Roc-A-Fella Records

Today in Hip Hop History: The Diplomats Released Their Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ 21 Years Ago

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Dipset

On this date in 2003, Cam’ron’s crew from Harlem, The Diplomats, dropped their debut album Diplomatic Immunity on the Roc A Fella Records/Def Jam imprint during the pivotal time when Dame Dash appointed Cam’ron as the President of Roc-A-Fella Records.

Coming on the heels of the release of Cam’s Come Home With Me LP, Diplomatic Immunity introduced the entire Dipset squad, including Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, Freekey Zeekey, Un Kasa, and Hell Rell. With production from the likes of Heatmakerz, DR Period, and a then virtually unknown Kanye West, the trailblazing sound of old soul samples pushed Dipset to the forefront of the creative curve of Hip Hop, which offered the Blood-affiliated crew from Uptown an almost cult-like following. Rell was incarcerated by the time the album was available for purchase.

The album was saturated with longstanding hits such as “I Really Mean It,” the infectious “Dipset Anthem,” the female-friendly “Hey Ma,” and the Master P assisted “Bout It Bout It…Part I “. Commercially, the album was considered average, debuting at #8 on the Billboard 200 and selling 92,000 copies in its first week, but the album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2005.

Salute to Cam, Juelz, Jim Jones, Freekey, and Hell Rell for this classic piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today in Hip Hop History: The Diplomats Released Their Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ 21 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today in Hip Hop History: The Diplomats Released Their Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ 21 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Happy 50th Birthday To Philly Legend Beanie Sigel!

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beanie

Born on this date in 1974 in the City of Brotherly Love, Dwight Grant, aka Beanie Sigel, aka Beans, morphed into an icon in the Philly Hip Hop scene as the leader of the now-defunct Roc-A-Fella Records’ State Property. Even with all of his legal troubles and the untimely split of the Roc, Beanie is still regarded as one of the best emcees of his era and one of the very few who lives what he speaks in the booth.

With six solo albums, three State Property collabos, and four silver screen blockbuster appearances, it’s difficult to argue that Beans has not had a successful career. Anyone who could hold Hova’s attention for more than one album has some obvious skills to match his street bravado.

Happy born day to Beans and many more in the future!

The post Happy 50th Birthday To Philly Legend Beanie Sigel! first appeared on The Source.

The post Happy 50th Birthday To Philly Legend Beanie Sigel! appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Cam’Ron Dropped His ‘Purple Haze’ Album 19 Years Ago

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On this date in 2004, Cam’Ron released his fourth solo album entitled ‘Purple Haze’ released on the Diplomats, Roc-A-Fella, and Def Jam imprints.

This was the first solo album from the Dipset capo following the Dipset craze, where he switched from his obsession with the color pink to the more regal purple. Songs such as the anthemic “Down And Out” featuring a fairly new artist named Kanye West and Syleena Johnson, “Bubble Music” and “Adrenaline” featuring Twista and Psycho Drama help to popularize the highly anticipated album that took about a year to be released following several label delays during the Roc-A-Fella break up.

The album was propelled by samples from old soul and reggae music, which only helped to add to the LP’s popularity.

Salute to Cam, Dipset, and everyone involved with this timeless Hip Hop gem!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Cam’Ron Dropped His ‘Purple Haze’ Album 19 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Cam’Ron Dropped His ‘Purple Haze’ Album 19 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Kanye West Dropped His ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ LP 13 Years Ago

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On this day in 2010, famed producer Kanye West released his fifth full length studio album entitled My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on the Def Jam Recordings/Roc-A-Fella imprint.

West delivered the album of the decade in 2010. From its composition, multiple album covers, a short film, ballerinas, the infamous red suit, and more, Ye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy would set an almost unreachable precedent for artists of all genres that would succeed the first decade of the new millennium.

Album Conception

He distanced himself from the world and returned to what made us all fall in love with his genius. Ye hid away in Hawaii, working on MBDTF, inviting artists to the island to join his reemergence into the culture’s good graces. Ye would go on record saying My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the first album he decided to write down all of his raps because his mission was perfection. His career depended on it.

According to Rory Farrell, who interned at Def Jam during this time, West entered the label’s office, fully dressed in a black suit, with the intention of playing the album, but was unimpressed with what they were wearing. West gave Def Jam an ultimatum: dress better or no album. It was ultimately a privilege. He returned the next day with the album. At this time, “Runaway” was 16 minutes long, but would be condensed to 9:08.

West released a number of covers for the album. The most thought-provoking was deemed controversial and rejected by a number of retail stores. Can’t a man sit on a couch with his phoenix? Oh, the days of physical album copies.

BET AWARDS & VMAS Return

Kanye West opened the 2010 BET Awards atop of a mountain to perform, “Power.” This was his first public performance since the infamous VMA mic grab. Decked out in an all-red suit with an oversized sphinx chain, West was back.

Two months later he would close the 2010 VMAs and debut “Runaway,” a tribute to douchbags, that would see the return of The Clipse’ Pusha T.

GOOD Fridays & Runaway Film

West launched a weekly free music series to support the album, leading up to the album’s release. 3 of the songs from the series would appear on MBDTF, including “Monster” with an incomparable verse from Nicki Minaj.

West would turn “Runaway” into a 35-minute short film featuring supermodel, Selita Ebanks. The film explored the beauty of a phoenix, attempting to live in society. The album would serve as the soundtrack to the film and part of the film would serve as “Runaway’s” music video.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Kanye West Dropped His ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ LP 13 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

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How To Buy Mitchell & Ness’ Rap Label Throwback Jerseys

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Jay Z
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As documentarians, networks, event organizers, award shows and more celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, Mitchell & Ness revealed their unique way of paying homage to the genre. Hip-hop is a culture that extends far beyond its most popular pilar, namely rap music. Since its inception, everyone who emerged in the scene has curated a flavorful fashion sense.

Throughout the decades, several staple garments have entered the mainstream scene thanks to hip-hop influence. One of the early 2000s biggest trends include Mitchell & Ness throwback jerseys. To spotlight that, the brand has rolled out a new line to highlight some of the genre’s most impactful record labels including Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records, Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records, Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def, Ruff Ryders, and Top Dawg Entertainment.

How To Buy Mitchell & Ness’ Rap Label Throwback Jerseys

Mitchell & Ness’ rap label throwback jerseys, as part of their Hip-Hop Heritage Jersey Collection, will be made available to ComplexCon 2023 attendees first on November 17 and 18. After which the items will be made available on the company’s official website here. Each item will fall in the $275 to $325 price range.

In a statement, Mitchell & Ness CEO Eli Kumekpor spoke about the line. “We are thrilled this partnership presents fans a unique opportunity to celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary as well as their favorite artists and labels through this collection,” he said. “These jerseys represent an era that revolutionized music, fashion, and popular culture, and we’re proud to honor that legacy.”

View the jerseys including includes the re-release of JAY-Z’s 2003 Roc-A-Fella Records coveted piece below.

Mitchell & Ness Rap Jersey - Roc A Fella
Mitchell & Ness
Mitchell & Ness Rap Jersey - Ruff Ryders
Mitchell & Ness
Mitchell & Ness Rap Jersey - Death Row Records
Mitchell & Ness
Mitchell & Ness Rap Jersey - So So Def
Mitchell & Ness
Mitchell & Ness Rap Jersey - Top Dawg
Mitchell & Ness

Today In Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped His ‘The Dynasty: Roc La Familia’ LP 23 Years Ago

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On this date at the turn of the millennium, Jay-Z and his Rocafella cohorts released the only crew album of his career, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia.

Along with Memphis Bleek and the State Property clan from Philly including Peedi Crack, Beanie Sigel, Oschino, Sparks, Freeway and others, Hov brought the supergroup energy to this album that was seen as the pinnacle of Jay’s career; right before his Blueprint metamorphosis, which was the beginning of the mogul he is today.

Even with all of the star power on the album, there were still some stand out tracks on the LP exclusively released on the infamous Rocafella imprint including the Neptunes-produced ‘I Just Want To Love U(Give It To Me)”, the controversial “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” featuring the trouble-ridden R. Kelly and the old Kanye-produced “This Can’t Be Life” featuring Beanie and Geto Boys’ Scarface. With additional production from the likes of Just Blaze, Rockwilder, Rick Rock and others, this album is one of Jigga’s standout projects of his illustrious career.

Salute to Jay, Biggs, Dame, Bleek and the rest of the Roc for this piece of Hip-Hop History!!

The post Today In Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped His ‘The Dynasty: Roc La Familia’ LP 23 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped His ‘The Dynasty: Roc La Familia’ LP 23 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Jay-Z’s Third LP ‘Vol.2…Hard Knock Life’ Turns 25 Years Old!

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On this date in 1998, Jay-Z and his Roc cohorts dropped his third album Vol.2…Hard Knock Life on their independent Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam imprint.

Recorded in some of NYC’s most coveted studio spaces, Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life featured some of the games best producers, including Jermaine Dupri, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland, Hov’s third album was the proof that Jigga had found the formula to produce the most successful full-length project of his career at that time.

Debuting at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and selling 350K in its first week, Vol.2 …Hard Knock Life was certified 5x platinum within two years of its release, setting Hov’s album bar so hight that it won a Golden Phonograph for Best Rap Album at the 41st Grammy Awards. Some of the top singles from the 14 track gem include “Nigga What, Nigga Who(Originator 99)”, “Hard Knock Life,” “Can I Get A…” and “Money Ain’t A Thang” featuring Jermaine Dupri.

Salute to Jigga, Dame, Biggs, Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money, and the rest of the Roc for putting out such a timeless piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Jay-Z’s Third LP ‘Vol.2…Hard Knock Life’ Turns 25 Years Old! first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Jay-Z’s Third LP ‘Vol.2…Hard Knock Life’ Turns 25 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: The Diplomats’ Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ Turns 20 Years Old!

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On this date two decades ago, Cam’ron’s crew from Harlem, The Diplomats, dropped their debut album Diplomatic Immunity on the Roc A Fella Records/Def Jam imprint during the pivotal time when Dame Dash appointed Cam’ron as the President of Roc-A-Fella Records.

Coming on the heels of the release of Cam’s Come Home With Me LP, Diplomatic Immunity introduced the entire Dipset squad, including Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, Freekey Zeekey, Un Kasa, and Hell Rell. With production from the likes of Heatmakerz, DR Period, and a then virtually unknown Kanye West, the trailblazing sound of old soul samples pushed Dipset to the forefront of the creative curve of Hip Hop, which offered the Blood-affiliated crew from Uptown an almost cult-like following. Rell was incarcerated by the time the album was available for purchase.

The album was saturated with longstanding hits such as “I Really Mean It,” the infectious “Dipset Anthem,” the female-friendly “Hey Ma,” and the Master P assisted “Bout It Bout It…Part I “. Commercially, the album was considered average, debuting at #8 on the Billboard 200 and selling 92,000 copies in its first week, but the album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2005.

Salute to Cam, Juelz on the inside, Jim Jones, Freekey, and Hell Rell for this 20 year old classic piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Diplomats’ Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ Turns 20 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

Happy Birthday To Philly Rap Legend Beanie Sigel!

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Born on this date in 1974 in the City of Brotherly Love, Dwight Grant aka Beanie Sigel aka Beans morphed into a icon in the Philly Hip Hop scene as the leader of the now defunct Roc-A-Fella Records’ State Property. Even with all of his legal troubles and the untimely split of the Roc, Beanie is still regarded as one of the best emcees of his era and one of the very few who lives what he speaks in the booth.

With six solo albums, three State Property collabos and four silver screen blockbuster appearances, it’s difficult to argue that Beans has not had a successful career. Anyone who was able to hold Hova’s attention for more than one album has some obvious skills to match his street bravado.

Happy born day to Beans and many more in the future!

The post Happy Birthday To Philly Rap Legend Beanie Sigel! appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip-Hop History: Kanye West Released His ‘College Dropout’ Debut LP 19 Years Ago

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On this date in 2004, Def Jam Records through the Roc-A-Fella imprint dropped the debut album of the uber-talented producer/emcee Kanye West properly entitled College Dropout.

The LP debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 441,000 copies during its first week. The five singles that achieved chart success and got him a Grammy award at the 47th Grammy Awards include “Through the Wire” and “Jesus Walks”. The singles “All Falls Down” and “Slow Jamz” charted within the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the Jamie Foxx and Twista feature also charted number one.

It is West’s best-selling album in the United States, with domestic sales of 3.4 million and worldwide over 4 million copies. It’s been listed among the greatest debut albums of all time and by Time and Rolling Stone as one of the greatest albums of all time.

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