Swishahouse

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Swishahouse
Swishahouselogo.png
Founded1997;27 years ago (1997)
FounderMichael "5000" Watts
OG Ron C
Distributor(s)
Genre Southern hip hop
Country of originUnited States
LocationNorth Houston, Texas, U.S.
Official website www.swishahouse.biz

Swishahouse is an independent southern rap record label and hip hop collective based in Houston, Texas.

Contents

History

Swishahouse was founded in North Houston in 1997 by founder and CEO Michael "5000" Watts and OG Ron C as a response to the popularity of chopped and screwed music from Houston's south side. The label began by distributing a mixtape series that featured chopped and screwed versions of R&B songs. Many of the current and former artists come from Acres Homes, Homestead, Rosewood & the Tidwell/Gulf Bank areas. The series includes:

A song that originally appeared on the compilation album The Day Hell Broke Loose 2, Mike Jones' "Still Tippin'", achieved mainstream success in 2004. The single would go on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. This led to Swishahouse signing a national distribution deal with Asylum Records. Jones released his major-label debut, Who Is Mike Jones? , on Swishahouse/Warner Bros. in April 2005; the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA, for selling over a million copies in the United States of America, that June. [1]

Aftermath A&R Angelo Sanders said that the great advantage to independents like Swishahouse is that, "They're able to get their product out on the streets to specific regions at a greater speed than a major ... They're able to flood that whole Texas market with a product before the majors are able to notice what is going on out there." [2]

Paul Wall's major label debut, The Peoples Champ , on Swishahouse/Atlantic, was released in September 2005, eventually topping the Billboard 200. [3] Before embarking on his rap career and while still at school, Wall had worked in the Swishahouse office. [4]

In 2006, Houston based music label Dope House Records and Swishahouse teamed up to release South Park Mexican's ninth album, When Devils Strike. [5] A chopped and screwed version was also released.

Swishahouse has archives hosted by Rice University's Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning, a center under the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The physical materials are hosted in the Woodson Research Center at the university's Fondren Library. [6]

Notable artists

See also

Related Research Articles

Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, and Miami—five cities which constitute the "Southern Network" in rap music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Wall</span> American rapper from Texas

Paul Michael Slayton, better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse, and has released several albums under the label and collaborated with numerous other rappers signed to the label. He began his career performing alongside fellow Houstonian Chamillionaire, with whom he released several albums, including 2002's independently released Get Ya Mind Correct. By 2005, he was signed to Atlantic Records and became successful with his major label debut The Peoples Champ, which was followed up by Get Money, Stay True followed in 2007. He has been nominated for one Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance as a Duo or Group for the song "Grillz", his collaboration with rapper Nelly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slim Thug</span> American rapper from Texas

Stayve Jerome Thomas, better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on rapper Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'." In 2005, he guest appeared alongside Bun B on Beyoncé's single "Check on It," which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and won an MTV Music Video Award. That same year, he released his debut studio album Already Platinum (2005) through Geffen Records, which reached number two on the Billboard 200. Furthermore, he guest appeared on Gwen Stefani's 2005 single "Luxurious," which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamillionaire</span> American rapper (born 1979)

Hakeem Temidayo Seriki, better known by his stage name Chamillionaire, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He began his solo career with locally-tailored releases in the early 2000s, including the collaborative album Get Ya Mind Correct (2002) with fellow Houston rapper and childhood friend Paul Wall. He signed with Universal Records in 2005 to release his debut studio album, The Sound of Revenge in November of that year. It included the singles "Ridin'" —which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group—and "Turn It Up". His second album, Ultimate Victory (2007) was met with similar commercial success; it became notable for its lack of profanity and lead single "Hip Hop Police", as well as its accompanying music video. His pop rap-influenced 2009 single, "Good Morning" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 was intended for inclusion on his third album Venom, which was never released.

Chopped and screwed is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and deejaying. It was developed in the Houston hip hop scene in the early 1990s by DJ Screw. The screwed technique involves slowing the tempo of a song down to 60 and 70 quarter-note beats per minute and applying techniques such as skipping beats, record scratching, stop-time and affecting portions of the original composition to create a "chopped-up" version of the song.

<i>The Mixtape Messiah</i> 2004 mixtape by Chamillionaire

King Koopa: The Mixtape Messiah is a mixtape by Houston rapper Chamillionaire. It was released on February 15, 2004. The tape featuring 61 tracks over three CDs, this triple album is the longest and most bought mixtape in Texas history. It is the first mixtape in the Mixtape Messiah series. The mixtape established Chamillionaire as one of the premier artists in the Southern rap music industry at the time of its release and was the pivotal mixtape that developed his fan base and ability to obtain mainstream success with the release of The Sound of Revenge years later.

<i>Who Is Mike Jones?</i> 2005 studio album by Mike Jones

Who Is Mike Jones? is the debut studio album by American rapper Mike Jones, released on April 19, 2005 in the United States. The singles from the album are "Still Tippin'" and "Back Then".

<i>The Peoples Champ</i> 2005 studio album by Paul Wall

The Peoples Champ is the second studio album by American rapper Paul Wall. It was released on September 13, 2005, by Atlantic and Asylum Records, alongside Swishahouse. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 176,000 copies in its first week. This serves as his first number one in two solo studio releases after Chick Magnet (2004). The album was supported by four singles: "Sittin' Sidewayz", "They Don't Know", "Girl", and "Drive Slow". Both "Sittin' Sidewayz" and "Girl" became a certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 500,000 copies each in the United States.

<i>On Top of Our Game</i> 2006 studio album by Dem Franchize Boyz

On Top of Our Game is the second studio album by Atlanta-based rap group Dem Franchize Boyz. It was released on February 7, 2006, by So So Def Recordings and Virgin Records.

Ruthless Records was an American Independent record label founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller in Compton, California in 1987. All of the Ruthless trademarks have been owned by Comptown Records, Inc. since 1987. Several artists and groups on the label such as N.W.A, Eazy-E, MC Ren, The D.O.C., Michel'le, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony have released RIAA certified albums.

The Screwed Up Click is an American hip hop collective based in Houston, Texas, that was led by DJ Screw. Its most notable members include DJ Screw, Big Hawk, Big Mello, Big Moe, Big Pokey, the Botany Boyz, E.S.G., Fat Pat, Lil' Flip, Lil' Keke, Lil' O, and Z-Ro. In addition, Devin the Dude, K-Rino, Lil' Troy, South Park Mexican and UGK are considered to be "Screwed Up Affiliated". Many of the current and former SUC members come from the neighborhoods of South Park, 3rd Ward, Sunnyside, Cloverland, Hiram Clarke and South Acres.

<i>Get Ya Mind Correct</i> 2002 studio album by Paul Wall & Chamillionaire

Get Ya Mind Correct is the debut studio album by rappers Paul Wall & Chamillionaire of The Color Changin' Click, released when they were both on the Paid In Full Label. It was notable in the Houston underground rap scene. The album peaked at #67 on the BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album was nominated for Indie Album of the Year in The Source magazine.

<i>Controversy Sells</i> 2005 studio album by Paul Wall and Chamillionaire

Controversy Sells is the second and final studio album by rappers Paul Wall and Chamillionaire. Paid In Full released the album in 2005 after both artists had left the label. The album peaked at #50 on the BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. There is a chopped and screwed version by DJ Michael '5000' Watts for Swishahouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Still Tippin'</span> 2004 single by Mike Jones featuring Slim Thug & Paul Wall

"Still Tippin" is a song by American rapper Mike Jones, released on November 12, 2004 as his debut and lead single from his album Who Is Mike Jones? (2005). Prior to this, it was also used as a single to promote Swisha House's compilation album, The Day Hell Broke Loose 2 (2003). The song features vocals from rappers Slim Thug and Paul Wall, the latter in his first single appearance.

<i>The Day Hell Broke Loose 2</i> 2003 studio album by Swisha House

The Day Hell Broke Loose 2 - AKA Major Without A Major Deal is a hip-hop album from Swisha House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Jones (rapper)</span> American rapper (born 1981)

Michael Allen Jones is an American rapper. He reached national fame in 2004 on Swishahouse with the release of his breakout single "Still Tippin'", which peaked at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jones subsequently released his single "Back Then", which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard. "Still Tippin'" and "Back Then" acted as singles for his debut studio album Who Is Mike Jones?, released on April 19, 2005, which peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 and is certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>Heart of a Champion</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Paul Wall

Heart of a Champion is the fifth studio album by American rapper Paul Wall. It was released by Warner Bros., Asylum Records and Swishahouse on July 13, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OG Ron C</span> American rapper

Ronald Rummell Coleman, better known for his stage name OG Ron C, is an American DJ, radio personality, Grammy nominated record producer, and entertainment and management company executive, who is currently signed to OVO Sound and is also an on-air DJ for KQBT 93.7 The Beat. He is the owner of the Houston-based urban music online radio station ChopNotSlop Radio, former DJ of Southern rappers Chamillionaire and Slim Thug. Along with Michael 5000 Watts, he co-founded Swishahouse Records and helped jump-start the careers of Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall and Mike Jones. The leader and founder of The Chopstars, he was the first Houston DJ to receive his own day when he got a proclamation from Mayor Sylvester Turner. He is most known for his F-Action Series Mixtape which features R&B songs Chopped and Screwed and to date has over 4,200 mixtapes and albums, both at regular speed and chopped and screwed speed. He has sold over 22,000,000 mixtapes and albums to date. He also is the founder of Chopnotslop Radio a 24-hour "Screwed" Radio station dedicated to DJ Screw.

<i>The Day After Hell Broke Loose</i> 2004 compilation album by Rap-a-Lot Records

The Day After Hell Broke Loose is a compilation album released by Rap-a-Lot Records in conjunction with producer Bigg Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chopstars</span> American DJ collective

The Chopstars, also known as Chopstar DJs or simply Chopstars, are a collective that include American DJs and turntablists that perform chopped and screwed remixes of popular music under Chop Not Slop Ent. including Drake's 2011 Take Care album, as well as Little Dragon's 2014 Nabuma Rubberband album., Savage Mode II from Metro Boomin and 21 Savage and Brent Faiyaz’s 2022 Wasteland. Created by Swishahouse Records co-founder OG Ron C, DJ Lil Steve,DJ Candlestick, and DJ Hollygrove. It is a homage to the late DJ Screw. The motto of The Chopstars is "Keeping DJ Screw alive since 2001" and "Dedicated to the memory of DJ Screw." Notable members include DJ Candlestick, DJ Lil Steve, Mike G, DJ Ryan Wolf the official DJ of the Cleveland Browns, DJ Hollygrove formerly of KQBT, and Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins. On Nov 4th, 2022 The Chopstars received a proclamation from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner declaring July 1 The Chopstars Day.

References

  1. RIAA certification database (search "mike jones")
  2. "Interview With Angelo Sanders". HitQuarters. Dec 19, 2005. Retrieved Jun 20, 2010.
  3. The People's Champ (Billboard 200 chart), Billboard , June 24, 2006.
  4. "Interview With T Farris". HitQuarters. Dec 5, 2005. Retrieved Jun 21, 2010.
  5. "Rapper Carlos Coy jailed 45 years for rape", Daily Times , June 4, 2002.
  6. Hodges, Amy (11 October 2012). "Swishahouse becomes first hip-hop label archived in Rice library's Special Collections". Rice University News & Media. Retrieved 5 March 2013.