Rush Associated Labels
| Def Jam Recordings | |
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| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | |
| Distributor(s) |
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| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Official website | defjam |
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label focused predominantly on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). In the UK, the label takes on the name Def Jam UK and is operated through Virgin EMI Records, while in Japan, it is known as Def Jam Japan, operating through Universal Music Japan. The label distributes releases of various record labels, including Kanye West's GOOD Music,Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace, and ARTium Recordings, headed by Def Jam's current executive vice president, No I.D.. Current artists include Iggy Azalea, Logic, Big Sean, Kanye West, Leona Lewis, 2 Chainz, Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Mother Mother, Afrojack, Jeezy, Jeremih, Ludacris, Alesso, Pusha T, Desiigner and Jhené Aiko among others.
Def Jam was founded by Rick Rubin in his dormitory in Weinstein Hall at New York University and its first release was a single by his punk-rock group Hose. Russell Simmons joined Rubin shortly after they were introduced to each other, according to one story, by Vincent Gallo. Another cites DJ Jazzy Jay as their connector. Rubin has said he met Simmons on the TV show, "Graffiti Rock" and recognized him then as "the face of hip hop": "He was five years older than me, and he was already established in the music business. And I had no experience whatsoever." The first single released with the Def Jam Recordings logo was T La Rock & Jazzy Jay's "It's Yours." The first releases with Def Jam Recordings catalog numbers were LL Cool J's "I Need a Beat" and the Beastie Boys' "Rock Hard," both in 1984. The singles sold well, eventually leading to a distribution deal with CBS Records through Columbia Records the following year. This created a short-lived subsidiary label called OBR Records, short for Original Black Recordings, catered toward R&B artists — the first artist signed to that imprint was Oran "Juice" Jones, who enjoyed success with his hit single "The Rain". A few years later, Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen started an umbrella label called Rush Associated Labels to handle Def Jam and its numerous spinoff labels. RAL became the home to Nice & Smooth and EPMD after both acts were acquired due to the folding of their former label Sleeping Bag Records. Other acts under the RAL umbrella included Redman, Onyx, Flatlinerz, Domino, Warren G and Jayo Felony. Def Jam also signed its first and only thrash metal band, Slayer, in 1986, and the band's third and fourth albums were the only two Def Jam releases to be distributed through Geffen Records under Warner Bros. Records as opposed to Columbia/CBS. As the decade drew to a close, the label signed Public Enemy, whose controversial lyrical content garnered the company both critical acclaim and disdain. Lyor Cohen became president of Def Jam/RAL in 1988, after winning a power struggle with Rubin, who would shortly thereafter leave the company to form Def American Recordings. Rubin would take Slayer with him to Def American in its initial stages.
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