Game Recordings was a
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
-based
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 ...
best known for its artists featured on the soundtrack of the video game ''
Grand Theft Auto III
''Grand Theft Auto III'' is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third main entry in the '' Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 1999's '' Grand Theft Auto 2'', and the fifth instalme ...
''. Game Recordings artists included
Royce da 5'9"
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, an ...
,
Agallah
Angel Aguilar (born May 8, 1974), better known by his stage names Agallah, 8-Off, Brad Piff, Swagallah and Agallah Don Bishop, is an American rapper and producer. He was a member of The Diplomats-affiliated group Purple City and he is the CEO ...
,
Sean Price
Sean Duval Price (March 17, 1972August 8, 2015) was an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik. He was one half of the duo Heltah Skeltah, performing under the name Ruck, along with partner Rock.
Early life and educat ...
, Pretty Ugly,
Ilacoin
Christian J. A. Faloye (born July 15, 1973), known by his stage names Ilacoin (or simply Coin), is an American rapper and producer.
Early life
He is the grandson of Yoruba royalty, the son of Nigerian immigrants, but raised mostly by a single ...
,
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 ...
, and
JoJo Pellegrino. The label was also known for the "Game Girls," or "Hip Hop Honeys," who featured on all of the promotional singles and maxi-CDs it released.
The label's
Chief Executive Officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
was
Jonathan "Shecky Green" Shecter, co-founder of ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the maga ...
'' magazine. Eric "Ric Riggler" Rhea, an
A&R executive, headed the company.
Releases
Game Recordings' first release was Lord Digga's ''My Flows is Tight'', a song based on a sample from the theme of the game show ''
The Price is Right
''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also i ...
''.
In 1999, Game Recordings released a 12" single consisting of three songs, by rap duo
Bad Meets Evil
Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop duo composed of Detroit-based rappers Royce da 5'9" (Bad) and Eminem (Evil). Bad Meets Evil was formed in 1998, thanks to the duo's mutual friend, Proof. The group's name comes from the song "Bad Meets Evi ...
, called ''
Nuttin' to Do
"Nuttin' to Do" / "Scary Movies" is the first single by hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, composed of Detroit rappers Eminem and Royce da 5'9", released on October 1, 1998 by Game Recordings. A year later, Bad Meets Evil would break up and Eminem woul ...
''.
In 2000, Game Recordings released two singles from artist
Ilacoin
Christian J. A. Faloye (born July 15, 1973), known by his stage names Ilacoin (or simply Coin), is an American rapper and producer.
Early life
He is the grandson of Yoruba royalty, the son of Nigerian immigrants, but raised mostly by a single ...
. "By A Stranger" featuring other New York artists Labba (later of
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 ...
' Flipmode Squad) & Bad Boy artist,
Black Rob
Robert Ross (June 8, 1968 – April 17, 2021), known professionally as Black Rob, was an American rapper who was signed to Bad Boy Records. He was best known for his 1999 single " Whoa!", which peaked at number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ...
(snipped for the video game ''
Grand Theft Auto III
''Grand Theft Auto III'' is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third main entry in the '' Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 1999's '' Grand Theft Auto 2'', and the fifth instalme ...
'') and "Keep It Street" featuring
Sadat X
Derek Murphy (born December 29, 1968), better known as Sadat X, is an American rapper, best known as a member of alternative hip hop group Brand Nubian. Originally known as Derek X, Sadat takes his name from former Egyptian president Anwar Sa ...
of
Brand Nubian
Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, composed of three emcees ( Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar), and formerly three DJs (DJ Alamo, DJ Sincere, and DJ Stud Doogie). Their debut studio album, '' One for All ...
. One of the B-sides to Ilacoin's single "Keep It Street", "This, That & The 3rd" (produced by
Easy Mo Bee
Osten Harvey Jr. (born December 8, 1965), better known by his stage name Easy Mo Bee, is an American hip hop and R&B record producer, known for his production work for artists such as Big Daddy Kane and Miles Davis, as well as his affiliatio ...
) would be interpolated for The
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close a ...
2007 single, "Take It Back" from the
8 Diagrams
''8 Diagrams'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released December 11, 2007, on SRC/Universal Motown Records. The album was released three years after the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard, and six years after the group' ...
album.
In 2002, the label released ''Game Tight'', a compilation album.
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 ...
was featured on the album, on the Pretty Ugly song ''Hit Em' Up''.
Game released three full-length albums, two by Royce da 5'9" (''
Rock City'' and ''
Rock City Version 2.0
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wa ...
''); its third release was ''Game Tight'', a best-of album. The label was also set to release 8-Off
Agallah
Angel Aguilar (born May 8, 1974), better known by his stage names Agallah, 8-Off, Brad Piff, Swagallah and Agallah Don Bishop, is an American rapper and producer. He was a member of The Diplomats-affiliated group Purple City and he is the CEO ...
's First album, ''Imagine Your Life'', although the album never saw the light of day.
In 2008, Game released two CDs by
Royce da 5'9"
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, an ...
: the first was a new Royce da 5'9" album titled ''Lost & Found'', which features rare and unreleased tracks that were recorded while he recorded for the label, and the second is titled ''Rock City Version 3.0'', which is a mix of Royce's first two albums, ''
Rock City'' and ''
Rock City Version 2.0
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wa ...
''.
Game also provided
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
with songs for the ''
Midnight Club 2'' soundtrack.
Game Recordings stopped operating as a record label in 2005. Shecky Green continued to make and promote the ''Hip Hop Honeys'' DVD series under the Game Recordings name. In 2007,
Royce da 5'9"
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, an ...
released his single "Hit 'Em"/"Ding!" through the label.
Although Game Recordings no longer functions as a record label, an artist known as Keith from Up the Block is represented by Game. Also, the Game
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
site is still in operation, as are the Hip Hop Honeys.
Although he did not record it, he did various tasks for the
Infinity Ward
Infinity Ward, Inc. is an American video game developer. They developed the video game ''Call of Duty'', along with seven other installments in the ''Call of Duty'' series. Vince Zampella, Grant Collier, and Jason West established Infinity War ...
series for the ''
Call of Duty: Ghosts'' saga.
External links
discogs.com
{{Authority control
American record labels
Record labels disestablished in 2005