Gee Street Records was a British

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. Hip- ...

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

started by Jon Baker, Rachel O'Neill,

Stereo MC's Stereo MC's are an English hip hop and electronic dance group that formed in Clapham, London, in 1985. They had an international top 20 hit with their single " Connected" and a UK top 20 hit with " Step It Up". After releasing eight albums for I ...

and DJ Richie Rich in 1985. The label's name came from its original location, a converted warehouse on Gee Street (off

Old Street Old Street is a street in inner north-east Central London, England that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, via St Luke's and Old Street Roundabout, to the crossroads where it meets Shor ...

) in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Between 1980 and 1984, label head Baker lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. After returning to London in 1984, he became a hip-hop promoter, and in 1985 opened Gee Street Records and began releasing white-label dance and hip-hop records. Many of these broke new ground. The label developed a roster of prominent domestic UK acts, including DJ Richie Rich, Outlaw Posse, and

, and US acts, including P.M. Dawn, Doug E. Fresh,

Gravediggaz Gravediggaz were an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from New York. Known for their Black comedy, dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing soundscapes, Gravediggaz blended hardcore hip hop and gangsta rap with horror elements to pioneer t ...

, and

New Kingdom New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. In 1990, Gee Street was acquired by Chris Blackwell's

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

. After Blackwell left Island and the PolyGram group in 1998, Baker bought back Gee Street and sold it to

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and controlled 5 companies remaining of once more than 400. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneu ...

's fledgling

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music and V2 Benelux; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007, sold to PIAS in 2013 and partially acquired by Universal in 2022 (as part of larger PIAS 49% ...

. The label was shuttered in 2001. In 2006, V2 sold its American catalogue, including Gee Street, to Sheridan Square Entertainment, home of

Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York–based independent record label, founded in June 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as president, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. As of 2006, Artemis Records was owned b ...

. In 2010, Artemis was sold to

Entertainment One Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

Selected discography

Jungle Brothers Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop trio composed of Michael Small (Mike Gee), Nathaniel Hall (Afrika Baby Bam) and Sammy Burwell (DJ Sammy B). Hailed as pioneers of the fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and house music, they were the first hip-hop g ...

, Jungle Brothers, ''Straight out of the Jungle'', (1988, licensed from Warlock Records) * Stereo MCs ''

33-45-78 ''33-45-78'' is the 1989 debut album by the Stereo MC's. It was recorded on a shoestring budget with DJ Cesare as drummer and Cath Coffey as backing vocalist. ''Billboard'' declared that 33-45-78 proved the band "capable of wildly imaginative ...

'' (1989)

* Eternity, ''Project One'' (1989) * Richie Rich, ''I Can Make You Dance'' (1988) * Outlaw Posse, ''My Afro's on Fire'' (1989) * Stereo MCs, ''Supernatural'' (1990)

* PM Dawn, ''Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience'' (1991) * Carlene Davis, ''Carlene Davis'' (1992) * Stereo MCs, ''Connected'' (1992)

, '' Heavy Load'' (1993) * PM Dawn, ''The Bliss Album…? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence)'' (1993) * Gravediggaz, ''6 Feet Deep'' (1994) * Doug E. Fresh, ''Play'' (1994) * PM Dawn, ''Jesus Wept'' (1995) * Malcolm McLaren, ''Paris'' (1995) * Ambersunshower, ''Walter T. Smith'' (1996) *

, '' Paradise Don't Come Cheap'' (1996) * Jungle Brothers, ''Raw Deluxe'' (1997) * Gravediggaz, ''The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel'' (1998) * Various Artists, soundtrack to the motion picture ''Senseless'' (1998) * RZA, ''Bobby Digital in Stereo'' (1998) * PM Dawn, ''Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here. Love, Dad'' (1998) * Ky-Mani Marley, The Journey (2000) * Tragedy Khadafi, ''Against All Odds'' (2001)

References

External links

* Clunis,
Gee Jam puts down roots in Portland
22 Dec 2000 '' The Jamaica Gleaner'' retrieved 26 July 2010 {{Authority control British record labels Record labels established in 1985 Record labels disestablished in 1996 Hip-hop record labels Island Records British companies established in 1985

Selected discography

See also

References

External links