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Penalty Records
Penalty is an American record label and entertainment company, founded and run by CEO Neil Levine. The company was founded in 1995 as a record label specializing in hip-hop music. The original Penalty label was acquired by its distributor, Tommy Boy, in 1999. A second version, Penalty Associated Labels, was operated by Levine in association with Rykodisc from 2002 to 2006. The third and current incarnation was established in 2014. Artists on Penalty have included Capone-N-Noreaga (as well as both Capone and Noreaga/N.O.R.E. as solo artists), Lord Finesse, Ali Shaheed Muhammed of A Tribe Called Quest, and The Beatnuts, among others. History 1995–1999 After a career as an independent marketing professional, Neil Levine founded Penalty Recordings, launching it in 1995 as a joint venture between himself and Tom Silverman. Silverman was the founder and original owner of Tommy Boy, a division of Warner Bros. Records which served as Penalty's distributor. In 1996, Silverman r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the publishing division, Sony Music Publishing. Founded in 1929 as American Record Corporation, it was acquired by the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1938 and renamed Columbia Recording Corporation. In 1966, the company was reorganized to become CBS Records. Sony bought the company in 1988 and renamed it SME in 1991. In 2004, Sony and Bertelsmann established a 50–50 joint venture known as Sony BMG to handle the operations of Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), but Sony bought out Bertelsmann's stake four years later and reverted to using the 1991 company name. This buyout led to labels formerly under BMG ownership, including Arista, Jive, LaFace and J Records into former BMG and currently Sony's co-flagship record label ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foesum
Foesum is an American hip hop group whose members included T-Dubb, MNMsta and DJ Glaze. They recorded an album on Penalty/Tommy Boy Records called ''Perfection'', released on October 22, 1996. History In 1986, DJ Glaze and MNM created a DJ crew called Perfection and recruited members from their neighborhood and local high school in Long Beach. During the next three years Perfection performed at a number of school dances and parties in town. By 1989, Perfection had recruited over 10 members. Towards the end of Perfection's senior year, they decided to produce their own record. Travvy Trav, one of the older members of the group, searched for one of the "dopest" MC's in Long Beach and found Domino, who attended Millikan High School. Perfection recruited Domino and bought a Roland 808 drum machine to start making demos in the garage with the intention of securing a record deal. Dozens of songs were recorded and members Tender D and Mellow D (now known as The Twinz) were brought int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, rapper and bass guitarist, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip (musician), Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the group released five studio albums from 1990 to 1998 before disbanding; We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, their final album was released in 2016. He was also a member of the R&B group Lucy Pearl, and is known in recent years for his jazz collaborations with producer Adrian Younge. Early life Muhammad was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and was raised in the Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. He began to DJ at age eight, and began programming music at age 13.Del F. Cowie ''Exclaim!'' February 2008 He befriended Q-Tip (musician), Q-Tip as a freshman at Murry Bergtraum High School in Manhattan, and in 1985, they began making demos together, using recording equipment provided by Muhammad's uncle. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
J-Live
Jean-Jacques Cadet (born February 22, 1976), better known by his stage name J-Live, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Life and career J-Live released his debut studio album, '' The Best Part'', in 2001. It featured production by DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Prince Paul. In 2002, his second studio album, '' All of the Above'', was released on Coup D’état. It has sold 30,000 copies. J-Live's third studio album, '' The Hear After'', was released in 2005. In 2008, he released the fourth studio album, ''Then What Happened?'', on BBE. In 2011, he released a studio album, ''S.P.T.A. (Said Person of That Ability)''. From 1998 to 2002, J-Live served as an English teacher in Brownsville and Bushwick, Brooklyn. Discography Studio albums * '' The Best Part'' (2001) * '' All of the Above'' (2002) * '' The Hear After'' (2005) * ''Then What Happened?'' (2008) * ''S.P.T.A. (Said Person of That Ability)'' (2011) * ''Around the Sun'' (2014) * ''His Own Self'' (2015) * ''How M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TVT Records
TVT Records, originally Tee-Vee Toons, was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb in 1984. Initially created to release the '' Television's Greatest Hits'' series of classic TV theme tune compilations, the label would expand into rap, industrial rock, and electronic music amassing 25 Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum albums over the course of its 24-year history. After losing a legal battle with Slip-N-Slide Records, TVT Records filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and the company's assets were acquired by The Orchard and Reservoir Media. Content that had previously been transferred to Prudential Financial was acquired by Bicycle Music Company in 2010. The label's roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, Underworld, KMFDM, Gravity Kills, The KLF, The Baldwin Brothers, Sevendust, Nothingface, the Wellwater Conspiracy, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Holloways, The Cinematics, Buck-O-Nine, DJ Hurricane, Speech and Pitbull. The label had a triple platin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chad Hugo
Charles Edward Hugo (born February 24, 1974) is an American musician and record producer. Alongside childhood friend Pharrell Williams, he formed the production duo the Neptunes in 1992, with whom he has produced numerous hit records for various artists. He was also a member of the band N.E.R.D., alongside Williams and Shay Haley, and co-founded the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Williams in 2001. In contrast to Williams, Hugo does not perform vocals on records. Early life Hugo was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, to a Filipino-American family. His mother was a lab technician and his father served in the United States Navy. His exploration of music included recording mixtapes in his home using a boombox, and writing a paper about Robert Moog after learning about synthesizers from the news, which sparked an interest in electronic musical equipment. He later joined his school band, playing the saxophone, through which he met Pharrell Williams, with whom he began producin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo the Neptunes, which he formed with Chad Hugo in 1992. 15 of The Neptunes production discography, their productions have peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100, which includes four songs that peaked atop the chart. The two also formed the Rock music, rock and hip-hop band N.E.R.D. with Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams served as lead vocalist. He has been regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern popular music. He also contributed on all the ''Despicable Me (franchise), Despicable Me'' films as a musical contributor. Williams co-founded the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Hugo in 2001, as an imprint of Arista Records. Williams' 2003 debut single, "Frontin'" (featuring Jay-Z ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Neptunes
The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while Hugo remained behind the scenes. Since their inception, the Neptunes have produced songs for several music industry artists, including Clipse, Jay-Z, Kelis, N.O.R.E., Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Ludacris, T.I., Robin Thicke, Usher (musician), Usher, Gwen Stefani, and Snoop Dogg, among others. In 2009, ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' ranked the Neptunes number one on their list of the top 10 producers of the decade. In January 2020, the Neptunes were announced to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as a part of the 2020 class, and in May 2021, Hugo and Williams received Honorary Doctorates from Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee. History Williams and Hugo met at a summer camp for the sc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superthug
"Superthug" is a 1998 song by American rapper Noreaga with background vocals from Tammy Lucas during the song's hook. It was released as the second single from his debut solo album, ''N.O.R.E.''. At the time, it became Noreaga's highest charting and most successful single, peaking at No. 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reaching No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. However it was later surpassed by his 2002 single "Nothin'" which peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Along with Mase's " Lookin' at Me", the single was one of the first high-profile productions done by Virginia production team the Neptunes. It made the Neptunes well known and sought after producers in the music industry, and in the first decade of the 21st century they would become one of the most successful production teams in music history, being named the ''Billboard'' magazine Producer of the Decade for the 2000s. "Superthug" would later be sampled on Janet Jackson's "Ruff (I Like It)", recorded for her '' Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
187 Fac
187 Fac was an American rap group from Hayward, California, with two members: Den Fenn (Alvin Dennis Thomas, Jr.) and G-Nut (Gregory Savoy Brown, Jr).Business WireArticle: "Hip-Hop Duo DenGee Debuts First Single, 'VIPStatus' on 'The Box'" AllBusiness.com: August 25, 2000 After releasing their debut album, ''The U.N.E.'',Discogs August 16, 2017 in 1993, they made their first guest appearance on Ant Banks' 1995 album, '' Do or Die''. Before releasing their second album, '' Fac Not Fiction'' on Penalty Recordings in 1997, they appeared together on several albums, including: '' Murder Squad Nationwide'', '' The Rompalation,'' and ''Have Heart Have Money.'' In 1996, they appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD, America is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan, and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The Source magazine. Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Half A Mill
Jasun Wardlaw (April 6, 1973 – October 22, 2003) better known by his stage name Half a Mill, was a Brooklyn-based American rapper. Career Half a Mill was considered an underground rapper in the early 1990s. His mainstream breakthrough came in 1997 when he scored a guest spot on supergroup the Firm's only release, '' The Album''. Personal life and death Wardlaw would commit suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ... by shooting himself in the head in Brooklyn's Albany Projects on October 22, 2003. His body was found by police inside his apartment. He left behind a son, Jasun Jabbar Wardlaw Jr., who is a rapper and actor. Half a Mill was the subject of the 2010 full-length documentary '' Player Hating: A Love Story'' by filmmaker Maggie Hadleigh-West. Disco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Banner
Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), known professionally as David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Banner graduated from Southern University with a bachelor's degree, then attended University of Maryland Eastern Shore to pursue a master's. He started his music career as a member of the rap duo Crooked Lettaz, before going solo in 2000 with the release titled '' Them Firewater Boyz, Vol. 1''. In 2003, Banner signed to Universal Records, where he released four albums: '' Mississippi: The Album'' (2003), '' MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water'' (2003), ''Certified'' (2005), and '' The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (2008). Banner is also a noted producer, having produced music for himself, Trick Daddy, T.I., Lil Boosie and Lil Wayne among others. Early life Lavell William Crump was born in Brookhaven and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, the elder son of Ze ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
