Rhymesayers Entertainment (sometimes abbreviated RSE) is an American independent hip-hop record label based in Minneapolis.

History

Rhymesayers Entertainment was co-founded in 1995 by Sean Daley (

Slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a smal ...

), Anthony Davis ( Ant), Musab Saad ( Sab the Artist) and Brent Sayers (Siddiq). Former members of the Headshots crew. Beginning in 2008, Rhymesayers Entertainment sponsors the annual

Soundset Music Festival Soundset Music Festival was a hip-hop music festival held yearly in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area over Memorial Day, Memorial Day weekend. Since Soundset began in the Metrodome parking lot in 2008, attendance has grown from 12,000 to over 30,000 c ...

, a popular attraction that takes place over Memorial Day weekend in Minneapolis. The music festival was postponed in 2020. Rhymesayers released Prof and

Dem Atlas Joshua Ryan Turner (born May 31, 1992), better known by his stage name Dem Atlas (often stylized as deM atlaS), is an American rapper from Saint Paul, Minnesota. He was formally a member of the group Sifu Hotman alongside rapper Guante and produc ...

from their label in 2020. In 2020, Rhymesayers was among the many labels distributed by

Alternative Distribution Alliance Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) is a music distribution company owned by Warner Music Group, which represents the rights to various independent record labels. ADA provides "independent artist and label partners with access to the resource ...

that left the company after ADA moved all of its business to the Indiana-based Direct Shot Distributing. Controversy erupted when Direct Shot received numerous complaints from retailers over delayed or missing shipments. As a result,

Secretly Distribution Secretly Group is a family of American independent record labels based in Bloomington, Indiana. The group is made up of Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, and Dead Oceans. Secretly Canadian, the first of the labels, was formed in 1996 by brothers Ch ...

became the current distributor for Rhymesayers Entertainment. The label also opened a record store in 1999 called Fifth Element, which closed on April 1, 2020. 2013-0314-FifthElement-Rhymesayers

Roster

Artists in promotion by 2016

* Aesop Rock *

Atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...

(

and Ant) * Brother Ali * Dilated Peoples ( DJ Babu, Evidence and Rakaa) *

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...

Eyedea & Abilities Eyedea & Abilities (often abbreviated as E&A) was an American hip hop duo from Saint Paul, Minnesota, consisting of rapper Eyedea and DJ Abilities. The duo was founded in 1999 and became a prominent figure of the underground hip hop scene, bec ...

Face Candy Face Candy was an American improvisational jazz rap group by led rapper Eyedea in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The group released one album, ''This Is Where We Were'', in 2006. The initial lineup on the album consisted of Eyedea, Kristoff Krane, J.T. B ...

( Eyedea,

Kristoff Krane About Kristoff Krane is a rapper from Minneapolis, MN known for his stream-of-consciousness approach to writing, freestyling, and performing. In addition to his solo releases, Krane was also frontman alongside Eyedea (of Eyedea & Abilities) ...

, J.T. Bates and Casey O'Brien) * Felt (

Murs Murs may refer to: People * Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs (1804-1878), French ornithologist * Olly Murs (born 1984), English singer-songwriter * Murs (rapper) (born 1978), American rapper Places * Murs, Indre, France * Murs, Vaucluse, Fr ...

and Slug) * Hail Mary Mallon (Aesop Rock, DJ Big Wiz and Rob Sonic) *

I Self Devine Chaka Mkali (born 1972), better known by his stage name I Self Devine, is an American hip hop musician based in Minneapolis. He has been a member of groups such as The Dynospectrum, Micranots, and Semi.Official. In 2012, '' City Pages'' describ ...

* Malibu Ken ( Tobacco and Aesop Rock) *

Micranots Micranots is an American hip hop duo, consisting of I Self Devine and DJ Kool Akiem from Atlanta, Georgia, but currently reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2013, the group was described by '' City Pages'' as "the pioneering rap group that left ...

(I Self Devine and DJ Kool Akiem) * MInk (Musab and Ink Well) *

Nikki Jean Nicholle "Nikki" Jean Leary is an American singer. After studying theatre, Jean began her career as the lead singer of the Philadelphia-based band Nouveau Riche. She began posting acoustic music online. Jean gained major recognition after bein ...

Sa-Roc Assata Perkins (born December 28, 1981), known professionally as Sa-Roc (), is an American rapper. In 2016, she became the second female rapper to sign with the Rhymesayers label. Early life Sa-Roc was born in Southeast, Washington, D.C. on Dec ...

* Semi.Official (I Self Devine and DJ Abilities) *

Soul Position Soul Position is an American alternative hip hop duo hailing from Columbus, Ohio. It consists of DJ/ producer RJD2 and rapper Blueprint. The duo has released two albums and one EP on Rhymesayers Entertainment. Discography Albums * '' 8 Milli ...

( Blueprint and RJD2) * Step Brothers ( The Alchemist and Evidence) *

The Uncluded The Uncluded was an American indie folk rap group, formed by rapper Aesop Rock and singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson. In 2013, they released an album titled ''Hokey Fright'', through Rhymesayers Entertainment. The band name is a reference to the Mi ...

(Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson)

Archived artists

* Abstract Rude * Blueprint * Budo * DJ Abilities * Freeway *

Grayskul Grayskul is an American hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, consisting of rappers Onry Ozzborn and JFK Ninjaface. Since its formation in 2003, the group has released ten solo albums. The duo often collaborate with artists from the Pacifi ...

(JFK aka Ninjaface and Onry Ozzborn) *

Jake One Jacob Brian Dutton (born May 11, 1976), known professionally as Jake One, is an American record producer and songwriter.Palermo, Thomas (2008)Jake One Readies New Album, XLR8R, September 5, 2008Matos, Michaelangelo (2004)Rocketship Blowing Up, Se ...

* MF Doom *

Mr. Dibbs Mr. Dibbs (born Brad Forste) is an American DJ and hip hop producer. He is the Founder of 1200 HOBOS j/graff collective He was also one of the founders of Scribble Jam. Early life Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Forste was introduced to DJing aroun ...

* P.O.S *

Psalm One Cristalle Bowen (born July 1, 1980), better known by her stage names Psalm One and Hologram Kizzie, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. She has been a member of the groups Nacrobats, Rapperchicks, and Big Silky. Early life Psalm One w ...

* Sab the Artist * Toki Wright

Artists formerly signed to the label include

Boom Bap Project Boom Bap Project is an American Northwest hip hop group from Portland, Oregon. It consists of Karim, DJ Scene, and Destro, who are also part of the Oldominion collective. History Boom Bap Project released the first album, ''Circumstance Dictates ...

The Dynospectrum ''The Dynospectrum'' is a studio album by The Dynospectrum, a collaboration between rappers Slug, I Self Devine, Sab the Artist, and Swift. They performed under the pseudonyms Sep Sev Sev Two, Pat Juba, General Woundwart, and Mr. Gene Poole, respe ...

* Mac Lethal * Prof * Grieves *

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Record labels established in 1995 American independent record labels Independent record labels based in Minnesota Hip hop record labels Hip hop collectives Companies based in Minneapolis Minnesota culture