Shady Records
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shady Records | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder(s) | Eminem Paul Rosenberg |
| Distributing label | Interscope Records (USA) Polydor Records (Outside the US) |
| Genre(s) | Hip Hop |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Official Website | http://www.shadyrecords.com/ |
Shady Records is a record label specializing in hip hop music. The founder of Shady Records, Eminem, was granted his own label under Interscope Records following the success of The Slim Shady LP. Eminem alongside his longtime manager Paul Rosenberg created the label in 2000. The label's most successful artist is Eminem, who is signed to Shady Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. The Alchemist is Eminem's official DJ and an affiliate of Mobb Deep, themselves signed to 50 Cent's G-Unit Records imprint.
Contents |
[edit] History
As previously mentioned, due to the success of Eminem's The Slim Shady LP, he was given the opportunity to have his own label. Eminem Started this label with his manager, Paul Rosenberg. The first act to be signed to Shady Records was Detroit's D12. In the past, the D12 members had made a promise to one another that whoever makes it into commercial success would come back for the others. Eminem was the first to achieve this success, and kept to his word. By June, 2001, the D12 collective released their debut group album, Devil's Night with huge success, topping the chart at number one. Next to be signed to Shady Records was Detroit rapper, Obie Trice. Obie was introduced to Eminem through D12 member, Bizarre. Eminem was impressed and signed him as the second Shady Records performer. Obie Trice first got public attention via a freestyle skit on the Devil's Night album.
Whilst working on the 8 Mile movie, Eminem managed to get the opportunity to have a meeting with then small time New York rapper, 50 Cent. Eminem managed to get a hold of 50 Cent's early mixtapes and liked what he heard. Eminem took this to Dr. Dre and offered the chance to work together on the artist. Dr. Dre also liked what he heard, so he took the opportunity, and 50 Cent became the first artist signed to both, Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment.[1] The 8 Mile soundtrack was the official second Shady Records album to be released, and achieved great success too. The first single to be released was Lose Yourself, which achieved many nominations and won a Academy Award for Best Original Song (the first time a rap song ever won this award). The second single to be released was 50 Cent's Wanksta, which became very popular and got 50 Cent's name out there in the public eye. During this time, Eminem had also made a deal with DJ Green Lantern, who became the official Shady Records DJ and released the first Invasion! mixtape around this time. DJ Green Lantern became the third signee of Shady Records.
The third release from Shady Record was 50 Cent's Get Rich Or Die Tryin' in February, 2003. This album went on to become one of the fastest selling rap albums in history. Next to be released from Shady Records was Obie Trice's debut album, Cheers, seven months later. Despite having been a commercial success, the album was considered underrated and overshadowed by 50 Cent's music at the time. During 2002 and 2003, Shady Records were involved in many controversies with the likes of the inhereted Murder Inc beef that G-Unit was involved in, on-going problems with the previous owners of The Source magazine, as well as esculating issues with rapper Royce Da 5'9", who was previously a friend of D12, but felt resentment after trying to get signed to Shady Records. Eminem told Royce he was busy at the time, but then Royce saw that Eminem was signing and introducing 50 Cent at the very same time.
Towards the end of 2003, Eminem came to know of an Atlanta rapper by the name of Stat Quo. Eminem showed interest and took this up to Dr. Dre, who also liked the music. Stat Quo became the second artist to be signed to Shady/Aftermath. The following year saw the release of D12's sophomore album, D12 World. Also, in 2004, Eminem began a venture with SIRIUS Satellite Radio that saw Eminem's own uncensored hip-hop radio station, Shade 45, air. Shady Records DJ, DJ Green Lantern, was given the opportunity to have his own show, whilst G-Unit were given Saturdays for G-Unit Radio. 2005 saw the release of 50 Cent's sophomore release, The Massacre, and achieved great success. On the album 50 Cent had a single named Piggy Bank which dissed several artists, including Jadakiss. This spawned the controversy that followed, where a few months later Jadakiss was on a street DVD and had DJ Green Lantern on loudspeaker through his phone, without the DJ's knowledge. The DJ went on to discuss how to handle the beef. When the DVD was released and Eminem learned of this, the DJ had to leave the Shady Records roster, was no longer on Shade 45 and his highly anticipated album, Armageddon, was no longer a Shady Records involved project.[2]
2005 also saw the sixth signing to Shady Records. This artist is also an Atlanta rapper, who goes by the name of Bobby Creekwater. In 2006, Shady Records had their seventh artist, by the name of Ca$his, signed to the label. Ca$his is an OC-based rapper that was raised in Chicago. Ca$his had a song by the name of 'Serenade My Life' in circulation when it became official. The song impressed many people due to its reality and personal feel, rather than being a cliché rap song. April 11, 2006 saw the fatal shooting of D12 member, Proof.[3] Obie Trice released his sophomore album, Second Round's On Me in September, 2006. But seemingly the state of the industry, the album sales did not fair well. The album saw a change in Obie's style, who's first album was a little light-hearted. Second Round's On Me was considered to be more of a dark album, mainly showing the grittyness of Obie's life and surroundings.
The year was also a hyped year for Shady Records as a whole. There had been talk from early in the year of Eminem having the entire Shady Records on a mixtape with brand new material, and this talk went on for several months, with the expectations of release in March, April, then May. In the end, it was announced that Eminem was so impressed with the mixtape that he had decided to make it an official album, called Eminem Presents: The Re-Up. The mixtape album had been long anticipated, until it was finally released in early December of 2006. The release had spawned the single You Don't Know, which feature 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks & the latest signee, Ca$his.[4]
[edit] Current Roster
| Artist | Year Signed | Albums Released | Description | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eminem | 1998 | 5 | The most successful artist on the label released four albums under Aftermath Entertainment. Eminem joined the label in 1998 to release the controversial album The Slim Shady LP a year later. The rapper founded Shady Records in 2000, after the release of The Marshall Mathers LP. The rapper is currently preparing for the next studio album in 2007. Eminem is also credited as a notable producer . | Shady/Aftermath/Interscope |
| 50 Cent | 2002 | 2 | New York-based rapper signed under Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment. The rapper has released two solo albums under the label. The rapper is the most successful artist on the label besides D12 andEminem himself. 50 Cent is working on his third solo album. 50 Cent also established his own label, G-Unit Records. | Shady/G-Unit/Aftermath/Interscope |
| Obie Trice | 2000 | 2 | The first signed solo artist on Shady Records. This Detroit-based rapper released his hardcore debut album Cheers in 2003 to platinum success. The second album, released in 2006, was Second Round's on Me. | Shady/Interscope |
| D12 | 2000 | 2 | A group that also includes Eminem released two albums under Shady Records. The first album was the controversial Devil's Night in 2001. The second album D12 World was released in 2004. Both albums saw double platinum success. Their 3rd album, currently titled TBA is scheduled to be released June 19, 2007. The group consists of solo artists Eminem, Bizzare, Kuniva, Swift, Kon Artis. | Shady/Interscope |
| Stat Quo | 2003 | - | An Atlanta-based rapper joined Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment in 2003. The rapper is preparing for the release of his debut album Statlanta. The debut album is scheduled to be released in the near future. | Shady/Aftermath/Interscope |
| Bobby Creekwater | 2005 | - | An Atlanta-based artist joined Shady Records in 2005. His debut album A Brilliant Mistake is expected to release in 2007. The artist participated on the compilation album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up. | Shady/Interscope |
| Ca$his | 2006 | - | An Orange County-based artist who recently joined Shady Records in 2006. The rapper participated on the compilation album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up | Shady/Interscope |
[edit] Discography
[edit] Past Releases
| Album Cover | Album Information |
|---|---|
 |
D12 - Devil's Night
|
 |
Soundtrack - 8 Mile
|
 |
50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
|
 |
Obie Trice - Cheers
|
 |
D12 - D12 World |
 |
50 Cent - The Massacre
|
 |
Obie Trice - Second Round's On Me |
 |
Shady Records - Eminem Presents: The Re-Up
|
[edit] Upcoming Releases
- 50 Cent - Curtis (June 19th 2007)
- Stat Quo - Statlanta (Summer 2007)
- D12 - Natural Born Killers (4th Quater 2007)
- Eminem - Eminem's fifth studio album (November 2007)
- 50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct (Feburary 4 2008)
- Bobby Creekwater - A Brilliant Mistake (TBA)
- Obie Trice - Bottom's Up (TBA)
- Ca$his- Forks and Six Point Stars (TBA)
[edit] Affiliated labels
[edit] Record Labels owned by artists on Shady Records
- Fyre Dapartment (Swift of D12)
- Runyon Ave. Records (Kon Artis and Kuniva of D12)
- Red Head Records (Bizarre of D12)
- Iron Fist Records (Defunct) (Proof of D12)
- Grown Man Music (Stat Quo)
- SKIN-E Productions
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Shaheem Reid, 2002-07-01, "50 Cent Worth A Million To Dr. Dre And Eminem" VH1.com
- ^ Shaheem Reid, 2005-05-06, "DJ Green Lantern Explains Eminem Split" VH1.com
- ^ Chris Harris, 2006-04-11, "D12's Proof Shot And Killed At Detroit Club" VH1.com
- ^ Gil Kaufman, 2006-09-19, "Eminem, New Shady Artists Join 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks On The Re-Up" VH1.com
- ^ Jon Wiederhorn, 2002-11-06, "'8 Mile' Soundtrack Spanks Christina Aguilera's Stripped" VH1.com
- ^ Billboard, "8 Mile Soundtrack" Billboard.com
- ^ Joe D'Angelo, 2003-02-12, "50 Cent Slams Into Albums Chart With Record-Breaking Debut LP" VH1.com
- ^ Billboard, "Get Rich Or Die Tryin" Billboard.com
- ^ Joe D'Angelo, 2003-10-01, "Outkast Win Hotly Contested #1 Chart Slot" VH1.com
- ^ Billboard, "Cheers" Billboard.com
- ^ James Montgomery, 2005-03-09, "50 Cent's The Massacre Makes Huge Chart Debut" VH1.com
- ^ Billboard, "The Massacre" Billboard.com
- ^ Chris Harris, 2006-08-23, "Back To Basics Takes Christina Aguilera Back To Billboard's #1" VH1.com
- ^ Billboard, "Second Round's On Me" Billboard.com
- ^ Chris Harris, 2006-12-13, "Ciara Knocks Out Gwen, Eminem's Crew To Take Top Billboard Spot" VH1.com
- ^ Billboard, "Eminem Presents: The Re-Up" Billboard.com
