#6 - 53rd and 3rd Records
53rd and 3rd's Stephen Pastel
Photo: Courtesy S. Pastel More Info about 53rd and 3rd Records
#7 - Sarah Records
The Harvest Ministers 7" Sleeve
Copyright Sarah Records Like 53rd and 3rd Records, you can't talk C86 without talking Sarah Records. Sarah Records had the whole DIY, indie thing down, also like 53rd and 3rd, but they were a bit more political about it. The label grew out of a 'zine, and their releases often came packaged with political writings of a decidedly socialist bent. They also took on that whole "macho" thing the music industry sometimes has going on. After over 100 7" singles, plenty of full length albums, and a board game, Sarah decided to self destruct, taking out ads in the music press to announce the label was shutting down. In the ads they said, "we don't do encores" - and they haven't, no matter how much music fans wish they would. In the story of Sarah lies one of the things that makes the music business unique - you could tell a hundred business people the way Sarah Records planned to operate, and they would assure any such business would be destined to fail. And yet - they didn't just survive, they thrived, doing things exactly the way they wanted to do them. Music for the sake of music - who'd have thought?
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Sugarhill Records (who will also appear on this list) tends to get the lion's share of attention when it comes to the early days of hip hop, but Enjoy Records was AT LEAST as important - maybe even more so. Enjoy Records practically invented the hip hop 12", and the base of the label - Harlem record shop Bobby's Happy House - holds an important place in music history. (Bobby's Happy House opened in 1946 and made it all the way 2007, and it only closed because the landlord sold the building.) Bobby Robinson, Enjoy Records founder, introduced the world to the likes of Spoonie G and Doug E. Fresh, among countless others. Music has never been the same.
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Sugarhill Records - this one is probably the toughest call on the whole list. There is no denying it - like the previous entry on this list, Enjoy Records, Sugarhill Records simply changed music. Their release Rapper's Delight is considered to be the song that "broke" rap in the mainstream. Given that hip hop changed not only popular music but culture in general, in just about every way possible - it's difficult to overstate the importance of Sugarhill Records. So, surely for that - and for releasing tons of great music - they belong on this list, right?
BUT....there are also plenty of allegations that Sugarhill isn't exactly a shining example of how to run a record label. There were disagreements with 99 Records over a sample, and other rumors of ripped off songs and lyrics and artists not being paid. Of course, sampling was very new at the time. In fact, sampling as we know it today wasn't even possible in the early days of hip hop and it was a legal gray area at the time. BUT...Sugarhill was eventually ordered to pay 99 Records for the use of one of their artist's songs (Sugarhill declared bankruptcy before they had to pay up). Beyond the 99 situation, what is rumor and what is fact is pretty unclear.
The bottom line? Sugarhill gets a pass in my book for long lasting influence and for the fact that the one thing that IS clear is that they really did release some great music.
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Last but definitely not least on the list is Lee "Scratch" Perry's Upsetter Records. What Sugarhill Records and Enjoy Records did for hip hop, Upsetter Records did for reggae. In fact, many people claim Perry actually singlehandedly invented reggae. Upsetter introduced listeners to a young Bob Marley, and the label released what are considered by many to some of Marley's best recordings. Perry also built his reputation as one of the best producers - ever - by working on many of the releases he put out on Upsetter Records. (You might recall, this list started out with another label by another one of the best producers out there - Prince Paul's short lived Dew Doo Man Records. Ah, symmetry.) If you love reggae, you have Upsetter Records to thank for it, and even if you don't love reggae, there's still a lot to learn from the Upsetter story.
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-Heather McDonald
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#8 - Enjoy Records
Grandmaster Flash and Doug E. Fresh in 2003
Copyrigh Getty Images/Scott GriesMore Information about Enjoy Records:
#9 - Sugarhill Records
Sugarhill Artist Melle Mel in 2003
Copyright Getty Image/Gregorio BinuyaBUT....there are also plenty of allegations that Sugarhill isn't exactly a shining example of how to run a record label. There were disagreements with 99 Records over a sample, and other rumors of ripped off songs and lyrics and artists not being paid. Of course, sampling was very new at the time. In fact, sampling as we know it today wasn't even possible in the early days of hip hop and it was a legal gray area at the time. BUT...Sugarhill was eventually ordered to pay 99 Records for the use of one of their artist's songs (Sugarhill declared bankruptcy before they had to pay up). Beyond the 99 situation, what is rumor and what is fact is pretty unclear.
The bottom line? Sugarhill gets a pass in my book for long lasting influence and for the fact that the one thing that IS clear is that they really did release some great music.
More Information about Sugarhill Records:
#10 - Upsetter Records
Lee "Scratch" Perry in 2006
Copyright Samir Hussein/Getty ImagesMore Information about Upsetter Records:
-Heather McDonald
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