In 2012 the label helped organize a 2013 tour between Trae tha Truth and J. Released on July 2, 2011, the album reached #113 on the US Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums.Ģ012 saw releases by artists such as Slum Village, Trinidad James, Snoop Dogg, and Freddie Gibbs, several of which charted. Nima Etminan soon signed California hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar to the distribution company, and as of early 2012 EMPIRE began handling distribution for all the projects by Top Dawg Entertainment, including Lamar's Section.80. In November 2013, Hopsin's Knock Madness album peaked at #76 on the Billboard 200 and at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Longterm Mentality by Ab-Soul, released the following April, peaked at #32 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers. Rapper ScHoolboy Q's album Setbacks, released on January 11, 2011, also charted, reaching #100 on the Billboard 200. It peaked at #145 on the US Billboard 200, and #23 on the US R&B chart. One of the label's first charting releases was Authenticity by hip hop duo The Foreign Exchange, released on October 12, 2010.
Dilla, Devin The Dude, Pete Rock), Jamla Records ( 9th Wonder, Rapsody) and Mastered Trax (C-Kan) have partnerships with EMPIRE, with music being distributed across platforms such as iTunes, Google Play,, Spotify, Soundcloud and Rdio, along with physical CD’s and vinyl being distributed to traditional record stores. Paak, Watsky, Jez Dior), Funk Volume ( Hopsin, Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton), ESGN ( Freddie Gibbs), Think It's A Game Entertainment ( Rich Homie Quan, YFN Lucci), Paper Route Empire ( Young Dolph), Trill Entertainment ( Boosie Badazz, Webbie), Last Kings Records ( Tyga), Taylor Gang Entertainment (Berner, Chevy Woods), Hustle Gang ( T.I.), Nature Sounds ( J.
Etminan now serves as Vice President of Operations and A&R.Īs of 2016, EMPIRE operates out of its headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in New York and Atlanta ReleasesĬompanies and artists such as Top Dawg Entertainment ( Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul), Steel Wool ( Anderson. Etminan, co-founder of the hip hop platform, worked to expand the mission and services, and as of 2011 was handling Marketing and A&R. In operating the company, Shami was joined by Nima Etminan, an MBA graduate in Media Management from Hamburg Media School. History FoundingĮMPIRE was founded in 2010 by CEO, Ghazi Shami, a music technology graduate of San Francisco State University and the former Director of Urban Music at INgrooves. Paak, Section.80 by Kendrick Lamar, Gas Pedal by Sage the Gemini, Phantom and the Ghost by Styles P, #IWantDat by Mindless Behavior, Knock Madness by Hopsin, and the Stoner's EP by Snoop Dogg.
A number of albums and singles distributed by EMPIRE have charted on Billboard, including " All the Way Up" by Fat Joe & Remy Ma, " Broccoli" by D.R.A.M., " Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)" by Rich Homie Quan, “Might Be” by DJ Luke Nasty, Malibu by Anderson.
Founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami, it has released albums in the genres of hip hop, R&B, reggae, rock, gospel, Latin, and pop. EMPIRE is an American distribution company and record label based in San Francisco, California.