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At the end of Part One we described how Rick Rubin had parted company with Def Jam Recordings in 1988 after an internal power struggle, leaving Lyor Cohen as president.  Cohen oversaw a period of creative genius but the company still struggled financially.  In the years that followed the beginning of his presidency, Def Jam released material from EPMD, LL Cool J and more stuff from Public Enemy – all big sellers – but by 1994 the company was on the verge of collapse.

At this point Polygram stepped in, buying Sony’s 50% stake in the company.  Having therefore been saved from bankruptcy, Def Jam was given the distribution deal for Warren G’s massive selling Regulate…G Funk Era, further strengthening its finances.  In this manner Def Jam continued to operate on a firm financial footing, releasing more platinum-selling records by LL Cool J and Foxy Brown until in 1998 Polygram itself was purchased by Seagrams, an enormous Canadian corporation looking to branch out into the entertainment industry.  Polygram was merged into Seagrams new purchase – Universal Music Group and the other original co-founder Russell Simmons was persuaded to sell his remaining stake in the company for a reported $100 million.

The remainder of the 1990s saw an expansion of Def Jam into new styles – for example Def Soul Records was spun off from another of Universal’s labels, Island Records, as an R & B label, featuring artists such as Dru Hill and Patti LaBelle.  This period also saw the immensely successful signing of DMX, an artist who somewhat revived hardcore hip hop.  In 2000 Def Jam South was formed to focus on rappers from the American South and in 2003 Def Jam Germany opened up to force it’s way into the German market.  Similarly Def Jam Japan opened its doors soon after.

Despite being owned by a giant corporation, Def Jam still seems to experience peaks and troughs although its finances now are much more secure.  It’s still an innovator but it’s unlikely we will see the like of Public Enemy or EPMD again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaRyITQULV0

EPMD’s Strictly Business

For people of a certain age, and I’m referring to those of us who were teenagers in the mid-late 1980s, Def Jam was a mold-breaking record label.  For us it was one of the driving forces behind Hip Hop and when it got on board with Public Enemy, it reached new levels of fame.

However Def Jam did not start out particularly as a Hip Hop label.  Now legendary producer Rick Rubin started the label from his university dormitory in New York in 1984 along with a colleague, Russell Simmons.  The first single released was by a punk band called Hose but this was soon followed by Hip Hop releases from The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and a collaboration between T La Rock and Jazzy Jay.  Rubin still championed his rock roots however and Slayer were signed in 1986.  During this period the Hip Hop release were distributed by CBS Records while the Rock releases – in the shape of Slayer – were distributed by Geffen.

Towards the end of the 1980s and as the global appetite for Hip Hop and Rap increased, Def Jam signed Public Enemy, a Hip Hop band now famous for their controversial lyrics and social commentary.  In fact they supported The Beastie Boys  in their early days. One could argue that Public Enemy formed the financial backbone of Def Jam for the entire period of their association with the label and that it was the entire movement which surrounded the band which added to their popularity.

Unfortunately Rick Rubin’s involvement with Def Jam was destined to come to a premature end towards the end of the decade.  Lyor Cohen became the new president in 1988, ejecting Rubin from that position in the process.  Rubin decided to leave and formed Def American Recordings, in the process taking Slayer with him.

For the next few years, Def Jam consistently released high selling singles but financial problems were just around the corner.

Part Two follows….