simple principle of word-of-mouth advertising coupled with the touchstones of what makes for "urban cool".[ citation needed ] The Street Team is fundamentally based on knowledge of the urban subculture on the part of the marketer and what potential consumers relate to.[ citation needed ] "Nobody should put out a record before they know what the street thinks". [13]

Personal life

Rifkind is involved in several philanthropic activities. Camp Excel, [14] founded in 1996 with a childhood friend, psychologist Dr. Gary Altheim, is a week-long overnight camp for underprivileged children struggling with learning disabilities.[ citation needed ] Rifkind is also a sponsor of breast cancer charities, donating the profits from his Think Pink Rocks [15] concerts to support breast cancer research and treatment.[ citation needed ] The first Think Pink Rocks event in September 2008 was hosted by Queen Latifah and featured several SRC Records artists.[ citation needed ]

Rifkind also sponsors and coaches the Delray Blazers, [16] his son Alex's youth basketball team, in Delray Beach, Florida.[ citation needed ] They won an Amateur Athletic Union Florida state championship in 2008.[ citation needed ] Around this time Rifkind served as a godfather to Sammis Reyes, a student-athlete from Chile who would later become the first Chilean to play in the National Football League (NFL). [17] [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wu-Tang Clan</span> American hip hop collective

Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, Ol' Dirty Bastard. Close affiliate Cappadonna later became an official member. They are credited for revitalizing East Coast hip hop and are considered one of the greatest hip hip groups of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raekwon</span> American rapper

Corey Woods, better known by his stage name Raekwon, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang , in 1993. Raekwon would subsequently pursue a solo career, releasing his first solo album, entitled Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., in 1995. The album received critical acclaim, and is regarded by many critics as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, as well as a staple of 1990s rap.

East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in The Bronx, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghostface Killah</span> American rapper

Dennis David Coles, better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success. Ghostface Killah debuted his solo career with Ironman, which was well-received by music critics, in 1996. He has enjoyed continued success in the years that have followed, releasing critically acclaimed albums such as Supreme Clientele (2000) and Fishscale (2006). His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film The Mystery of Chess Boxing. He is the founder of his own record label, Starks Enterprises.

<i>Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)</i> 1993 studio album by Wu-Tang Clan

Enter the Wu-Tang is the debut studio album by the American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993, by Loud Records and RCA Records. Recording sessions took place during late 1992 to early 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York City, and the album was produced by the group's de facto leader RZA. Its title originates from the martial arts films Enter the Dragon (1973) and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loud Records</span> Hip hop record label

Loud Records, LLC. is a record label founded by Steve Rifkind and Rich Isaacson in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havoc (musician)</span> American rapper and record producer from New York

Kejuan Waliek Muchita, better known by his stage name Havoc, is an American rapper and record producer. He was one half of the hip hop duo Mobb Deep with Prodigy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cilvaringz</span> Dutch-Moroccan rapper, record producer and artist booker

Tarik Azzougarh, better known as his stage name Cilvaringz, is a Dutch-Moroccan record producer, rapper, and artist manager from Tilburg, North Brabant. He is associated with the Wu-Tang Clan and is best known for conceptualizing and producing the world's most expensive work of music, Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.

Relativity Records was an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his vinyl record shop, Important Record Distributors (IRD) in metropolitan New York City. The IRD distribution name was later known as RED Distribution and again as RED Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobb Deep</span> American hip hop duo

Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from Queens, New York formed in 1991. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy and Havoc, they are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hop. Mobb Deep became one of the most successful rap duos of all time, having sold over three million records. Their best-known albums are The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999), and their most successful singles were "Shook Ones " and "Survival of the Fittest." They were known for their dark and hardcore delivery.

SRC was an American record label created by former Loud Records CEO Steve Rifkind. It was a subsidiary of Universal Music Group and was distributed through Republic Records.

<i>Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture</i> 2005 compilation album by Wu-Tang Clan & various artists

Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture is an album released October 18, 2005. This album was put together by Dreddy Krueger who has produced Wu-Tang and others. It includes collaborated tracks by Wu-Tang Clan members, Wu-Tang Clan affiliates, and various other underground hip-hop artists such as Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Sean Price, Casual, and MF DOOM. The album has sold 59,133 units.

<i>8 Diagrams</i> 2007 studio album by Wu-Tang Clan

8 Diagrams is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released December 11, 2007, on SRC/Universal Motown Records. The album was released three years after the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard, and six years after the group's previous LP Iron Flag.

<i>Loud Rocks</i> 2000 compilation album by various artists

Loud Rocks is a rap rock compilation album by American hip hop record label Loud Records, composed of remixes, covers and collaborations between rock and hip hop music artists. It was released on September 5, 2000 in four editions: one with explicit lyrics, a clean version, a Japanese and a Canadian version.

Jerome Foster, better known as Knobody, is an American music producer and A&R. Knobody has produced records across different genres including soul, R&B, hip hop and rock for several multi-platinum artists including Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Akon, The Game, Big Pun, Mýa and R.E.M. Knobody worked as an A&R at SRC Records/Universal. Due to the enormous success Akon experienced following the release of his debut album, Knobody was recognized as a World Top 10 A&R. He is not to be confused with Bay Area rapper/producer and Hieroglyphics crew affiliate who also goes by the name Knobody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RZA</span> American rapper

Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA, is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the de facto leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums for the group and its respective members. He is a cousin of two other original Wu-Tang Clan members: GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard. He has also released solo albums under the alter-ego Bobby Digital, along with executive producing credits for side projects. After forming the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA was a founding member of the horrorcore group Gravediggaz, since 1992, where he went by the name The RZArector.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Gehringer</span> American mastering engineer (born 1962)

Chris Gehringer is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.

References

  1. 1 2 Loud.com Archived October 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ About Asher Roth Archived October 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Archived November 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Suburban Rapper Samples Weezer
  4. ↑ Private Jet Industry News: Chairman of SRC Records Steve Rifkind Becomes Partner in Chief Executive Air Music Impresario To Provide Multi-Platinum Artists Exclusive Access To Jet Services (www.chiefexecair.com/Press/rifkind)
  5. ↑ Archived June 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine XXL Mag Online, Tuesday April 17, 9:57 am [ date missing ]
  6. ↑ Archived November 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Loud.com
  7. ↑ Forbes Magazine. April 21, 1997
  8. ↑ Music Connection. June 19, 2006
  9. ↑ Archived August 3, 2018, at the Wayback Machine IMDB
  10. ↑ Ballerstatus.com – "Steve Rifkind Officially Secures Loud Name, Plans Return With The Wu"
  11. ↑ "Steve Rifkind: Marketing Mastermind". Archived from the original on April 1, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  12. ↑ "The Global Leader in Flash Memory Cards | SanDisk". Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  13. ↑ The Source February 1999
  14. ↑ "Camp Excel". Archived from the original on October 28, 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
  15. ↑ "Think Pink Rocks". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Delray Blazers". Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
  17. ↑ Bishop, Greg (August 4, 2021). "Sammis Reyes and the Path Never Taken". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  18. ↑ Selby, Zach. "From DoorDash To The NFL, Sammis Reyes Is Delivering On His Dreams Of Being A Professional Athlete". WashingtonFootball.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.