Aftermath Entertainment is an American

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through,

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mu ...

. Current acts include Dr. Dre himself,

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

and

Silk Sonic Silk Sonic is an American musical superduo composed of musicians Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. The duo released their debut single, " Leave the Door Open", in March 2021. They later released " Skate" in July 2021, followed by third single, " ...

, with former acts including

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

The Game The Game or The Games may refer to: Sports and games * The Game (dice game) (German: ''Das Spiel''), a dice game designed by Reinhold Wittig * The Game (mind game), a mind game, the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself * ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

and many others.

History

Upon his departure from

Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ...

on March 22, 1996, Dr. Dre quickly launched Aftermath Entertainment through Interscope Records. It was founded as a "boutique label" that prides itself on "quality over quantity", focusing on small numbers of high-profile releases. '' Dr. Dre Presents: The Aftermath'' was released towards the year's end featuring artists who were amongst the label's first signees. In the autumn of 1997, Aftermath released the only collaborative project by hip hop

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

The Firm The FIRM (stylized as The FIRM) is a brand of exercise videos and equipment currently owned by Gaiam. The original "The FIRM" videos are best known for popularizing a hybrid of aerobic exercise and weight training. History In 1979, Anna Ben ...

(composed of

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

, Foxy Brown, AZ and

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans ar ...

). Despite the highly anticipated album featuring production and cameo appearances by Dr. Dre himself, debuting atop the ''Billboard'' 200 and being certified platinum, it sold below commercial expectation. The group subsequently disbanded. Upon recommendation from Interscope head

Jimmy Iovine James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which prod ...

, Dr. Dre signed

on March 9, 1998. The following year (1999), Eminem's major-label debut album, ''

The Slim Shady LP ''The Slim Shady LP'' is the second studio album and major label debut by American rapper Eminem. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruit ...

'' was released. The album debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine that ranks contemporary R&B, R&B and hip hop music, hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. Th ...

chart, went on to be certified quadruple platinum, and arguably became the label's first successful album release. Also in 1999, Aftermath released ''

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

'', Dr. Dre's follow-up to his 1992 album, ''

The Chronic ''The Chronic'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place ...

''. The album went on to be certified six-times-platinum. Several more artists were signed to, and later dropped from Aftermath, including

Hittman Brian Anthony Bailey (born September 14, 1974), best known under his stage name Hittman (acronym for ''Highly Intense Tongue Talents Make All Nervous''), is an American West Coast rapper, songwriter and record producer originating from Los Angel ...

and

Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah or simply Rakim (), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of ...

due to production conflicts. Legal troubles forced singer Truth Hurts to subsequently get dropped from the label after her album's release. In 2002,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

rapper

signed to Aftermath by Dr. Dre after signing to Interscope through Eminem's Shady Records. 50 Cent's major-label debut album ''

Get Rich or Die Tryin' ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing w ...

'' was released on February 6, 2003 through Interscope, Shady, and Aftermath. ''Get Rich Or Die Tryin' '' featured production from Dr. Dre, who also executive produced the album. Highly anticipated and anchored by the success of the singles ''

21 Questions "21 Questions" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent featuring fellow American rapper and singer Nate Dogg. It was released in March 2003 through Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's own G ...

'' and ''

If I Can't "If I Can't" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent, released as the fourth and final single from his debut album, ''Get Rich or Die Tryin (2003). The single was released through Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Sh ...

'', the album debuted at number one the

Billboard Top 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists ...

. Selling 872,000 copies in its first week, the album went on to be certified 9× Platinum in America in 2020.

, who signed with the label in 2003, also released his debut album ''

The Documentary ''The Documentary'' is the second studio album by American rapper the Game. It was released on January 18, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, and Interscope Records. In 2001, while the Game was in a hospital recovering from a sh ...

'' through a joint venture with

G-Unit Records G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2002 by rapper 50 Cent, for the first eleven years of operation, G-Unit ran in conjunction with, and was distributed by, Interscope Records. In February 2014, ...

in 2005. Shortly after the release of ''The Documentary'', tension between The Game and 50 Cent ignited, resulting in The Game leaving Aftermath in 2006.

was also signed and released one album before later being dropped from the label due to conflict with Interscope head, Iovine. His album, then titled ''Blessed'', since retitled ''

Back on My B.S. ''Back on My B.S.'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released on May 19, 2009 through Flipmode and Universal Motown. Background The album was originally going to be called ''Before Hell Freezes Over'', but went ...

'', was to be released on Aftermath. It was later reported that when he signed a deal with

Universal Motown Universal Motown Records was an American record label that operated as a division of Universal Motown Republic Group. It was the contemporary incarnation of the legendary Motown Records label, and the " urban" half of UMG, although there were som ...

, the album would be released on his label,

Flipmode Entertainment Conglomerate is a record label founded by Busta Rhymes. The label was established in 1994 as Flipmode, the name Conglomerate was later adopted in 2010. Company history Elektra (1996–2000) Soon after the Elektra deal was done, Busta obtained ...

, through his Universal Motown deal.Jokesta (September 18, 2008)
Busta Rhymes Inks New Deal, Jay Z Starts Yet Another Label?
DefSounds. Accessed September 18, 2008.

Stat Quo Stanley Bernard Benton (born July 24, 1978), better known as Stat Quo, is an American rapper and record producer.Shaheem Reid (January 12, 2004).Mixtape Mondays: Stat Quo" '' MTV''. Accessed February 5, 2008. Benton worked his way to college an ...

was also released from the label in 2008, citing differences in direction.Stat Quo To Release "300-400" Unreleased Dr. Dre Tracks
. HipHopDX.com. Accessed December 26, 2021. In January 2010, it was revealed that

Bishop Lamont Philip Brandon Martin (born October 31, 1978), better known as Bishop Lamont, is an American rapper from Carson, California. He was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label and released one project under the label, eventually l ...

had left the label due to the repeated delay of his debut, ''The Reformation'', while long time Aftermath R&B singer,

Marsha Ambrosius Marsha Ambrosius-Billups (born 8 August 1977) is an English singer and songwriter from Liverpool, England. She embarked on her musical career as a member of Floetry. Ambrosius released her debut solo album '' Late Nights & Early Mornings'' in Ma ...

, had also left the label. On March 8, 2012, it was announced that Kendrick Lamar had officially signed with the label. On October 15, 2013,

Jon Connor Jon Kevin Freeman Jr. (born April 13, 1985), better known by his stage name Jon Connor, is an American rapper and record producer. Connor has released various mixtapes and an album effort during his career including the Jay-Z inspired ''The Bl ...

announced his signing to Aftermath during the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards. On February 20, 2014, 50 Cent announced his departure from his Interscope record deal which included his deal with Aftermath and Shady. On August 7, 2015, Dr. Dre released his latest album, '' Compton.'' In August 2022, the Dr. Dre produced the remix of

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

’s song Use This Gospel, a collaboration between

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, a ...

, Eminem and West, went on to feature on Khaled's thirtheeth studio album,

God Did ''God Did'' is the thirteenth studio album by American record producer DJ Khaled, released through We the Best Music and Epic Records on August 26, 2022. The record project earned five nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, including for ...

. The song was co-produced by Dre’s team, The ICU, whom he named so after his brain aneurysm diagnosis. The team is composed of

Dawaun Parker Dawaun Parker (born May 9, 1984) is an American record producer and rapper. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2005, he became a producer for Dr. Dre’s record label Aftermath Entertainment. He received his first formal credit on ...

Dem Jointz Dwayne Allen Abernathy Jr. (born July 17, 1976), better known by his stage name Dem Jointz, is an American record producer. He has produced tracks for numerous artists including Rihanna, Anderson .Paak, and NCT, among others. He also co-produce ...

, Erik "Blu2th" Griggs, Focus...,

Fredwreck Farid Karam Nassar (born June 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Fredwreck, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop recording artist, DJ and record producer. He got his big break when he became a producer for Dr. Dre's newly founded r ...

and

Mark Batson Mark Batson is an American producer, musician and songwriter. He has worked on albums by artists including Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band, LeAnn Rimes, Anthony Hamilton, Eminem, India Arie, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Maroon 5, Skylar Grey, Grace Pott ...

among others. The remix reached the top position on both the US Christian Songs and Gospel Songs charts, earning Khaled and Eminem their first #1 on the charts and West his fifth.

Artists

Current acts

Former acts

Current producers

DJ Khalil Khalil Abdul-Rahman Hazzard (born October 16, 1973), professionally known as DJ Khalil, is an American music producer and DJ from Los Angeles. He is the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Self Scientific (along with rapper Chace Infinite) an ...

* Erik "Blu2th" Griggs * Focus... *

Brett Harvey Brett Harvey may refer to: * Brett Harvey (Canadian director), Canadian director, writer and cinematographer * Brett Harvey (English director), English film writer and director * Brett Harvey (rugby union) Brett Andrew Harvey (born 6 October 1 ...

Former producers

Bud'da Stephen Anderson, better known as Bud'da, is an American producer, songwriter, composer and rapper for artists such as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Xzibit and Aaliyah. Through the successful Westside Connection stint, and the mutual acquaintance of fell ...

Che Pope Che Pope (born May 3, 1970) is an American record executive, record producer, and songwriter from Boston, Massachusetts, also the former COO of GOOD Music and the founder of Wrkshp Media. He is perhaps best known for producing on the Grammy Awar ...

Chris "The Glove" Taylor Chris Taylor (born May 22, 1962), also known by his monikers The Glove and ChrisGlove, is best known as a DJ and producer on the West Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s and 1990s. Taylor is known for his appearance in the film ''Breakin alongsi ...

Hi-Tek Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek (born May 5, 1976), is an American rapper and record producer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band, whom Hi- ...

Melvin "Mel-Man" Bradford Melvin Charles Bradford, professionally known as Mel-Man, is an American West Coast hip hop record producer and songwriter from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Signed with Aftermath Entertainment, he is best known for his work with Dr. Dre, producing ...

Mike Elizondo Mike Elizondo (born October 22, 1972) is an American producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. A protege of Dr. Dre, Elizondo has worked with 50 Cent, Eminem, Carrie Underwood, Fiona Apple, Mastodon, Ry Cooder, Skylar Grey, Twenty ...

Scott Storch Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. He started off as a keyboardist for the group the Roots. Early life Storch was born on Long Island, New York. He was raised in South Florida and Ph ...

Taz Arnold Sa-Ra is an American musical group based in Los Angeles, California, also known by its full name, The Sa-Ra Creative Partners. The group is composed of Om'Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn. The name translates roughly to "the children of G ...

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

References

{{Authority control American record labels Dr. Dre Hip hop discographies Interscope Records American hip hop record labels Labels distributed by Universal Music Group Record labels established in 1996 Contemporary R&B record labels Gangsta rap record labels 1996 establishments in the United States