Filthy Rockwell
| Reel Life Productions | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Parent company | Aknu Media |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | James H. Smith Esham |
| Distributor(s) | Overture Records (1998–2001) Overcore Records (1998–2001) Pollution Distribution (1998–2001) TVT Records (1998–2001) Aknu Media (2007–present) Select-O-Hits (2007–present) |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Country of origin | US |
| Location | Detroit, Michigan |
| Official website | www.AcidRap.com |
Reel Life Productions, also known as Gothom Records, is an independent record label based in Detroit, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1988 by James H. Smith and his younger brother, rapper Esham. Since its formation, RLP had released much of Esham's discography, and had been home to a number of other artists, including Natas, Dice, Mastamind, T-N-T, Kool Keith and The Dayton Family.
While the label was once cited as a vibrant example of independent success in Detroit hip hop, Reel Life Productions' peak in success occurred under distribution through TVT Records and an association with Overcore Records.
James H. Smith founded the label in 1988 with his younger brother, Esham, a rapper. According to Esham, by the time he had started to rap, Detroit did not have a prominent hip hop scene. Smith states that "Everybody was just imitating what everybody else was doing". His older brother, James, encouraged him to seriously pursue a career as a rapper because of the city's limited hip hop scene. At the age of 13, Esham released his debut album, Boomin' Words from Hell, in 1989. In 1990, Reel Life Productions reissued his debut album with an alternate track listing and artwork. Esham found it difficult to develop a fanbase, because many wrote off the dark content of his lyrics and imagery as shock value, while hip hop fans did not connect to Esham's albums because of his heavy metal influences.
Esham met Mastamind as a student at Osborne High School, who gave him a three-song demo tape of his music, leading the two to form the group with Esham's longtime friend, T-N-T, deciding on the name Natas, an acronym for "Nation Ahead of Time And Space". In 1991, Esham met Joseph Bruce, a member of the group Inner City Posse, who praised Esham and Reel Life Productions, and gave Esham a copy of the group's EP Dog Beats, beginning the two rappers' friendship and professional relationship.
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