Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Def Soul
Def Soul Records was an R&B-based division of American multinational record label Def Jam Recordings. It was formed in 1996 by Russell Simmons and Kevin Liles to expand R&B and soul music through Def Jam's said genre-related roster following the successes of Montell Jordan and Case.
The label later garnered more success with other artists that include Musiq Soulchild, Kelly Price, Christina Milian, Aaron Soul, Terri Walker, Dru Hill, 112, Patti LaBelle and The Isley Brothers. 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 artist Rihanna's success as the reason for the downfall of Def Soul.[citation needed]
Capitalizing on the successes of Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" in 1995 and Case's self-titled debut album in 1996, Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons and then-vice president Kevin 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.
Then came trio Playa, whose single "Cheers 2 U" (1998) cracked the top ten of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. After appearing on the How to Be a Player soundtrack (1997) with the Foxy Brown-assisted "I Gotta Know", the group was greenlit to develop their debut album for Def Soul. Their album, also titled Cheers 2 U. Despite the building hype, the album did not chart perfectly on Billboard, debuting at number eighty-nine on the Billboard 200. It was later overshadowed[how?] a week later by Jordan's third follow-up, Let's Ride, which made the top ten of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and (like its predecessor) went gold. The title track gained the album some notoriety, due to No Limit Records labelmates and brothers Master P and Silkk the Shocker delivering their verses.
On the same day as the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, Case returned from his three-year hiatus with Personal Conversation, which (also like its predecessor) went gold and managed to embrace the top forty of the Billboard 200. Its single, "Happily Ever After", gained moderate airplay. That same year, Def Jam's parent label, PolyGram, was acquired by Seagram and its music division was later merged with MCA-related record labels to centralize the Universal Music Group. With this came the folding of Island Black Music, causing the transitioning of Island Records' R&B artist division into Def Soul. The artists under Island that were moved to this label included Dru Hill and Kelly Price.[citation needed] Following next was the creation of The Island Def Jam Music Group.
After the folding of Island Black into Def Soul and the UMG creation of IDJMG, Def Soul began to revamp their success with Jordan's Get It On... Tonite in November. While the title track provided success at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, the album itself didn't perform well as Jordan's previous three, despite being his second gold-seller. That same month, Dru Hill leader Sisqó's solo debut, Unleash the Dragon, started to take off. Having debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and going platinum the following year. Extended success came from its singles, "Got to Get It", the number-one "Incomplete" and "Thong Song". "Thong Song", however, was the one that gained more success than the previous two, despite being number three on the Hot 100.
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 of Billboard'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 and LovHer together as Price's "friends". Following up was the soundtrack to Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, which made number one on the R&B chart and went platinum. The soundtrack helped to make way for Philadelphia soul artist Musiq Soulchild's career after his track, "Just Friends (Sunny)", which came on the soundtrack, became a radio hit. Later that November, Musiq released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing, which made the near-bottom of the top thirty section of the Billboard 200, but managed to go gold two months after.
Throughout 2001, only three albums were released under Def Soul: Case's Open Letter that April, Sisqó's Return of Dragon in June and Price's One Love, a Christmas album which came out that November. Originally, Christina Milian, who was last featured on Ja Rule's "Between Me and You" (2000), was supposed to release her self-titled debut studio album jointly through Def Soul and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records on September 25, 2001, but due to the September 11 attacks, the album's American release was cancelled and postponed for international release on October 9.
Hub AI
Def Soul AI simulator
(@Def Soul_simulator)
Def Soul
Def Soul Records was an R&B-based division of American multinational record label Def Jam Recordings. It was formed in 1996 by Russell Simmons and Kevin Liles to expand R&B and soul music through Def Jam's said genre-related roster following the successes of Montell Jordan and Case.
The label later garnered more success with other artists that include Musiq Soulchild, Kelly Price, Christina Milian, Aaron Soul, Terri Walker, Dru Hill, 112, Patti LaBelle and The Isley Brothers. 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 artist Rihanna's success as the reason for the downfall of Def Soul.[citation needed]
Capitalizing on the successes of Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" in 1995 and Case's self-titled debut album in 1996, Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons and then-vice president Kevin 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.
Then came trio Playa, whose single "Cheers 2 U" (1998) cracked the top ten of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. After appearing on the How to Be a Player soundtrack (1997) with the Foxy Brown-assisted "I Gotta Know", the group was greenlit to develop their debut album for Def Soul. Their album, also titled Cheers 2 U. Despite the building hype, the album did not chart perfectly on Billboard, debuting at number eighty-nine on the Billboard 200. It was later overshadowed[how?] a week later by Jordan's third follow-up, Let's Ride, which made the top ten of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and (like its predecessor) went gold. The title track gained the album some notoriety, due to No Limit Records labelmates and brothers Master P and Silkk the Shocker delivering their verses.
On the same day as the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, Case returned from his three-year hiatus with Personal Conversation, which (also like its predecessor) went gold and managed to embrace the top forty of the Billboard 200. Its single, "Happily Ever After", gained moderate airplay. That same year, Def Jam's parent label, PolyGram, was acquired by Seagram and its music division was later merged with MCA-related record labels to centralize the Universal Music Group. With this came the folding of Island Black Music, causing the transitioning of Island Records' R&B artist division into Def Soul. The artists under Island that were moved to this label included Dru Hill and Kelly Price.[citation needed] Following next was the creation of The Island Def Jam Music Group.
After the folding of Island Black into Def Soul and the UMG creation of IDJMG, Def Soul began to revamp their success with Jordan's Get It On... Tonite in November. While the title track provided success at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, the album itself didn't perform well as Jordan's previous three, despite being his second gold-seller. That same month, Dru Hill leader Sisqó's solo debut, Unleash the Dragon, started to take off. Having debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and going platinum the following year. Extended success came from its singles, "Got to Get It", the number-one "Incomplete" and "Thong Song". "Thong Song", however, was the one that gained more success than the previous two, despite being number three on the Hot 100.
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 of Billboard'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 and LovHer together as Price's "friends". Following up was the soundtrack to Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, which made number one on the R&B chart and went platinum. The soundtrack helped to make way for Philadelphia soul artist Musiq Soulchild's career after his track, "Just Friends (Sunny)", which came on the soundtrack, became a radio hit. Later that November, Musiq released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing, which made the near-bottom of the top thirty section of the Billboard 200, but managed to go gold two months after.
Throughout 2001, only three albums were released under Def Soul: Case's Open Letter that April, Sisqó's Return of Dragon in June and Price's One Love, a Christmas album which came out that November. Originally, Christina Milian, who was last featured on Ja Rule's "Between Me and You" (2000), was supposed to release her self-titled debut studio album jointly through Def Soul and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records on September 25, 2001, but due to the September 11 attacks, the album's American release was cancelled and postponed for international release on October 9.