For rappers who do not wish to pursue careers as independent artists, music labels are an essential cornerstone of their music. Almost every rapper who's already made a name for themselves feels the urge to form their own, giving birth to up-and-coming artists. The cycle goes on and on, and that's what keeps hip-hop culture alive.
From Eminem's Shady Records in Detroit to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella family, the following list features 10 rappers who have their own labels.
10 Lil Wayne (Young Money Entertainment)
Formed by legendary rapper Lil Wayne way back in 2005, Young Money Entertainment has seen some serious talent over the years. Rappers like Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Cory Gunz, and even DJ Khaled have found a home in this label. Pink Friday, Tha Carter sequels, Thank Me Later, Take Care, Nothing Was the Same, and many others are only a few of the label's best albums.
They released their debut compilation album, We Are Young Money, on December 21, 2009, and debuted atop the US Rap Chart & peaked at number nine at the overall US Billboard 200 chart.
9 P. Diddy (Bad Boy)
Who could forget the pinnacle of the infamous & bloody West Coast-East Coast hip-hop rivalry? If it wasn't for P. Diddy signing The Notorious B.I.G to his Bad Boy Records venture, hip-hop would have a whole different trajectory.
After its formation in 1993, Bad Boy, and especially Biggie, stole the show from the West Coast scene, who dominated the rap game at that time, with his 1994 debut album, Ready to Die.
Albeit the label is not as successful now, Bad Boy Records are not ones to be messed with, featuring Janelle Monáe, French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly, and others.
8 Travis Scott (Cactus Jack Records)
5 years after signing to Epic, in 2017, Travis Scott formed his own imprint, Cactus Jack Records, hoping to 'provide opportunities' and 'launch new names.'
"I'm not doing it to have financial control over my music," he told Numéro magazine. "I want to do for them what happened to me, but better. By better I mean no bull****. No lying to the artists about album release dates or the budgets of videos and albums."
The label signed a former XXL Freshman alumnus, Smokepurpp, even though he left later in 2019. Now, Cactus Jack serves as home to Sheck Wes, Don Toliver, and others.
7 T.I. (Grand Hustle)
In 2003, T.I teamed up with a fellow businessman, Jason Geter, to form Grand Hustle Records. The lackluster commercial performance of T.I's debut album, I'm Serious, led to T.I's former label to drop him and drove him into trying his luck in developing labels.
Grand Hustle might not be as big as Roc-A-Fella or Aftermath, but it definitely has seen some excellent talents over the years, including B.o.B and Meek Mill.
6 50 Cent (G-Unit Records)
Following the massive success of 50 Cent's debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin,' under Eminem's Shady Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath joint venture, 50 was granted a label. The record was so successful that it sold over 12 million copies by the end of 2003, making it the best debut album commercially that hip-hop has ever seen.
Later, he called it G-Unit Records and signed his childhood friends and fellow original G-Unit members (Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Tony Yayo) both as a group and solo artists.
5 Dr. Dre (Aftermath Entertainment)
"So, whatchu wanna call that bull****?," fictional Suge Knight asks Dr. Dre on NWA's 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton movie.
"Aftermath."
Dr. Dre was on the top of the world with Suge Knight's Death Row, but as things turned violent, he let them go. Years after escaping Death Row, Dre's Aftermath Entertainment emerged as one of the best labels hip-hop has ever seen.
However, things weren't always easy for Dre. The label's debut album, Dr. Dre Presents: The Aftermath, was a rather forgettable record, and wasn't a commercial success either. Things changed when Eminem signed to Aftermath in 1998, followed by 50 Cent in 2003 and Kendrick Lamar in 2012.
4 Kanye West (GOOD Music)
In only a matter of years, Kanye West arose from a behind-the-scene producer into one of the most influential rappers. After releasing The College Dropout in 2004, Sony offered the rapper a long-term deal to form a label, which would eventually be called G.O.O.D. Music.
At first, the label's original lineup was only Kanye West, John Legend, and Common. He later expanded GOOD Music by discovering Detroit rapper Big Sean in 2007, Kid Cudi in 2008, and Mos Def & Pusha T in 2010.
3 Eminem (Shady Records)
With help from Paul Rosenberg, Eminem took no time to launch Shady Records after the successful release of The Slim Shady LP in 1999. The label initially served as an avenue for his D12 group, given the fact that Dr. Dre didn't want to sign them to Aftermath at first. The group released their debut, Aftermath-free album, Devil's Night, in 2001.
Then, in 2002, Eminem signed 50 Cent under a joint deal with Dr. Dre and formed him into a megastar he is today with over 16 million album sales worldwide.
2 Ja Rule (Murder Inc.)
However, things weren't always so easy for Eminem and Shady Records. After he signed 50, he eventually caught himself in the middle of a longstanding war of words (violent, sometimes) between his protege, 50 Cent, against Ja Rule and his Murder Inc.
Although Murder Inc. was not the label that Ja Rule formed, he was the most recognizable cover face of Murder Inc. Unfortunately, the label has never really recovered after the hard-hitting feud against Shady/G-Unit.
1 Jay-Z (Roc Nation, Roc-A-Fella)
Rap mogul Jay-Z formed Roc-A-Fella Records way back in 1995 as a pathway to release his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, a year later. As it turned out, the record met with positive acclaim, expanding the label's wing by signing more acts– like Jadakiss and Kanye West– before it went defunct in 2013.
Yet, Jay-Z has always been a hustler's mastermind. Even after Roc-A-Fella Records went defunct, Jigga still has a fantastic portfolio with Roc Nation. Unlike the traditional hip-hop label Roc-A-Fella, Roc Nation is more of an entertainment agency, and more diverse in genre.