Noo Trybe Records was an American hip hop

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 produ ...

established in 1994 by Eric L. Brooks and operated as a sublabel of

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

. It worked with several independent hip hop labels including

Rap-A-Lot Records Rap-A-Lot is a hip hop record label co-founded by James Prince and Cliff Blodget in 1986. Smoke-a-Lot Records is a subsidiary. Rap-A-Lot was first distributed by A&M Records with the release of Raheem's 1988 debut ''The Vigilante''. The label w ...

and AWOL.

History

A portion of Noo Trybe's roster came from several artists who were absorbed from EMI when it was disbanded, which included

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 20 ...

and AZ. Other Virgin acts such as

Shyheim Shyheim Dionel Franklin (born November 14, 1977) is an American rapper from New York better known simply as Shyheim. He initially gained fame as a teenager, releasing his debut album ''AKA the Rugged Child'' at the age of 16 in 1994. He has sp ...

, who signed with the label in 1993, were transferred to the new label. One of the label's biggest successes was the group

Luniz Luniz (formerly the LuniTunes) is an American hip hop duo from Oakland, California, formed by Yukmouth and Numskull. They were signed to Virgin Records, Noo Trybe Records, and C-Note Records. They were the flagship act for C-Note Records. The g ...

. On July 4, 1995, Noo Trybe released Luniz's debut studio album, ''

Operation Stackola ''Operation Stackola'' is the debut album by hip hop duo Luniz, which was released on July 4, 1995. The album was eventually certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over one million records on June 20, 2000.Billboard top 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artis ...

'', and ultimately achieved Platinum status in America. Rap-A-Lot's distribution was absorbed by Virgin proper in 1998, and in 1999, the label was absorbed by its parent. In 2013, the trademark was acquired by

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

as a result of its purchase of EMI's recorded-music business.

Discography

Albums

*1994 ** Scarface - '' The Diary'' *1995 **

– ''

Operation Stackola ''Operation Stackola'' is the debut album by hip hop duo Luniz, which was released on July 4, 1995. The album was eventually certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over one million records on June 20, 2000.Shyheim Shyheim Dionel Franklin (born November 14, 1977) is an American rapper from New York better known simply as Shyheim. He initially gained fame as a teenager, releasing his debut album ''AKA the Rugged Child'' at the age of 16 in 1994. He has sp ...

– ''The Lost Generation'' **Various artists – ''

Original Gangstas (soundtrack) ''Original Gangstas: The Soundtrack'' is the original soundtrack to Larry Cohen's 1996 action film ''Original Gangstas''. It was released on April 30, 1996 through Noo Trybe Records and consisted primarily of hip hop music. The album found decent ...

'' *1997 ** 3X Krazy – '' Stackin Chips'' **

Big Mike Big Mike is a nickname of: People with the nickname * Stormzy (born 1993), British grime artist and rapper * Mike Abrams (criminal) (died 1898), American underworld criminal * Michael Clemente (1908-1987), American mobster * Michael Clarke Dunc ...

– ''

Still Serious ''Still Serious'' is the second solo studio album by American rapper Big Mike (rapper), Big Mike. It was released on April 8, 1997, via Rap-A-Lot Records. Production of the album was handled by Mike Dean (record producer), Mike Dean, Mike B., Lora ...

'' **

– ''

Lunitik Muzik ''Lunitik Muzik'' is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Luniz. It was released on November 11, 1997 through Noo Trybe/C-Note Records. Production was handled by Tone Capone, Mike Dean, Bosko, Quincy Jones III, Raphael Saadiq, Redma ...

'' **

Rappin' 4-Tay Anthony H. Forté (born March 2, 1968), better known by his stage name Rappin' 4-Tay, is an American rapper from San Francisco, California. Early life Anthony Forte was born March 2, 1968 and grew up in San Francisco's Fillmore District. He has ...

– '' 4 tha Hard Way'' *1998 ** AZ – ''Pieces of a Man'' **

– ''Moment of Truth'' **Various artists – ''

Caught Up (soundtrack) ''Caught Up: Motion From the Motion Picture'' is the soundtrack to Darin Scott's 1998 crime film '' Caught Up''. It was released on February 24, 1998 through Virgin Records's Noo Trybe label and consisted entirely of hip hop music. The soundtrac ...

'' *1999 **

Road Dawgs The Road Dawgs were an American hip hop duo composed of G-Luv and Swamp Rat. They started their career as associates of Naughty by Nature in 1993. They then signed a deal with Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records in the late 90s and issued their only ...

– ''

Don't Be Saprize ''Don't Be Saprize'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Road Dawgs. It was released on March 23, 1999 through Noo Trybe Records. Production was handled by Mr. Payback, Greg Royal, Binky Mack, Darren Lighty, KayGee, Rick "Dutch" Cous ...

'' **

- '' Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr''

External links

Hip hop record labels American record labels 1994 establishments in the United States 1999 disestablishments in the United States Record labels established in 1994 Record labels disestablished in 1999 EMI Virgin Records {{hiphop-stub