A Salute to Black History Month: The Record Industry
What comes to mind when you think of great record labels, past and present?
Capitol, Epic/CBS, Columbia, Arista, and the list goes on. But a factor that cannot be overlooked is the effect that African Americans have had on the record industry, particularly in the last 60 years or so. In a time when many opportunities were not afforded to people of color, African-Americans, in particular set their own course; and in doing so changed the way that we listen to popular music. The effects of Rhythm and Blues, Soul, and Jazz can be heard through every other form of mainstream of music. Of course we all know the backstory behind Motown, and the powerhouse that it was in terms of providing the musical landscape of its time, but there have been several other labels over the years that have also made a sizable contribution in shaping the sound of American Music.
1. STAX RECORDS
No article on the history of African American music is complete without mentioning the raw power and sheer grit of Stax records- who throughout the 60’s and 70’s certainly gave the seemingly “lighter” Motown a run for its money. In a nutshell, if Motown was Pumpkin Pie, then by comparison, Stax was Southern Fried Catfish, Collard Greens, and the best slice of Sweet Potato Pie you’ve ever tasted. Coming out of Memphis in 1957, the label was originally founded by 2 white sibling/business partners, Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton. The label featured soulful “heavy-hitters” such as Rufus Thomas, The Bar-Kays, Booker T & the MG’s, Isaac Hayes, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, and of course, “the man” himself, Mr. Otis Redding. These were singers and musicians who could create mere tremors in the ground just by simply holding a single note. You felt every ounce of pain and heartache, as well as joy and sadness from head to toe.
After having many years of great success, the label suffered a huge blow with the 1967 death of Otis Redding, and the majority of his backing band, The Bar-Kays. Despite immense tragedy, the label soldiered on, producing beautiful epic masterpieces by Isaac Hayes, as well as several up-and-coming acts such as Shirley Brown and Johnnie Taylor. The label even produced a concert movie, 1973’s Wattstax, featuring some of the labels biggest stars, before finally resuming operations in 1981.
2. PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS
The sound that put “The City of Brotherly Love” on the map. Prior to the label being founded by Kenny Gamble, and Leon Huff in 1971, Soul music was only a force in 2 major cities: Detroit and Memphis. Decades before artists like Jill Scott and Musiq Soulchild gave us a taste of what the city had to offer, it was Philly International that produced legendary acts like The Mighty O’Jays, Patti Labelle, Billy Paul, & Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. The sound was so popular that it was commissioned by Don Cornelius as a theme for his popular hit show, Soul Train. The result was MFSB’s aptly titled, “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia).” Simply put, The Philly Sound was fierce strings and beautiful instrumentation with great soul singers pouring their hearts out on record. By the untrained ear, the sound has been often mistaken for Disco, which immediately followed Philly International’s heyday, but Disco was more so driven by beat; whereas though Philly Soul was moreso driven by the instrumentation and the soulful delivery of its artists. The sound became so popular and so synonymous with its hometown that everybody seemed to want to cash in on the sound, including The Jacksons, who were fresh off the heels of their legal battle with Motown to get out of their contract.
3. DEF JAM RECORDS
Created out of a dormitory in New York University over 33 years ago, Def Jam became the first label to turn Hip-Hop into a business. Founded by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons in 1983, the label produced some of the decade’s biggest stars including LL Cool J, Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, and EPMD. Now keep in mind that prior to the label’s creation, Hip-Hop was still in its infancy; primarily known as a more underground concept, only really heard in the streets and on urban radio. Def Jam took the art form and brought it mainstream, introducing it into the homes of White America. The label took risks by constantly fusing the sounds of Hip-Hop and Rock starting with The Beastie Boys, and continuing with Run DMC and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” This merge was in no small part due to the label’s founders who were equally parts different, yet similar. Russell Simmons, who was then a concert promoter and brother of Run DMC’s Joseph Simmons; and Rick Rubin, the free spirit music producer who specialized in all things Hip-Hop & Hard Rock. It was this marriage of both business and creativity that gave Def Jam the edge over many of their contemporaries of the day- similar Hip-Hop labels that have since gone defunct. This legacy continued into the 90’s and 2000’s with the company having gone through several different mergers, creating various imprints from Def Soul to Def Jam South.
4. LAFACE RECORDS
Kids today may never understand the sheer force that was LaFace Records in the 90’s, but it was one of the premier labels for R&B of its time. Formed by in-demand producers, Babyface and L.A. Reid (formerly of the group The Deele) in 1989, LaFace was home to some of the biggest names of the decade such as Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher, and Outkast, just to name a few. Not to mention the duo also wrote and produced for several artists outside of the label such as Whitney Houston, Madonna, and Boyz II Men. In doing so, the label put Atlanta on the map in terms of music, cranking out hit after hit for the entire decade of the 90’s, and going into the early 2000’s. The label folded in 2001, as L.A. Reid became president of Arista Records, and Babyface focused more on his own music career.
5. BAD BOY RECORDS
Bad Boy Records was one of the first labels to emerge out of the 90’s sound that brought the worlds of Hip-Hop & R&B together. In the decade prior, the battle lines between the two genres were still severely drawn, but by the dawn of the 1990’s, all of that changed. It was out of this shift that Bad Boy was born. The label was started in 1993 by former Uptown A&R Executive, Shawn “Puffy” Combs. At the time, Uptown was already at the forefront of the New Jack Swing Sound of the late 80’s and early 90’s, and had already begun its takeover of urban radio, when Puffy was abruptly fired, after butting heads with Label President, Andre Harrell. He then started Bad Boy, taking a then- unknown Brooklyn Rapper by the name of Notorious B.I.G. along with him. The label enjoyed great success, producing hit after hit during its heyday for artists such as B.I.G. himself, Craig Mack, Total, Faith Evans. This led to a well-publicized feud with Los-Angeles based Death Row records and their CEO, Suge Knight. The feud resulted in the death of 2 of Hip-Hop’s biggest stars, Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., in 1996 and 1997, respectively. From there Puffy carried on the label with his newest protégé, Mase , Lil Kim, and rap group, The L.O.X. In the years following, many of the aforementioned acts left the label due to declining sales and lack of promotion from the label for its artists.
The 2000’s saw the label’s venture into Southern Hip-Hop with the development of Bad Boy South, and its biggest artist, Yung Joc. The label also signed acts such as Cassie, Day 26, Danity Kane, and in more recent years, rapper French Montana.
Well there you have it. That’s my list of influential African-American Owned, or associated labels within the past 50 years. Of course there are plenty more that could be added to this list…What other labels can you think of that should be included. Post a comment below, or send me a tweet @harmoniousflame.
