Big Beat Records (Atlantic subsidiary)
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- For the garage label, see Big Beat Records (Ace subsidiary).
Big Beat Records was an East Coast hip hop record label, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. Founded as an indie label in 1987 by 22-year-old New York deejay Craig Kallman, the company initially operated out of Kallman's parents' apartment. After making some noise on the underground dance music circuit — Doug Morris, former head of Atlantic Records, brought Kallman and Big Beat into the Atlantic stable in 1991.
Although the label originally focused on churning out club and house music, being entrenched in the often cutting edge NY music scene inevitably led to Big Beat also embracing the growing hip hop movement as the 1990s progressed. In 1998, Kallman was promoted to Vice President of Atlantic. Following his promotion, Big Beat, along with most of its roster, was subsequently absorbed into its parent company.
Big Beat's artists have included: Lil Kim, Changing Faces, Robin S., Junior Mafia, Jomanda, Jody Watley, Buckethead, and Quad City DJs.
