In the late 1990s, RAWKUS Records grabbed the title as one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, forces in the “underground” hip-hop movement.  Co-founders/label heads, Brian Brater and Jarret Myer rounded up and signed local New York artists to form a solid roster of irrefutable talent.  The label was formed in 1996, but the first couple of real releases began in 1997 with the Company Flow classic Funcrusher Plus and Soundbombing, the first  of several compilations by the label.  Soundbombing, itself, featured even more EL-P related material with the inclusion of one Company Flow track and 2 others which were also produced by the Rapper/Producer.  This, like future Soundbombing and Lyricist Lounge compilations, helped to bring attention for other label talent and assisted in creating hype and anticipation for their individual solo efforts.  Jaime “EL-P” Meline played a key role and was an undeniable factor in the success and development of RAWKUS, in general; something that he never felt that he was adequately compensated for.  Although Funcrusher Plus is considered a classic by connoisseurs, neither the EL-Producto or Company Flow would ever become household names at the level of RAWKUS artists like Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

In 1999, RAWKUS entered into a distribution deal with Priority records.  Arguably the most vocal opponent of his former label,  EL-P told the label to go fuck themselves and struck out to form his own label, later that year.  Eventually, many would follow suit, as RAWKUS would slowly, and then much more quickly, fold under itself.  Whether you subscribe to the claims of shady dealings and that RAWKUS intentionally swindled their artists out of deserved compensation, believe that they tried to sign too many too fast with poor promotion, or that they were just misguided businessmen, the label, which sold their entire catalog to Interscope/Geffen in 2004, has become little more than a memory.

From his departure until now, EL-P has successfully run the NYC-based Definitive Jux, the label that would help to define “undergound” Hip-Hop for the following decade.  While RAWKUS definitely released some great albums and did some great things for the genre in it’s heyday, it’s important to remember that its success relied heavily on the artists, which remained successful beyond the ruins of their former contractors.  As much as I respect a good deal of the output and as much as people refer to RAWKUS as an “underground” / “indie” label, they were actually financed by Rupert Murdoch‘s son, James and News Corp. (the world’s second-largest media conglomerate, behind The Walt Disney Company), which officially purchased the label in 1998.  Being an artist himself, Meline took a very different approach with DEF JUX and the development of its artists’ careers.  The first release for the new label was the critically acclaimed, Cold Vein by Cannibal OX.  The album made an immediate impact on the hip hop world, solidifying EL-P as a master producer and DEF JUX as a label to be taken seriously.  For the follow-up, EL-Producto used his new found freedom to make the solo album that he wanted the way that he wanted.  Even after his previous work with Co-Flo and various guest appearances, many still refused to give the innovator the credit that he deserved.  Cold Vein eliminated any questions about his productions skills, but it wasn’t until Fantastic Damage was released that everybody else was forced to stop questioning Meline‘s abilities as a lyricist.  From then on, DEF JUX continued to flourish by releasing groundbreaking albums like Dead Ringer (RJD2) and nourishing the careers of artists like Aesop Rock.  In recent years, the label has even tempted established artists like Del Tha Funky Homosapien and Dizzee Razcal to release full-lengths with the label.  Now, after a highly successful decade as an artist/producer/label-owner, EL-P has announced his intention to put Definitive Jux on hiatus…. more or less. Read the rest of this entry →