Iconic Record Label Logos
These graphics invoke the essence of the music produced.
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Works of Art: 10 Iconic Record Label Logos - Wednesday (Jan. 15), Def Jam released an image of their new logo (above), which celebrates the label's 30 years in the game. The vinyl-like graphic is an update to a logo that's just as storied as the name that it symbolizes, as their original — with it's simple layout — has become one of the most ubiquitous in all of hip-hop. Here are more iconic record label logos.(Photo: Def Jam Recordings)
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Tommy Boy Records - Launched in 1981, Tommy Boy Records was home to notable acts in the late 1980s and early 1990s like Queen Latifah and House of Pain. The logo was designed by graffiti artist Eric Haze, who designed logos for everyone from Public Enemy to EPMD, and products for brands like G-Shock and Nike. It featured three b-boys doing their thing under the clean "Tommy Boy" block letters, artfully capturing hip-hop's essence. (Photo: Tommy Boy Entertainment)
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Motown Records - Three distinct polygons placed side by side make up the classic Motown Records logo, creating a distinguished "M." That sleek and chic logo ended up on the records of some of the most incredible acts in music over the last half-century.(Photo: Motown Records)
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Ruff Ryders - The Ruff Ryders logo in many ways felt like a personification of the label itself. With fierce, metalic lettering, "Ruff Ryders" sits in the foreground, placed over a much larger "R." It was hard and in your face, but still a bit flashy — much like the label's roster of artists. (Photo: Ruff Ryders Records)
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Cash Money Records - The Cash Money Records logo is to the point. It's shning throughout, with the label's name framing a behemoth dollar sign in the center. It's the same style that would mark their album covers for years to come.(Photo: Cash Money Records)
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Death Row Records - If the label's name itself left anything to be desired, Death Row's logo put that to rest. The house that Suge Knight and Dr. Dre built used a logo that featured horror-style lettering surrounding a dude with a bag over his head strapped to an electric chair. Serious business. (Photo: Death Row Records)
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Bad Boy Entertainment - This New York powerhouse decided to go the literal route when they launched with their logo, a Bébé's kids-looking baby dressed in Timbs and wielding his fist. The symbol mirrored the attitudes of Diddy and his cohorts. The logo was reportedly designed by A$AP Ferg's dad.(Photo: Bad Boy Entertainment)
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No Limit Records - In many of their videos and rowdy songs, and ocassionally their attire, No Limit Records' artists gave off a militarized feel. They were ready for combat. That outlook was launched visually with their logo, which featured a tank that looked ready for war. (Photo: No Limit Records)
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Roc-A-Fella Records - There's something that feels sort of jazzy about the Roc-A-Fella Records logo, which is a bit fitting, since the New York upstart's first release, Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt, had a jazzy sound at times. The designer, Dwayne Walker, sued the label's founders in 2012 for $7 million.(Photo: Roc A Fella Records)
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Loud Records - Loud Records pioneered a number of now-classic acts in the 1990s, and their logo, fittingly, feels classically '90s. A set of headphones scrunches the label's name together, and the result forms what looks like a head listening to the label's impressive roster of artists.(Photo: Loud Records)