All Def Music: Record Label Transformations

Hip hop's most dramatic label changes.

Russell Simmons, @UncleRUSH - Tweet: "Crazy how I praise maculamore saying he had one of if not the most inspiring song of year and some media interpret that as a diss..?"Maybe Uncle Rush's confusion as to how his words of kindness have been taken out of context pertaining to Macklemore and his music-making skills rattled his spelling abilities. #gotitalltwisted(Photo: Chris Weeks/Getty Images for G-Star)
From Roc-A-Fella Records to Roc Nation - Roc-A-Fella Records was born out of a partnership between then rising mogul Damon Dash and a young Jay Z, who was being rejected by the major labels. The two decided to release independently and sign their own artists. After years of success, Hov’s relationship with Dash became strained, and it was agreed without Dash’s knowledge that the label would be sold to Def Jam for $10 million. Jay became president of Def Jam (for a brief stint before resigning). Dash attempted to reclaim the Roc brand with Roc4Life under Def Jam (but to no avail). And, in 2008, Jay singed a $150 million deal with Live Nation, including funds to cover overhead of what is now known as Roc Nation, which boasts management of the likes of J. Cole, Rihanna and Wale.(Photos from left: Roc Nation, Roc-a-Fella Records)
Priority Records Relaunches With Just Blaze - Priority Records, the leading force in gangsta rap, was once the home of hip hop greats like Ice Cube, N.W.A. and Dr. Dre. After being on hiatus for a while, Priority Records is back and has completely revamped its roster. Described recently by Billboard as being a producer-driven label focusing on electronic and progressive urban music, the new and improved Priority Records will be made public Aug. 13 with the release of Just Blaze’s new single, “Higher,” featuring Jay Z.(Photos from left: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for Beats by Dre, Priority Records)Maybach Music Group Begins Takeover - The first album ever released by the Maybach Music Group was its founders' third studio LP, Deeper Than Rap, and after the success of his project, Rick Ross decided to focus more on developing the label's artist roster. Since then, MMG has expanded like no other, housing some of today’s biggest artists like Wale, French Montana and Meek Mill. In 2011, expanding his brand name, the bawse announced that there will soon be an MMG Jamaica and an MMG Latino.(Photo: Maybach Music Group)

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All Def Music: Record Label Transformations - Russell Simmons is the co-founder of the label that helped build hip hop: Def Jam; and after a series of sales and mergers, he let the company go (reportedly for $100 million). Now, more than a decade later, Uncle Rush is renewing his claim of the "Def" brand name with the launch of All Def Music, a probable game-changer that focuses exclusively on signing YouTube artists.This isn't the first time, however, that a record label has gone through such an evolution. From Roc-A-Fella to Roc Nation to the flourishing of YMCMB from Cash Money, we’ve rounded up some of hip hop's most notable record label transformations.By: Moriba Cummings(Photo: Chris Weeks/Getty Images for G-Star)

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