 | |
| Genre | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 inSan Francisco, California |
| Founder | Ghazi Shami |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, US |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
Number of employees | 200 (2024) |
| Divisions |
|
| Website | empi |
Empire Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. (stylized asEMPIRE[1]) is an independent American record label,distribution andpublishing company founded in 2010 byGhazi Shami. Based in San Francisco, EMPIRE has offices in New York, London, Lagos, and Johannesburg in addition to recording studios in San Francisco and New York.
Shami, a San Francisco native with a background in music and tech, founded Empire as a digital distribution company focused on hip hop and rap. Developing proprietary software that allowed managers and artists to easily track airplay and sales, Empire paid monthly royalties to artists, many of whom had not previously earned digital revenue, and gained early support from the Bay Area's artist community.
In 2014, Shami, known as Ghazi, launched the Empire label. Empire Africa, Empire Latino, and Empire Nashville divisions were later established. Since its founding—in partnership with artists and artist labels—Empire has released music by artists includingKendrick Lamar,Anderson .Paak,Shaboozey,Fat Joe,Tyga,Olamide,Asake,Fireboy DML,XXXTentacion,G-Dragon,Philthy Rich,Young Dolph,Key Glock,King Von,Tink,Black Sherif,Yung Bleu,D Smoke,T-Pain,Snoop Dogg,DRAM,Cardi B andEmtee, among others. Empire Publishing was founded in 2020.
Empire was founded in by Ghazi Shami. Raised in San Francisco, he grew up listening to Bay Area artists such asToo Short,Spice 1,RBL Posse,Souls of Mischief,Luniz,JT the Bigga Figga, andRappin' 4-Tay. Equally interested in music and technology, in college he worked at the tech companies Sun Microsystems, Eloquent Technologies and Audio Highway; he later worked atHyde Street Studios, where he engineered and mixed music by artists includingMessy Marv,Planet Asia and Too Short.[2]
In 2006, he was hired atINgrooves Music Group, an independent distribution and marketing company. While he had written code and built out streaming media sites since he was a teenager, at INgrooves, he learned about the intricacies of digital distribution, artist contracts, and royalties. Helping to build the company's rap division, he signedDIY artists representative of the Bay Area sound and culture, often introducing them to online revenue streams.[3]
Ghazi founded Empire from his home in thePotrero neighborhood of San Francisco in 2010. In a 2019 interview, he said: "This company wouldn't exist if I wasn’t born and bred in the Bay; in SF and Silicon Valley. This company is as much a software company as it is a music company. It’d be a disservice to the roots, to the origin, to everything that I stand for, if this company wasn't firmly planted or rooted here."[4]
Initially focused on rap, Empire's backend technology bypassed the existing digital distribution system and delivered music directly to streaming and retail platforms quickly to capitalize on the viral momentum of the genre's traditional rapid-fire releases. Contracts were non-exclusive and proprietary software allowed managers and artists to easily track royalties, which were paid monthly.[5][6] The company's core practices, in addition to Ghazi's relationships, attracted artists, and as Empire gained traction, Ghazi hired Nima Etminan as his second-in-command.[4] Etminan later became the company's COO.[7]
With its digital distribution platform successful, Empire established Empire Records. Among others, the label released Anderson .Paak's albumMalibu, which earned .Paak a Grammy nomination in the Best New Artist, category, as well as Fat Joe's “All The Way Up” and DRAM's “Broccoli.”Young Dolph turned down a $22 million major label deal to sign with Empire and remain independent. In an interview withVariety, Dolph said: "Empire is on deck with people who love to do this shit just as much as I do...whether you got money to deal with it or no money to deal with it, the best relationships are going to be the ones where you understand each other."[8]
In 2017,XXXTentacion's debut album,17, was released on Empire. It charted at #2 on theBillboard Top 200. His sophomore album was released on Capitol. He returned to re-sign with Empire a month before his death;The New York Times reported that the deal was worth $10 million.[9] XXXTentacion's posthumous album,Skins, debuted at #1 on theBillboard album chart.[10][11]
In 2018,Tina Davis, previously an artist manager and a head of A&R at Def Jam, was named SVP of A&R,[12] and a partnership withL.A. Reid's Hitco was announced.[13]King Von's Empire-distributed song "Crazy Story" was a 3× platinum viral hit.[14] He subsequently signed with Empire, releasing the mixtape,Grandson, which became one of the label's most successful releases.[15] Empire also worked with Tyga in 2018; the track"Taste", was 9× platinum as of 2023.[16]
Empire began working with Latino artists includingTego Calderón andLuis Enrique in 2012, and in 2018 established Empire Latino.[17] In 2019, Empire Latino had its first hit with Puerto Rican reggaeton artistJay Wheeler; as of 2023, his songLa Curiosidad was 8× platinum.[18]
Empire Nashville, a country music division, was founded in 2019,[19] "blazing a trail for Black country artists."[20]
In 2020, after developing proprietary software specific to music publishing that provided transparency similar to Empire's royalty software, Empire established a publishing division. Initial signings includedIllmind,Nebu Kiniza,Dr Zeus and Empire artists Young Dolph, Key Glock,Mozzy, Fireboy DML,Yung Bleu andRJMrLA.[21]
In partnership withOlamide and his label,YBNL Nation,[22] Empire Africa's first signing was Nigerian Afrobeats artistFireboy DML.[7] His 2021 single "Peru", remixed byEd Sheeran, was a global hit. With subsequent signings includingAsake,Burna Boy,BNXN andKizz Daniel, Empire Africa became a preeminent Afrobeats label; on Nigeria's year-endTurnTable Charts, Empire had the top three artists, the top two songs, and the top album. Empire releases held the #1 position on the Nigerian charts for 35 weeks over the course of the year.[7]
Empire began investing in the Detroit hip-hop scene not long after the company was founded. In a 2022 interview withBillboard, Ghazi said he felt a strong connection between San Francisco and Detroit. The label signedBabyface Ray in 2017, and by 2022 had signed 10 artists, includingPeezy,Babytron, Payroll Giovanni, and Rio Da Yung OG.[23] Peezy's "2 Million Up" went viral on TikTok and hit sevenBillboard charts, including the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Rap Airplay and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[24]
In October 2022, Empire acquired the Bay area-founded dance label, Dirtybird.[25] In January 2023, a partnership with the Web3 investment platform, Nebula, was announced. It was also announced thatMoney Man, who was paid inBitcoin when he signed with Empire in 2021,[26] would release his EP on the Nebula platform.[27]
In June 2023, Davis was named president of the company.[28]
In May 2024, Shaboozey—who signed with Empire in 2021—released the albumWhere I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going. The album was a worldwide hit, with the single "A Bar Song (Tipsy)"[29] hitting #1 on theBillboard Country Airplay chart.[30] It held the top position on theBillboard Hot 100 for 16 non-consecutive weeks, tying the 2020s record for the most weeks at #1 in November.[31] He was nominated for five 2025 Grammy Awards, includingSong of the Year (for "A Bar Song (Tipsy)") andBest New Artist.[32]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Out of Many, One Music"(Shaggy) | Best Reggae Album | Nominated |
| 2016 | "Strictly Roots"(Morgan Heritage) | Best Reggae Album | Won |
| 2017 | "Malibu"(Anderson .Paak) | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| "Malibu"(Anderson .Paak) | Best Urban Contemporary Album | Nominated | |
| "All The Way Up"(Fat Joe & Remy Ma) | Best Rap Performance | Nominated | |
| "All The Way Up"(Fat Joe & Remy Ma) | Best Rap Song | Nominated | |
| "Broccoli"(DRAM) | Best Rap/Sung Performance | Nominated | |
| "Rose Petals EP"(J Boog) | Best Reggae Album | Nominated |
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| Year | Cat | Title | Artist(s) | Details | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ERE | Authenticity | The Foreign Exchange | Oct 12, 2010 | #145 on theBillboard 200 #23 USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums |
| 2011 | ERE | Setbacks | ScHoolboy Q | Jan 11, 2011 | #100 on the USBillboard 200 |
| ERE | Longterm Mentality | Ab-Soul | April 5, 2011 | #32 on the USTop Heatseekers #73 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |
| ERE | Section.80 | Kendrick Lamar | July 2, 2011 | #113 on the USBillboard 200 #1 on the US Top Heatseekers Albums | |
| ERE | Charity Starts At Home | Phonte | Sep 27, 2011 | ||
| ERE | In None We Trust | Crooked I | Nov 17, 2011 | ||
| ERE | Gift Of Gab 2 | Rocko | Nov 24, 2011 | ||
| 2012 | ERE | Dirty Slums | Slum Village | Mar 27, 2012 | |
| ERE | Stoner's EP | Snoop Dogg | April 17, 2012 | #31 on the USIndependent Albums #33 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |
| ERE | Don't Be S.A.F.E. | Trinidad James | Sep 18, 2012 | #103 on the USBillboard 200 #8 on the US Top Heatseekers Albums | |
| ERE | Baby Face Killa | Freddie Gibbs | Sep 25, 2012 | ||
| 2013 | ERE | Still Goin In (Reloaded) | Rich Homie Quan | Feb 8, 2013 | Named tenth best mixtape of 2013 byRolling Stone. |
| ERE | The Year of the Underdogz | Young Noble & Gage Gully | May 7, 2013 | ||
| ERE | West Coast Gangsta Shit | Daz Dillinger andWC | June 19, 2013 | ||
| ERE | ESGN (Evil Seeds Grow Naturally) | Freddie Gibbs | June 20, 2013 | #8 on US Top Heatseekers Albums[33] #24 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | |
| ERE | Cold Turkey | Starlito | July 2, 2013 | ||
| ERE108 | Apex Predator | Crooked I | July 30, 2013 | #33 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[34] | |
| ERE110 | 3ChordFold | Terrace Martin | Aug 13, 2013 | #43 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #9 on US Top Heatseekers Albums | |
| ERE | Travis Garland | Travis Garland | Sep 10, 2013 | ||
| ERE | Gas Pedal EP | Sage The Gemini | Sep 10, 2013 | ||
| ERE | O.K.E. (Deluxe Edition) | The Game | Oct 8, 2013 | #89 on the USBillboard 200 #19 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |
| ERE | Knock Madness | Hopsin | Nov 24, 2013 | #1 on US Top Heatseekers Albums #7 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #6 on US Independent Albums | |
| 2014 | ERE135 | Tortoise and the Crow CD | Grouch,Eligh | Mar 04, 2014 | |
| ERE139 | Phantom and the Ghost | Styles P | Apr 29, 2014 | #74 on USBillboard 200 #14 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #18 on US Independent Albums | |
| ERE | Barrel Brothers | Skyzoo andTorae | May 27, 2014 | ||
| ERE141 | Venice | Anderson .Paak | Oct 28, 2014 | ||
| 2015 | ERE | Strictly Roots | Morgan Heritage | June 8, 2015 | Grammy Award Winning : Best Reggae Album |
| ERE141 | Fuk Wat They Talkin Bout | Tyga | Aug 24, 2015 | ||
| ERE141 | Shadow of a Doubt | Freddie Gibbs | Nov 20, 2015 | #76 on USBillboard 200 | |
| 2016 | ERE141 | Malibu | Anderson .Paak | Jan 15, 2016 | #79 on USBillboard 200 |
| ERE141 | King of Memphis | Young Dolph | Feb 19, 2016 | #49 on USBillboard 200 | |
| 2017 | ERE310 | Plata O Plomo | Fat Joe andRemy Ma | Feb 17, 2017 | #44 on USBillboard 200 |
| ERE344 | Neva Left | Snoop Dogg | May 19, 2017 | #54 on USBillboard 200 | |
| ERE | For Your Girl Too | Selfish | May 23, 2017 | ||
| ERE | BitchImTheShit2 | Tyga | Jul 21, 2017 | ||
| ERE | 17 | XXXTentacion | Aug 25, 2017 | #2 on USBillboard 200 | |
| 2018 | ERE381 | Kyoto | Tyga | Feb 16, 2018 | |
| ERE453 | Tru LP | Lloyd | Aug 31, 2018 | ||
| ERE | Dancing Shadows | Mario | Oct 5, 2018 | ||
| ERE | Skins | XXXTentacion | Dec 7, 2018 | #1 on USBillboard 200 | |
| 2019 | ERE | Walk with Me | Rotimi | May 24, 2019 | |
| ERE | Legendary | Tyga | Jun 7, 2019 | #17 on USBillboard 200 | |
| ERE | In My Defense | Iggy Azalea | Jul 19, 2019 | #50 on USBillboard 200 | |
| ERE524 | I Wanna Thank Me | Snoop Dogg | Aug 16, 2019 | #76 on USBillboard 200 | |
| ERE | Wicked Lips | Iggy Azalea | Dec 2, 2019 | ||
| ERE537 | Bad Vibes Forever | XXXTentacion | Dec 6, 2019 | #5 on USBillboard 200 |
