| Maybach Music Group | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | gamma. |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Rick Ross |
| Distributors |
|
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Miami,Florida, U.S. |
| Official website | mmgselfmade |
Maybach Music Group (MAY-back;[a] abbreviatedMMG) is arecord label founded by American rapperRick Ross in 2008.[1] An imprint ofgamma. since 2023, the label was previously an imprint ofDef Jam Recordings (2009–2011),Warner Records (2011–2012) andAtlantic Records (2012–2023).[2][3] The label, having signed artists includingWale,Meek Mill,French Montana,Omarion,Rockie Fresh, andStalley, has released a total of 29 studio albums, including threecompilation albums in itsSelf-Made series. The "Maybach Music" vocal tag heard in many of the label's recordings is spoken by Australian modelJessica Gomes.[4]
Five of the label's albums have been certifiedgold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while four have been certifiedplatinum.[5] The label has also released seven albums which debuted at number one on theBillboard 200:Deeper Than Rap (2009),God Forgives, I Don't (2012), andMastermind (2014) by Rick Ross,The Gifted (2013) andThe Album About Nothing (2015) by Wale andDreams Worth More Than Money (2015) andChampionships (2018) by Meek Mill.
Maybach Music Group (MMG) was launched in a joint venture and as an imprint of Ross' then-label,Def Jam Recordings in 2008. Along with Ross himself, the label signed its first two acts that same year; its first was the hip hop group of which Ross was a member,Triple C's (alongsideGunplay,Torch, andYoung Breed), while its second, singerMasspike Miles was signed in November of that year.[6] The label released its first major album,Deeper Than Rap by Ross in April 2009. The Triple C's debut album,Custom Cars & Cycles followed thereafter in October of that year. In August 2009, Ross signed MMG's third act,dancehall singer Magazeen.[7]
In 2010, MMG released Ross' fourth album,Teflon Don. The second album by Triple C's,Color, Cut & Clarity, was scheduled for release that year, but remains unreleased. In August, Ross made an offer to Pennsylvania rapperWiz Khalifa to sign to Maybach Music Group; however, he was signed withUniversal Music Group's competitor label,Atlantic Records.[8]
In February 2011, Ross parted ways with Def Jam as the label's distributor (although he remained signed as a solo act) in favor ofWarner Bros. Records, and signed two of MMG's soon-to-be flagship artists:Washington D.C.-based rapperWale andPhiladelphia-based rapperMeek Mill.[9] The following month, on March 25, Ross signed R&B singerTeedra Moses to the label; she was the label's first female artist.[10] On May 23, 2011, MMG released the compilation albumSelf Made Vol. 1, predominantly featuring Rick Ross alongside the label's roster of whom signed that same year, including Wale, Meek Mill, Teedra Moses,Pill, andStalley, along with the Triple C's. In June, Ross announced plans to launch the sub-labels Maybach Music Jamaica and Maybach Music Latino, both of which failed to effectively materialize.[11]
In December 2011, New York rapperFrench Montana signed a joint venture deal with Maybach Music Group andSean Combs'Bad Boy Records. His debut studio album,Excuse My French (2013) was released in a joint venture withInterscope Records and executive produced by both Combs and Ross.[12] On February 4, 2012, Ross spoke about the departure of rapperPill from Maybach Music, and said that Pill was never signed to the label; Pill was signed to its parent label Warner Bros., whose executives proposed the idea of Pill joining. Ross further added that he worked out a one-year deal in which Pill would be signed with the label.[13] On May 2, 2012, Ross signed R&B singerOmarion to the label. MMG's second compilation album,Self Made Vol. 2 was released on June 26, and his fifth album,God Forgives, I Don't was released on July 31.[14]
On June 22, 2012, while promotingSelf Made Vol. 2, Rick Ross stated thatGunplay signed a solo deal with the label and Def Jam, further announcing promotional releases from the rapper leading up to his debut album,Living Legend.[15] Rumors ofDom Kennedy andNipsey Hussle signing to label began to spread during this time, both of which were disavowed by Ross himself, although he admitted to being a fan of the artists.[16] On July 12, 2012, Ross confirmed that rapperRockie Fresh was signed to MMG; Fresh's debut mixtape with the label,Electric Highway was released on January 21, 2013.[17]
On December 11, 2012, Ross parted ways with Warner Bros. Records as the label's distributor in favor ofAtlantic Records.[18] On June 2, 2013, Ross revealed an album cover and announced that MMG will be releasing its third collaboration album,Self Made Vol. 3 on August 6, 2013.[19] The following day, three songs—"Poor Decisions", "God Is Great" and "Oil Money Gang"—were released in promotion for the album. On June 4, 2013, three music videos for each of the songs were uploaded to the label's officialYouTube.[20]Self Made Vol. 3 was released to generally positive reviews on September 17, 2013. That same day,Stalley released his first retail project for the label,Honest Cowboy EP. On November 6, 2013, the label signed anotherWashington D.C.-based rapper and Wale associate,Fat Trel.[21]
The following is a list of albums released through Maybach Music Group, various album distributors are noted below.
| Artist | Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | CAN | |||||
| Rick Ross | Deeper Than Rap |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
| |
| Triple C's | Custom Cars & Cycles |
| 44 | 5 | 2 | — |
| |
| Rick Ross | Teflon Don |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
|
|
| Maybach Music Group | Self Made Vol. 1 |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | — |
| |
| Wale | Ambition |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
|
|
| Maybach Music Group | Self Made Vol. 2 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 37 |
| |
| Rick Ross | God Forgives, I Don't |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| Meek Mill | Dreams and Nightmares |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
|
|
| French Montana | Excuse My French |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| |
| Wale | The Gifted |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| |
| Maybach Music Group | Self Made Vol. 3 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | — |
| |
| Stalley | Honest Cowboy EP |
| — | 41 | — | — | ||
| Rick Ross | Mastermind |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| |
| Stalley | Ohio |
| 35 | 5 | 5 | — |
| |
| Rick Ross | Hood Billionaire |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | — | ||
| Omarion | Sex Playlist |
| 49 | 5 | — | — |
| |
| Wale | The Album About Nothing |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| |
| Meek Mill | Dreams Worth More Than Money |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| Gunplay | Living Legend |
| 171 | 17 | 11 | — | ||
| Rick Ross | Black Market |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 68 |
| |
| Rick Ross | Rather You Than Me |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 16 | ||
| Wale | Shine |
| 16 | 8 | 6 | — | ||
| Meek Mill | Wins & Losses |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 17 | ||
| Meek Mill | Championship |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| Rick Ross | Port of Miami 2 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Wale | Wow... That's Crazy |
| 7 | 6 | 5 | 55 | ||
| Meek Mill | Expensive Pain |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Wale | Folarin II |
| 22 | 12 | 11 | — | ||
| Rick Ross | Richer Than I Ever Been |
| 22 | 10 | 5 | 96 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
