Since Motown shifted to Capitol and Habtemariam was promoted to president in 2014, the label has gotten more aggressive in pursuing hip-hop deals, signing a joint venture with Quality Control Music in 2015 that brought Lil Yachty and, eventually, Migos into the fold, and landing deals for Rich Homie Quan, Chaz French and Kevin Hart‘s rapping alter-ego Chocolate Droppa. “Whoever we do business with, it’s a team effort, a partnership. “We understand the history behind it it’s a name you respect,” says West, a Compton native. Dre‘s The Chronic (via Death Row/Interscope and distributed by Priority) and JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt to compete with more nimble competitors in the indie distribution space like EMPIRE, which has seen veteran MCs like Raekwon and Twista switch away from Caroline to its platform in recent years. But with Priority, Capitol hopes to capitalize on a legacy that includes releases like Ice Cube‘s AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, Dr. “I spent a lot of time looking at the marketplace and what the competition was doing, and it just seemed to be the right time to do it now.”Ĭapitol Records Celebrates 75th Anniversary With Vinyl Reissues, Essay Book & DocuseriesĬapitol already owns Caroline, an indie distributor for artists and labels like ATO Records ( Alabama Shakes, Brandi Carlile), Photo Finish ( Marian Hill, MisterWives) and Stones Throw. “Until Ethiopia arrived with Motown, Capitol hadn’t been in the urban business for probably 25 years from a real commitment point of view,” says Barnett. radio veteran William “Fuzzy” West and A&R executive Serge Durand to help push Capitol deeper into the hip-hop market. Overseen by CMG chairman/CEO Steve Barnett, COO Michelle Jubelirer, new executive vp Dion “No I.D.” Wilson, CFO Geoff Harris and Motown president Ethiopia Habtemariam, Priority will be run by L.A. Now, CMG is relaunching the legendary imprint as an indie-leaning, versatile distribution wing focused largely on emerging hip-hop acts. Priority’s ownership has shifted over the years since it was sold to EMI in 2001 it was acquired by Universal Music Group in its $1.9 billion acquisition of EMI in 2012, then shifted from Island Def Jam to Capitol when IDJ was broken up in 2014. Founded in 1985 by Bryan Turner and Mark Cerami, the indie took a chance on a crew of MCs bubbling out of Los Angeles at a time when rap was dominated by the East Coast and helped turn N.W.A into a national powerhouse with the release of 1988’s Straight Outta Compton, putting the West Coast, and gangsta rap, on the map. Few record labels were as important to the rise of West Coast hip-hop as Priority Records.
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