Profile Records
Encyclopedia
Profile Records was a record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 that specialized in many types of urban-oriented music, such as hip hop
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...

, active until 1996..

History

In 1980, at 23 years old, after working briefly for MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

, Cory Robbins was looking to start a record label. He invited his songwriter friend Steve Plotnicki to be a partner. They each borrowed $17,000 from their parents and Profile Records was born. Their tiny office opened at 250 West 57th street in NYC on May 1, 1981. Contrary to the Urban myth that has existed for decades, Robbins and Plotnicki did not buy Profile Records from MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

, nor was it the child of any other label. The label started as and remained an independent company created by Robbins and Plotnicki.

The initial investment came and went several times before a profit was finally turned a year later. It wasn’t until the success of “Genius Rap” by Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde did they escape financial ruin by a mere $2,000. From there it was Gidea Park
Gidea Park
Gidea Park is a place in the London Borough of Havering, east London, England. Gidea Park is a part of Romford post town.-History:Gidea Park is the location of the "Romford Garden Suburb" constructed in 1910 to 1911 on the Gidea Hall and Balgores Estates as an exhibition of town planning...

's “Seasons of Gold” that brought more commercial and financial success by becoming Profile Records’ first hit to make the Billboard Hot 100. From there, they had consistent commercial success, with gold and platinum sales with artists such as Dana Dane
Dana Dane
Dana McLeese, better known by his stage name Dana Dane, is an American hip hop recording artist known for performance of humorous lyrics and for his fashion sense.-Early life:...

, Twin hype, Run DMC, Poor Righteous Teachers
Poor Righteous Teachers
Poor Righteous Teachers is a hip hop group from Trenton, New Jersey, founded in 1989. Often referred to as PRT by its fans, Poor Righteous Teachers are known as pro-Black conscious hip hop artists, with musical content inspired by the teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earths. Wise Intelligent, as...

, Nemesis
Nemesis (rap crew)
Nemesis is the first rap crew from Dallas, Texas to enjoy popularity in the US and world-wide, thanks to their label, Profile Records, which was well-known for bringing out many popular east coast rap releases such as Run-DMC, Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde, and Dana Dane...

, and Paul Hardcastle
Paul Hardcastle
Paul Hardcastle is an English composer and musician, specialising in the synthesizer.-Discography:In the early 1980s, Hardcastle played the keyboards on several singles on the Oval record label by the dance music groups Direct Drive and First Light, before going solo.He achieved some acclaim for...

 to name a few. In 1985, the label moved to a new headquarters at 740 Broadway in New York. The label also had numerous sub-labels such as Smile Communications (which later became independent and continued to be controlled by Plotnicki after Profile was acquired), Sea Bright Records, and Robert Hill's Zakia Records, the label that launched the career of hip hop legends Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim .Hailing from Long Island, New York, the pair are generally considered by hip hop enthusiasts to be one of the most influential and innovative groups in the genre...

 and King Sun.

Profile's biggest act was Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...

, which was introduced to Robbins when manager Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...

 sent him a demo cassette of "It’s Like That." Robbins signed the group soon after and a legend was born

Alhough Profile rejected a few artists that went on to fame, it had great success with the artists it did sign. Including over 500 different albums sold, and gold and platinum success via dozens of artists. At a time when major labels would not touch acts like these, Profile took chances that paid off big.

It was after the success of Young MC
Young MC
Marvin Young , better known by his stage name Young MC, is an English-born American singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit "Bust a Move"...

 and Tone Lōc
Tone Lōc
Anthony Terrell Smith , better known by his stage name Tone Lōc, is an American rapper and actor.-Early life and career:...

 that Profile decided to open its door to West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

 and Houston MCs, which proved yet another lucrative opportunity.

Thirteen years earlier, as new record label owners, Robbins and Plotnicki used attorneys to sign their talent but decided that a solid handshake was enough for their own partnership, which proved to be a problem in later years. There was no ownership contract between the two, so as the end drew nigh, it became harder and harder to see eye-to-eye. Robbins sold his interest to Plotnicki when he left the company in 1994 and opened the Dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

 label Robbins Entertainment
Robbins Entertainment
Robbins Entertainment is an American dance music record label. It is owned by Cory Robbins and is responsible for releasing and promoting several new artists, such as Cascada, and their hit single "Everytime We Touch". It is also the company responsible for the Dance Party Like It's.... series and...

. In 1997, Plotnicki sold Profile to Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...

, after a fierce bidding war between that company and Tommy Boy Records
Tommy Boy Records
Tommy Boy Entertainment is an independent record label started in 1981 by Tom Silverman.-History:...

.

Consequently, the partners' less than amicable split severed not only all business ties but all personal ones too. Robbins, in 2008 said he had no regrets “except for an occasional loss, it was a good experience, a positive experience but I would not change a thing.”

Currently, Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....

 manages Profile's back catalog and master recordings.

Hip hop

  • Caveman
  • Camp Lo
    Camp Lo
    Camp Lo is an American hip hop duo, formed in 1995, which hails from The Bronx, New York. The duo consists of rappers Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede , both of Muslim upbringing.-Career:...

  • Dana Dane
    Dana Dane
    Dana McLeese, better known by his stage name Dana Dane, is an American hip hop recording artist known for performance of humorous lyrics and for his fashion sense.-Early life:...

  • DJ Quik
    DJ Quik
    David Martin Blake , better known by his stage name DJ Quik, is an MC and record producer. According to Quik himself, his stage name reflects his ability to produce records in short time....

  • Special Ed
    Special Ed
    Special Ed is the performing name of Edward Archer , an American hip hop musician of Jamaican descent. Hailing from Brooklyn in New York City, he was raised in Flatbush before moving to Canarsie, and is identified with East Coast hip hop...

  • Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
  • Nemesis
  • Poor Righteous Teachers
    Poor Righteous Teachers
    Poor Righteous Teachers is a hip hop group from Trenton, New Jersey, founded in 1989. Often referred to as PRT by its fans, Poor Righteous Teachers are known as pro-Black conscious hip hop artists, with musical content inspired by the teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earths. Wise Intelligent, as...

  • Derek B
    Derek B
    Derek Boland , better known by his stage name Derek B, was a British rapper. His most commercially successful releases were "Goodgroove" and "Bad Young Brother" in 1988.- Biography :...

  • Run-D.M.C.
    Run-D.M.C.
    Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...

  • 2nd II None
    2nd II None
    2nd II None is a rap group from Compton, California. It consist of cousins KK and Gangsta D .- Early years :...

  • 52nd Street
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    52nd Street were a British jazz-funk and R&B band formed in Manchester in late 1980, around the period in which both punk/new wave and jazz-funk rocked the club scene. Throughout the 1980s the group enjoyed success not only in the UK but also on the Billboard chart in the United States...

  • Nine
    Nine (rapper)
    Nine is the stage name of Derrick Keyes , an American rapper from The Bronx, New York City, New York. He also been known as 9MM or Nine Double M...

  • Potna Deuce
  • Pumpkin
    Pumpkin (musician)
    Errol Eduardo Bedward, better known by his stage name Pumpkin was a musician, percussionist and band leader. He was renowned for being the one behind many old school hip hop tracks for the Profile, Enjoy, and Tuff City record companies....

  • Joint Ventures
  • Smoothe Da Hustler
    Smoothe da Hustler
    Damon Smith, better known as Smoothe da Hustler is an American rapper who was signed to Profile Records in the mid-90s.Smoothe came to prominence in 1995 with his debut single "Broken Language", a duet with his little brother Trigger tha Gambler...

  • Sweet Tee
    Sweet Tee
    Sweet Tee is an American rapper, who was signed to MCA Records in the 1980s. She scored minor chart success with her debut album, It's Tee Time, which peaked at #31 on the US Billboard R&B chart. She scored four chart hit singles from her debut album...

     & Jazzy Joyce
    DJ Jazzy Joyce
    DJ Jazzy Joyce is an American hip hop DJ and producer on New York City's radio station Hot 97. She is best known for her collaboration with rapper Sweet Tee on the 1986 single "It's My Beat". In 1994, she was featured on "9th Wonder ", the first single from "Blowout Comb", the second album from...

  • L.A.Star

Others

  • Asher D & Daddy Freddy
    Daddy Freddy
    S. Frederick Small , better known as Daddy Freddy is a ragga vocalist.-Early life:Small was born in Kingston, Jamaica and grew up in the city's Trenchtown district. His house was a few minutes walk from Coxsone Dodd's influential record studio Studio One.His neighbours were Jacob Miller and...

  • Thom Bishop
  • Sharon Brown
    Sharon Brown (singer)
    Sharon Brown is a singer-songwriter and musician who was born in Harlem, New York, U.S.. She is the niece of songwriter Phil Medley, who co-wrote the song "Twist and Shout". She is also the daughter of drummer William Brown, who played with musicians such as The Isley Brothers and Cannonball...

  • Cro-Mags
    Cro-Mags
    Cro-Mags are a hardcore punk turned crossover thrash band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential...

  • Leeway
    Leeway (band)
    Leeway is a crossover thrash band formed in Astoria, New York, USA in 1984 by guitarist A.J. Novello and vocalist Eddie Sutton under the name The Unruled. They played alongside groups such as Crumbsuckers, Prong, Ludichrist, Bad Brains, and Sick of It All at the predominantly hardcore punk-oriented...

  • Paul Hardcastle
    Paul Hardcastle
    Paul Hardcastle is an English composer and musician, specialising in the synthesizer.-Discography:In the early 1980s, Hardcastle played the keyboards on several singles on the Oval record label by the dance music groups Direct Drive and First Light, before going solo.He achieved some acclaim for...

  • Barrington Levy
    Barrington Levy
    Barrington Levy is a reggae and dancehall artist from Jamaica.-Career:In 1976, Levy formed a band with his cousin, Everton Dacres, called the Mighty Multitude; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977...

  • Murphy's Law
    Murphy's Law (band)
    Murphy's Law is an American hardcore band from New York City, New York, formed in 1982. While vocalist Jimmy Gestapo remains the only founding member of the band, the line-up has consisted of former members of bands such as Skinnerbox, Danzig, The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Hanoi...

  • Plasmatics
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    The Plasmatics were an American heavy metal and punk band formed by Yale University art school graduate Rod Swenson with Wendy O. Williams. The band was a controversial group known for wild live shows that broke countless taboos...

  • Cutty Ranks
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    Philip Thomas, , better known as Cutty Ranks is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist.-Biography:Thomas was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1965. He began his career as a reggae artist at the age of 14 with the Gemini sound system, before moving on to work with Tony Rebel's Rebel Tone and Papa Roots,...

  • Nardo Ranks
  • Judy Torres
    Judy Torres
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  • The Accelerators
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    The Accelerators were a rock 'n roll band from Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. They were formed in 1982 by singer/guitarist Gerald Duncan, and have since released five albums.-History:...

  • The Nils
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  • Moev
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    Founded in 1981 by Tom Ferris and Cal Stephenson, Moev is an electronic music group that recorded on Atlantic Records, Nettwerk Records, Go! Records and Cop International...

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