Eastern Conference Records
Encyclopedia
Eastern Conference Records is an independent record label based in New York City
, New York
. It is owned and operated by DJ Mighty Mi, the DJ/producer for the High & Mighty
.
During the label's brief heyday, it was home to underground rappers (and cult heroes) such as Cage
, Tame One
(one-half of the duo The Artifacts), R.A. The Rugged Man
, and The Weathermen
, a supergroup composed of Cage Kennylz
, Copywrite 78, Tame One
, Breeze Brewin of the Juggaknots
, El-P, Camu Tao
, and Yak Ballz
.
, Fondle 'Em Records
, Solesides
, and Stones Throw Records
were established during this time period. The former two were based in New York alongside Eastern Conference, and the latter two in California
.
Similar to both Fondle 'Em and Rawkus, Eastern Conference was initially a vinyl-only imprint. Critical response to the label's early output was positive, and the first Eastern Conference single, The High & Mighty's "It's All Good / Hands On Experience (feat. Bobbito the Barber & El-P) / Cranial Lumps" quickly reached cult status on the strength of "Hands On Experience", a whimsical ode to masturbation.
During its first three years of existence, Eastern Conference continued to release successful twelve-inch singles from the Smut Peddlers, Jurassic 5's Chali 2na
, The High & Mighty, and Mad Skillz. The label's eye for new talent steadily built its reputation as an up-and-coming imprint in the contemporary rap scene.
In 1998, Eastern Conference released its first compilation, Eastern Conference All-Stars. This release was essentially a collection of the first eight or so vinyl singles, drawing comparisons to Rawkus Records' Soundbombing
.
and the Smut Peddlers' Porn Again
. Both cracked the Billboard Top 200 (the former at #193 and the latter at #184), and had strong supporting singles: "B-Boy Document '99 (featuring Mad Skillz & Mos Def)" and "That Smut", respectively. Amidst these successes, the label continued to release positively-received twelve-inch singles, including Mad Skillz' "Ghostwriter" and Cage's "Suicidal Failure".
When Eastern Conference's two-year contract to Rawkus was up, Mighty Mi made the decision to sever ties with Rawkus and continue to "build independently", without releasing records under a major label. He soon found a distributor (Landspeed Records, who had released the first Eastern Conference All-Stars), and quickly began releasing material. The first release under Landspeed was, fittingly, Eastern Conference All Stars II, an all-new compilation featuring music from Jurassic 5
, Big Daddy Kane
, Reef the Lost Cauze
, Tame 1, and The Last Emperor.
During the next three years, however, Eastern Conference experienced a dramatic decline in interest and support from rap fans. One speculated reason for this is that since the label no longer enjoyed major label backing, as it had through Rawkus, it became harder to distribute their projects as widely and promote them as heavily. However, many hip-hop fans claim that Eastern Conference's output simply suffered from a lack of overall quality.
Additionally, the label was dealt a harsh blow when Cage, along with his group the Weathermen
, the label's biggest selling act, moved to the Definitive Jux
label. When asked about the move in a HipHopSite.com interview, Cage replied
However, Cage later stated that another reason for his leaving the label was financial mismanagement and lack of proper marketing and promotion for his albums. Instead, he claimed that Mighty Mi (and, to an extent, Mr. Eon) were funneling the label's money into their own projects. Encouraged by Cage, other artists who had formerly recorded for EC and supported his claims of Mighty Mi's sloppy business dealings. This created a storm of bad publicity for Eastern Conference Records & Mighty Mi, and were nearly as damaging as Cage's departure itself. Shortly after, other Weathermen, Yak Ballz
and Tame One
followed Cage and moved to other labels.
Whether caused by the artists' claims or not, Eastern Conference's output was drastically reduced from 2005 onward; the label released four albums in 2005, one album in 2006, and by June 2007 had only released one album.
page.
All the Eastern Conferences releases are out of print and are becoming harder and harder to find. These releases include, mixtapes, full lengths, compilations, and extended plays.
As of May 2008, Mighty Mi has been spotted regularly playing as an in-house dj for a club in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fact, coupled with the complete lack of releases by Eastern Conference seems to indicate that the label is, in fact, no more.
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...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It is owned and operated by DJ Mighty Mi, the DJ/producer for the High & Mighty
High and Mighty (band)
The High & Mighty are an underground hip hop duo from Philadelphia consisting of rapper Mr. Eon and DJ Mighty Mi...
.
During the label's brief heyday, it was home to underground rappers (and cult heroes) such as Cage
Cage Kennylz
Chris Palko, better known by his stage name Cage, is an American rapper from New York City. He has released three studio albums and two extended plays. Cage is also the founder of the underground hip-hop supergroup called the Weathermen.-Early life:...
, Tame One
Tame One
Rahem Brown, better known by his stage name, Tame One, is an underground rapper from New Jersey currently signed to the label Amalgam Digital. He was part of Artifacts, a popular rap duo with El Da Sensei. Which is rumored to be getting back together. He is also known for his collaboration with...
(one-half of the duo The Artifacts), R.A. The Rugged Man
R.A. The Rugged Man
R. A. Thorburn, better known as R.A. the Rugged Man, is an emcee from Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.-Career:At 18, R.A. signed with Jive Records and then in the mid-1990s signed with Priority Records/EMI. His contract was later absorbed by Capitol Records but he began recording...
, and The Weathermen
The Weathermen (hip hop group)
The Weathermen, is a New York City-based, underground hip-hop supergroup consisting of Aesop Rock, Tame One, Cage, Yak Ballz, El-P, and Breeze Brewin. The group took its name from the revolutionary organization Weatherman, and sometimes refers to itself as the "New Left"...
, a supergroup composed of Cage Kennylz
Cage Kennylz
Chris Palko, better known by his stage name Cage, is an American rapper from New York City. He has released three studio albums and two extended plays. Cage is also the founder of the underground hip-hop supergroup called the Weathermen.-Early life:...
, Copywrite 78, Tame One
Tame One
Rahem Brown, better known by his stage name, Tame One, is an underground rapper from New Jersey currently signed to the label Amalgam Digital. He was part of Artifacts, a popular rap duo with El Da Sensei. Which is rumored to be getting back together. He is also known for his collaboration with...
, Breeze Brewin of the Juggaknots
Juggaknots
The Juggaknots is a hip hop group from New York consisting of siblings Breeze Brewin', Queen Herawin, Buddy Slim, and DJ Boo. The group has worked with both Sadat X and Prince Paul. The group’s first album, Clear Blue Skies, released on the vinyl-only New York independent Fondle 'Em Records, is...
, El-P, Camu Tao
Camu Tao
Camu Tao was an American rapper and producer who was signed to the Definitive Jux label. He was a member of several groups: S.A...
, and Yak Ballz
Yak Ballz
Yak Ballz, born Yashar Zadeh is an American independent hip hop artist, who was brought up in Flushing, Queens, New York. He is one of the original members of The Weathermen. He is also a member of Cardboard City.-Early life:...
.
Beginnings
Mr. Eon established the Eastern Conference imprint in 1996, in the midst of the late nineties indie boom of rap. During this epoch, which spanned from roughly 1996 to 2002, a renewed interest in vinyl records provided a niche market for many smaller record labels and fiercely independent rappers. In addition to Eastern Conference, Rawkus RecordsRawkus Records
Rawkus Records is an American hip-hop record label known for jump-starting the careers of both Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Rawkus started in 1996 with initial releases ranging from hip-hop to drum and bass...
, Fondle 'Em Records
Fondle 'Em Records
Fondle ‘Em Records was a record label based in New York City, New York. It was founded and owned by Robert “Bobbito” Garcia from 1995 to 2001. Bobbito formed the label after realizing that the many unsigned rappers making guest appearances on “The Stretch Armstrong/Bobbito Show,” a program Bobbito...
, Solesides
Solesides
Solesides was an underground hip hop label based in Northern California, founded in 1991. It comprised various DJs and MCs, the most notable being DJ Shadow, MC–producer Lyrics Born, and the duo, Blackalicious. The members of Solesides all met via the radio station, KDVS, the 5000-watt community...
, and Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records is an independent hip hop record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was started in 1996 by DJ/Producer Peanut Butter Wolf in part to release the music he made with Charizma who was killed at the age of 20....
were established during this time period. The former two were based in New York alongside Eastern Conference, and the latter two in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Similar to both Fondle 'Em and Rawkus, Eastern Conference was initially a vinyl-only imprint. Critical response to the label's early output was positive, and the first Eastern Conference single, The High & Mighty's "It's All Good / Hands On Experience (feat. Bobbito the Barber & El-P) / Cranial Lumps" quickly reached cult status on the strength of "Hands On Experience", a whimsical ode to masturbation.
During its first three years of existence, Eastern Conference continued to release successful twelve-inch singles from the Smut Peddlers, Jurassic 5's Chali 2na
Chali 2na
Charles Stewart , better known as Chali 2na is an American rapper and hip hop artist, formerly associated with the groups Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli.-Early life:...
, The High & Mighty, and Mad Skillz. The label's eye for new talent steadily built its reputation as an up-and-coming imprint in the contemporary rap scene.
In 1998, Eastern Conference released its first compilation, Eastern Conference All-Stars. This release was essentially a collection of the first eight or so vinyl singles, drawing comparisons to Rawkus Records' Soundbombing
Soundbombing
Soundbombing is a 1997 compilation album from independent Hip Hop label Rawkus Records. This was the first in a long line of acclaimed compilations from Rawkus, followed by two installments of the Lyricist Lounge series and two more Soundbombing albums...
.
Peak and decline
In 1999, Eastern Conference Records began distributing through Rawkus Records, which had become an extremely successful label in its own right. This began what could arguably be called Eastern Conference's most successful period. During this time, two relatively successful albums were released: The High & Mighty's Home Field AdvantageHome Field Advantage
Home Field Advantage is a 2000 independent film starring Tony Award-winning actor Dan Fogler in the role of Charlie....
and the Smut Peddlers' Porn Again
Porn Again
Porn Again is a 2001 album by the Smut Peddlers, a group composed of Mr. Eon and DJ Mighty Mi from The High & Mighty, and Cage. Guest appearances include Kool Keith, Kool G Rap, R.A. the Rugged Man, Copywrite, and Apani B. Fly. The album was re-released on March 7, 2006, with four bonus tracks that...
. Both cracked the Billboard Top 200 (the former at #193 and the latter at #184), and had strong supporting singles: "B-Boy Document '99 (featuring Mad Skillz & Mos Def)" and "That Smut", respectively. Amidst these successes, the label continued to release positively-received twelve-inch singles, including Mad Skillz' "Ghostwriter" and Cage's "Suicidal Failure".
When Eastern Conference's two-year contract to Rawkus was up, Mighty Mi made the decision to sever ties with Rawkus and continue to "build independently", without releasing records under a major label. He soon found a distributor (Landspeed Records, who had released the first Eastern Conference All-Stars), and quickly began releasing material. The first release under Landspeed was, fittingly, Eastern Conference All Stars II, an all-new compilation featuring music from Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
, Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
, Reef the Lost Cauze
Reef the Lost Cauze
Sharif Talib Lacey, better known as Reef The Lost Cauze, is a prominent underground hip hop artist based in Philadelphia. Aside from being a solo artist, Reef is a member of the hip hop group The JuJu Mob as well as the hip-hop collective, Army of the Pharaohs.-Career:Reef started battling other...
, Tame 1, and The Last Emperor.
During the next three years, however, Eastern Conference experienced a dramatic decline in interest and support from rap fans. One speculated reason for this is that since the label no longer enjoyed major label backing, as it had through Rawkus, it became harder to distribute their projects as widely and promote them as heavily. However, many hip-hop fans claim that Eastern Conference's output simply suffered from a lack of overall quality.
Additionally, the label was dealt a harsh blow when Cage, along with his group the Weathermen
The Weathermen (hip hop group)
The Weathermen, is a New York City-based, underground hip-hop supergroup consisting of Aesop Rock, Tame One, Cage, Yak Ballz, El-P, and Breeze Brewin. The group took its name from the revolutionary organization Weatherman, and sometimes refers to itself as the "New Left"...
, the label's biggest selling act, moved to the Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux
Definitive Jux is an independent record label based in New York City, United States. It was co-founded in 1999 by Jaime Meline and Amaechi Uzoigwe. The label was initially known simply as Def Jux, but in 2001, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name similarity...
label. When asked about the move in a HipHopSite.com interview, Cage replied
"I hit a ceiling with E.C., period. That was it. I wasn't making money. The amount of money I made with them, I could have made myself. But then again, in doing it myself, how many more pieces would I have sold? I'd be kind of doing the same thing, just not splitting the money so many different ways. But it was about expansion, about growth. It's what artists do." http://www.hiphopsite.com
However, Cage later stated that another reason for his leaving the label was financial mismanagement and lack of proper marketing and promotion for his albums. Instead, he claimed that Mighty Mi (and, to an extent, Mr. Eon) were funneling the label's money into their own projects. Encouraged by Cage, other artists who had formerly recorded for EC and supported his claims of Mighty Mi's sloppy business dealings. This created a storm of bad publicity for Eastern Conference Records & Mighty Mi, and were nearly as damaging as Cage's departure itself. Shortly after, other Weathermen, Yak Ballz
Yak Ballz
Yak Ballz, born Yashar Zadeh is an American independent hip hop artist, who was brought up in Flushing, Queens, New York. He is one of the original members of The Weathermen. He is also a member of Cardboard City.-Early life:...
and Tame One
Tame One
Rahem Brown, better known by his stage name, Tame One, is an underground rapper from New Jersey currently signed to the label Amalgam Digital. He was part of Artifacts, a popular rap duo with El Da Sensei. Which is rumored to be getting back together. He is also known for his collaboration with...
followed Cage and moved to other labels.
Whether caused by the artists' claims or not, Eastern Conference's output was drastically reduced from 2005 onward; the label released four albums in 2005, one album in 2006, and by June 2007 had only released one album.
Current label status
The current status of Eastern Conference Records is somewhat of a mystery. The label's website, ECRecs.com, is no longer functional, and output has been extremely limited. As of June 2007, the only source of information about upcoming Eastern Conference releases is through DJ Mighty Mi's MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page.
All the Eastern Conferences releases are out of print and are becoming harder and harder to find. These releases include, mixtapes, full lengths, compilations, and extended plays.
As of May 2008, Mighty Mi has been spotted regularly playing as an in-house dj for a club in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fact, coupled with the complete lack of releases by Eastern Conference seems to indicate that the label is, in fact, no more.
Current artists / groups (As of June 2007)
- The High & MightyHigh and Mighty (band)The High & Mighty are an underground hip hop duo from Philadelphia consisting of rapper Mr. Eon and DJ Mighty Mi...
- Sub-Conscious
Former artists / groups
- Ill-Advised / Baby Blak
- Mad Skillz
- CageCage KennylzChris Palko, better known by his stage name Cage, is an American rapper from New York City. He has released three studio albums and two extended plays. Cage is also the founder of the underground hip-hop supergroup called the Weathermen.-Early life:...
- Smut Peddlers
- the WeathermenThe Weathermen (hip hop group)The Weathermen, is a New York City-based, underground hip-hop supergroup consisting of Aesop Rock, Tame One, Cage, Yak Ballz, El-P, and Breeze Brewin. The group took its name from the revolutionary organization Weatherman, and sometimes refers to itself as the "New Left"...
- NighthawksNighthawksNighthawks is a 1942 painting by Edward Hopper that portrays people sitting in a downtown diner late at night. It is considered Hopper's most famous painting, as well as one of the most recognizable in American art...
- Leak Bros
- Camu TaoCamu TaoCamu Tao was an American rapper and producer who was signed to the Definitive Jux label. He was a member of several groups: S.A...
- R.A. The Rugged ManR.A. The Rugged ManR. A. Thorburn, better known as R.A. the Rugged Man, is an emcee from Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.-Career:At 18, R.A. signed with Jive Records and then in the mid-1990s signed with Priority Records/EMI. His contract was later absorbed by Capitol Records but he began recording...
- Chief Kamachi & The JuJu Mob
- Reef The Lost Cauze
- CopywriteCopywriteCopywrite may refer to:* Copywriting, the process of writing the words that promote a person, business, opinion, or idea* Copywrite , an underground hip-hop artist from Columbus, Ohio...
- Yak Ballz
- Tame OneTame OneRahem Brown, better known by his stage name, Tame One, is an underground rapper from New Jersey currently signed to the label Amalgam Digital. He was part of Artifacts, a popular rap duo with El Da Sensei. Which is rumored to be getting back together. He is also known for his collaboration with...