Def Jam Recordings is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
Ernest Dion Wilson, professionally known as No I.D., is an American record producer, DJ and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is known for his early work with Chicago-based rapper Common, as well as his career mentorship of rappers Kanye West, J. Cole and Logic. Wilson first gained success for his role as an in-house producer for Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings—leading to largely uncredited work on Dupri's productions "My Boo" by Usher, "Outta My System" and "Let Me Hold You" by Bow Wow—before reaching commercial success with his solo productions. He worked with Jay-Z to produce his singles "Run This Town" and "Holy Grail," West to produce "Heartless," and Drake to produce "Find Your Love" and "Nonstop"; all of which have peaked within the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Soul Survivor" is the second single of American rapper Young Jeezy, and appears on the 2005 album Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. The song features Akon. The song was released through The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings and Young Jeezy's Corporate Thugz Entertainment
Richard Anthony Simpson, also known as Chubb Rock, is a Jamican-American rapper who released several successful hip hop albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A National Merit Scholar, Chubb Rock dropped out of Brown University to pursue his musical career.
"Hey Lover" is a song by American rapper LL Cool J, released as the first single from his sixth album, Mr. Smith (1995). The song features vocals from American R&B group Boyz II Men. It was released on October 31, 1995, for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by The Trackmasters and LL Cool J. The song samples Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life" from his 1982 hit album Thriller; thus Rod Temperton, the writer of that song, was given credit as a writer of this song. On the B-side is the "I Shot Ya" remix.
"Pump It Up" is a song by American rapper Joe Budden. It was released on March 24, 2003, as the lead single from his first album, Joe Budden (2003). The song peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 13 in the United Kingdom.
American singer Jeremih has released three studio albums, one extended play (EPs), three mixtapes and forty-eight singles.
Nicholaus Joseph Williams, better known by his stage name Trinidad James, is a Trinidadian-American rapper and songwriter. In December 2012, he signed with Def Jam Recordings to release his debut single, "All Gold Everything". 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.
"Beware" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Big Sean taken from his second studio album Hall of Fame (2013). "Beware" was released on June 25, 2013, as the album's third single, through GOOD and Def Jam. The song was written by Sean Anderson, Dwayne Carter, Dwane Weir II, and Alexander Izquierdo, while production was handled by frequent collaborator Key Wane and Mike Dean and features guest appearances from rapper Lil Wayne and singer Jhené Aiko.
"I Luv This Shit" is the debut single by American singer August Alsina featuring American rapper Trinidad James. It was released on February 19, 2013 by Def Jam Recordings. It is from Alsina's debut EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun (2013), and was also included on his debut studio album, Testimony (2014). "I Luv This Shit" is an R&B song about partying with alcohol and drugs. Two remixes—one featuring Birdman and another featuring Trey Songz and Chris Brown—were released.
"Don't Tell 'Em" is a song by American singer Jeremih from his third studio album, Late Nights. It features American rapper YG, and was released as the first single from the album. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Don't Tell 'Em" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom, as well as the top twenty of the charts in Australia and Belgium.
Nicholas Alexander Simmons, known professionally as YBN Nahmir, is an American rapper. He was the de facto lead member of the short-lived hip hop collective YBN, and is best known for his 2017 single "Rubbin Off the Paint", which peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2018 single, "Bounce Out with That" peaked atop the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. His 2019 single, "Opp Stoppa" peaked at number 78 on the former chart and preceded the release of his debut studio album Visionland (2021), which was met with critical and commercial failure.
Cordae Amari Brooks, known mononymously as Cordae, is an Multi-Platinum, Emmy Award winning, Grammy nominated American rapper. He began his career as a member of the hip hop collective YBN.
"Worth It" is a song by American rapper 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.
Jeremie Damon Pennick, known professionally as Benny the Butcher, or simply Benny, is an American rapper and songwriter. He came to prominence in 2018 following the release of his debut album, Tana Talk 3. Along with his cousins and fellow rappers Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine, with which he forms the collective Griselda, he is known for his '90s inspired rap songs and is often credited with leading a revival of the so called 'grimy' and 'gritty' hip hop music, influenced by mafioso and drug dealing themes.
The Golden Child is the debut studio album by American rapper YK Osiris. It was released on October 11, 2019. It is Osiris' only album released under Def Jam Recordings; he was released from the label in late 2022. It features guest appearances from Jah Vinci, Kehlani, Russ, Tory Lanez and Ty Dolla $ign.
"Easy" is a song by Dominican-American singer DaniLeigh. It was later remixed with vocals from American R&B singer Chris Brown, and it was released on May 31, 2019, under Def Jam Recordings as a single.
Daniel Gerard Breland, known mononymously as Breland, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer of a hybrid of country, rap, R&B, gospel, and soul music. His 2019 debut single, "My Truck", rose to prominence the following year after gaining popular attention via social media, reaching No. 26 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and was remixed with Sam Hunt before being certified platinum for sales of one million units as of January 2021.
Destiny Lanette Henderson, better known by her stage name Sukihana, is an American reality television personality and rapper who rose to prominence as a cast member on the VH1 reality series Love & Hip Hop: Miami in 2020. That same year, she released her debut mixtape, Wolf Pussy. In 2023, she appeared as a cast member on the reality show Baddies.
Francis Leblanc, known professionally as Fridayy, is a Haitian-American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2022, he signed with Def Jam Recordings and guest performed on the hit songs "Forever" by Lil Baby and the title track of DJ Khaled's album God Did (2022). Both songs peaked within the top 20 of the US Billboard Hot 100, while the latter earned him three Grammy Award nominations. His 2023 single, "When It Comes to You", marked his first entry on the chart as a lead artist.
