Speaks for itself.
This month, there’s a lot going on in tribute to Def Jam, hip-hop’s longest-running and greatest record label of all time, and rightfully so. Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin‘s lil’ independent label that had trouble even getting a distribution deal has ended up becoming quite the empire over these last 25 years, which deserves all the respect in the world.
I remember when they had a 10th Anniversary CD set come out in ’95, which was an impressive collection in itself. I used to wonder how major it would be if they were to make it to 25 like Motown did, and damn if they haven’t done it. I always pictured that in this event, there’d be a big show in its honor, and would be just as big for my generation as the Motown25 show was for the oldheads back when I was a kid. As it turns out, we’re just getting a two-hour show on VH1, but I ain’t bitchin’. In addition to the Hip-Hop Honors show that’ll be airing on the 13th, there’s a new issue of XXL that’ll be covering Def Jam’s history as well.
BUT… one thing that a lot of people can’t help but notice about both of these is the absence of some of Def Jam’s main stars. Take a look at the XXL cover, for example. You would commonly hear there’s a “Def Jam 25″ cover and expect to see LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Public Enemy, DMX, Beastie Boys… even Ludacris and Ja Rule for that matter, right? No dis to those who are on the cover, but I don’t think anyone thinks “Def Jam” and instantly pictures Juelz Santana and Warren G. This is like if Motown had a cover back in the day, and there was no Diana Ross or Smokey Robinson, but The Commodores were on it like a muh’fukka. I’m sure they tried to get some of the more notable figures to be on it, but C’mon Son!
Ah well, TV shows and magazines aside, Def Jam is still here after all these years. That’s a serious feat, because there’s a lot of labels that were just as strong and bigger than Def Jam that aren’t around anymore. This decade has eaten up and consolidated damn near all of ‘em- you seen a new artist on Arista or Elektra lately? Even in comparison to other hip-hop labels that held weight at one point- where they at? No Limit? Gone. Tommy Boy? Gone. Cold Chillin’? Loooong gone. Bad Boy? Technically still around, but let’s not kid ourselves. Death Row? Living off nostalgia more than the site you’re on right now.
Def Jam was, at more than one point in time, THE place to be. It was like an automatic stamp of legitimacy- if a new artist had that logo on the back of their record/tape/CD, even if you’d never heard the record, there was an interest in hearing it. I once read an Alkaholiks interview where their DJ E-Swift said that back in the ’80s, he would see a record in the store and buy it just off the strength of it being from Def Jam. Only a few can claim that kind of influence, and Def Jam did it during the ’80s and early ’90s through the work of LL, The Beasties, P.E., Slick Rick, EPMD, Redman, Onyx, and more.
Now of course, every at-bat wasn’t a homerun. Even at their height, Russ n’nem had a lil’ trouble getting some artists over. But it really started happening around the mid-’90s, as Bad Boy and Death Row were now at the top of the line. For every Method Man or Warren G album that scored, there were twice as many that bricked. Some were by new artists like Russell’s nephew and his friends The Flatlinerz, who had the DJ staff believing that some shit called U.S.A. (Under Satan’s Authority) was gonna pop off. Others were things like solo albums by Pete Nice and MC Serch, which proved that the 3rd Bass group was far more an asset than its individual members. By ’95, even Public Enemy were doing their part to make Def Jam the label that used to be the shit.
That continued on for a couple more years, with every Foxy Brown being matched by a Jayo Felony. It was nothing that hadn’t happened before- even Motown reached a point where nobody was checkin’ for the Temptations‘ new shit. But then… unlike 95% of the other labels that fall off, Def Jam came back. A Jay-Z album here, a DMX album there… next thing you knew, everything coming out of that building was a hit. Whether it was through skillful promotion, quality of the music, or street team members buying the albums back, DJ was once again in power. I’m almost convinced that by the end of the ’90s, they coulda put out a new Afros album and the shit woulda sold.
They’ve done just about the same during the 2000′s with Kanye, Jeezy, Luda, Ja, and even some R&B/pop acts like NeYo and Rihanna. They’ve had their share of bricks too, but nowhere near that ’93-’96 type of fuckery. Much like Motown was when they had their big celebration, Def Jam is still very much alive. The logo still means something, and that’s impressive in a time where not many of ‘em do.
As it stands in 2009, even with its original founders practicing Yoga and Buddhism not being at the helm anymore, Chuck D said it best- they can’t disable the power of the label.
-D!
Posted by Danj! 
