Supply: Normal / Radio One
It goes with out saying that New York is the mecca of Hip-Hop. From that “Again to College” occasion within the Bronx in 1973 to at this time, the style is synonymous with the Empire State.
On the subject of document labels devoted to Hip-Hop, there are various on the East Coast: Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella, Griselda, and Homicide Inc., to call just a few. Nevertheless, there’s an argument that no different label did it fairly like the topic of at this time’s evaluation: Dangerous Boy Information.
Headed by music mega-mogul Sean Combs (a.ok.a. Puff Daddy, Puffy, Diddy, Brother Love and extra), the label actually shifted the tradition proper from the soar. It’s the label that flawlessly mixed the grittiness of rap with the flashiness of R&B and Soul. It’s the label that introduced us acts like Junior M.A.F.I.A., Ma$e, Religion Evans, Lil Kim, and maybe considered one of Hip-Hop’s most iconic storytellers, The Infamous B.I.G.
All through the 90s and into the brand new millennium, Dangerous Boy has seen nice triumphs and unfathomable tragedies. Regardless of the ups and downs, the label rose from the ashes and continues to thrive. As Combs declared himself, they “ain’t going nowhere.”
1. 1993-1994
Sean Combs based Dangerous Boy in 1993, not too lengthy after he was fired from his A&R place at Uptown Information. The next yr, the label would see its first main launch, Craig Mack’s “Flava In Ya Ear.” The observe peaked at #9 on the Billboard Scorching 100, go platinum, and would obtain a Grammy nomination for Finest Rap Solo Efficiency.
2. September 1994
Following the discharge of Mack’s debut album, Challenge: Funk Da World (which went gold), Dangerous Boy adopted it up with The Infamous B.I.G.’s debut, Prepared To Die. With singles like “Juicy,” “Large Poppa/Warning” and “One Extra Probability,” the semi-autobiographical album peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200. The one album launched throughout his lifetime, Prepared To Die solidified Biggie’s place as considered one of Rap’s nice storytellers.
3. 1995
Following the large success of Prepared To Die, the label continued their success with platinum promoting releases from R&B acts like Religion Evans and Whole. Dangerous Boy was additionally assembling their very own squad of in-house producers and songwriters referred to as The Hitmen. The crew, whose membership included D Dot, Stevie J, and the late Chucky Thompson, would turn out to be instrumental in creating the label’s greatest hits throughout their heyday.
4. 1995
All through Dangerous Boy’s rise on the charts, tensions had been brewing between the label and its West Coast counterpart, Demise Row Information. Intensifying the rivalry was the signing of Biggie’s former good friend, 2Pac, in October of 1995.
Beforehand, Pac accused Biggie, Puffy and Uptown Information’ Andre Harrell of getting prior data of a theft at NY’s Quad Studios that led to him being shot 5 instances in November 1994.
5. March 1997
On March 9, 1997, the East/West rap struggle reached a tragic climax when The Infamous B.I.G. was gunned down in Los Angeles following a Soul Prepare Awards afterparty. The still-unsolved homicide was believed to be in retaliation to the dying of 2pac six months earlier.
Biggie’s sophomore album, Life After Demise, was launched 16 days later. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 and would go on to be licensed diamond.
6. July 1997
No Manner Out, the debut album by Puff Daddy & The Household, was launched in July 1997. It nonetheless stands as Puffy’s best-selling album, with over 7 million items within the US. It additionally earned him a Grammy for Finest Rap Album.
7. Late Nineteen Nineties – Early 2000s
On the flip of the century, Dangerous Boy began to fall off. Lots of its notable acts would go away the label, gross sales began to dwindle, and Diddy, as an artist, discovered it troublesome to match the success of his debut album.
Dangerous Boy did discover some success with Brooklyn rapper Shyne. His self-titled debut, launched in 2000, peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200. Nevertheless, by that point, he was in jail for his involvement in a nightclub capturing the earlier yr, following an argument between Diddy and one other particular person.
8. 2002
In 2002, Dangerous Boy parted methods with longtime distributor Arista Information, permitting Diddy to have full possession of the label’s catalogue and roster. The yr would additionally mark his enterprise into actuality TV when he took over ABC’s Making The Band franchise and moved it to MTV.
The second iteration of the sequence featured the creation of hip-hop/R&B group Da Band. Their debut (and solely) album would attain gold standing, due to their MTV publicity. They might be adopted by R&B/pop lady group Danity Kane and male R&B group Day26 in future iterations of the sequence.
9. 2003
2003 noticed the creation of Dangerous Boy South, a spin-off of its dad or mum label targeted on Southern rap. This might result in the success of legendary duo 8Ball & MJG’s Dwelling Legends album. Different artists signed to Dangerous Boy South included Boyz N Da Hood, Yung Joc, and Gorilla Zoe.
10. Late 2000s
By the top of the 2000s, Dangerous Boy appeared to be getting again into the swing of issues with a brand new cope with Common’s Interscope Information, well-received releases from Yung Joc and Cassie, and the critically acclaimed album from Diddy-Soiled Cash (consisting of Diddy, former Danity Kane singer Daybreak Richard and singer/songwriter Kalenna Harper).
Final Prepare to Paris peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 and offered over 100,000 copies in its first week.
11. Current Day
Dangerous Boy, as a label, remains to be hanging within the music trade. Though it has not regained the recognition that it as soon as had within the 90s, there are nonetheless gems inside at this time’s roster, which incorporates Janelle Monáe, Machine Gun Kelly, and Diddy’s son, King Combs.
Diddy can also be hanging in there as an artist. His newest launch, The Love Album: Off The Grid, was launched to industrial acclaim earlier this yr. Nevertheless, continued accusations of artist mistreatment, monetary snafus, and most just lately, bodily & sexual abuse, has casted a darkish shadow over the most recent chapter of his legacy.
That apart, we can not overlook the contributions that Dangerous Boy as a label gave to the tradition, for higher or for worse.
