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Conglomerate is a
record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...
founded by Busta Rhymes. The label was established in 1994 as Flipmode, the name Conglomerate was later adopted in 2010.


Company history


Elektra (1996–2000)

Soon after the Elektra deal was done, Busta obtained his own label which was to serve as an imprint to Elektra. At the time, his new artist Rah Digga signed to Elektra, along with her cousin Rampage. Elektra would allow Busta to sign these acts to his Flipmode Entertainment. Under the terms of the deal, Busta was responsible for putting their albums together and they would fund, promote and distribute the releases from the label. The first release from Flipmode was Busta Rhymes' '' The Coming'', which came in 1996, during the time that the east coast was beginning to gain popularity again after the rise of the west coast. The album went platinum and catapulted him and the label into stardom, it also featured appearances from coming Flipmode members Spliff Star, Lord Have Mercy, and Rampage. Rampage would release his debut album in 1997, along with Busta Rhymes' second album. The crew was forming all the while Rampage, Rah Digga, Busta, Spliff Star, and Lord Have Mercy would soon be joined by Baby Sham, as well. The label soon released an album by Flipmode Squad, '' The Imperial'' in 1998. By 1999, the group and label were one of the most popular crews in hip hop, with Busta Rhymes as their central star and leader. Despite this, Busta was looking for a change as he was disappointed with the way that Elektra handled his last project and Rah Digga's debut,
Dirty Harriet ''Dirty Harriet'' is the debut album by American hip hop recording artist Rah Digga. It was released via Flipmode/ Elektra in 2000. The album went on to sell over 311,000 units in the United States. The album reached number 18 on the ''Billboar ...
, which sold poorly, though the album would later become something of a cult classic. After the release of his album, '' Anarchy'', Busta began looking for a way to move him and his squad to another label, but had only released four out of the five albums in his deal with Warner Bros. Records. So, in 2000, he released a compilation album and began to search for a new home. By then, member Lord Have Mercy would part ways with the crew, signaling the end of the height of Flipmode as a crew, as his album ''The Ungodly Hour'' never saw the light of day. Future changes would plague the group due to tense chemistry with Busta.


J (2001–2004)

After he moved the label away from Elektra, Busta had begun talking to Clive Davis, who had been recently ousted from Arista Records. He mentioned to Busta that he had recently created a new imprint at BMG, J Records. Clive told Busta that he had yet to sign anyone to the label and would be glad to distribute Busta and his Flipmode Entertainment. The deal was done by November 2000 and Busta Rhymes began work on his fifth album, ''
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
''. The album sold well, fueled by the
P. Diddy Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
-collaborated "Pass the Courvoisier." The single was a big hit during the year of 2002 and introduced Busta Rhymes into a younger generation of fans and totally revitalized his career. After the hype surrounding ''Genesis'' died down, Busta began working on an album for his Flipmode Squad, Rah Digga, and himself. The first to be released was ''
It Ain't Safe No More ''It Ain't Safe No More...'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Busta Rhymes. The album was released on November 26, 2002, by Flipmode Records and J Records. The album went Gold on January 6, 2003 – and has sold 605,000 copies as of De ...
'', which featured Mariah Carey and the Flipmode Squad. Two singles from the album got a lot of airplay, but his new solo album stalled at gold, making it the worst-selling album in
Busta Rhymes discography American rapper Busta Rhymes has released ten studio albums, three compilation albums, eight mixtapes, ninety-one singles (including fifty as a featured artist), fourteen promotional singles and fifty-six music videos. Busta Rhymes signed his ...
. To this Busta would blame on J Records not promoting his music properly, and consequently J records did not release Rah Digga's album nor did they release the Flipmode group album. In turn, Busta began associating himself with
Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...
and Eminem, as rumors began to circulate that Busta was moving his label yet again. These rumors proved to be false at the time. He would record some songs with Eminem and Dr. Dre, but would continue to stay at J Records. From 2002 to 2004, nothing was heard from Flipmode Entertainment as Busta Rhymes, the face of their label was doing more television than anything else. They resurfaced in 2005, when Busta Rhymes announced that he was planning to leave J Records and was recording his seventh album. Consequently, a new Flipmode album, though in the works, was shelved, and the roster continued to change.


Aftermath and Interscope (2006–2008)

In late 2005, Busta Rhymes had moved Flipmode once again, this time to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, a subsidiary of powerhouse label, Interscope Records. He celebrated the new distribution deal by cutting off his trademark dreadlocks and signing hip hop phenom,
Papoose Papoose (from the Algonquian ''papoose'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in t ...
and Chauncey Black, formerly of Blackstreet. The deal came as no surprise to any hip hop fan as Dr. Dre had been producing for Busta since he had been signed to Elektra and he had begun to be featured on many Shady/Aftermath projects during the years 2003 and 2004. In February 2006, he released the second single, " I Love My Chick" from his seventh studio album '' The Big Bang''. The album was released on June 13, 2006. It was a platinum success and returned the label back to the radio and back to hip hop prominence after a four-year absence. This success would be short-lived as the label's next release, '' Have You Seen'' by Rampage failed to certify on the charts. Soon after, the label would run into more bad luck. Papoose, who was signed to a joint-venture with Streetsweepers Entertainment, announced that he was leaving Flipmode just after signing a $1 Million dollar contract with the label. Furthermore, longtime Flipmode Entertainment act Rah Digga left the label expressing her full frustration to the fact of her new solo material never being released. On July 17, 2008, Busta Rhymes got dropped from Interscope/Aftermath, however. It was reported that Busta Rhymes was dropped from Interscope due to a heated argument with Jimmy Iovine. It was later revealed that following his alleged acrimonious departure from the Interscope/Aftermath label he signed a new deal with
Universal Motown Universal Motown Records was an American record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company tha ...
, who would be releasing his 8th studio album '' Back on My B.S.'' on May 19, 2009.Exclusive: Busta Rhymes Signs with Universal Motown.
''Rap-up.com.'' Accessed September 17, 2008.


Universal Motown and Conglomerate (2008–2009)

Smith released his eighth studio album '' Back on My B.S.'' on May 19, 2009 via
Universal Motown Universal Motown Records was an American record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company tha ...
. The album debuted at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 56,000 copies, and was his first album to not receive an RIAA certification, selling 122,000 copies to date. The singles that have been released from the album are, " Arab Money", " Hustler's Anthem '09" and "
Respect My Conglomerate "Respect My Conglomerate" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Busta Rhymes, released on April 4, 2009, as the third single from ''Back on My B.S.'' (2009). It is also featured as a bonus track from Jadakiss's third album '' The Last Kis ...
". The song " World Go Round", featuring British singer Estelle, was released in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
on April 6, 2009 due to the heavy rotation of a leaked version. The single was released in the UK on July 13, 2009. All the while, the Flipmode roster continued to change, and Spliff Star dropped a number of street albums, with the collective recording mixtapes. Busta Rhymes then founded The Conglomerate Entertainment in 2010 and the brand is no longer known as Flipmode.


Conglomerate (2010–present)

On November 16, 2011, it was announced that Busta Rhymes signed to Cash Money Records. For his debut single on the label and his The Conglomerate Entertainment, " Why Stop Now", he reunited with his " Look at Me Now"-collaborator
Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...
. The Conglomerate, as a collective effort, released their first official mixtape 'Catastrophic' at the end of 2012. On July 24, 2014, Reek da Villian revealed that he had departed from Conglomerate Records.


Artists


Current acts

* Busta Rhymes * Spliff Star * J-Doe *
O.T. Genasis Odis Oliver Flores (born June 18, 1987), better known by his stage name O.T. Genasis, is an American rapper, actor and singer. Early life Odis Oliver Flores was born on June 18, 1987, in Atlanta to Garifunas from Belize. He is a Garifuna Amer ...
*
Murda Mook John Ancrum, better known by his stage names Murda Mookie and Mook, is an American rapper based out of Harlem, New York. He is a veteran of East-Coast street rap battles, and has influenced the majority of modern battle rappers today. Alongside ...
* Prayah * Trillian * Dj Scratch-a-tor The history and biographies of Flipmode & Conglomerate
. Conglomeratefans.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.


Former acts

* Lord Have Mercy * Roc Marciano * Rah Digga * Baby Sham * Rampage * Chauncey Black * Flipmode Squad *
Papoose Papoose (from the Algonquian ''papoose'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in t ...
* Labba * Show Money * Jelly Roll *
Reek da Villian Rico Pleasant (born December 5, 1989), better known as ReMix Reek, is an American rapper from Roosevelt, Long Island, New York. He embarked on his career as the protégé of fellow Long Island rapper Busta Rhymes and as a member of the East ...
* N.O.R.E. * M.Dollars * Stove God Cooks * Serious


Discography


See also

*
List of record labels File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg File:Bingola1011b.jpg Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...


References

{{Authority control American record labels Record labels established in 1994 Hip hop record labels Vanity record labels