Noo Trybe Records is an American hip hop

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, ...

established in 1994 by Eric L. Brooks and operated as a sublabel of

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

. It worked with several independent hip hop labels including Rap-A-Lot Records and AWOL.

History

The label was founded in 1994 by Eric L. Brooks with a manufacturing, funding and distribution deal from Virgin Records under EMI. A portion of Noo Trybe's roster came from several artists who were absorbed from EMI when it was disbanded, which included

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston-based rapper Guru (rapper), Guru. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003, and is considered a widely influential MC-and-pr ...

and AZ. Other Virgin acts such as

Shyheim Shyheim Dionel Franklin (born November 14, 1979) is an American rapper from New York better known simply as Shyheim. He initially gained fame as a teenager, releasing his debut album ''AKA the Rugged Child'' at the age of 14 in 1994. He has sp ...

, who signed with the label in 1993, were transferred to the new label. In 1995, Noo Trybe released

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

based duo

Luniz Luniz (pronounced Loonies) (formerly Luniz Toons and LuniTunes) is an American hip hop music, hip hop duo from Oakland, California, formed by West Coast rappers Yukmouth and Numskull. They were signed to Noo Trybe Records and C-Note Records, and ...

's debut studio album, ''

Operation Stackola ''Operation Stackola'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Luniz. It was released on July 4, 1995, through Virgin Records, C-Note Records and Noo Trybe Records. The album was produced by DJ Fuze, N.O. Joe, Tone Capone, Shock G, DJ ...

'', on July 4, 1995. With the success of the single '' Playa Hata'', the album debuted and peaked in the top 20 on the ''

Billboard 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 to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

'', and ultimately achieved Platinum status in America. Rap-A-Lot's distribution was absorbed by Virgin proper in 1998, and in 1999, the label was absorbed by its parent. In 2013, the trademark was acquired by

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

as a result of its purchase of EMI's recorded-music business.

Discography

Albums

*1994 ** Scarface - '' The Diary'' *1995 **

– ''

'' *1996 **

– '' The Lost Generation'' **Various artists – '' Original Gangstas (soundtrack)'' *1997 ** 3X Krazy – '' Stackin Chips'' **

Big Mike Big Mike is a nickname of: People with the nickname * Mike Abrams (criminal) (died 1898), American underworld criminal * Michael Clemente (1908–1987), American mobster * Michael Clarke Duncan (1957–2012), American actor sometimes credited a ...

– '' Still Serious'' **

– ''

Lunitik Muzik ''Lunitik Muzik'' is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Luniz. It was released on November 11, 1997 through C-Note Records, Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records. Production was handled by Tone Capone, Mike Dean, Bosko, Quincy Jone ...

'' **

Rappin' 4-Tay Anthony H. Forté (born March 2, 1968), known professionally as Rappin' 4-Tay, is an American rapper from San Francisco, California. Early life Anthony Forte was born March 2, 1968, and grew up in San Francisco's Fillmore District. He has a t ...

– '' 4 tha Hard Way'' *1998 ** AZ – ''Pieces of a Man'' **

– ''Moment of Truth'' **Various artists – '' Caught Up (soundtrack)'' *1999 ** Road Dawgs – '' Don't Be Saprize'' **

- '' Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr''

External links

Hip-hop record labels American record labels 1994 establishments in the United States 1999 disestablishments in the United States Record labels established in 1994 Record labels disestablished in 1999 EMI Virgin Records {{hiphop-stub