Rawkus Records
Rawkus Records is a New York hip- hop music label and was founded in 1996 by the two friends Jarret Meyer and Brian Brater.
History
It was supported financially by James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Thus, the financial resources for large advertising efforts were there, so that Rawkus could compete in this respect with the major labels. In fact, Rawkus was only in the early stages, the independent label, for which it held a lot of underground hip - hop fans for years, since 1999, Rawkus could agree on a distribution deal with Geffen / Interscope under the Universal Music Group.
Artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, The High & Mighty or Company Flow attained by its publications on Rawkus a high level of awareness and were able to win many fans who remained to them later after the establishment of their own labels faithful. The success of Rawkus made the foundation of his own label Rawkus artists possible. The High & Mighty founded the Eastern Conference Records and El -P of Company Flow was able to provide a home with his label Definitive Jux artists such as Aesop Rock, MURS or Mr. Lif.
The high regard in which Rawkus enjoyed by an underground image and the publication of groundbreaking plates was after the turn of the millennium by various breaches of contract with artists and very long waits on the announced albums, some of which were then discontinued, clouded. These artists, who waited in vain for the release of their already advertised plates were for example The Last Emperor, Smif- N- Wessun, Shabaam Sahdeeq and Kool G Rap. In January 2004, Rawkus ' sales contract was not renewed with Geffen, after the label unceremoniously overnight shut the doors, and in a spectacular action even closest collaborator in front of locked doors were without news of their employment.
Former artist of the label, such as El -P, expressed criticism of the label, as it became increasingly important to the operators to publish commercially viable music instead of music, who wanted to make the artists. Hi- Tek, however, expressed his praise and recognized the merits of the labels. Rawkus had used for independent and (still) unknown hip- hop artists, as this would do no one else.
In mid-2005 it was announced that Rawkus has signed a new distribution deal with RED Distribution under Sony BMG and a comeback plan. This comeback was done in June 2006 by the release of the album 5 Sparrows For 2 Cents by The Procussions. Between 1996 and 2005, Rawkus Records sold over six million records ( CDs and records ). Some of which reached gold status in the U.S..
Artist (selection)
- Mos Def
- Big L
- Kool G Rap
- Talib Kweli
- Black Star ( Mos Def & Talib Kweli )
- Hi- Tek
- Reflection Eternal ( Talib Kweli & Hi- Tek )
- The High & The Mighty
- Company Flow
- Panacea