Def Jam South

Last updated
Def Jam South
Parent company Universal Music Group
Founded1999;25 years ago (1999)
Founder Russell Simmons
Defunct2012 (2012)
StatusDefunct
Distributor(s)
Genre Southern hip hop
Country of origin United States
Location New York City, New York

Def Jam South was a music division of Def Jam Recordings. The label focused primarily on southern acts. It was best known for launching the career of Ludacris and his own imprint, Disturbing tha Peace. In 2004, following the signing of Young Jeezy and hip-hop's overdominance of trap music, the division was folded into Def Jam.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Company history

History

In the late 1990s, hip hop's main popularity moved from West Coast hip hop and East Coast hip hop to Southern hip hop. Co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, Russell Simmons, wanted to capitalize off of the success of southern rap. He recruited Scarface, a southern rap legend and former member of the Geto Boys to be the head of the label and, by 1999, the label was established. [1] Later that year, a former Atlanta DJ named Chris Luva Luva began rapping under the moniker Ludacris and released his debut solo album, Incognegro, independently on his own record label Disturbing tha Peace. Scarface listened to the album while visiting Atlanta and made a deal to distribute Ludacris and his DTP imprint through Def Jam. [2] Ludacris became one of the biggest stars in the southern hip hop market and would lead the Def Jam South division to great heights with the releases of Back for the First Time (2000), Word of Mouf (2001) and Chicken-N-Beer (2003). Scarface would end up releasing only one album under Def Jam South, The Fix, in August 2002, as he left the label for Rap-A-Lot Records soon after. [3] Following this, Universal Music Group could not afford to finance the label's division anymore, due to the ongoing music piracy crisis, so on, Def Jam South was folded into the master generality of Def Jam Recordings in 2004, as they were in the process of signing then-newcomer Young Jeezy.[ citation needed ]

"Unofficial" revival (2005)

In the summer of 2005, Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy would release his debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 . It would later go platinum and claim a so-called "revival" of the label.[ citation needed ] In 2009, DJ Khaled was named president of Def Jam South. [4] [5] DJ Khaled left Def Jam South in 2011 after his label, We the Best Music, would be a part of Cash Money Records, a division of Def Jam's sister Universal Music label, Republic Records. There has been no official releases under Def Jam South, as of 2022.[ citation needed ]

Despite the shutdown, an official Spotify playlist exists under the label's profile with the division name, included with songs by Ludacris, Jeezy and recent Def Jam signees Fredo Bang and Kaash Paige. [6]

Former artists

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludacris</span> American rapper and actor (born 1977)

Christopher Brian Bridges, known professionally as Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age nine, where he first began rapping. Starting out with a brief stint as a DJ, he formed his own record label, Disturbing tha Peace in the late 1990s to independently release his debut studio album Incognegro (1999). The album was re-released by Def Jam Recordings as his major label debut, Back for the First Time (2000) after its single, "What's Your Fantasy", became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The latter album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned his second top 40 single, "Southern Hospitality".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disturbing tha Peace</span> American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia

Disturbing Tha Peace Records is an American record label founded by Jeff Dixon, Chaka Zulu, and Ludacris.

<i>Back for the First Time</i> 2000 studio album by Ludacris

Back for the First Time is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist Ludacris. The album, his major label debut, was released on October 17, 2000, as planned, under Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta hip hop</span> Music genre

Although the music scene of Atlanta is rich and varied, the city's production of hip-hop music has been especially noteworthy, acclaimed, and commercially successful. In 2009, The New York Times called Atlanta "hip-hop's center of gravity", and the city is home to many famous hip hop, R&B, and neo soul musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeezy</span> American rapper (born 1977)

Jay Wayne Jenkins, known by his stage name Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream audiences. Jenkins began his career in 2001, releasing two independent albums until signing with Def Jam Recordings to release his major label debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (2005). It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, sold 172,000 copies in its first week, and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album was led by the single "Soul Survivor", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Def Jam Recordings</span> American record label

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rap-A-Lot Records</span> Southern hip-hop record label

Rap-A-Lot is a hip hop record label co-founded by James Prince and Cliff Blodget in 1986. Smoke-a-Lot Records is a subsidiary.

<i>Release Therapy</i> 2006 studio album by Ludacris

Release Therapy is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Ludacris. It was released on September 26, 2006, under Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. Production for the album was done by The Neptunes, The Trak Starz, Dre & Vidal, DJ Toomp, The Runners and Polow da Don, and features guest contributions from rappers Young Jeezy, Field Mob, Beanie Sigel, Pimp C and C-Murder and R&B singers Pharrell, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly and Bobby Valentino.

"Grew Up A Screw Up" is the second single from Ludacris' Release Therapy. The song features Young Jeezy and a sample of The Notorious B.I.G. who sings the hook "I grew up a fucking screw up." In the video, Young Jeezy raps a verse different from the one which appeared on the Release Therapy album. The video premiered on BET's 106 & Park as a New Joint on Friday October 13, 2006. The video has already been released on MTV Jams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludacris discography</span>

The discography of Ludacris, an American rapper, consists of nine studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP), six mixtapes, 89 singles and nine promotional singles. Thirty-five of those singles have charted in the Top 40 of the US Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Cannon</span> American record producer and DJ from Pennsylvania

Donald Cannon is an American DJ, record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Cannon is a co-founder of the Atlantic Records imprint, Generation Now. He was also a member of the prominent Atlanta mixtape collective, Aphilliates Music Group, with his long-time collaborator and fellow Generation Now founder, DJ Drama. Over the course of his career, Cannon has produced tracks and albums for artists like Jeezy, Logic, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, 50 Cent, and numerous others. He also served as the Vice President of A&R at Def Jam Recordings.

This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2008.

<i>Theater of the Mind</i> 2008 studio album by Ludacris

Theater of the Mind is the seventh studio album by American hip hop recording artist Ludacris. It was released in the UK on November 21, 2008 and in the US on November 24, 2008 and on other release dates throughout the world, through Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. Ludacris calls the album "theatrical".

This page lists a discography of albums and extended plays released under or distributed by Def Jam Recordings, a division of Universal Music Group, which had been created in 1984. Records distributed by another label, but released under Def Jam, are also included or otherwise reviewed. Also included are albums or EPs that were released under Rush Associated Labels and subsidiaries like Original Black Recordings, DJ West, Def Soul, Disturbing tha Peace, Def Jam South, Roc-A-Fella Records, Murder Inc. Records, and GOOD Music.

"My President" is the fourth official single from rapper Young Jeezy's third studio album, The Recession. The song also features rapper Nas and is produced by Tha Bizness. This song was number 16 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. Jeezy and Nas recorded the song on the day Barack Obama clinched the Democratic nomination for the presidency. "My President" is also notable for the unified collaboration between the two artists, who had been having a feud since the 2006 release of Nas' album Hip Hop Is Dead, which contained statements to which Young Jeezy took offense.

<i>Battle of the Sexes</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Ludacris

Battle of the Sexes is the eighth studio album by American rapper Ludacris, released March 9, 2010 on Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. The album was recorded during 2008 to 2010 and its production was handled by several producers, including T-Minus, Bangladesh, Swizz Beatz, The Neptunes, and The Runners.

<i>Victory</i> (DJ Khaled album) 2010 studio album by DJ Khaled

Victory is the fourth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released on March 2, 2010, under his imprint, We the Best Music Group and E1 Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big K.R.I.T.</span> American rapper and record producer (born 1986)

Justin Lewis Scott, better known by his stage name Big K.R.I.T., is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Meridian, Mississippi, he began his musical career in 2005. He was signed to Def Jam Recordings by Sha Money XL in 2010, and first gained recognition following the release of his single "Country Shit". The following year, he guest appeared on T.I.'s promotional single "I'm Flexin'", which became Scott's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Boss Yo Life Up Gang</i> 2013 mixtape by Young Jeezy, Doughboyz Cashout and YG

Boss Yo Life Up Gang is a compilation mixtape by American rapper Young Jeezy's record label CTE World. The mixtape was released for free on August 13, 2013, by CTE World. The mixtape featured guest appearances by Nipsey Hussle and Rich Homie Quan. The mixtape was supported by two singles; "My Nigga" by YG featuring Young Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan, and "Mob Life" by Doughboyz Cashout also featuring Jeezy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarface (rapper)</span> American rapper (born 1970)

Brad Terrence Jordan, better known by his stage name Scarface, is an American rapper and record producer best known as a member of the Geto Boys, a hip-hop group from Houston, Texas. He grew up in Houston and is originally from the city's South Acres neighborhood. In 2012, The Source ranked him #16 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, while About.com ranked him #6 on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987–2007).

References

  1. ↑ Archive-Ronin-Ro. "Scarface Named Head Of Def Jam South". MTV News. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  2. ↑ "Ludacris Lives His Dream". Los Angeles Times. 2001-03-22. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  3. ↑ Samuel, S. (2010-04-22). "Scarface Talks Leaving Def Jam South Head Position, "I Was Long Gone Before Jay-Z Took Over" [Audio]". SOHH.com. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  4. ↑ "DJ Khaled Named President Of Def Jam South". HipHopDX. 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  5. ↑ "DJ Khaled Wants Hits – Not Beef – As President Of Def Jam South". Shaheem Reid. MTV Networks. February 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  6. ↑ "Def Jam South - playlist by Def Jam Recordings - Spotify". Spotify . Retrieved 2022-04-09.
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.