| Def Soul Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1996; 30 years ago (1996) |
| Founder | |
| Defunct | 2011 (2011) |
| Status | Folded |
| Distributors |
|
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Official website | Archived 22 April 2003 at theWayback Machine |
Def Soul Records was an R&B-based division of American multinational record labelDef Jam Recordings. It was formed in 1996 byRussell Simmons andKevin Liles to expand R&B and soul music through Def Jam's said genre-related roster following the successes ofMontell Jordan andCase.
The label later garnered more success with other artists that includeMusiq Soulchild,Kelly Price,Christina Milian,Aaron Soul,Terri Walker,Dru Hill,112,Patti LaBelle andThe Isley Brothers.[1] In the spring of 2011, the label was consolidated into Def Jam, as the urban music industry began to change, so did the Def Jam label roster's multi-genre strategy, citing former artistRihanna's success as the reason for the downfall of Def Soul.[citation needed]
Capitalizing on the successes ofMontell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" in 1995 andCase'sself-titled debut album in 1996, Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons and then-vice presidentKevin Liles teamed up to form Def Soul Records, to expand the label's R&B roster. The first release from the label shortly after its formation was Jordan's second album,More..., which came on August 27, 1996, two weeks after Case's debut. Both albums were certified gold.[2][3]
Then came trioPlaya, whose single "Cheers 2 U" (1998) cracked the top ten of theBillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. After appearing on theHow to Be a Playersoundtrack (1997) with theFoxy Brown-assisted "I Gotta Know", the group was greenlit to develop their debut album for Def Soul.[4] Their album, also titledCheers 2 U. Despite the building hype, the album did not chart perfectly onBillboard, debuting at number eighty-nine on theBillboard 200. It was later overshadowed[how?] a week later by Jordan's third follow-up,Let's Ride, which made the top ten of theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and (like its predecessor) went gold. Thetitle track gained the album some notoriety, due toNo Limit Records labelmates and brothersMaster P andSilkk the Shocker delivering their verses.[1]
On the same day as theColumbine High School massacre in 1999, Case returned from his three-year hiatus withPersonal Conversation, which (also like its predecessor) went gold and managed to embrace the top forty of theBillboard 200. Its single, "Happily Ever After", gained moderate airplay.[1] That same year, Def Jam's parent label,PolyGram, was acquired bySeagram and its music division was later merged withMCA-related record labels to centralize theUniversal Music Group.[5] With this came the folding of Island Black Music, causing the transitioning ofIsland Records' R&B artist division into Def Soul. The artists under Island that were moved to this label includedDru Hill andKelly Price.[citation needed] Following next was the creation ofThe Island Def Jam Music Group.[6]
After the folding of Island Black into Def Soul and the UMG creation of IDJMG, Def Soul began to revamp their success with Jordan'sGet It On... Tonite in November. While thetitle track provided success at number four on theBillboard Hot 100, the album itself didn't perform well as Jordan's previous three, despite being his second gold-seller.[1] That same month, Dru Hill leaderSisqó's solo debut,Unleash the Dragon, started to take off.[1] Having debuted at number two on theBillboard 200 and going platinum the following year. Extended success came from its singles, "Got to Get It", the number-one "Incomplete" and "Thong Song".[7][8][9][10] "Thong Song", however, was the one that gained more success than the previous two, despite being number three on the Hot 100.[11][12]
Summer 2000 saw the release of Kelly Price's sophomore album and her first under Def Soul,Mirror Mirror, which managed to gain the top three ofBillboard's R&B album chart and go gold. It was solidified by the singles, "You Should Have Told Me" and "Love Sets You Free"; the latter colliding fellow Def Soul acts Case, Montell Jordan, Dru Hill, Playa, Kandice Love andLovHer together as Price's "friends".[13][1] Following up was thesoundtrack toNutty Professor II: The Klumps, which made number one on the R&B chart and went platinum.[14] The soundtrack helped to make way forPhiladelphia soul artistMusiq Soulchild's career after his track, "Just Friends (Sunny)", which came on the soundtrack, became a radio hit.[15][16] Later that November, Musiq released his debut album,Aijuswanaseing, which made the near-bottom of the top thirty section of theBillboard 200, but managed to go gold two months after.[17]
Throughout 2001, only three albums were released under Def Soul: Case'sOpen Letter that April, Sisqó'sReturn of Dragon in June and Price'sOne Love, aChristmas album which came out that November.[1] Originally,Christina Milian, who was last featured onJa Rule's "Between Me and You" (2000), was supposed to release herself-titled debut studio album jointly through Def Soul andIrv Gotti'sMurder Inc. Records on September 25, 2001, but due to theSeptember 11 attacks, the album's American release was cancelled and postponed for international release on October 9.[18]
In 2002, the label's vigilance was declining. Jordan left Def Soul after hiseponymous fifth album failed to chart onBillboard.[19][20][21]Aaron Soul, who previously scored a U.K. hit with "Ring, Ring, Ring", also had internal conflict with Def Soul as soJonell regarding the delaying of their albums.[citation needed]3rd Storee lost their deal with Def Soul after their album,Get with Me, failed to perform properly.[citation needed] Besides that, Musiq continued on his success with his sophomore album,Juslisen, becoming his first and also, Def Soul's first, number-one album on theBillboard 200.[22][1] Not long after that, Dru Hill began work on their comeback album,Dru World Order, after four years of inactivity. It was released that November, but didn't match the success as the group's previous works.[23][1]
2003 saw a huge dwindle within the division as LovHer and Jonell were dropped from the label.Terri Walker'suntitled debut also didn't chart well on the UK Albums chart at number one-hundred eighteen despite going gold and having positive feedback from critics.[citation needed] As Walker suffered downhill failure, Kelly Price also faced similar problems as her third album,Priceless, also failed to match the successes of her previous two albums. She left the label in 2005 following serious issues.[citation needed] FormerBad Boy quartet112 joined Def Soul after a falling out with founderSean "Diddy" Combs.[24][25][1] December saw the releases of 112'sHot & Wet and Musiq'sSoulstar. Both albums also failed to garner commercial notoriety despite having peaked within the top five of theBillboard R&B album chart and going gold. The following year, Def Soul and Mama's Boys Music released the soundtrack to the comedy,Johnson Family Vacation, featuring the single, "Shoulda Known Betta" by Case. He left the label sometime the same year after the continued delaying of his planned fourth studio album.[citation needed] May commenced the release ofPatti LaBelle'sTimeless Journey which became a top five R&B album on the chart, due to the success of its single, "New Day".[26][27]
Around 2005, 112 released their fifth album,Pleasure & Pain, which failed to meet the commercial success as their four projects. Soon after, 112 were released from the division after the album's release. LaBelle releasedClassic Moments under the Def Soul Classics imprint, but soon left the label after she accused then-vice president of Def Jam,L.A. Reid of misconduct.[28] As 2006 came, Def Soul began to die down. Despite the release ofThe Isley Brothers'Baby Makin' Music in May[29][1] and it charting at number five on theBillboard 200, the label still hasn't rebuilt fanfare. Also in 2006, Musiq Soulchild was let go from Def Soul, due to a de facto label trade between Def Jam andAtlantic Records; taking Musiq to Atlantic and switchingFabolous to Def Jam.[30][31]
Only two Christmas albums commenced on Def Soul in late 2007, LaBelle'sMiss Patti's Christmas and the Isley Brothers'I'll Be Home for Christmas. The following two years came without activity from the label. Many outlets and social media users were concerned that fellow R&B actsNe-Yo,Rihanna,Jeremih andChrisette Michele's successful careers at parent label Def Jam were what caused Def Soul Records to fall down, besides the aforementioned four not being signed to this division.[citation needed] Then, in November 2010,Ronald Isley released his comeback solo album following his prison release,Mr. I.[32] This was the final release under the Def Soul imprint; in May 2011, Def Soul was finally folded into Def Jam Records, taking the rest of its remaining roster with it and consolidating all of Def Jam's artist roster of various genres together.[citation needed]
Recently, as of December 2021, there has been an official playlist onSpotify by Def Jam, using the label's name, mixing the label's singles with that of recent Def Jam R&B songs following the shutdown.[33]
| Def Soul Classics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 2004; 22 years ago (2004) |
| Defunct | 2011 (2011) |
| Status | Folded |
| Distributors |
|
| Genre |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
Def Soul Classics was a greatest hits branch of Def Soul Records, complimenting on re-releases or greatest hits projects released under the division.[citation needed]
The first release under the Def Soul Classics branch despite the name was Patti LaBelle'sTimeless Journey on May 4, 2004. A year later, the first greatest hits compilation under Def Soul Classics, Dru Hill'sHits was released that October.
In 2005, Def Soul Classics released LaBelle'sClassic Moments, followed up by the Isley Brothers'Baby Makin' Music in May 2006. The Classics branch also released two Christmas albums towards the end of 2007, Isley'sI'll Be Home for Christmas and LaBelle'sMiss Patti's Christmas.
The final release under the Classics branch was Ronald Isley's solo album,Mr I. in 2010. Then, as with the entirety of Def Soul Records, this label was also folded into Def Jam.[citation needed]