JMJ Records 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 produ ...

which was founded in 1989 by

Jason Mizell Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the big ...

, better known as

Jam Master Jay Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the big ...

from

Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

The label was relaunched in 2017 by Jam Master J'Son, the oldest son of the legendary Jam Master Jay. The label released such artists as The Afros, Fam-Lee,

Onyx Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The ...

, Jayo Felony, Suga and 50 Cent. The label closed in 2002 after the murder of its founder only to reopen in 2017 under Jam Master J's oldest son Jam Master J'Son. Throughout the duration of its existence, JMJ Records has released 6 studio albums and about 25 singles.

History

JMJ Records was founded in 1989 by

, better known as

from

The label was distributed by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...

and PolyGram. The label folded in 2002 after the murder of its founder in his own recording studio 24/7 Studios, in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

on October 30, 2002. The first label artist was The Afros, which consisted of Kool Tee (Tadone Hill), DJ Kippy-O (Kip Morgan) and Beastie Boys' DJ Hurricane (Wendell Fite). The group name stands for "A Funky Rhythmic Organization Of Sounds". Their single "Feel It" was the first single released on the label in 1990. The group's debut and only album, ''Kickin' Afrolistics'', was released on JMJ Records on August 14, 1990. All music on the album was produced by David Reeves, better known as

Davy DMX David Franklin Reeves Jr. (known professionally as Davy DMX, Davy D or Davy Dee, and also credited under the name David Reeves) is an American musician, DJ, and producer best known for his work in cooperation with Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, The Fat ...

, and Jason Mizell. The material for the second album was recorded, but it was never released. The group also took a part in the recording of the song "Pause" by Run-D.M.C, which was originally released on the "

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

" single in 1989. In 1991, Jay signed Fam-Lee, which included four brothers by the name of: Berkley, Anthony, Keef and Coree Pearyer from

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

. Their late uncle, Glen Goins, was a member of the Bootsy's Rubber Band and P-Funk. In 1991, four singles were released, which included videos: "You're The One For Me", "Love Me", "Always On My Mind" and "Runs In The Fam-Lee". The single "Runs In The Fam-Lee" also features a remix that was produced by the producer of Onyx,

Chyskillz Chylow Parker (July 19, 1969 – February 13, 2018), known by the stage name Chyskillz, was an American record producer, beatmaker, DJ, hardcore rapper, and a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx. Chyskillz was discovered by the ...

. In 1992, Fam-Lee released on JMJ Records their debut album ''Runs In The Fam-Lee''. The group recorded songs in the popular at that time new jack swing style and performed songs mainly about love. Jam Master Jay produced almost all of their songs. In 1993, JMJ Records scored a success with Onyx, whose debut album ''

Bacdafucup ''Bacdafucup'' is the debut album by American hip hop group Onyx, released on March 30, 1993 by JMJ Records, Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings. The album was produced by Chyskillz, Jam Master Jay and Kool Tee. ''Bacdafucup'' peaked at ...

'' went

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

in the same year, thanks to their popular single "

Slam Slam, SLAM or SLAMS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional elements * S.L.A.M. (Strategic Long-Range Artillery Machine), a fictional weapon in the ''G.I. Joe'' universe * SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield), a fictional anti-ball ...

", which became a hip hop anthem, and also awarded Platinum in the same year. In 1994, Jay signed

gangsta rapper Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

Jayo Felony from

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The result of this deal was the debut album ''

Take a Ride ''Take a Ride'' is the debut album by San Diego–based American rapper Jayo Felony. It was released on October 24, 1995 via Jam Master Jay's JMJ Records label and distributed by Rush Associated Labels, a PolyGram circulation of Def Jam Recordi ...

'', released in 1995. In 1995, JMJ signed female rapper Suga (a.k.a. Sweet Tee), whose single, "What's Up Star?", was included on the soundtrack for '' The Show''. In 1996, Jay took under his wing a young

Curtis Jackson Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

, whom he allowed to use the professional equipment in a recording studio and gave him the first real opportunities for performances in front of an audience. In 1997, Jackson released on JMJ Records debut single "The Glow / The Hit" under the name Fifty-Cent. In 1998, Fifty took a part in the recording of the song "

React REACT or React may refer to: Science and technology *REACT (telescope), a telescope at Fenton Hill Observatory, New Mexico, US Computing * React (JavaScript library) , a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, from Facebook ** React Nati ...

" for the third album of Onyx, '' Shut 'Em Down''. Jay produced debut album for Fifty Cent, which he had planned to release under JMJ. However, after a frustrating writing process and several production delays, the album was postponed and never saw the light of day. To date, there are very few remnants of 50 Cent's early work with Jam Master Jay. However, Jay's mentorship helped Fifty get the close attention of several executive producers from Columbia Records, who appreciated his talent and signed to their label in 1999. In 2017, JMJ Records was re-opened by Jam Master Jay's son, Jason Mizell Jr., also known as Jam Master J'Son & partner Richy718.

Former artists

*The Afros *Fam-Lee *

* Jayo Felony *Suga * 50 Cent *Char Elizabeth aka Charlene Cockett

Discography

Albums

* 1990: The Afros - ''Kickin' Afrolistics'' * 1992: Fam-Lee – ''Runs In The Fam-Lee'' * 1993:

– ''

'' * 1995: Jayo Felony – ''

'' * 1995: Onyx – ''

All We Got Iz Us All We Got Iz Us is the second album by American hip hop group Onyx, released on October 24, 1995 by JMJ Records and Rush Associated Labels. The album was produced by Onyx. The album features guest appearances from rap group All City and rapper f ...

'' * 1998: Onyx – '' Shut 'Em Down''

Singles

* 1990: The Afros - "Feel It" * 1991: Fam-Lee – "Always On My Mind" * 1991: Fam-Lee – "Runs In The Fam-Lee" * 1991: Fam-Lee – "Love Me" * 1992: Fam-Lee – "You're The One For Me" * 1992: Onyx – " Throw Ya Gunz" * 1993: Onyx – "Bacdafucup / Throw Ya Gunz" * 1993: Onyx – "

" * 1993: Onyx – " Slam - The Alternatives" * 1993: Onyx – " Shifftee" * 1993: Onyx – "Da Nex Niguz / Da Nex DingDong" * 1994: Jayo Felony – "Niggas And Bitches" * 1995: Jayo Felony – "Sherm Stick / Homicide" * 1995: Jayo Felony – "I'ma Keep Bangin' / Livin' Foe Dem 4 Thangs" * 1995: Suga – "Breakin' MC" * 1995: Suga – "What's Up Star?" * 1995: Onyx – "Live!!! / Walk In New York" * 1995: Onyx – " Last Dayz" * 1995: Onyx – "Evil Streets (Remix) / Purse Snatchers Pt. 2" * 1995: Onyx – "Shout (Remix) / Most Def" * 1995: Onyx / Kali Ranks – "Live!!! / Kill Dem All" * 1997: Fifty-Cent – "The Glow / The Hit" * 1997: Cream Team – "The Knock" * 1998: Onyx – " Shut 'Em Down" * 1998: Onyx – "

" * 1998: Onyx – "Broke Willies / Ghetto Starz"

References

External links

JMJ Records at Discogs

JMJ Records at Rate Your Music
{{Authority control American record labels Hip hop record labels Companies based in New York City Labels distributed by Universal Music Group Record labels established in 1989 Contemporary R&B record labels