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 pr ...

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 world ...

. 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 2 ...

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 s ...

, 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 ...

. 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 Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and it ...

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 s ...

– ''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 3X Krazy (pronounced 3-Times Crazy) was an American hip hop group formed in Oakland, California in 1994. The group consisted of members Keak da Sneak, B.A. and Agerman. History Founding 3X Krazy was formed in 1994 and was signed to Str8 Game Rec ...

– ''

Stackin Chips ''Stackin Chips'' is the debut studio album by American rap group 3X Krazy. It was released on April 8, 1997 through Noo Trybe Records. Production was handled by Tone Capone, One Drop Scott, Ali Malek, Ant Banks, Bosko, Lev Berlak, Mike Dean, N ...

'' ** Big Mike – '' Still Serious'' **

– ''

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, Redm ...

'' **

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)'' *1999 ** Road Dawgs – '' Don't Be Saprize'' **

- '' 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