Up Above Records
Up Above Records independent hip hop record label based in Long Beach, California, United States, co-founded in 1995 by Doug "Papadoug" Kato and Visionaries band member member KeyKool, along with DJ Rhettmatic Visionaries, Beat Junkies). The label's first release was a 12" single, Key-Kool & Rhettmatic's "Can U Hear It." The single's b-side "E=MC5" featuring Ras Kass, Meen Green, Voodoo, and Visionaries member LMNO, was deemed "an underground classic" by Source Magazine (Feb. '96).
Up Above Records has built a reputation as vinyl specialists releasing 12" singles including the late great Jay Dee's hip-hop classic "F**k the Police," as well as distributing vinyl releases for Jurassic 5, Legendary Music, and other Distinguished Artists such as Kool G Rap, The Beatnuts, Tony Touch, Dilated Peoples, DJ Spinna, Sadat X, to name a few.
Up Above Records has also released 4 highly successful albums by the Visionaries, along with numerous albums from artists such as: LMNO, Writer's Block, SonGodSuns (aka 2Mex), Blendcrafters (DJ Numark & Pomo), Supernatural, Declaime, Kev Brown, Sleep of Oldominion.
Artists
- Key-Kool & Rhettmatic
- Visionaries
- LMNO
- Writer's Block (Zen & Dannu)
- SonGodSuns aka 2Mex
- Sleep of Oldominion
- Blend Crafters
- Declaime
- Kev Brown
- Supernatural
Vinyl Distribution
- Jurassic 5 (vinyl distribution)
- Legendary Music (vinyl distribution)
- Angeles Records (vinyl distribution)
Releases
- Key-Kool & Rhettmatic: Kozmonautz (1995)
- Visionaries: Galleries (1997-8),Sophomore Jinx (2000), Pangaea (2004), We Are The Ones (We've Been Wating For) (2006)
- LMNO: This EP Reminds Me of '93 (2004), Economic Food Chain Music (2004), Leave My Name Out (re-issue) (2005), P's & Q's (2005)
- Writer's Block: [[En Route] (re-issue)] (2004)
- DJ Rhettmatic: Exclusive Collection (2004)
- Blend Crafters (DJ Numark & Pomo): Self-Titled (2004)
- SonGodSuns (aka 2Mex): Over the Counter Culture (2005)
- Declaime: Conversations with Dudley (2004)
- Sleep (of Oldominion): Christopher (2005)
- Kev Brown: I Do What I Do (2005)
- Supernatural: S.P.I.T. (Spiritual Poetry Ignites Thought) (2005)
* Compilation Albums: Carving A New Standard (2006)
See also
- List of record labels