GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a

backronym A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...

for Getting Out Our Dreams) is 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 that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

founded by rapper

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 ...

in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with

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 Recordi ...

in 2011. In 2012, the label released its debut compilation album '' Cruel Summer''. In 2015,

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 201 ...

was appointed the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the label by West, while record executive

Steven Victor Steven William Victor (born September 6, 1980) is a Haitian-American record executive, artist manager, music publisher, and A&R representative. He is the founder & CEO of Victor Victor Worldwide and SVP of A&R at Universal Music Group. He former ...

was appointed COO. On December 19, 2022, Pusha T announced that he was stepping down and was no longer on speaking terms with West. The label has released two number-one US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles, " All of Me" by

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

, and " Panda" by

Desiigner Sidney Royel Selby III (born May 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Desiigner, is an American rapper and singer. In December 2015, his debut single " Panda" reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2019, he was released f ...

; as well as nine number-one US ''Billboard'' 200 albums: ''

Finding Forever ''Finding Forever'' is the seventh studio album by Common, released on July 31, 2007, on GOOD Music and Geffen Records. Like Common's previous album, '' Be'' (2005), ''Finding Forever'' is primarily produced by Kanye West. The album debuted at th ...

'' by

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...

; '' Dark Sky Paradise'', '' I Decided'', and '' Detroit 2'' by

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 ...

; ''

The Life of Pablo ''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in I ...

'', '' Ye'', '' Jesus Is King'', and '' Donda'' by Kanye West and ''

It's Almost Dry ''It's Almost Dry'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Pusha T. It was released on April 22, 2022, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. The album is Pusha T's final album with Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances ...

'' by

. In 2022, ''Complex'' reported that GOOD Music is no longer a part of

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

and West's deal with the label expired. Its final two releases, ''

'' by Pusha T and ''You Can’t Kill Me'' by

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 ...

, were released and distributed by Def Jam in April and June of that year, respectively.

History

2004–2007

Kanye West at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

GOOD Music was founded in 2004 by Kanye West in conjunction with

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 ...

, shortly after the release of his debut album ''

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 ...

''. Ohio singer

and fellow Chicago rapper

were the label's initial artists, along with West himself. Legend's '' Get Lifted'' (2004) was the label's first album release, leading both the artist and label to tremendous success. The album received eight nominations and three wins at the

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s. The album contained the single "

Ordinary People ''Ordinary People'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford in his directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Judith Guest. The film follows the disintegration of an uppe ...

", which was nominated for and won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In October 2006, Legend released his second album, '' Once Again'', which won Legend his second consecutive Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in the song "

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

". Common's '' Be'' (2005), the label's second release, was the recipient of four Grammy Award nominations. The label later added GLC, Really Doe, Malik Yusef, Tony Williams and Consequence to its artists. West's second studio album, ''

Late Registration ''Late Registration'' is the second studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions ...

'', included featured guest appearances by every artist signed to GOOD Music's roster at the time of its release in August 2005. In 2005, West came across a young Sean Anderson, known today as Big Sean, before a radio interview. After performing a

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Lab ...

, he left West with a demo tape, and in May 2007, Big Sean was signed to the label. In an August 2007 interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' West expressed regrets over starting the label:

2008–2011

In 2008, British singer-songwriter

Mr Hudson Benjamin Hudson McIldowie (born 26 June 1979), better known by his stage name Mr Hudson, is an English musician from Birmingham, England. First rising to prominence in 2006 with Mr Hudson and the Library, Hudson later embarked on a solo career ...

was signed, following the release of his debut ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in ...

'' (2007). There followed

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Y ...

, and manager

Plain Pat Patrick Reynolds, professionally known as Plain Pat, is an American music executive, record producer, songwriter and disc jockey (DJ). He is perhaps best known for overseeing American musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi, during their respective e ...

. Kid Cudi's debut album, '' Man on the Moon: The End of Day'' was released under GOOD Music on September 15, 2009. The album earned three Grammy nominations and was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

by the RIAA. A month later Mr Hudson's solo debut, '' Straight No Chaser'', was released. Big Sean 2015

In late 2010, West released several tracks featuring himself, and others members of the GOOD Music roster, in a free weekly giveaway known as, G.O.O.D. Fridays. In September 2010, Brooklyn rapper

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

was signed. Shortly afterwards Consequence released a

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the t ...

and left the label. The following month

announced his signing to the label. Late in 2010, Kid Cudi released his second studio album '' Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager'', followed by West's fifth album '' My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''. West, Pusha T, Big Sean, Common and Cyhi the Prynce took part in a

cypher Cypher is an alternative spelling for cipher. Cypher may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Cypher (French Group), a Goa trance music group * Cypher (band), an Australian instrumental band * ''Cypher'' (film), a 2002 film * ''Cypher'' ...

at the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards. In April 2011, West signed American rapper and producer Q-Tip of

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

. Kanye West also signed producer Hit-Boy, to Very Good Beats. In 2011, West signed

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

artists

D'banj Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo (born 9 June 1980), better known by his stage name D'banj, is a Nigerian singer and rapper and the founder of Mo' Hits Records with producer Don Jazzy. He has won several music awards, including the awards for ''Best A ...

and

Don Jazzy Michael Collins Ajereh (born 26 November 1982), known professionally as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian record producer. He is the founder and the CEO of Mavin Records. Don Jazzy was co-owner of the now-defunct Mo' Hits Records record label with D' ...

. In June 2011, GOOD Music signed their first distribution agreement, with

. Big Sean's debut '' Finally Famous'' was the first album released by GOOD Music with distribution by

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

2012–2017

In late 2011, plans were announced for a release of a

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

, later entitled '' Cruel Summer''. The album's lead single "

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

", was released on April 6, 2012, and features verses from Kanye West, Pusha T and Big Sean, as well as GOOD Music affiliate

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...

. The album was also preceded by the singles "

New God Flow "New God Flow" is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Pusha T. It was released as the third single from the compilation album '' Cruel Summer'' (2012), a collaboration between members of their record label GOOD Music. Produced by West, Anth ...

" and "

Clique A clique ( AusE, CanE, or ), in the social sciences, is a group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardless of gender, ethnicity, or popular ...

", the latter of which peaked at number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It features West and Big Sean rapping alongside

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 ...

. ''Cruel Summer'' was released on September 18, 2012. It was accompanied by the eponymous short film ''Cruel Summer'', which was shot in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

; the film premiered at

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

. In January 2013, Scottish record producer and DJ Hudson Mohawke, announced that he had signed to the production arm of G.O.O.D. Music - Very Good Beats. On April 2, 2013, Kid Cudi announced on Power 106 that he was no longer with the label, leaving on amicable terms. Cudi felt he was "underused" and would have preferred to record something particular for '' Yeezus'' (2013). On June 29, 2013, producer Hit-Boy of Very Good Beats announced that his contract expired and that he was no longer signed to GOOD Music.

American Apparel American Apparel Inc. is an online-only retailer and former brick-and-mortar stores operator based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Canadian businessman Dov Charney in 1989, it was a vertically integrated company that ranked as one of the ...

model

Kacy Hill Kacy Anne Hill (born May 1, 1994) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and former model. She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and had previously worked as a model for American Apparel. She released "Experience", her first non-albu ...

was signed to the label December 2014, after appearing as a backup dancer on West's Yeezus Tour. In March 2015, GOOD Music signed HXLT. In November 2015, West appointed Pusha T the

of GOOD Music, while record executive

was appointed COO. In January 2016, Mos Def retired from music announcing it in a

released in conjunction with West's G.O.O.D. Fridays series. On June 3, 2016, Kanye West announced GOOD Music's upcoming album, ''Cruel Winter'', in an interview with Big Boy. On September 7, 2016, West announced that former

Young Money Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republ ...

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip ...

artist

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

, signed a record deal with GOOD Music. Later that day, Pusha T announced Atlanta-based rap trio

Migos Migos () is an American hip hop trio from Lawrenceville, Georgia, founded in 2008. The group was originally composed of Southern rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia; Offset and Takeoff were born and raised in Law ...

had signed a management deal with the label. However, in January 2017, Migos clarified that although there were discussions for a management deal, nothing had come to fruition. On September 9, 2016, the official GOOD Music Twitter account uploaded an image of an updated artist roster with the caption "THIS ''IS'' GOOD MUSIC". The image indicated that several artists had either left or been removed by the label, including

, Malik Yusef, Ryan McDermott, and

. Later that month, in a radio interview with ''

The Breakfast Club ''The Breakfast Club'' is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The ...

'', John Legend announced that his fifth studio album, '' Darkness and Light'', would be his last with GOOD Music. GOOD was advertised as one of the headlining acts of the ill-fated

Fyre Festival Fyre Festival was a fraudulent luxury music festival founded by con artist Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule. It was created with the intent of promoting the company's Fyre app for booking music talent. The festival was scheduled to take plac ...

in 2017; however, the exact member(s) of the label that were to perform were never established. In May 2017, Pusha T signed

Francis and the Lights Francis and the Lights is an American pop project led by Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen. Starlite often uses the Francis and the Lights name when credit ...

to GOOD Music. In February 2018, Pusha T followed up by signing Valee with GOOD Music as well.

2018–present

In 2018, West revealed he would produce upcoming albums by GOOD Music label-mates Pusha T and Teyana Taylor, as well as

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

. Pusha T's '' Daytona'', "the first project out of Wyoming", was released in May to critical acclaim, although the album's artwork—a photograph of deceased singer Whitney Houston's bathroom that West paid $85,000 to license—attracted some controversy. The following week, West released his eighth studio album, '' Ye''. West has suggested that he scrapped the original recordings of the album and re-recorded it within a month. The week after, West released a collaborative album with former GOOD Music artist Kid Cudi, titled '' Kids See Ghosts'', named after their group of the same name. West also completed production work on Nas' ''

Nasir Nasir ( ar, ناصر, translit=Nāṣir) is a masculine given name, commonly found in Arabic which can mean "helper" or "one who gives victory" (grammatically the Stem I masculine singular active participle of consonantal verb root ''n-ṣ-r''). ...

'' and Teyana Taylor's '' K.T.S.E.'', which were released in June 2018. On October 29, 2021, Big Sean announced on Twitter that after 14 years, he has stepped away from Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label, saying "That’s a forever brotherhood, but business wise, I had to start getting a bigger cut! I worked my way out that deal." Afterwards, West would appear on the program Drink Champs hosted by N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, where he would talk with them about different topics, one of them being John Legend and Big Sean leaving his label, where West would state "I already decided that when I die on my tombstone it’s going to say, ‘I deserve to be here because I signed Big Sean,’" as well as "The worst thing I’ve ever done was sign Big Sean." Before the episode, Big Sean said on Twitter "I just got asked to be on the next Drink Champs so I’m assuming Ye talkin’ crazy." And would also share a photo of him and West from after the interview and wrote "Was just iththis man, he ain’t say none of that!" On October 24, 2022, it was revealed that Def Jam had officially dropped both West and GOOD off of their label. This comes as a response to West’s recent controversies involving actions deemed as antisemitic and racist, though it was revealed that West was already released from Def Jam following the release of '' Donda'' as the album completed his album contract with the label. On December 19, 2022, Pusha T announced that he was no longer on speaking terms with Kanye West due to controversies related to his antisemitic views and has stepped down from his post as President of G.O.O.D. Music and is officially off the imprint.

Artists

Current acts

Former acts

Presidents

COOs

Very Good Beats

G.O.O.D. Music also has a production wing known as Very Good Beats; this serves as a group of in-house producers.

Current producers

88-Keys Charles Misodi Njapa (born March 5, 1976), better known by his stage name 88-Keys, is an American record producer and rapper from New York City. Biography Born in New York City to West African parents from Cameroon, he was raised in the Eastc ...

* Benny Cassette * Boogz & Tapez *

Charlie Heat Ernest Brown (born November 10, 1989), professionally known as Charlie Heat, is an American record producer, songwriter and record executive. In 2015, he signed to Very Good Beats, a subsidiary of GOOD Music, which is run by Kanye West. Since mak ...

* Evian Christ * Hudson Mohawke * Jeff Bhasker *

* Lifted * Mike Dean *

No I.D. Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having relea ...

* Noah Goldstein * Q-Tip * Symbolyc One (S1) * Travis Scott

Former producers

* Brian "All Day" Miller * Devo Springsteen *

* Keezo Kane * Keyon Christ (aka Mitus)

Discography

As of 2011, all releases are distributed by

, unless otherwise noted.

Studio albums

EPs

Mixtapes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Kanye West 2004 establishments in New York City American record labels Companies based in New York City Contemporary R&B record labels Labels distributed by Universal Music Group American hip hop record labels Mass media companies based in New York City Music production companies New York (state) record labels Publishing companies established in 2004 Record labels established in 2004 Talent agencies Vanity record labels Def Jam Recordings