INDIE HIP-HOP MONTH FEATURED LABEL: QUANNUM PROJECTS

Label name:

Founded (Date): 1991

Founders:

Blackalicious (Chief Xcel & Gift of Gab), Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truthspeaker and DJ Shadow.

Backstory:

The independent label Quannum Projects was first conceived in 1991 as a collective by the artists Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lateef, Lyrics Born and the journalists DJ Zen (Jeff Chang) and Jazzbo (Joseph Patel), under the moniker “Solesides Records.” Now headquartered in San Francisco, Quannum has grown to be one of the nation’s leading independent labels, having sold over 2 million records since its inception. Before evolving into Quannum in 1997, Solesides released such seminal recordings as Shadow’s "Entropy" and Blackalicious’ "Alphabet Aerobics," as well as Latyrx’ "Lady Don’t Tek No" and "Balcony Beach," leading a wave of independent hip-hop from Northern California and beyond. Quannum then went on to massive grassroots success with the release of Blackalicious’ debut Nia in 2000. That same year marked the arrival of a new group into the Quannum fold, Portland’s Lifesavas, whose debut album Spirit in Stone quickly became a hip-hop classic. The collective earned critical and commercial success most recently with Lyrics Born’s masterpiece Later That Day… (2003) and the follow-up remix project Same !@#$ Different Day (2005), notably with the hit single “Callin’ Out.” The Quannum family has continued to expand with releases from such diverse artists as São Paulo’s Curumin, vintage keyboard guru General Elektriks, the electronic hip-hop duo Apsci, LA-based MC Pigeon John and the Bay Area’s own skateboarding legend Tommy Guerrero. The label has also secured numerous licensing deals and partnerships with companies such as Coca Cola, Motorola Toyota, Nike, Adidas, HBO, ESPN, EA Sports and the major motion pictures Abandon and Collateral

Greatest Achievements :

Our commitment to the preservation of quality music is our strongest achievement. In our 10+ years, we’ve built a strong core audience and introduced the world to Lyrics Born, Lifesavas, Pigeon John, Blackalicious and a plethora of quality music on our own terms. We are proud of every single release in our catalog.

Current and Future projects:

2006 was a phenomenal year for us. We released 4 albums by new and classic Quannum artists including:

Pigeon John And The Summertime Pool Party

Honeycut The Day I Turned To Glass

Tommy Guerrero from the soil to the soul

Lyrics Born Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live!

2007 is primed to be another year of solid releases including the long awaited sophomore release from Lifesavas Gutterfly, to the debut album from Joyo Velarde, a new collabo project helmed by Lateef the Truthspeaker and Gift of Gab called Underdogs and a few other gems we’ll save for later!

Goals and Purpose : First and foremost we are about quality hip-hop. We are at our core a hip-hop label that was founded in order to release a caliber of music that otherwise had no outlet to be heard. In the last 3 years, our catalog has grown to include other types of music that are not hip-hop in the traditional sense, but we’ve still maintained quality. Each and every release contains a level of musicality that can’t be found many other places. We hope to continue to grow and expand our roster to include other like-minded artists who share the Quannum aesthetic and commitment to quality.

Within the Game : The game is constantly evolving and constantly changing. Definitions of what is hip-hop and what makes you relevant to the game is getting harder and harder to define. It goes without saying, that the beauty of hip-hop is the foundation upon which it sits; that being creativity and innovation. Quannum embraces this foundation to the fullest. That alone keeps us relevant in the game. It always has and it always will.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE PIGEON JOHN INTERVIEW

CLICK HERE TO READ THE LIFESAVAS INTERVIEW