Rhymesayers Entertainment (sometimes abbreviated RSE) is an American independent

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 ...

record label based in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

History

Rhymesayers Entertainment was co-founded in 1995 by Sean Daley (

Slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced ...

), Anthony Davis (

Ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

), Musab Saad (

Sab the Artist Musab Saad, (born September 23, 1975) better known by his stage name Sab the Artist, Musab, or Beyond, is an American recording artist, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and music executive from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is currently based ...

) and Brent Sayers (Siddiq). Former members of the Headshots crew. Beginning in 2008, Rhymesayers Entertainment sponsors the annual

Soundset Music Festival Soundset Music Festival was a hip-hop music festival held yearly in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area over Memorial Day weekend. Since Soundset began in the Metrodome parking lot in 2008, attendance has grown from 12,000 to over 30,000 consistentl ...

, a popular attraction that takes place over Memorial Day weekend in Minneapolis. The music festival was postponed in 2020. Rhymesayers released

Prof Jacob Lukas Anderson (born April 29, 1984), better known by his stage name Prof, is an American rapper, singer, and producer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He released his first full-length album, ''Project Gampo'', in 2007 and has since relea ...

and

Dem Atlas Joshua Evans Turner (born May 31, 1992), better known by his stage name Dem Atlas (often stylized as deM atlaS), is an American rapper from Saint Paul, Minnesota. He was formerly a member of the group Sifu Hotman alongside rapper Guante and produc ...

from their label in 2020. In 2020, Rhymesayers was among the many labels distributed by

Alternative Distribution Alliance Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) is a music distribution company owned by Warner Music Group, which represents the rights to various independent record labels. ADA provides "independent artist and label partners with access to the resource ...

that left the company after ADA moved all of its business to the

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

-based Direct Shot Distributing. Controversy erupted when Direct Shot received numerous complaints from retailers over delayed or missing shipments. As a result,

Secretly Distribution Secretly Group is a family of United States, American independent record labels based in Bloomington, Indiana. The group is made up of Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, and Dead Oceans. Secretly Canadian, the first of the labels, was formed in 1996 ...

became the current distributor for Rhymesayers Entertainment. The label also opened a record store in 1999 called Fifth Element, which closed on April 1, 2020. 2013-0314-FifthElement-Rhymesayers

Roster

Signees

Aesop Rock Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerg ...

Atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

(

and

) *

Billy Woods Billy Woods (born 1978) is an American rapper based in New York. He is the founder of the record label Backwoodz Studioz, and has been a member of Armand Hammer, Super Chron Flight Brothers, and The Reavers. Early life Billy Woods was born in W ...

Brother Ali Ali Douglas Newman (born Jason Douglas Newman, July 30, 1977), better known by his stage name Brother Ali, is an American rapper, community activist, and member of the Rhymesayers Entertainment hip hop collective. He has released nine albums, ...

Dilated Peoples Dilated Peoples is an American Los Angeles-based Hip hop music, hip hop trio, composed of rapper and record producer Evidence (musician), Evidence, rapper Rakaa, and Beat Junkies deejay and record producer DJ Babu. The group is better known in t ...

(

DJ Babu Christopher E. Oroc, stage name Melvin Babu (born September 17, 1974), better known as DJ Babu or DJ Babu the Dilated Junkie, is a Filipino-American DJ and record producer. He is a member of DJ crew the Beat Junkies, Los Angeles-based hip hop t ...

, Evidence and

Rakaa Rakaa Taylor (born June 18, 1972) better known by his stage names Rakaa, Rakaa Iriscience, and Iriscience, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Dilated Peoples alongside Evidence and DJ Babu. Life and career His mother was ...

) *

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports the proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the proposition is truth, true. The exact definition and role of evidence vary across different fields. In epistemology, evidence is what J ...

Eyedea & Abilities Eyedea & Abilities (often abbreviated as E&A) was an American hip hop duo from Saint Paul, Minnesota, consisting of rapper Eyedea and DJ Abilities. The duo was founded in 1999 and became a prominent figure of the underground hip hop scene, be ...

Face Candy Face Candy was an American improvisational jazz rap group by led rapper Eyedea in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The group released one album, ''This Is Where We Were'', in 2006. The initial lineup on the album consisted of Eyedea, Kristoff Krane, J.T. ...

(

Eyedea Micheal David Larsen (November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010), better known by his stage name Eyedea, was an American rapper. He was a battle rap, freestyle battle champion and songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Larsen had appeared as a ...

Kristoff Krane About Kristoff Krane is a rapper from Minneapolis, MN known for his stream-of-consciousness approach to writing, freestyling, and performing. In addition to his solo releases, Krane was also frontman alongside Eyedea (of Eyedea & Abilities) ...

, J.T. Bates and Casey O'Brien) *

Felt Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic fiber, acrylic or acrylonitrile or ...

(

Murs Murs may refer to: People * Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs (1804-1878), French ornithologist * Olly Murs (born 1984), English singer-songwriter * Murs (rapper) (born 1978), American rapper Places * Murs, Indre, France * Murs, Vaucluse, Fr ...

and Slug) *

Hail Mary Mallon Hail Mary Mallon was an American hip-hop group consisting of Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, and DJ Big Wiz. The group's name is a reference to Mary Mallon, Typhoid Mary. Their first release was the song "D-Up", featured on the compilation album, ''Defi ...

(Aesop Rock, DJ Big Wiz and

Rob Sonic Robert Smith, better known by his stage name Rob Sonic, is an American rapper and record producer from the Bronx, New York (state), New York. He has been a member of the groups Sonic Sum and Hail Mary Mallon. He is a founder of the record label S ...

) *

I Self Devine Chaka Mkali (born 1972), better known by his stage name I Self Devine, is an American rapper from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been a member of groups such as the Dynospectrum, Micranots, and Semi.Official. In 2012, ''City Pages'' described h ...

Malibu Ken Malibu Ken (also known as Aesop Rock & TOBACCO are Malibu Ken) is an American hip hop duo composed of rapper Aesop Rock and multi-instrumentalist Tobacco. The duo released their eponymous debut album on January 18, 2019, through Rhymesayers En ...

(

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

and Aesop Rock) *

Micranots Micranots is an American hip hop duo, consisting of I Self Devine and DJ Kool Akiem from Atlanta, Georgia, but currently reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2013, the group was described by ''City Pages'' as "the pioneering rap group that left ...

(I Self Devine and DJ Kool Akiem) * MInk (Musab and Ink Well) *

Nikki Jean Nicolle Jean Leary (born August 25, 1983), better known as Nikki Jean, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Jean started out as a lead singer of a short-lived Philadelphia band called Nouveau Riche. She was introduce ...

* Sa-Roc * Semi.Official (I Self Devine and

DJ Abilities Gregory Joseph Keltgen, better known by his stage name DJ Abilities, is an American underground hip hop producer and DJ signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment who is based in Minneapolis. He is a founding member of Eyedea & Abilities alongside Eyed ...

) *

Soul Position Soul Position is an American alternative hip hop duo hailing from Columbus, Ohio. It consists of DJ/ producer RJD2 and rapper Blueprint. The duo has released two albums and one EP on Rhymesayers Entertainment. Discography Albums * '' 8 Mi ...

(

Blueprint A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842. The process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number ...

and

RJD2 Ramble Jon Krohn (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name RJD2, is an American musician and record producer based in Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of record label RJ's Electrical Connections. He has been a member of groups such as S ...

) * Step Brothers (

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Ben ...

and Evidence) *

The Uncluded The Uncluded was an American indie folk rap group, formed by rapper Aesop Rock and singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson. In 2013, they released an album titled ''Hokey Fright'', through Rhymesayers Entertainment. The band name is a reference to the M ...

(Aesop Rock and

Kimya Dawson Kimya Dawson (born November 17, 1972) is an American folk singer-songwriter, one half of the anti-folk duo the Moldy Peaches. Dawson's work with the Moldy Peaches earned them a cult following and critical acclaim, with their 2001 song " Anyone ...

)

Archived artists

Abstract Rude Aaron Pointer, better known by his stage name Abstract Rude, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is the rapper of Abstract Tribe Unique, alongside dancers Zulu Butterfly and Irie Lion King, turntablist DJ Drez and producer ...

* Budo *

Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

Grayskul Grayskul is an American hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, consisting of rappers Onry Ozzborn and JFK Ninjaface. Since its formation in 2003, the group has released ten solo albums. The duo often collaborate with artists from the Pacifi ...

(JFK aka Ninjaface and

Onry Ozzborn Michael Sean Martinez (born March 25, 1979), better known by his stage name Onry Ozzborn, is an American rapper and producer from Seattle, Washington. He is a founding member of alternative hip hop groups such as Grayskul, Dark Time Sunshine, a ...

) *

Jake One Jacob Brian Dutton (born May 11, 1976), known professionally as Jake One, is an American record producer and songwriter.Palermo, Thomas (2008)Jake One Readies New Album, XLR8R, September 5, 2008Matos, Michaelangelo (2004)Rocketship Blowing Up", ...

* MF DOOM *

Mr. Dibbs Mr. Dibbs (born Bradley Duane Forste) is an American disc jockey, DJ and hip hop production, hip hop producer. He is the Founder of 1200 HOBOS j/graff collective He was also one of the founders of Scribble Jam. Early life Born in Cincinnati ...

* P.O.S * Psalm One *

Toki Wright Toki Wright (born March 27, 1980) is an American rapper and music educator from Minneapolis. His debut solo studio album, ''A Different Mirror'', was released on Rhymesayers Entertainment in 2009. Early life and education Toki Wright was born in ...

Former artists

Boom Bap Project Boom Bap Project is an American Northwest hip hop group from Portland, Oregon. It consists of DJ Scene from MADK and 206Zulu tribe, along with Karim and Destro, the latter of whom are also part of the Oldominion collective. History Boom Bap P ...

The Dynospectrum ''The Dynospectrum'' is a studio album by The Dynospectrum, a collaboration between rappers Slug, I Self Devine, Sab the Artist, and Swift. They performed under the pseudonyms Sep Se7en, Pat Juba, General Woundwart, and Mr. Gene Poole, respectivel ...

Mac Lethal David McCleary Sheldon (born July 25, 1981), known professionally as Mac Lethal, is an American rapper, songwriter and author from Kansas City, Missouri. He is the founder of Black Clover Records and formerly a radio host on KRBZ 96.5 the Buzz s ...

Grieves Benjamin Howard Laub (February 23, 1984), better known by his stage name Grieves, is an American hip hop artist based in Seattle, Washington. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he has lived in Colorado, San Diego, and New York City. He is signed to Rhy ...

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Record labels established in 1995 American independent record labels Independent record labels based in Minnesota Hip-hop record labels Hip-hop collectives Companies based in Minneapolis Minnesota culture 1995 establishments in Minnesota