Empire Distribution
| EMPIRE | |
|---|---|
| 220px | |
| Founded | 2010-present |
| Founder | Ghazi Shami |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Hip hop, R&B, rock, pop, gospel, Latin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Official website | www.empi.re |
EMPIRE Distribution is an American distribution company and record label based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami, it has released albums in the genres of hip hop, R&B, rock, gospel, Latin, and pop. A number of albums and singles distributed by EMPIRE have charted on Billboard, including Section.80 by Kendrick Lamar, Gas Pedal by Sage the Gemini, O.K.E. (Deluxe Edition) by The Game, Phantom and the Ghost by Styles P, Knock Madness by Hopsin, and Stoner's EP by Snoop Dogg.[1]
Contents
History
Founding
EMPIRE Distribution has been based in San Francisco, California since its founding in January 2010.[2] It was started by CEO and founder, Ghazi Shami, a music technology graduate of San Francisco State University and the former Director of Urban Music at INgrooves.[2] From its inception, Empire Distribution released a large number of hip hop and rap albums, but also released gospel, rock, R&B, among other genres. In operating the company, Shami was joined by Nima Etminan, who graduated in business at Hamburg Media School in 2010. Etminan, co-founder of the hip hop platform DubCNN.com, worked to expand the mission and services, and as of 2011 was handling Marketing and A&R.[citation needed] Companies and artists such as Top Dawg Entertainment (Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul), Funk Volume (Hopsin, Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton), ESGN (Freddie Gibbs), Think It's A Game Entertainment (Trinidad James, Rich Homie Quan), and Jamla Records (9th Wonder, Rapsody) have partnerships with EMPIRE Distribution, with music being distributed across platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Amazon.com, Spotify, Soundcloud and Rdio.[3]
Releases
One of the label's first charting releases was Authenticity by hip hop duo The Foreign Exchange, released on October 12, 2010. It peaked at #145 on the US Billboard 200, and #23 on the US R&B chart. Rapper ScHoolboy Q's album Setbacks, released on January 11, 2011, also charted, reaching #100 on the Billboard 200. Long Term Mentality by Ab-Soul, released the following April, peaked at #32 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers. In November 2013, Hopsin's Knock Madness album peaked at #76 on the Billboard 200[4] and at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.[5]
Nima Etminan soon signed California hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar to the distribution company, and as of early 2012 Empire began handling distribution for all the projects by Top Dawg Entertainment, including Lamar's Section.80.[6] Released on July 2, 2011, the album reached #113 on the US Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums.
2012 saw releases by artists such as Slum Village, Trinidad James, Snoop Dogg, and Freddie Gibbs, several of which charted. In 2012 the label helped organize a 2013 tour between Trae tha Truth and J. Stalin.[7] Also in 2013, EMPIRE distributed the album Still Goin In (Reloaded) by Rich Homie Quan, which was named tenth best mixtape of 2013 by Rolling Stone.[8] Recent albums include Phantom and the Ghost by Styles P, released on April 29, 2014. It charted at #74 on US Billboard 200, and #14 on US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
EMPIRE has supported the debut albums and early singles of a number of early artists, frequently signing young talent. In the Atlanta scene, they were the first label to release Trinidad James, Rich Homie Quan, Migos, Rocko and K Camp. In Los Angeles, they have distributed and/or are still distributing artists such as Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Problem, Skeme and Crooked I. They've also been involved in New York with recent releases from Troy Ave, Styles P, Cam'ron and Busta Rhymes.
On the R&B side they have signed artists such as Eric Bellinger, Jacquees, Jesse Boykins III, Jonn Hart and Lyrica Anderson. EMPIRE has also had several chart topping reggae albums, including reggae artist J Boog's album Backyard Boogie[9] and Shaggy's 2013 release Out Of Many, One Music.[10]
In 2013, EMPIRE established its recording division, with Fairfield, CA native Sage The Gemini being the first signee.[11] Sage's two debut singles "Gas Pedal" and "Red Nose" became nationwide hits, earning him and the label a platinum plaque for "Gas Pedal" and a gold plaque for "Red Nose". Sage's debut album Remember Me was released in March 2014 under EMPIRE Recordings/Republic Records. Other artists on Empire Recordings include Rayven Justice, Jonn Hart, D Lo, Emilio Rojas, Baeza, Dmac, M.I.C. Show Banga, Smoovie Baby and Priceless Da Roc. At 2014's SXSW Festival in Austin, TX, EMPIRE hosted their first official showcase, featuring performances by Slim Thug, Eric Bellinger, Problem, Dorrough Music, Emilio Rojas and the EMPIRE Recordings roster.[12]
Artists
Artists who have released music on EMPIRE:[13]
Discography
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| Yr | Cat | Title | Artist(s) | Details | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ERE | Authenticity | The Foreign Exchange | Oct 12, 2010 | #145 on the Billboard 200 #23 US R&B |
| 2011 | ERE | Setbacks | ScHoolboy Q | Jan 11, 2011 | #100 on the US Billboard 200 |
| 2011 | ERE | Longterm Mentality | Ab-Soul | April 5, 2011 | #32 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers #73 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums |
| 2011 | ERE | Section.80 | Kendrick Lamar | July 2, 2011 | #113 on the US Billboard 200 #1 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums |
| 2011 | ERE | Charity Starts At Home | Phonte | Sep 27, 2011 | |
| 2011 | ERE | Element of Surprise | P.Watts | Oct 25, 2011 | |
| 2011 | ERE | In None We Trust | Crooked I | Nov 17, 2011 | |
| 2011 | ERE | Gift Of Gab 2 | Rocko | Nov 24, 2011 | |
| 2012 | ERE | Dirty Slums | Slum Village | Mar 27, 2012 | |
| 2012 | ERE | Stoner’s EP | Snoop Dogg | April 17, 2012 | #31 on the US Billboard Independent Albums #33 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums |
| 2012 | ERE | Don't Be S.A.F.E. | Trinidad James | Sep 18, 2012 | #103 on the US Billboard 200 #8 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums |
| 2012 | ERE | Baby Face Killa | Freddie Gibbs | Sep 25, 2012 | |
| 2013 | ERE | Still Goin In (Reloaded) | Rich Homie Quan | Feb 8, 2013 | Named tenth best mixtape of 2013 by Rolling Stone.[8] |
| 2013 | ERE | The Year of the Underdogz | Young Noble & Gage Gully | May 7, 2013 | |
| 2013 | ERE | West Coast Gangsta Shit | Daz Dillinger and WC | June 19, 2013 | |
| 2013 | ERE | ESGN (Evil Seeds Grow Naturally) | Freddie Gibbs | June 20, 2013 | #8 on US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[14] #24 on US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums |
| 2013 | ERE | Cold Turkey | Starlito | July 2, 2013 | |
| 2013 | ERE108 | Apex Predator | Crooked I | July 30, 2013 | #33 on US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[15] |
| 2013 | ERE | 3ChordFold | Terrace Martin | Aug 13, 2013 | #43 on US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #9 on US Billboard Heatseekers Albums |
| 2013 | ERE | Travis Garland | Travis Garland | Sep 10, 2013 | |
| 2013 | ERE | Gas Pedal EP | Sage The Gemini | Sep 10, 2013 | |
| 2013 | ERE | O.K.E. (Deluxe Edition) | The Game | Oct 8, 2013 | #89 on the US Billboard 200 #19 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums |
| 2013 | ERE | Knock Madness | Hopsin | Nov 24, 2013 | #1 on US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[16] #7 on US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #6 on US Billboard Independent |
| 2014 | ERE135 | Tortoise and the Crow CD | Grouch, Eligh | Mar 04, 2014 | |
| 2014 | ERE136 | Keep It On the D-Lo | D-Lo | Apr 01, 2014 | |
| 2014 | ERE139 | Phantom and the Ghost | Styles P | Apr 29, 2014 | #74 on US Billboard 200 #14 on US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #18 on US Billboard Independent |
| 2014 | ERE141 | Mafia Royalty 2K14 | AWOL | Apr 29, 2014 | |
| 2014 | ERE | Barrel Brothers | Skyzoo and Torae | May 27, 2014 |
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/global/5755446/shaggyreleasesfirst-allreggaealbumatkingstonslegendaryrae
- ↑ http://www.dubcnn.com/2013/08/22/bayareas-sagethegeminisignsdealwithempireuniversalrepublic/
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