| Rawkus Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Founded |
1996 |
|
Founder |
Brian Brater, Jarret Myer |
|
Status |
Defunct |
|
Genre |
|
|
Country of origin |
United States |
|
Location |
New York City, New York |
Rawkus Records was an American record label known for jump-starting the careers of Mos Def and Talib Kweli of Black Star. Rawkus started in 1996 with initial releases ranging from hip hop to drum and bass.
Label heads Brian Brater and Jarret Myer signed some of the top underground talents from the New York City hip hop scene, notably Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek, and Company Flow, who went on to define the label's sound. The string of 12" releases and full-length albums that followed helped initiate a resurgence in the East Coast hip hop sound. Many of these are considered classics among hip hop fans. During the mid to late 1990s, Rawkus became a dominant label in the underground hip hop scene, producing a string of gold and platinum albums.
Discography[]
- 1997: Funcrusher Plus - Company Flow
- 1997: Soundbombing - Various artists
- 1998: Lyricist Lounge Volume One - Various artists
- 1998: Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star - Black Star
- 1999: Little Johnny from the Hospitul - Company Flow
- 1999: Home Field Advantage - The High & Mighty
- 1999: Black on Both Sides - Mos Def
- 1999: Internal Affairs - Pharoahe Monch
- 1999: Heavy Beats Volume 1 - DJ Spinna
- 1999: Soundbombing II - Various artists
- 2000: Lyricist Lounge 2 - Various artists
- 2000: Hip Hop for Respect - Various artists
- 2000: The Big Picture - Big L
- 2000: Train of Thought - Reflection Eternal
- 2001: Porn Again - Smut Peddlers
- 2001: Hi-Teknology - Hi-Tek
- 2001: Brace 4 Impak - Da Beatminerz
- 2002: I Ain't Mad No More - Skillz
- 2002: Quality - Talib Kweli
- 2002: The Giancana Story - Kool G Rap
- 2003: Soundbombing III - Various artists
- 2004: The Beautiful Struggle - Talib Kweli
- 2005: Best of Decade I: 1995-2005 - Various artists
- 2006: 5 Sparrows for 2 Cents - The Procussions
- 2006: School Was My Hustle - Kidz in the Hall
- 2006: Ink Is My Drink - Panacea
- 2007: Of gods and girls - Mr. J. Medeiros
- 2007: Bayani - Blue Scholars
- 2007: Port Authority - Marco Polo
- 2007: The Scenic Route - Panacea
- 2007: I Predict a Riot - Hezekiah