DEFINITIVE JUX
Nov 1, 2003 12:00 PM
Style: Independent hip-hop
Established: In 2000 by El-P (aka Jaime Meline) and his manager, Amaechi Uzoigwe
Artists: Aesop Rock, Cannibal Ox, C-Rayz Walz, El-P, Hangar 18, Mr. Lif, Murs, Party Fun Action Committee, RJD2, Rob Sonic, S.A. Smash
Essential Listening: Aesop Rock, Daylight EP (2002), Bazooka Tooth (2003); Cannibal Ox, The Cold Vein (2001); C-Rayz Walz, Ravipops (2003); Definitive Jux Presents: Company Flow (2000); El-P, “Dead Disnee” (2002), Fantastic Damage (2002); RJD2, Deadringer (2002), “Let the Good Times Roll” (2002); Mr. Lif, I Phantom (2002); Murs, The End of the Beginning (2003); Revenge of the Robots DVD (2003)
Manifesto: “[Def Jux is about] creating and releasing high-quality, independent music true to an artist's vision and true to the creative essence of hip-hop music,” Uzoigwe says. “We are uncompromising but equitable, artist-owned and -operated, self-financed and beholden only to our own dreams: hard with heart, smart with soul; defiantly original; and definitively hip-hop.”
A&R Philosophy: The label seeks material that is original, unique and challenging. “Plus, it has to bang,” Uzoigwe says. A Def Jux artist must have a creative spirit matched with the ability to think progressively and handle his or her business correctly.
Upcoming: New albums from C-Rayz Walz (with Raekwon from the Wu-Tang Clan), El-P and RJD2; a DVD and a national tour from Aesop Rock; and Definitive Jux Presents 3.
Contact: Definitive Jux; 451 Greenwich St., Ste. 506, New York, NY 10013; tel. (212) 343-2604; e-mail info@definitivejux.net; Web www.definitivejux.net
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
