Shady Records

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Shady Records
Parent company Universal Music Group
Founded 2000
Founder Eminem
Paul Rosenberg
Distributing label Interscope Records (U.S.)
Polydor Records (outside U.S.)
Genre Hip hop
Gangsta Rap
Detroit
Country of origin United States
Official website http://www.shadyrecords.com

Shady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 2000 after the release of The Marshall Mathers LP.

The label has signed seven acts over the years and is considerably successful, having RIAA certifications gone gold or higher on seven of its ten albums which have been released under it. Signed acts include D12, Obie Trice, 50 Cent, Stat Quo, Bobby Creekwater, and Cashis, while DJ Green Lantern was also signed to the label for a period of time.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 2000–2004

After Eminem released The Marshall Mathers LP, he started his own record label in late 2000 with his manager, Paul Rosenberg. Eminem looked for an avenue to release his Detroit-based rap group, D12, and Rosenberg was keen to start a label, which lead to the two teaming up to form Shady Records.[1] D12 had come around as the first to be signed as they have been rapping together since the 1990s, and the members had made a promise that whoever became successful would come back for the others. Eminem was the first to achieve this success, and kept to his word.[2] By June 2001, D12 released Devil's Night to commercial success, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200.[3] Next to be signed to Shady Records was Detroit rapper Obie Trice. Obie Trice was introduced to Eminem through D12 member Bizarre. Eminem was impressed and signed him in June 2001, as the second Shady Records performer.[4][5] Obie Trice first got public attention via a freestyle skit on the Devil's Night album.

Whilst working on the film 8 Mile, Eminem had a meeting with then small time New York rapper 50 Cent. Eminem managed to get a hold of 50 Cent's early mixtapes and liked what he heard. Eminem took this to Dr. Dre and offered the chance to work together on the artist. Dr. Dre also liked what he heard, so he took the opportunity, and 50 Cent became the first artist signed to Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment.[6] The 8 Mile soundtrack was the second Shady Records album to be released, and went on to be successful.[7][8] The first single to be released was "Lose Yourself", which achieved many nominations and also became a surprise win of an Academy Award for Best Original Song, as it was the first time a hip hop song had ever won this award.[9][10][11] The second single was 50 Cent's "Wanksta", which was released as a buzz track[12] and became popular in 50 Cent's home town.[13] During this time, Eminem had also made a deal with DJ Green Lantern, who released the label's first mixtape, Invasion!, in 2002.[14] He was to DJ for Eminem during the Anger Management Tour, and by the end of 2003, DJ Green Lantern became the fourth signee of Shady Records.[15]

The third release from Shady Records was 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin', in February 2003 (which was also released under Aftermath Entertainment). The album became the 2nd fastest selling debut in U.S. history,after Eminem's "Marshall Mathers LP".[16] Next to be released from Shady Records was Obie Trice's debut album, Cheers, six months later. Despite having been a commercial success, the album was considered overshadowed by 50 Cent's music at the time.[5] In 2002 and 2003, Shady Records were involved in many controversies with the likes of the inherited Murder Inc. feud that 50 Cent and G-Unit was involved in,[17] on-going problems with the previous co-owners of The Source magazine, namely Benzino,[18] as well as escalating issues with rapper Royce da 5'9", who was previously a friend of Eminem and D12.[19]

Logo for Eminem's Shade 45 radio station.
Logo for Eminem's Shade 45 radio station.

Towards the end of 2003, Dr. Dre and Eminem came to know Atlanta rapper Stat Quo, via his Underground Atlanta mixtapes. After Eminem heard his music, he gained interest and took it to Dr. Dre who also had interest in the music, and a joint deal was made.[20] Stat Quo became the second artist to be signed to Shady/Aftermath, after 50 Cent. The following year saw the release of D12's second album, D12 World. Also, in 2004, Eminem and Rosenberg began a venture offered by Sirius Satellite Radio that saw the airing of their uncensored hip hop radio station, Shade 45.[1][21] Shady Records DJ, DJ Green Lantern, was given the opportunity to have his own show,[22] whilst 50 Cent's G-Unit DJ, DJ Whoo Kid, co-hosted G-Unit Radio on Saturdays.[23]

[edit] 2005 – present

2005 saw the release of 50 Cent's second release, The Massacre, which set a record as the sixth fastest selling album since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking albums in 1991, with 1.14 million albums sold in four days.[24][25] The album was a commercial success, and was only 32,000 records away from being the best-selling album of the year.[26] On "Piggy Bank", a song off of the album, 50 Cent insulted several artists, including Jadakiss.[27] The feud between Jadakiss and 50 Cent indirectly led to DJ Green Lantern leaving Shady Records. A few months after the release of The Massacre, Jadakiss appeared on a street DVD, and had DJ Green Lantern on loudspeaker through his phone, without Green Lantern being aware of this. The DJ shared his thoughts on how to deal with the feud. When the DVD was released and Eminem found out about what happened, Green Lantern had to leave Shady Records and Shade 45, and his upcoming album, Armageddon, was no longer a Shady Records-related project.[28]

Magazine cover of XXL Presents Shade 45
Magazine cover of XXL Presents Shade 45

In August 2005, Eminem and the XXL magazine teamed up to release a special issue titled XXL Presents Shade 45, and was designed to give maximum exposure to Shade 45 as a radio station, and at the same time give maximum exposure to the Shady Records label as a whole, as well as the radio DJ's and G-Unit Records' artists. XXL executive publisher, Jonathan Rheingold, stated that typically magazines based around particular artists were not favorable, but "since Shade 45 is a truly authentic and uncensored rap radio channel, the marriage with the XXL brand made sense," before adding that it's what would interest rap fans.[29] 2005 also saw the signing of Bobby Creekwater to the label, making him the sixth artist and the second Atlanta-based rapper.[30]

In early 2006, West Coast rapper Cashis joined Shady Records. Cashis, is an Orange County-based rapper that was born in Chicago who had managed to get his demo/mixtape heard by Eminem.[31][32] Later in 2006, Obie Trice released his second album, Second Round's on Me. However, the album did not fare as well commercially as his debut, seemingly because of the state of the hip-hop industry.[33] The album saw a change in Obie Trice's style, whose first album was considered to be a little light-hearted. Second Round's on Me was considered to be a more serious, dark album, mainly showing the grittiness of Obie Trice's life and surroundings.[5][34]

2006 was also a big year for Shady Records as a whole. There had been talk from early in the year of Eminem having the label's roster on a mixtape with new material to be presented by DJ Whoo Kid and The Alchemist.[35] This talk went on for several months. In the end, it was announced that Eminem was so impressed with the mixtape material that he had decided to make it an official album, called Eminem Presents the Re-Up. The album had been long anticipated, until it was released in early December 2006. The release had spawned the single "You Don't Know", which featured 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and the latest signee Cashis.[36]

In May 2007, Cashis released the eight-track The County Hound EP in an attempt to have people "fiend" for his music, or garner interest in it. The album was released as a limited edition EP.[37] September saw the release of 50 Cent's third album with the label, Curtis, which was involved in a well publicized competition with rapper Kanye West, who had his third album, Graduation set for release on the same day.[38]

[edit] Current roster

[edit] Artists

Artist Year signed (Shady) Albums released More information
D12 2000 2 Signed as a rap group, it consists of solo Detroit-based artists Bizarre, Eminem, Kon Artis, Kuniva, and Swift, and were additionally signed with now deceased rapper Proof. As a group, they knew each other pre-success from the Hip Hop Shop, in Detroit, and were the first to be signed to the label.[2] In December 2007, Bizarre stated that D12 are working on their third album.[39]
Obie Trice 2000 2 He was the first solo artist signed to Shady Records. This Detroit-based rapper was signed shortly after Bizarre got him the opportunity to freestyle for Eminem, and did so through the passenger window of Eminem's car.[4] Obie Trice is currently working on his third album, Bottom's Up.[40]
50 Cent 2002 3 A New York-based rapper signed under Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment.[6] 50 Cent has since also established his own label, G-Unit Records,[41] and is currently working on his fourth Shady/Aftermath album, Before I Self Destruct.[42]
Stat Quo 2003 — An Atlanta-based rapper who is in a joint venture deal with Shady/Aftermath, after he was heard through his mixtapes.[20] The rapper has since been working on his company, Global Music Movement (GMM),[43] as well as on his debut album, Statlanta.[20]
Bobby Creekwater 2005 — An Atlanta-based artist who joined Shady Records after being heard rapping as a feature on the tape of another artist, Aasim, in the presence of Riggs Morales, Shady Records' Director of A&R.[30] He's currently working on his debut album, A Brilliant Mistake.[44]
Cashis 2006 1 An Orange County-based artist who got signed to the label after his demo tapes got heard.[31] The rapper has stated he had been wanting to get on the label since two years prior to the signing. He is currently working on his debut album, Loose Cannon.[37]

[edit] DJs and producers

[edit] Former artists

[edit] Discography

The following is the list of all albums released through Shady Records and distributed by Interscope Records, except where a joint record label release is stated.

Artist Album Release date Chart positions RIAA certification Singles
D12 Devil's Night 19/Jun/2001 1 U.S.[45] Platinum[46]
Soundtrack 8 Mile 29/Oct/2002 1 U.S.[47] 4× platinum[48]
50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin'
(released with Aftermath Entertainment)		 06/Feb/2003 1 U.S.[49] 6× platinum[50]
Obie Trice Cheers 23/Sep/2003 5 U.S.[51] Gold[52]
D12 D12 World 27/Apr/2004 1 U.S.[53] 2× platinum[54]
50 Cent The Massacre
(released with Aftermath Entertainment)		 03/Mar/2005 1 U.S.[55] 5× platinum[56]
Obie Trice Second Round's on Me 15/Aug/2006 8 U.S.[57] —
Shady Records Eminem Presents the Re-Up 05/Dec/2006 2 U.S.[58] Platinum[59]
Cashis The County Hound EP 22/May/2007 106 U.S.[60] —
  • "Lac Motion"
50 Cent Curtis
(released with Aftermath Entertainment)		 11/Sep/2007 2 U.S.[61] —

"—" denotes albums that have not received an official RIAA certification.

[edit] Upcoming releases

[edit] Affiliated labels

See Universal Music Group.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Ben Detrick (August 2005). ""Loyalty" - Paul Rosenberg interview (online copy)". XXL Presents Shade 45 (magazine), p. 22. Accessed 29 January 2008.
  2. ^ a b Quibian Salazar-Moreno (18 September 2003). "Emvisible: D12 looks to get out from underneath Eminem's shadow". Westword.com. Accessed 11 September 2007.
  3. ^ Todd Martens (28 June 2001). "Devilish D12 Debut At No. 1". Billboard. Accessed 15 January 2008.
  4. ^ a b Ruben Diaz (18 September 2003). "Obie Trice: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Interview)". BallerStatus.com. Accessed 11 September 2007.
  5. ^ a b c Leah Rose (August 2005). ""Let Me In" - Obie Trice article (online copy)". XXL Presents Shade 45 (magazine), p.60. Accessed 29 January 2008.
  6. ^ a b Shaheem Reid (1 July 2002). "50 Cent, Worth a Million to Dr. Dre and Eminem". MTV. Accessed 12 March 2007.
  7. ^ Todd Martens (3 January 2003). "'8 Mile' Back Atop The Billboard 200". Billboard. Accessed 16 January 2008.
  8. ^ Todd Martens (8 January 2003). "'8 Mile' Cruises To Fifth Week At No. 1". Billboard. Accessed 8 January 2008.
  9. ^ Frank Ochieng (23 March 2003). "The Aftermath: The 75th Annual Academy Awards". TheWorldJournal.com. Accessed 21 January 2008.
  10. ^ Jon Burlingame (18 April 2003). "That Win For "Lose Yourself"". FilmMusicSociety.org. Accessed 11 September 2007.
  11. ^ Abbey Goodman (23 March 2003). "'Chicago' Dances Away With Six Oscars; Eminem's Will Be Mailed To Him". MTV. Accessed 21 January 2008
  12. ^ "Music Inspired By "8 Mile"". About.com (1 October 2002). Accessed 16 January 2008.
  13. ^ Shaheem Reid (1 October 2002). "50 Cent Works With Dre, Em, Trina, Possibly DMX On Debut". MTV. Accessed 16 January 2008.
  14. ^ Shaheem Reid (11 April 2003). "Eminem Says If Tupac Were Alive, 'He Would Never Ride With Ja'". MTV. Accessed 23 January 2008.
  15. ^ "Lighting the Way". Rochester City Newspaper (23 December 2003). Accessed 16 January 2008.
  16. ^ Kitty Empire (23 February 2003). "He's cool. Dead cool". The Observer. Accessed 15 September 2007.
  17. ^ Ethan Brown (24 November 2003). "Got Beef?". New York. Accessed 15 January 2008.
  18. ^ Rahman Dukes (22 November 2002). "Benzino Ignites Beef By Calling Eminem '2003 Vanilla Ice'". MTV. Accessed 15 January 2008.
  19. ^ Selina Thompson. "Royce Da 5'9 (Interview)". TheSituation.co.uk. Accessed 15 January 2008.
  20. ^ a b c d Matt Barone (2 December 2004). "Stat Quo: The Shady South (Interview)" BallerStatus.com. Accessed 11 September 2007.
  21. ^ Robert Strauss (28 October 2004). "Arts, Briefly; Eminem Goes Sirius". The New York Times. Accessed 16 January 2008.
  22. ^ Paul Heine (6 December 2004). "Eminem, DJ Green Lantern To Host Mix-tape Radio Show". AllBusiness.com. Accessed 16 January 2008.
  23. ^ "50 Cent gets Sirius". CNN Money (24 February 2005). Accessed 16 January 2008.
  24. ^ James Montgomery (9 March 2005). "50 Cent's The Massacre Makes Huge Chart Debut". MTV. Accessed 16 January 2008.
  25. ^ Margo Whitmire (9 March 2005). "50 Cent Massacres Album Chart Competition". Billboard. Accessed 16 January 2008.
  26. ^ Gil Kaufman (29 December 2005). "Mariah Carey Outguns 50 Cent On Year-End LP Sales Chart". MTV. Accessed 16 January 2008.
  27. ^ Shaheem Reid (22 February 2005). "50 Cent's LP Pushed Up, Harsh 'Facts' Sound Like Disses On Leaked 'Piggy Bank'". MTV. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  28. ^ a b Shaheem Reid (6 May 2005). "DJ Green Lantern Explains Eminem Split". VH1. Accessed 12 March 2007.
  29. ^ Carl Chery (23 August 2005). "Eminem & Shade Collabo W/XXL For Special Radio Issue". SOHH. Accessed 29 January 2008.
  30. ^ a b Kimbel Bouwman (15 May 2006). "HitQuarters Artist Bobby Creekwater Signs A Record Deal With Shady Records! (Interview)". HitQuarters. Accessed 11 September 2007.
  31. ^ a b Serge Fleury. "Ca$his - Ruling Everything Around Him (Interview)". NobodySmiling.com. Accessed 11 September 2007.
  32. ^ Shaheem Reid (14 December 2006). "Who's That On Eminem's The Re-Up? Time For Roll Call ...". MTV. Accessed 29 January 2008.
  33. ^ "Sales of Rap Albums Take Stunning Nosedive". Fox News (1 March 2007). Accessed 15 September 2007.
  34. ^ Brendan Frederick (2 June 2006). "Obie Trice - Second Round’s On Me". XXL. Accessed 12 September 2007.
  35. ^ Shaheem Reid (30 May 2006). "Eminem Re-Up's with Whoo Kid; Lloyd Banks brings the Gang Green". MTV. Accessed 29 January 2008.
  36. ^ Gil Kaufman (19 September 2006). "Eminem, New Shady Artists Join 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks On The Re-Up". MTV. Accessed 12 March 2007.
  37. ^ a b c "RealTalk with Ca$his: New EP The County Hound Drops Today". Real Talk NY (2 May 2007). Accessed January 19, 2008.
  38. ^ "War of words: 50 Cent vs Kanye". BBC (10 September 2007). Accessed 11 September 2007.
  39. ^ a b Christina Fuoco-Karasinski (19 December 2007). "Bizarre pays tribute to slain rapper Proof". LiveDaily.com. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  40. ^ a b Shaheem Reid and Jayson Rodriguez (21 May 2007). "Mixtape Monday: Kanye West Glows In The Dark; Pharrell Brings The B-More Beats". MTV. Accessed 19 January 2008.
  41. ^ Dallas Winston (9 April 2003). "G-Unit Records Signs with Interscope". AllHipHop. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  42. ^ a b Tom Thorogood (15 November 2007). "50 Cent Reveals All". MTV Base. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  43. ^ "Interview with Stat Quo May 2007". AftermathMusic.com (May 2007). Accessed January 19, 2008.
  44. ^ a b Ryan (12 September 2006). "Bobby Creekwater Interview". RapSearch.com. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  45. ^ "Artist Chart History - D12". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  46. ^ "Devil's Night RIAA certification". RIAA. Accessed January 23, 2008.
  47. ^ "8 Mile Soundtrack". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  48. ^ "8 Mile Soundtrack RIAA certification". RIAA. Accessed January 23, 2008.
  49. ^ "Get Rich or Die Tryin'". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  50. ^ "Get Rich or Die Tryin' RIAA certification". RIAA. Accessed January 23, 2008.
  51. ^ "Cheers". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  52. ^ "Cheers RIAA certification". RIAA. Accessed January 23, 2008.
  53. ^ "D12 World". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  54. ^ "D12 World RIAA certification". RIAA. Accessed January 23, 2008.
  55. ^ "The Massacre". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  56. ^ "The Massacre RIAA certification". RIAA. Accessed January 23, 2008.
  57. ^ "Second Round's on Me". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  58. ^ "Eminem Presents the Re-Up". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  59. ^ "Eminem Presents the Re-Up RIAA certification". RIAA. Accessed January 23, 2008.
  60. ^ "The County Hound EP". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  61. ^ "Curtis". Billboard. Accessed January 19, 2008.
  62. ^ [1]. Cashis Interview May 2008 (May 30, 2008). Accessed May 30, 2008.

[edit] External links