| Reel Life Productions | |
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| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Esham A. Smith James A. Smith |
| Distributing label | Aknu Media |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Country of origin | US |
| Location | Detroit, Michigan |
| Official Website | www.AcidRap.com |
Reel Life Productions is an independent record label formed in 1990. Based in Detroit, Michigan in the United States, it was formed by rapper Esham and his older brother James H. Smith.
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History
According to Esham, by the time he had started to rap, Detroit did not have a prominent hip hop scene. Smith states that "Everybody was just imitating what everybody else was doing".[1] His brother, James, encouraged him to seriously pursue a career as a rapper because of the city's limited hip hop scene.[1] At the age of 13, Esham released his debut album, Boomin' Words from Hell, in 1989.[2][3] In 1990, Esham and James H. Smith founded Reel Life Productions,[2] which reissued his debut album with an alternate track listing and artwork.[3] Esham found it difficult to develop a fanbase, because many wrote off the dark content of his lyrics and imagery as shock value, while hip hop fans did not connect to Esham's albums because of his heavy metal influences.[1]
In 1994, James was incarcerated, leaving the future of Reel Life Productions in doubt.[4] After a period of releasing albums independently, Esham rebranded the label as Overcore Records, and signed a distribution deal with TVT Records.[2][4] Overcore signed artists such as Kool Keith and The Dayton Family.[2] After TVT folded, Esham signed with Psychopathic Records, releasing two solo albums before leaving the label.[2][4]
Current artists
Past groups and artists
References
- ^ a b c Ketchum III, William E. (October 15, 2008). "Mayor Esham? What?". Detroit, Michigan: Metro Times. http://www.metrotimes.com/music/story.asp?id=13341. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Esham". All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-hop. Backbeat Books. 2003. pp. 60–163. ISBN 0879307595.
- ^ a b Smith, Esham A. "Discography". Reel Life Productions. http://www.acidrap.com/eshamcatalog.html. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ a b c Bruce, Joseph (June 25, 2004). "Weekly Freekly: 2". Psychopathic Records. Archived from the original on 2002-09-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20040820162159/www.insaneclownposse.com/page.php?page_id=icp_wf_20020903. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ "Esham AKA Bill Yen: Esham AKA Bill Yen". Reel Life Produtions. http://www.acidrap.com/esham.html. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ "NATAS: Nation Ahead of Time And Space - The Wicket Shit Will Never Die". Reel Life Productions. http://www.acidrap.com/natas.html. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ a b c d e "Upcoming Releases: Future projects from RLP/Gothom and Acidrap.com". Reel Life Productions. http://www.acidrap.com/comingsoon.html. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
External links
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