Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational
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 prod ...
owned by
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
. It is based in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
, New York City, specializing predominantly in
hip hop,
contemporary R&B, soul and
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
.
The label has a London-based, UK arm known as 0207 Def Jam (formerly Def Jam UK in the 1990s until the mid-2000s) and is currently operated through
EMI Records. It has a Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria-based arm known as
Def Jam Africa. Def Jam distributes releases of various label imprints, including
Dave East's From the Dirt Records. Current artists include
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
,
Toya Johnson
Antonia "Toya" Rushing ( Johnson; born October 26, 1983) is an American reality television personality.
Early life
Johnson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the second child of Anita Johnson and Walter Andrews.
Career
In 2009, Johns ...
,
Nasty C,
2 Chainz,
Dave East,
Jeezy,
Jeremih,
Jhené Aiko
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American singer who embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in several music videos for R&B group B2K. In an effort to promote Aiko and cultivate a following for h ...
,
Fredo Bang and
YK Osiris, among others.
Company history
Founding and CBS Records Group era (1983–1994)
Def Jam was co-founded by
Rick Rubin in his dormitory in Weinstein Hall at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, ...
, and its first release was a single by his punk-rock group
Hose.
Russell Simmons joined Rubin shortly after they were introduced to each other, according to one story, by
Vincent Gallo. Another cites
DJ Jazzy Jay as their connector. Rubin has said he met Simmons on the TV show ''
Graffiti Rock'' and recognized him then as "the face of hip hop": "He was five years older than me, and he was already established in the music business. And I had no experience whatsoever." The second single released with the Def Jam Recordings logo was
T La Rock & Jazzy Jay's "It's Yours." The first releases with Def Jam Recordings catalog numbers were
LL Cool J's "
I Need a Beat" and the
Beastie Boys' "
Rock Hard", both in 1984. The singles sold well, eventually leading to a distribution deal with
CBS Records through
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
the following year. However, the Hose and T La Rock releases were ''not'' part of the deal and are now controlled by different entities.
This created a short-lived subsidiary label called OBR Records, short for Original Black Recordings, which catered toward R&B artists—the first artist signed to that imprint was
Oran "Juice" Jones, who enjoyed success with his hit single "
The Rain". A few years later, Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen started an umbrella label called Rush Associated Labels to handle Def Jam and its numerous spinoff labels. RAL became the home to
Nice & Smooth and
EPMD after both acts were acquired due to the folding of their former label
Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records is a defunct New York City-based independent record label founded by musician Arthur Russell and entrepreneur Will Socolov. It was active between 1981 and 1992, and specialized in dance music and hip hop.
Background and ...
. Other acts under the RAL umbrella included
Redman,
Onyx
Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The c ...
,
Flatlinerz
Flatlinerz is a horrorcore group from New York City. They are responsible for introducing the term "horrorcore" with their 1994 release '' U.S.A. (Under Satan's Authority)''.Domino
Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...
,
Warren G
Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and N ...
and
Jayo Felony. Def Jam also signed its first and only
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band,
Slayer, in 1986, and the band's
third and
fourth albums were the only two Def Jam releases to be distributed through
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and ...
via
Warner Bros. Records as opposed to Columbia/CBS. As the decade drew to a close, the label signed
Public Enemy
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
, whose controversial lyrical content garnered the company both critical acclaim and disdain.
Lyor Cohen became president of Def Jam/RAL in 1988, after winning a power struggle with Rubin, who would shortly thereafter leave the company to form
Def American Recordings. Rubin would take
Slayer and the rights of its Def Jam albums with him to Def American in its initial stages.
In 1991, CBS Records was folded (or rather rebranded) to the
music division of Japanese electronic giant
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
, bringing Def Jam and Columbia with it. By 1992, despite recent multiple
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
selling releases from
Public Enemy
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
, and
EPMD, Def Jam ran into major financial troubles and was faced with folding while at Sony.
PolyGram era (1994–1998)
In 1994,
PolyGram
PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be ...
purchased Sony's 50% stake in Def Jam Recordings—subsequently bringing the label into the
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, an ...
fold. Island would share in sales and marketing duties with select radio projects while Def Jam remained independent on all other label functions (A&R, video, promotion and publicity). The label venture went on to receive huge success with a slew of various other multi-platinum releases from
Montell Jordan, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Redman,
Method Man
Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...
and more. RAL/Def Jam also distributed the
Violator Records-signed artist
Warren G
Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and N ...
's debut album, ''
Regulate... G Funk Era'', which went triple platinum and brought much-needed revenue to Def Jam through its joint deal with Violator.
PolyGram acquired an additional 10% in Def Jam, further strengthening its ownership of the label. Shortly thereafter, Rush Associated Labels were renamed to the Def Jam Music Group. The label remained profitable as its veteran star LL Cool J released his successful album ''
Mr. Smith'' in 1995, a return to the rapper's original credibility following the fallback of his 1993 album, ''
14 Shots to the Dome''; his last album under the Def Jam/Columbia partnership. The label later signed
Foxy Brown, whose debut album, ''
Ill Na Na'' (1996) became a platinum seller in 1997. Def Jam followed up with its then-new R&B act,
Case
Case or CASE may refer to:
Containers
* Case (goods), a package of related merchandise
* Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component
* Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books
* Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...
, whose
self-titled debut album (also in 1996), including the single, "
Touch Me, Tease Me", went gold.
In June 1997, Def Jam acquired 50% of
Roc-A-Fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994.
History
1994–2000: Formation ...
for an estimated $1.4 million, giving co-founders
Jay-Z and
Damon Dash part ownership of the label, while Def Jam maintained distribution and co-marketing.
In 1997, through Def Jam A&R
Irv Gotti, Def Jam signed
Ruff Ryders artist
DMX
Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album ''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' in 1998, to both critical acclaim ...
. DMX's first studio album, ''
It's Dark and Hell is Hot'' was released on May 12, 1998 and was co-executive produced by Irv Gotti. The album debuted and peaked at number 1 on the
Billboard Top 200 and sold over 250,000 copies in its first week. The album went on to sell four million copies in America, being certified Quadruple Platinum by the RIAA, and sold five million copies worldwide. The success of the album prompted Lyor Cohen to challenge DMX to record another album quickly to have another album released within the same calendar year. DMX's second studio album, ''
Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood'' was released on December 22, 1998 and debuted and peaked at number one the Billboard Top 200. The album sold over 670,000 units in its first week of release, and went on to sell over four million copies. DMX claimed that Def Jam made $144 million from the sales of his first two albums.
The Island Def Jam Music Group founding (1998–2000)
In 1998, PolyGram was purchased by
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
' former parent,
Seagram, and later merged with the
MCA
MCA may refer to:
Astronomy
* Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars
Aviation
* Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways
* Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gene ...
group of record labels. In early 1999, the label group was rebranded as the
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
. It then purchased the remaining interest of Def Jam Recordings from Russell Simmons for a reported $100 million. UMG merged over 14 record labels including Def Jam, Island, and
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
together to form
the Island Def Jam Music Group
The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordin ...
. Despite the formation of IDJMG, the Def Jam, Mercury, and Island labels continued to operate as separate imprints underneath the umbrella.
Lyor Cohen was appointed co-president of IDJMG, and
Kevin Liles
Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968) is an American record executive and co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment. In 2020, Kevin was recognized by Billboard Magazine as R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year for both his efforts in activism and the c ...
succeeded him as president of Def Jam. In 1998, Def Jam created an
R&B spin-off label called Def Soul Records to run under the label's companionship. Def Jam inherited many of Island's urban artists, including
Dru Hill (including its lead singer
Sisqó),
the Isley Brothers (featuring
Ronald Isley) and
Kelly Price. Def Soul also issued recordings by
Musiq Soulchild, Montell Jordan,
Case
Case or CASE may refer to:
Containers
* Case (goods), a package of related merchandise
* Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component
* Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books
* Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...
,
112,
Patti LaBelle, and
Christina Milian. Liles also assumed presidency of Def Soul, which also formed a Classics subsidiary (active from 2003 to 2011). Island's
4th & B'way Records was also folded into Def Jam.
Also in 1999, the label began to distribute releases by
Murder Inc. Records, the newly-founded label run by former Def Jam A&R executive and record producer
Irv Gotti. The label's roster of artists would include
Ja Rule,
Ashanti and
Lloyd
Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to:
People
* Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' or ', which means "grey" or "brown"
** List of people with given name Lloyd
** List of people with surname Lloyd
* Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), American ...
, among others. The first release from Murder Inc. Records under Def Jam was Ja Rule's debut studio album, ''
Venni Vetti Vecci''. The album, released June 1, 1999, peaked in the top 3 on the
Billboard Top 200 and was certified platinum in America. On October 10, 2000, Def Jam and Murder Inc. released Ja Rule's second studio album, ''
Rule 3:36''. Anchored by the success of the lead single ''
Between Me and You'', the album debuted at number one on the Billboard top 200 and going on to be certified triple platinum in America.
The following year, it launched another subsidiary,
Def Jam South, which focused on
Southern rap and distributed releases from labels such as
Disturbing tha Peace, whose artist roster included its co-founder
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
,
Chingy,
Shawnna,
Bobby Valentino and
Playaz Circle. Russell Simmons tapped
Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
hip hop legend and former
Rap-A-Lot recording artist
Scarface as the original head of Def Jam South.
2000s
In 2000, The Island Def Jam Music Group announced the formation of Def Jam Germany, the first international Def Jam company. This increased the label's presence around the world. Def Jam Germany signed German rappers Spezializtz and Philly MC. The label was located in Berlin and opened on May 23, 2000. In addition to signing and marketing local artists, Def Jam Germany also marketed all U.S. signed Def Jam artists in the German territory. But the German division folded just two years later in 2002. Many of the artists were picked up by Universal/Urban, while others did not get a new contract.
The second international label is a Japanese branch, , also founded in 2000. The label was later rebranded as Def Jam Recordings; however, it is sometimes still referred to as Def Jam Japan. Their artist roster has included Japanese-American singer
Ai,
Teriyaki Boyz,
AK-69
AK-69, also known as Kalassy Nikoff (エーケーシックスティーナイン/カラシニコフ) is a Japanese Hip Hop artist from Komaki, Aichi. As a rapper, AK-69 uses his stage name; while singing, he is usually known as "Kalassy Nikoff." ...
, Nitro Microphone Underground, and South Korean boy band
BTS.
In January 2003, Murder Inc. became the center of a
money laundering
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdiction ...
investigation involving illegal profits from
drug trading, leading to the label's eventual release from its distribution contract by 2005. Def Jam also blocked Murder Inc. and
TVT Records from releasing a Cash Money Click reunion album, due to Ja Rule's contractual obligations, which alleged that Cohen paid Ja and Irv Gotti $8 million not to submit the project to TVT, but instead to parent company Universal. This resulted in TVT suing Def Jam, alleging infringement, fraud and tortious interference, winning $132 million in a judgment, but was later reduced to $126,000 after Universal and Def Jam appealed the ruling, claiming that the existence of an agreement between the parties meant that their behavior was only a breach of contract and not fraud.
The final shares of Roc-A-Fella Records were sold to Island Def Jam in 2004 for $10 million. By that time, Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam had launched the career of rapper-producer
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
. His debut, ''
The College Dropout
''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. In the years leading up to release, West had received p ...
'', went on to sell over two million copies. Co-founder Damon Dash and
Kareem "Biggs" Burke
Kareem "Biggs" Burke (born January 19, 1974) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and producer. He is best known as the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records along with Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Damon "Dame" Dash.
Early life
Kareem Bur ...
were forced out of the label as Cohen left IDJMG for
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. (trade name, d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York C ...
, and was replaced by music executive
Antonio "L.A." Reid. Frustrated, Liles and now-chairwoman of
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...
,
Julie Greenwald
Julie Greenwald is an American music industry executive. She is the chairperson and CEO of the Atlantic Music Group. Early life
Julie Greenwald was born in the Catskill Mountains in New York. She graduated from Tulane University in 1992 with ...
(who had been a part of the Def Jam staff since 1990) eventually decided to follow Cohen to Warner.
[Ogunnaike, Lola (August 28, 2005).]
Jay-Z, From Superstar to Suit
. ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. Retrieved March 23, 2008. A bidding war for Jay-Z's contract began, and Reid appointed Jay-Z president of Def Jam on December 8, 2004.
Long time label veterans LL Cool J and
DMX
Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album ''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' in 1998, to both critical acclaim ...
(the latter of whom had five number one albums under the label within a five-year gap between 1998 and 2003), as well as new signee
Joe Budden expressed discomfort with Jay-Z's leadership of the label, having altogether left the label since then.
Under Jay-Z's leadership, Def Jam launched the successful careers of contemporary R&B singers
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...
and
Ne-Yo. At the end of 2007, after he released
''American Gangster'', Jay-Z decided not to renew his contract as the president and CEO of Def Jam in order to start his new
Live Nation venture,
Roc Nation. Following Jay-Z's departure, L.A. Reid took over leadership of the label, as opposed to hiring a replacement. In June 2008,
Shakir Stewart
Shakir Stewart (April 12, 1974 – November 1, 2008), a native of Oakland, California, was a US record executive in a number of companies, the latest being Def Jam. At the time of his death he was the Senior Vice President of Island Def Jam Mu ...
was appointed as the executive vice president of Def Jam, a position that was previously left vacant since December 2007. However, on November 1, Stewart committed suicide, vacating the position again. Stewart was responsible for helping to sign
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followi ...
to the label in 2004.
2010s
In March 2011, it was announced that former
Warner Bros. Records executive
Joie Manda would become the first president of Def Jam since
Jay-Z. Around the summer of 2011, after Universal Music disbanded the
Universal Motown Republic Group
Universal Motown Republic Group (UMRG) was an umbrella label founded in 1999 by Universal Music Group to oversee the labels assigned to its unit. UMRG was formed in 1999 by pooling together Universal Records, Motown Records, and Republic Record ...
,
Motown Records would be moved under the Island Def Jam umbrella. In 2012, Manda assumed the position of president until March 2013 when he exited his post. It was later announced by his former boss, Barry Weiss, that he would be in charge of the urban division at Def Jam's sister Universal Music label,
Interscope Records.
The-Dream served as Def Jam's executive vice president of
A&R at Def Jam between 2012 and 2014.
No I.D. held the position of executive vice president after helping to establish
GOOD Music with Kanye West. He later became the executive vice president of the urban division at Def Jam's sister Universal label,
Capitol Music Group
Capitol Music Group (CMG) is an American front line umbrella label distributed by Universal Music Group which oversees handling of record labels assigned to UMG's Capitol Records division. It was inherited from UMG's acquisition of EMI's catalog ...
.
On April 1, 2014, it was announced that the Island Def Jam Music Group would no longer be active following the resignation of CEO Barry Weiss. A press release serviced by Universal Music Group stated that IDJMG, and all of its assets would be reorganized into Def Jam, Island and Motown, all as separate entities.
Def Jam Recordings currently operates as a stand-alone label within the Universal Music Group. Def Jam signed
DaniLeigh to the label in early 2017. Steve Bartels served as president and CEO of Def Jam since 2013 until an announcement commenced on August 3, 2017, stating that in January 2018,
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
's manager and co-founder of
Shady Records,
Paul Rosenberg would be appointed chairman and CEO of Def Jam.
On September 17, 2019, the launch of Def Jam South East Asia was announced at Music Matters, an annual music industry conference held in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, where
Joe Flizzow from Malaysia,
Daboyway from Thailand, Yung Raja, Fariz Jabba and
Alif
Alif may refer to:
Languages
* Alif (ا) in the Arabic alphabet, equivalent to aleph, the first letter of many Semitic alphabets
** Dagger alif, superscript alif in Arabic alphabet
* Alif, the first letter of the Urdu alphabet
* Alif, the eighth ...
from Singapore and A. Nayaka from Indonesia were announced as the label's six inaugural signings. That same month, Def Jam re-signed LL Cool J and DMX after nine and fourteen respective years apart from the label.
In late 2019, the label made its debut in the Philippines through Universal Music Group's local subsidiary
MCA Music, led by former Sony Music Philippines and Sindikato Management executive Enzo Valdez. Pinoy hip hop quartet VVS Collective was the label's first signed artists.
2020s
On February 21, 2020, Paul Rosenberg stepped down on his position as CEO of Def Jam. He was replaced by the head of business affairs at Universal Music, Jeffrey Harleston, who instead assumed interim control over the label. That November, Def Jam teamed up with Alex and Alec Boateng to create a new UK spin-off label called 0207 Def Jam under Universal Music UK's EMI Records. The UK roster currently consists of
Stormzy. Def Jam also expanded to Africa with the creation of
Def Jam Africa. In 2021, Harleston conference-called hip-hop legend
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...
and named him the executive consultant of Def Jam. Snoop agreed to Harleston's request and took over the consultancy role in July. In August 2021, Harleston announced that he will replace himself as the interim president of Def Jam with former Interscope/
RCA executive and Keep Cool founder
Tunji Balogun, who agreed to take on the role as chairman and CEO, which he did on New Year's Day 2022.
Presidents
*
Lyor Cohen (1988–1998)
*
Kevin Liles
Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968) is an American record executive and co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment. In 2020, Kevin was recognized by Billboard Magazine as R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year for both his efforts in activism and the c ...
(1998–2004)
*
Jay-Z (2005–2007)
*
L.A. Reid (2008–2012)
*
Joie Manda (2012–2013)
*Steve Bartels
(2013–2017)
*
Paul Rosenberg (2018–2020)
*Jeffrey Harleston
(acting, 2020–2022)
*
Tunji Balogun (2022–present)
Current artists
*
070 Shake
Danielle Balbuena (born June 13, 1997), better known by her stage name 070 Shake, is an American hip hop recording artist. 070 Shake is a part of the musical collective 070, who have released a mixtape together titled ''The 070 Project: Chapter ...
*
2 Chainz
*
Alessia Cara
*
Alif
Alif may refer to:
Languages
* Alif (ا) in the Arabic alphabet, equivalent to aleph, the first letter of many Semitic alphabets
** Dagger alif, superscript alif in Arabic alphabet
* Alif, the first letter of the Urdu alphabet
* Alif, the eighth ...
*
Amir Obè
*
Benny the Butcher
*
Big Sean
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...
*
Coco Jones
*
Daboyway
*
Dave East
*
Fabolous
John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...
*
Fredo Bang
*
Hit-Boy
*
Jadakiss
*
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followi ...
*
Jeremih
*
Jhené Aiko
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American singer who embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in several music videos for R&B group B2K. In an effort to promote Aiko and cultivate a following for h ...
*
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
*
Kaash Paige
*
Krept and Konan
*
Lady Sovereign
*
LL Cool J
*
Muni Long
Priscilla Renea Hamilton (born September 14, 1988), known professionally as Muni Long (pronounced "money long"), is an American singer and songwriter. Under her birth name, her solo debut studio album, ''Jukebox'', was released through Capitol R ...
*
Nasty C
*
Public Enemy
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
*
Pusha T
Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...
*
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...
*
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...
*
Teyana Taylor
*
Teezy (upcoming artist in 2023)
*
Toya Johnson
Antonia "Toya" Rushing ( Johnson; born October 26, 1983) is an American reality television personality.
Early life
Johnson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the second child of Anita Johnson and Walter Andrews.
Career
In 2009, Johns ...
*
YG
*
YK Osiris
*
Yung Joc
See also
* ''
Krush Groove''
*
Def Jam Recordings discography
This page lists a discography of albums and extended plays released under or distributed by Def Jam Recordings, a division of Universal Music Group, which had been created in 1984. Records distributed by another label, but released under Def Jam, ...
References
External links
Interview with Shakir Stewart, HitQuarters Nov 5
{{Authority control
American record labels
Companies based in New York City
Labels distributed by Universal Music Group
Contemporary R&B record labels
American hip hop record labels
Record labels established in 1983
Def Jam Recordings artists
Rick Rubin