.gif)
Fresh Records (US)
Encyclopedia
Fresh Records is a defunct New York City
-based independent record label
that operated from 1985
to 1992
. The label was a subsidiary of Sleeping Bag Records
that featured hip hop music
. The label's artist roster included pioneering old school hip hop
artists such as EPMD
, Nice & Smooth
, Just-Ice
, and T La Rock
; house-music
pioneer Todd Terry
; and electro artists Hanson & Davis and Chocolette.
Kurtis Mantronik, in addition to being the musician of the hip-hop duo Mantronix
(signed to the parent label, Sleeping Bag Records
), did A&R
for both labels.
EPMD
rhymed about its record-signing experience with the label in the song "Please Listen to My Demo" from 1989
Unfinished Business
("Signed on the dotted line, now we Fresh Records members").
, one of the three original founders of Sleeping Bag Records.
, the catalog sat in limbo for several years. In 1996
, the label and its catalog were purchased by Warlock Records
, which has been rereleasing its titles with the Fresh and Sleeping Bag Records logos alongside the Warlock Records logo since. The building that housed Fresh and Sleeping Bag Records in Manhattan
(1974 Broadway, NY, NY 10023) was torn down in the 1990s and a luxury apartment building now stands in its place. In 2006, the label became one of many imprints’ catalogs that became Traffic Entertainment Group, which has been releasing new versions of the classic albums in Fresh’s catalog with their original artwork intact. However, the rights of the EPMD albums Strictly Business and Unfinished Business
, and Nice & Smooth’s self-titled album
were acquired by Priority
/EMI Records
shortly after Sleeping Bag ceased operations.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
that operated from 1985
1985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
to 1992
1992 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.-January–February:*January 11**Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to #1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s....
. The label was a subsidiary of Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records is a defunct New York City-based old school hip hop and dance music independent record label that operated from 1981 to 1992...
that featured hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. The label's artist roster included pioneering old school hip hop
Old school hip hop
Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music , and the music in the period preceding it from which it was directly descended . Old school hip hop is said to end around 1983 or 1984 with the emergence of Run–D.M.C., the first new school hip hop group...
artists such as EPMD
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop group from Brentwood, New York. The group's name is a concatenation of the members' name "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referencing its members, emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith...
, Nice & Smooth
Nice & Smooth
Nice & Smooth was an East Coast hip hop duo from New York that consists of Greg Nice and Smooth B . The duo released four albums from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s...
, Just-Ice
Just-Ice
Just-Ice A former bouncer at punk clubs, Ice was one of the first of the New York MCs to embrace hardcore rap, and when he burst out of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, as Just-Ice, he gained instant notoriety. Muscle-bound, tattooed, aggressive—he resembled Mike Tyson in more than just looks—and with a...
, and T La Rock
T La Rock
Clarence "Terry" Ronnie Keaton , known by the stage name T La Rock, is an American old-school emcee best known for his collaboration with Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin and the 1984 single "It's Yours." He disappeared from the hip hop scene after a traumatic brain injury in 1994, but as...
; house-music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
pioneer Todd Terry
Todd Terry
Todd N. Terry is an American DJ, producer, and remixer.-Career:Terry's productions extensively used samples blending the sounds of classic disco, the Chicago sound, and elements of hip-hop....
; and electro artists Hanson & Davis and Chocolette.
Kurtis Mantronik, in addition to being the musician of the hip-hop duo Mantronix
Mantronix
Mantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop and electro funk music group founded by DJ Kurtis Mantronik , and rapper MC Tee...
(signed to the parent label, Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records is a defunct New York City-based old school hip hop and dance music independent record label that operated from 1981 to 1992...
), did A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
for both labels.
EPMD
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop group from Brentwood, New York. The group's name is a concatenation of the members' name "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referencing its members, emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith...
rhymed about its record-signing experience with the label in the song "Please Listen to My Demo" from 1989
1989 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...
Unfinished Business
Unfinished Business (EPMD album)
Unfinished Business is the second album from Hip Hop duo EPMD. Released in 1989, the album built upon the success of the group's previous album Strictly Business, which was released the previous year. The lead single, "So Wat Cha Sayin'," was the only charting single released from the album...
("Signed on the dotted line, now we Fresh Records members").
Founder
Fresh Records was founded by William Socolov in 19851985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
, one of the three original founders of Sleeping Bag Records.
Re-releases
After closing its doors (along with its parent label) in 19921992 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.-January–February:*January 11**Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to #1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s....
, the catalog sat in limbo for several years. In 1996
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
, the label and its catalog were purchased by Warlock Records
Warlock Records
Warlock Records is an independent record label based in New York City that was founded by Adam Levy in the late 1980s. Artists that once recorded for Warlock Records included C-Bo, the Jungle Brothers, and Todd Terry. In 1992, the label acquired the catalog of Sleeping Bag Records and its sub-label...
, which has been rereleasing its titles with the Fresh and Sleeping Bag Records logos alongside the Warlock Records logo since. The building that housed Fresh and Sleeping Bag Records in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
(1974 Broadway, NY, NY 10023) was torn down in the 1990s and a luxury apartment building now stands in its place. In 2006, the label became one of many imprints’ catalogs that became Traffic Entertainment Group, which has been releasing new versions of the classic albums in Fresh’s catalog with their original artwork intact. However, the rights of the EPMD albums Strictly Business and Unfinished Business
Unfinished Business (EPMD album)
Unfinished Business is the second album from Hip Hop duo EPMD. Released in 1989, the album built upon the success of the group's previous album Strictly Business, which was released the previous year. The lead single, "So Wat Cha Sayin'," was the only charting single released from the album...
, and Nice & Smooth’s self-titled album
Nice and Smooth (album)
Nice & Smooth is the debut album of the hip-hop duo Nice & Smooth. The album is notable for its sense of humor and comedy rhymes. Although the album contains explicit lyrics on it, it is also at its best with Greg Nice's crazy rhyming with humor and Smooth B's slow lover rhymes...
were acquired by Priority
Priority Records
Priority Records is an American record label, owned and operated by EMI, which has made a name for itself dealing primarily in hip hop, pop and world...
/EMI Records
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
shortly after Sleeping Bag ceased operations.