DEF JAM
Def Jam Recordings was originally founded by Rick Rubin in 1983. The first band signed were The Beastie Boys.
The first releases to bear both a Def Jam logo and catalog number were released in 1984: "I Need a Beat" by LL Cool J and
"Rock Hard" by the Beastie Boys. The first Def Jam singles recieved enough attention to allow the label to land a major label
distribution deal with Columbia Records (a the time a subsidiary of CBS Records, which was subsequently bought by Sony).
Def Jam became the subject of a great of controversy when they signed Public Enemy at the end of the 80’s. This brought
the record label a great amount of success with the masses amount of attention. In 1994, PolyGram purchased Sony's 50%
stake in Def Jam Recordings-subsequently bringing the label into its fold.
The Big Three record labels are:
1. Sony BMG.
2. Universal Music Group.
3. Warner Music Group.
These labels can make up almost 80% of the music market or even more—depending on the year—although it
was estimated to be about two-thirds in 2016.
Def Jam South Recordings (southern hip-hop) is the southern division of Def Jam Recordings. The label is best known for
launching the career of Ludacris. In 2003, the label shut down but was relaunched in 2005. They have also jump-started the
career of Young Jeezy.
Majors are the old dogs of the business; they have been operating for over half a century and have produced some of the
most successful artists of all time. They have a lot of power and influence; they often operate with their own distribution
companies and can offer significant financial backing to artists.
Majors are global companies, and generally more commercially motivated. The Warner Music Group, Sony Music Group
and The Universal Music Group are widely known as the three major labels worldwide. Major labels tend to produce
popular music that is radio friendly.
Indies are new to the business, firmly established in the music world after years of commercial success. However, they are
far savvier in terms of adapting to changing cultural climates. Indie labels cannot offer the same financial assistance or
large-scale opportunities that the majors can, but the focus is on the music.
They offer more nurturing guidance for their artists than the majors, leaving creative freedom with the artist. In the past,
indie labels have been key players in the evolution of alternative music sub-cultural movements such as punk and grunge.
Many indie music genres are exceedingly popular with many indie-pop artists and indie rock artists are doing well.
The subsidiary labels are each mini-companies operating under the umbrella of the larger record label.
SUZI WU
What genre or area of music does the artist belong to? Are they the
kind of artist associated with Def Jam Recordings? Explain your answer
referring to the research into the label you carried out previously.
Suzi Wu creates British hip hop/electro-pop which conforms to the main genre seen within the record
label Def Jam.
How does the label use the website to promote the artist?
They have established a small biography of the artist to promote her image and music. It engages the
audience more, allowing them to see another side to the artist, not just their sound.
Choose one music video from the artist to analyse closely. Take notes
on the following:
What type of video is it? narrative/performance/dance-
based/concept/animation etc. (It may be a conbination of these)
Her music video for the song ERROR 404 is performance based, seeing her singing/rapping on a
stage. They use a great amount of graphics such as placing computer code programming over the
shot – relating it to the genre of electro-pop.
How does the artist feature?
They are shown performing on a stage and also walking down the streets of London with an attitude.
What are the main ways in which cinematography is used?
There is lots of filters and CGI used to make it look very computer-esc, which I think is the artists image
to seem quite robotic with her sound as she wants her image and sound to be unique.
Is there any obvious symbolism in the video (for example the use of colour)
There is lots of bright primary colours used, similarly to colours used in video games, again relating to
electronics.
Does the video contain a ‘message’? How does it work to sell the song to an
audience? I think there is a small hint – the contrast of the bright colours and computer related
graphics over the top of dark settings like the streets of London at night suggests that people find the
world online better than reality in some cases.
How does the video reinforce the song lyrics? “Canines in a fight on a school night, keep
walkin', We're talkin' , Resurrection, of a dead tune, zombie brains in your bedroom” – relates to the
contrast of real life and video games.
