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 ...
which was founded in 1989 by
Jason Mizell
Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the bi ...
, better known as
Jam Master Jay
Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the bi ...
from Run-D.M.C. The label was relaunched in 2017 by Jam Master J'Son, the oldest son of the legendary Jam Master Jay. The label released such artists as The Afros, Fam-Lee,
Onyx
Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The c ...
,
Jayo Felony
James Savage (born December 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Jayo Felony, is an American rapper from southeast San Diego, California.
Career
In 1994 Jayo Felony was signed to the label owned by Jam Master Jay from RUN DMC called Jam ...
, Suga and
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 label closed in 2002 after the murder of its founder only to reopen in 2017 under Jam Master J's oldest son Jam Master J'Son. Throughout the duration of its existence, JMJ Records has released 6 studio albums and about 25 singles.
History
JMJ Records was founded in 1989 by
Jason Mizell
Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the bi ...
, better known as
Jam Master Jay
Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the bi ...
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...
and
PolyGram
PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be ...
. The label folded in 2002 after the murder of its founder in his own recording studio 24/7 Studios, in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...
,
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
on October 30, 2002.
The first label artist was The Afros, which consisted of Kool Tee (Tadone Hill), DJ Kippy-O (Kip Morgan) and Beastie Boys' DJ Hurricane (Wendell Fite). The group name stands for "A Funky Rhythmic Organization Of Sounds". Their single "Feel It" was the first single released on the label in 1990. The group's debut and only album, ''Kickin' Afrolistics'', was released on JMJ Records on August 14, 1990. All music on the album was produced by David Reeves, better known as Davy DMX, and Jason Mizell. The material for the second album was recorded, but it was never released. The group also took a part in the recording of the song "Pause" by Run-D.M.C, which was originally released on the "
Ghostbusters
''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, ...
" single in 1989.
In 1991, Jay signed Fam-Lee, which included four brothers by the name of: Berkley, Anthony, Keef and Coree Pearyer from
Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."Bootsy's Rubber Band and
P-Funk
Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive ...
. In 1991, four singles were released, which included videos: "You're The One For Me", "Love Me", "Always On My Mind" and "Runs In The Fam-Lee". The single "Runs In The Fam-Lee" also features a remix that was produced by the producer of Onyx, Chyskillz. In 1992, Fam-Lee released on JMJ Records their debut album ''Runs In The Fam-Lee''. The group recorded songs in the popular at that time
new jack swing
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was ...
style and performed songs mainly about love. Jam Master Jay produced almost all of their songs.
In 1993, JMJ Records scored a success with Onyx, whose debut album '' Bacdafucup'' went
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
in the same year, thanks to their popular single " Slam", which became a hip hop anthem, and also awarded Platinum in the same year.
In 1994, Jay signed gangsta rapper
Jayo Felony
James Savage (born December 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Jayo Felony, is an American rapper from southeast San Diego, California.
Career
In 1994 Jayo Felony was signed to the label owned by Jam Master Jay from RUN DMC called Jam ...
from
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
. The result of this deal was the debut album ''
Take a Ride
''Take a Ride'' is the debut album by San Diego–based American rapper Jayo Felony. It was released on October 24, 1995 via Jam Master Jay's JMJ Records label and distributed by Rush Associated Labels, a PolyGram circulation of Def Jam Recordi ...
'', released in 1995.
In 1995, JMJ signed female rapper Suga (a.k.a.
Sweet Tee
Tasha Tee (born September 22), known professionally as Sweet Tee and sometimes DJ Swoop, is an American rapper who was signed to Profile Records in the 1980s. Her first single in 1986 was the hit "It's My Beat" featuring DJ Jazzy Joyce. Sweet T ...
), whose single, "What's Up Star?", was included on the soundtrack for '' The Show''.
In 1996, Jay took under his wing a young Curtis Jackson, whom he allowed to use the professional equipment in a recording studio and gave him the first real opportunities for performances in front of an audience. In 1997, Jackson released on JMJ Records debut single "The Glow / The Hit" under the name Fifty-Cent. In 1998, Fifty took a part in the recording of the song "
React REACT or React may refer to:
Science and technology
* REACT (telescope), a telescope at Fenton Hill Observatory, New Mexico, US
Computing
* React (JavaScript library) , a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, from Facebook
** React Nat ...
" for the third album of Onyx, '' Shut 'Em Down''. Jay produced debut album for Fifty Cent, which he had planned to release under JMJ. However, after a frustrating writing process and several production delays, the album was postponed and never saw the light of day. To date, there are very few remnants of 50 Cent's early work with Jam Master Jay. However, Jay's mentorship helped Fifty get the close attention of several executive producers from
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
, who appreciated his talent and signed to their label in 1999.
In 2017, JMJ Records was re-opened by Jam Master Jay's son, Jason Mizell Jr., also known as Jam Master J'Son & partner Richy718.
Former artists
*The Afros
*Fam-Lee
*
Onyx
Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The c ...
*
Jayo Felony
James Savage (born December 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Jayo Felony, is an American rapper from southeast San Diego, California.
Career
In 1994 Jayo Felony was signed to the label owned by Jam Master Jay from RUN DMC called Jam ...
*Suga
*
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 ...
*Char Elizabeth aka Charlene Cockett
Discography
Albums
* 1990: The Afros - ''Kickin' Afrolistics''
* 1992: Fam-Lee – ''Runs In The Fam-Lee''
* 1993:
Onyx
Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The c ...
Jayo Felony
James Savage (born December 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Jayo Felony, is an American rapper from southeast San Diego, California.
Career
In 1994 Jayo Felony was signed to the label owned by Jam Master Jay from RUN DMC called Jam ...
– ''
Take a Ride
''Take a Ride'' is the debut album by San Diego–based American rapper Jayo Felony. It was released on October 24, 1995 via Jam Master Jay's JMJ Records label and distributed by Rush Associated Labels, a PolyGram circulation of Def Jam Recordi ...
* 1990: The Afros - "Feel It"
* 1991: Fam-Lee – "Always On My Mind"
* 1991: Fam-Lee – "Runs In The Fam-Lee"
* 1991: Fam-Lee – "Love Me"
* 1992: Fam-Lee – "You're The One For Me"
* 1992: Onyx – " Throw Ya Gunz"
* 1993: Onyx – "Bacdafucup / Throw Ya Gunz"
* 1993: Onyx – " Slam"
* 1993: Onyx – " Slam - The Alternatives"
* 1993: Onyx – " Shifftee"
* 1993: Onyx – "Da Nex Niguz / Da Nex DingDong"
* 1994: Jayo Felony – "Niggas And Bitches"
* 1995: Jayo Felony – "Sherm Stick / Homicide"
* 1995: Jayo Felony – "I'ma Keep Bangin' / Livin' Foe Dem 4 Thangs"
* 1995: Suga – "Breakin' MC"
* 1995: Suga – "What's Up Star?"
* 1995: Onyx – "Live!!! / Walk In New York"
* 1995: Onyx – " Last Dayz"
* 1995: Onyx – "Evil Streets (Remix) / Purse Snatchers Pt. 2"
* 1995: Onyx – "Shout (Remix) / Most Def"
* 1995: Onyx / Kali Ranks – "Live!!! / Kill Dem All"
* 1997: Fifty-Cent – "The Glow / The Hit"
* 1997: Cream Team – "The Knock"
* 1998: Onyx – " Shut 'Em Down"
* 1998: Onyx – "
React REACT or React may refer to:
Science and technology
* REACT (telescope), a telescope at Fenton Hill Observatory, New Mexico, US
Computing
* React (JavaScript library) , a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, from Facebook
** React Nat ...