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UpFront Records 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 produ ...
owned and founded by DeVyne Stephens. Stephens began his career in the early 1990s with Devyne featuring 90 Miles an Hour. "I was one of the first artists L.A. eidand
Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
signed to LaFace Records," he says. But the group broke up before it could release an album. Undaunted, Stephens found his niche as a choreographer and imaging expert for LaFace Records. He worked with everyone from Pebbles, Toni Braxton and Pink to TLC, Usher and Boyz II Men. He says that people in Atlanta have their own individual style. "Being I'm a native from Atlanta, I cultivate that style and put it on different artists," he says. Stephens discovered Senegalese R&B singer
Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...
, who just moved to Atlanta from New Jersey. He signed Akon to his own UpFront Records and secured a distribution deal with SRC/Universal. "I always believed that Akon was special," he says. Akon went on to sell over a million copies of his 2004 debut, Trouble, and score hit singles like "Locked Up" and "Lonely". UpFront Records' roster includes Akon, R&B quartet Red Dirt, and rap group FA (Free Agents). He says there isn't much difference between his former job at LaFace and his current duties as a record executive. He teaches his artists, "The first thing people look for is individuality. You gotta ichave that in the music industry. Style is definitely important."


See also

*
List of record labels File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg File:Bingola1011b.jpg Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...


External links

* American record labels Record labels established in 2005 Labels distributed by Warner Music Group Contemporary R&B record labels Hip hop record labels {{US-record-label-stub