Delicious Vinyl is an American

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

founded by

Matt Dike Matthew William Dike (December 2, 1961 – January 16, 2018) was an American music executive, record producer, and DJ. He co-founded the hip-hop record label Delicious Vinyl in 1987. In the 1980s, Dike was artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's studio as ...

and Michael Ross in 1987 and based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

History

Michael Ross was a student at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

when he met

, a DJ from New York, in 1983. Dike was working at the Rhythm Lounge in Hollywood. They discovered that they were both members of Impact Record Pool, a service that provided new 12" records to club DJs, and that they shared an interest in

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

, and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

. Soon Dike became the top DJ at Power Tools, a club in Los Angeles. In 1987, they founded Delicious Vinyl, an independent record label. Almost immediately the label was a success. Delicious Vinyl's first release was "Crackerjack" by Master Rhyme and "On Fire"/"Cheeba Cheeba" by

Tone Loc Anthony Terrell Smith (born March 3, 1966), best known by his stage name Tone Lōc (), is an American rapper and actor. He is known for his raspy voice, his hit songs " Wild Thing" and " Funky Cold Medina", for which he was nominated for a Gr ...

, a Los Angeles gang member. "Cheeba Cheeba" and "Crackerjack" got played on L.A.'s rap radio station KDAY. It caused controversy for criticizing

N.W.A. N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...

The label’s success was solidified when Tone Loc's "Wild Thing" sold 2.5 million copies its first year. It was helped by a video parody of Robert Palmer's " Addicted to Love," but failed to reach the top of the Billboard charts. Tone Loc's follow-up single, " Funky Cold Medina," an ode to an aphrodisiac beverage, sampled Foreigner and

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

, and cemented Dike's and Ross's method of inserting rock riffs into rap singles.

Young MC Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage name Young M.C., is an American rapper, singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit " Bust a Move". His debut album '' Stone Cold Rhymin found international acclaim. Young h ...

recorded the million-selling hit single " Bust a Move."

Def Jef Def Jef is the stage name of Jeffrey Fortson (born September 27, 1970), an American alternative hip hop musician and rapper of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was born in Harlem, New York City. His debut album was 1989's '' Just a Poet wi ...

was the most lyrical rapper in the label's early years, though his two albums ''Just a Poet with Soul'' (1989) and ''Soul Food'' (1991) never achieved the crossover success of Tone Loc and Young MC. The label's third release was a single by

Mellow Man Ace Ulpiano Sergio Reyes (born April 12, 1967), better known as Mellow Man Ace, is a Cuban-American rapper known for bilingual delivery and novelty rhymes. He was born in Cuba and moved to Los Angeles with his family at the age of four. Early life ...

that is one of the earliest instances of hip hop recorded in Spanish. But the label was not strictly a hip hop label, as they signed London-based rare-groove group

The Brand New Heavies The Brand New Heavies are an English band formed in 1985, consisting of Simon Bartholomew, Andrew Levy, and Jan Kincaid. After the addition of N'Dea Davenport in 1990, the group experienced mainstream success and pioneered a new genre called a ...

, which, with lead vocalist N'Dea Davenport, recorded the 1991 hit single "Never Stop." In 1991, Delicious Vinyl reissued the self-titled ''

Masters of Reality Masters of Reality is an American rock band formed in 1981 by frontman Chris Goss and guitarist Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York, United States. They took the name for the band from a misprinted label of the third Black Sabbath album, '' ...

'' (originally released on Def American in 1988). The label also had a short-lived heavy metal subsidiary called Malicious Vinyl. In 1992, Delicious Vinyl entered a joint venture with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. In 1995, Ross filed a petition in L.A. Superior Court seeking the appointment of a provisional director for the label. In his petition, Ross alleged that Dike "began to abdicate responsibility and management" of the label in 1992. Ross retained ownership of Delicious Vinyl, making it one of the longest-running independent labels in hip-hop history. Delicious Vinyl signed

The Pharcyde The Pharcyde is an American hip hop group, formed in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles in 1989. The original four members of the group are Imani (rapper), Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown (Romye Robinson ...

, whose debut album '' Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde'' (1992) featured the hit single "Passing Me By." Produced by J-Swift, the album sold half a million copies.

Masta Ace Duval Clear (born December 4, 1966), better known by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. A lead member of Mr. Magic's hip hop collective Juice Crew, he is best known for his guest appearance alo ...

joined the label delivering two strong albums, 1993's ''Slaughterhouse'' and 1995's ''Sittin' on Chrome'' (under the group moniker Masta Ace Incorporated). Other significant acts on the label in the mid '90s included Born Jamericans and The WhoRidas. A remix project, Delicious Rmxxology, was curated by DV's Rick Ross with Peaches, Breakbot, Mr. Flash, Cory Nitta, Aaron LaCrate & Samir, Hot Chip, Don Rimini, Diplo & Philippians) reworking the Delicious Vinyl catalog. The first single from the remix project was

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called nectarines. Peac ...

' version of

's "Wild Thing". In 2018, Delicious Vinyl co-founder Matt Dike died in Los Angeles at the age of 56.

Delicious Pizza

Delicious Vinyl expanded its brand into restaurants when, in 2015, Mike partnered with father and son team Fred Sutherland and Travis Sutherland, and his brother, Rick Ross, to open Delicious Pizza on West Adams in Los Angeles. The store is part pizza shop and part hip-hop museum as the owners display several pieces of memorabilia throughout the venue. A year later, the duo opened a Delicious Pizza on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Both establishments hold several music events throughout the year, bringing food and fun to the community.

Discography

Albums

*1989 : Master Rhyme - "Go Off Shot" *1999: ''Waxing Off: The First Decade'' *2000: ''Delicious Vinyl Presents...Prime Cuts Vol. 1'' *2007: ''Jay Deelicious: The Delicious Vinyl Years'' *2008: ''RMXXOLOGY''

Singles

* Romeo & Master Rhyme : "Crackerjack" * Tone Loc: " Wild Thing" (No. 2) * Tone Loc: " Funky Cold Medina" (No. 3) * Young MC: " Bust a Move" (No. 7) * The Pharcyde: " Passin' Me By" * The Pharcyde: " Drop" * The Pharcyde: " She Said" * Masta Ace: " Sittin' on Chrome" (No. 84)

Artists

* Born Jamericans * Brand New Heavies * Bucwheed * Casey Veggies *

Dom Kennedy Dominic Ross Hunn (born August 22, 1984), better known by his stage name Dom Kennedy, is an American rapper. His fourth mixtape, ''From the Westside with Love'' (2010), was met with critical acclaim; its sequel, '' From the Westside with Love II' ...

* Duce Duce *

Fatlip Derrick Lemel Stewart (born March 26, 1969), known professionally as Fatlip, is a Los Angeles–born hip hop musician. He started his career in the hip hop group The Pharcyde. Career The Pharcyde As a member of The Pharcyde, Fatlip contributed ...

* The Flys * Frank Nitt * J Dilla Aka Jay Dee (and his younger brother,

Illa J John Derek Yancey (born October 13, 1986), better known by his stage name Illa J, is an American rapper, singer, record producer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan who has released two albums on Delicious Vinyl Records. He is the younger bro ...

) * Jansport J * Jesse Jaymes * Machel Montano *

* Master Rhyme *

* Mr Vegas *

* The Wascals * The WhoRidas * The ZZYZZX (

and his son, Cazal Organism) *

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control American independent record labels Island Records Atlantic Records V2 Records Record labels established in 1987 Hip-hop record labels Electronic music record labels