First Priority Music (FPM) was an American
hip hop record label of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which later released
contemporary R&B and
country music, among others. A small independent, it formed distribution relationships first with
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 i ...
, and later on with
Jive/Zomba.
First Priority was founded by Nat Robinson in 1987, to release music by his son Kirk better known as Milk Dee of Audio Two. FPM's first release was Audio Two's "Make It Funky"/"
Top Billin'", which was successful enough to secure the label a distribution deal with
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 i ...
.
MC Lyte's debut album ''
Lyte as a Rock'' (1988) was followed by her records, ''
Eyes on This'' (1989) and ''
Act Like You Know'' (1991). "Ruffneck", from 1993's ''
Ain't No Other'', was the first gold single by a solo female rap artist. Other members of the hip hop roster of the period include
Positive K,
Michie Mee, Alliance, Kings of Swing, and Barsha. A compilation featuring FPM artists, ''
The First Priority Music Family: Basement Flavor'', was released by the label in 1988. A short-lived sub-label called Bum Rush was distributed by Atlantic then-sister label
Virgin Records from 1989 to 1991.
Recent years saw releases by Jason Downs and the 2004 single by Eamon called "
Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)," which were released through Jive/Zomba.
Artists
* Alliance
*
Audio Two
Audio Two was the Brooklyn, New York hip hop duo of emcee Kirk "Milk Dee" Robinson and DJ Nat "Gizmo" Robinson, most famous for its first hit "Top Billin'".
History
The duo's debut single, "Make it Funky", was released in 1987, but it was ...
*
MC Lyte
*
Eamon (singer)
*
Positive K
*
Proven Innocent
*
Jason Downs
*
Michie Mee
*
Mekhi Phifer
References
*Peter Shapiro, ''Rough Guide to Hip-Hop'', 2nd ed., Rough Guides; London, 2005 (p. 18, pp. 253–254).
*Simon Price, "Rock and Pop", ''
The Independent Sunday'', June 24, 2001.
*https://www.abc-7.com/story/41138393/hip-hops-first-priority-music-hits-reset-button-announces-expansion
External links
Official site
American independent record labels
Hip hop record labels
Atlantic Records
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