Country Grammar is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records. The production on the album was handled by Jason "Jay E" Epperson, with additional production by C-Love, Kevin Law, City Spud, Steve "Blast" Wills and Basement Beats. Nelly contributed to all lyrics on the album, with Epperson and City Spud also contributing. With the album's release, Nelly and his “St. Lunatics” crew cemented the St. Louis sound firmly amongst other southern hip hop artists in the year 2000, such as Juvenile, Trina, Ludacris, OutKast, Three 6 Mafia and UGK. Country Grammar also introduced the world to Nelly's unique musical style of pop-rap and radio “singalongs” with a Missouri twang. It was supported by four successful singles: "Country Grammar ", "E.I.", "Ride wit Me" and "Batter Up". Its lead single, "Country Grammar ", peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Its second single "E.I." peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100, number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart. "Ride wit Me" peaked within the top five on the Hot 100, ARIA Singles Chart, Irish Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart. The album's fourth and final single, "Batter Up" featuring St. Lunatics members Murphy Lee and Ali, achieved moderate chart success.
...And Then There Was X is the third studio album by American rapper DMX. The album was released on December 21, 1999, by The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings, and Ruff Ryders Entertainment. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2001 Grammys.
Back for the First Time is the second studio album by American rapper Ludacris. It was released on October 17, 2000, via Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South, marking his major label debut.
Blackout! is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Method Man & Redman. It is the first full-length release by Method Man and Redman after many collaborations. The album continued a string of highly successful Def Jam releases in the late 1990s. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with first week sales of 254,000 copies and served as a bit of a precursor to the 2001 major studio film How High. Both rappers enjoyed perhaps the height of their popularity as a tandem after the success of the album and its three charted singles. The singles were also popular videos which were mainstays on MTV and BET. The sequel to the album, Blackout! 2, was released on May 19, 2009.
Ill Na Na is the debut studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on November 19, 1996, and reissued on September 29, 1997, in the UK with an additional song "Big Bad Mamma". Brown began working on the album after being discovered by the production team Trackmasters and appearing on a number of singles by other artists, such as LL Cool J, Case and Jay Z. The immediate success of the singles led to a bidding war at the beginning of 1996, and in March, Def Jam Recordings won and signed the then 17-year-old rapper to the label. Mostly produced by Trackmasters, Ill Na Na features guest appearances from Blackstreet, Havoc, Method Man, Kid Capri and Jay Z. Lyrically, the album mainly focuses on themes of fashion, sex and mafia.
Keith Omar Murray is an American rapper from New York. He is best known for being a member of the hip hop group Def Squad, which includes fellow rappers Redman and fellow Long Island native Erick Sermon. The group released their debut album, El Niño in 1998.
Rule 3:36 is the second studio album by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on October 3, 2000, by The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. The album features guest appearances from Christina Milian, Lil' Mo, Shade Sheist and Jayo Felony, with producers Irv Gotti, Ty Fyffe, Tru Stylze, Lil' Rob and Damizza contributing to the album. The album marked a significant change in Ja Rule's musical style, shifting from hardcore hip hop to a more radio-friendly pop rap oriented sound to greater success.
Dare Iz a Darkside is the second studio album by American rapper Redman. It was released on November 22, 1994, by Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at 13 on the US Billboard 200. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Doc's da Name 2000 is the fourth studio album by American rapper Redman. The album was released on Def Jam Recordings on December 8, 1998. It peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200. It was a top seller, being certified platinum for sales of over a million copies.
"How High" is a song by American hip hop duo Method Man & Redman, released on August 15, 1995, as the duo's first single. It was originally featured on the soundtrack to the 1995 hip hop documentary film, The Show, and has since appeared on several compilation albums such as The Hip Hop Box and Def Jam's Greatest Hits, among several others. The song, produced by Erick Sermon, is the first official collaboration from longtime friends and East Coast rappers Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan and Redman of Def Squad, marking their debut as a duo. The song performed exceptionally well commercially, reaching number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single has since been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The Show: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Brian Robbins' 1995 film The Show. It was released on August 15, 1995, through Def Jam Recordings, and consists of hip hop music.
Def Jam's Rush Hour Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Brett Ratner's 1998 action comedy film Rush Hour. It was released on September 15, 1998, through Rush Associated Labels and consisted of hip hop and R&B music. The soundtrack was a huge success, peaking at 5 on the Billboard 200 and 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and spawned the number 1 single "How Deep Is Your Love". The soundtrack was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 15, 1998, and platinum on January 21, 1999.
Jason Lee Epperson is an American record producer and DJ from St. Louis, Missouri. He first became known as the primary producer of hometown native Nelly's 2000 debut album Country Grammar, which received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Thereafter, he produced extensively for Nelly and his collaborators, and signed with his record label, Derrty Entertainment as in-house talent. He has since produced songs for other artists including Murphy Lee, St. Lunatics, Justin Timberlake, E-40, Cedric the Entertainer, Lil Wayne, Ron Isley, Three 6 Mafia, and Hilary Duff. Epperson's style is characterized by hip hop mixed with soul, R&B, and pop music. Billboard magazine, in its December 2000 issue, listed Epperson at number 16 on its "Top 100 Producers" list, as well as number 19 on its "Top 100 R&B/Hip Hop Producers of 2000" list. He has received a Grammy Award nomination.
Def Jam's Rush Hour 2 Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Brett Ratner's 2001 action-comedy film Rush Hour 2. It was released on July 31, 2001, through Def Jam Recordings/UMG Soundtracks. The album peaked at number eleven on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and reached number one on the Top Soundtracks chart. The release was supported by three singles: "Area Codes", "Party and Bullshit", and "How It's Gonna Be". The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in July 2001 and by the Recording Industry Association of America on September 5, 2001.
The Great Depression is the fourth studio album by American rapper DMX. It was released on October 23, 2001 by Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Just Blaze, Dame Grease, Black Key and DMX himself. The album also features guest appearances by Stephanie Mills, Faith Evans and Mashonda.
All About You is the second studio album by American recording artist Jeremih, released on September 28, 2010 by Def Jam Recordings. The album's production was handled by frequent producer Mick Schultz, and was supported by the two singles: "I Like" featuring Def Jam labelmate Ludacris, and "Down on Me" featuring 50 Cent, the latter of became Jeremih's most successful single. All About You was proved to be less successful than his debut album, however in 2017, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Nicholaus Joseph Williams, better known by his stage name Trinidad James, is a Trinidadian-American rapper, songwriter and music video director. In December 2012, he signed with Def Jam Recordings to release his debut single, "All Gold Everything" commercially that same month. The song peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned a remix featuring fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I., Jeezy and 2 Chainz. He was dropped from the label in 2014 after failing to promptly record a debut album.
Port of Miami is the debut studio album by American rapper Rick Ross. Originally titled Career Criminal, the album was renamed, in reference to Miami being a major arrival destination for cocaine shipments to America. The album was released August 8, 2006, on Poe Boy Entertainment, Slip-n-Slide Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album was engineered by Miami-based songwriting and production team The Monsters & The Strangerz. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, with 187,000 copies sold in its first week.
Osiris Jahkail Williams, known professionally as YK Osiris, is an American rapper, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his 2019 single "Worth It," which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song preceded the release of his debut studio album, The Golden Child in October of that year, which was met with lukewarm critical and commercial response. The year prior, he first gained popularity from his 2018 song "Valentine," which received platinum certification by the RIAA and led him to sign with Def Jam Recordings. He was dropped from the label in 2022.
"Worth It" is a song by American singer YK Osiris, released on February 8, 2019 by Universal Music Group and Def Jam Recordings. It was sent to urban contemporary radio & rhythmic contemporary radio on March 9, 2019. It served as the second single from his debut studio album, The Golden Child. "Worth It" became his first song to hit the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at 87 and peaking at 48.
