Full Surface 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 prod ...

founded in 2001, by American hip hop recording artist and record producer Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean. With the help of his protégé, Cassidy, who was the 1st artist signed, the label was established. The label used to operate through

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 ...

's J and through Universal's Interscope,

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

and

Universal Motown Universal Motown Records was an American record label that operated as a division of Universal Motown Republic Group. It was the contemporary incarnation of the legendary Motown Records label, and the " urban" half of UMG, although there were som ...

. However, the label also had released material through joint ventures with other companies outside the

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyou ...

group. It operates as a subsidiary of

Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in '' Shatter Me ...

and is distributed by

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

History

In 2001, Philadelphia-based

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

per Cassidy, was the 1st artist to sign a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with Full Surface. His March 2004 debut major label studio album ''

Split Personality Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

'' was certified Gold in America in April 2004. In 2002, it was announced Swizz Beatz signed Southern rapper Yung Wun, to the label. In a January 2003 interview with

AllHipHop AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998. History The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...

, Swizz Beatz said: "My new label

ull Surface Ull or ULL may refer to: University: * University of La Laguna, a university in Canary Islands, Spain * University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a research university in the USA Other: * Ullr or Ull, a Germanic god * Ull (Greyhawk), a political sta ...

is on its way, by storm. We are moving like the army on the creep. I wanted something new so I got a mix of talent –

Bounty Killa Rodney Basil Price (born 12 June 1972), known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair f ...

, Cassidy, Mashonda, Yung Wun, Big Tigg and Mr. Sweat – with me the beat man." In 2005, Cleveland-based rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, signed with Full Surface and secured a distribution deal with Interscope, the following year. In 2005,

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 ...

was about to sign to Full Surface but chose Sony Urban Music instead. In April 2006, it was announced Ruff Ryders alumni Eve, signed a joint venture deal with Full Surface and Dr. Dre's Aftermath. Eve went on to release the singles "

Tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called " zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thou ...

" and " Give It to You". In October 2007, it was announced another Ruff Ryders alumni,

Drag-On Melvin Smalls, known professionally as Drag-On, is an American rapper. He is best known for his time on Ruff Ryders, through whom he released his debut album, '' Opposite of H2O'' (2000). The album was successful, debuting at number five on th ...

, signed a record deal with Full Surface.

Artists

* Bone Thugs-n-Harmony * Cassidy *

* Eve * Mashonda *Rich Hil *

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

* Yung Wun

DJs and producers

*The Individualz - A group of

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

s, composed of Avenue, Joe Bravo and Jose, who have produced songs for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Swizz Beatz,

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

and Mary J. Blige. * Neo da Matrix - A producer from Philadelphia. Also signed to Ruff Ryders Entertainment and was signed with

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 ...

. *Snags - A producer who has produced songs for

and Jadakiss. *

Discography

* All releases distributed by

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

, unless otherwise noted.

References

External links

Full Surface Records
{{Authority control Record labels established in 2001 American record labels American hip hop record labels Vanity record labels Warner Music labels Atlantic Records Contemporary R&B record labels