As the 1980s drew to a close, the label entered a deal with RCA Records, and it continued to sign hip-hop acts including DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, The Skinny Boys, Too $hort and Schoolly D. By the early 1990s, Jive had become a premiere label in the genre of hip-hop with the success of D-Nice, E-40, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One/Boogie Down Productions, R. Kelly and temporarily Aaliyah.
К концу 1980-х Jive Records подписал хип-хоп артистов Too $hort и Schoolly D. К концу 1990-х лейбл стал основополагающим в этом жанре, во многом благодаря успехам Whodini, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, E-40, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One/Boogie Down Productions, и R&B исполнителям — R. Kelly и Aaliyah.