Atlantic Records

Atlantic Records is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. It operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is headquartered in New York City. American rapper Lupe Fiasco was signed to the label from 2004-2015, with recommendation from Jay-Z, and maintained what sources referred to as a "tulumous" and "contentious" relationship.Blake, Cole (August 1, 2022). "Lupe Fiasco Discusses Issues with Atlantic Records". HotNewHipHop. Difficulties brought to light were asking his music executive, Lyor Cohen, for rights to his master recordings in exchange for a 360 deal. There were also threats of no promotion or delay in his album releases.Cowen, Trace (February 11, 2019). "Lupe Fiasco Blasts Atlantic and Lyor Cohen, Calls Music Biz 'Damn Near a Mob Cartel'". Complex."From the Vault: The Discovery of Lupe Fiasco". Atlantic Records. December 14, 2013. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015.
In 2010, Fiasco said to MTV News, "The truth of the matter is that I'm at the mercy of powers that be… who don't know if they want to be a record company or a management company or a production company."Blanco, Alvin (October 7, 2010). "Lupe Fiasco Explains 'Lasers' Delay, Blames Atlantic Records". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. His negative experiences were vocalized in interviews and publications, causing fans to protest and even organize the event, Fiasco Friday, held outside Atlantic's main office.
== Biography (2011) ==
It's not easy being a best kept secret, especially for an artist who is constantly mind traveling and has so much to say. It has to be just as hard when one of hip-hop's greatest and most respected MC's tells one of the most powerful record executives in the world that the talents of the person he's representing are similar to his own five years ago. That's exactly what retired rap legend and current President of Def Jam Records, Jay-Z, told then Arista Records CEO L.A. Reid in a meeting back in 2002 about wunderkind Lupe Fiasco. The 23 year-old Chicago native, who has been highly regarded and coveted by many top-level executives and industry insiders for the past three years, has remained relatively unknown in the public eye. Until now.
With the release of his Atlantic Records debut, FOOD & LIQUOR, Lupe Fiasco is sure to take the entire music industry by storm. Raised on Chicago's Westside as the youngest boy of nine brothers, Lupe (born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco) is an eclectic soul with varied interests; something that was developed from the upbringing of both of his parents. Lupe's parents made sure he was exposed to anything and everything that was in their environment, which he credits as a major influence as a person and as an artist. 'My father was a real prolific African drummer and can play anything from the Djiembe's to the bagpipes. My mom is a gourmet chef that has traveled the world. We were always around different cultures. It is because of these artistic experiences [that] there are no limitations to what I talk about on my record.'There are also no limitations to Lupe's skill and ability as an MC. He has the drive to explore artistic region beyond your comfort zone and the desire to break boundaries, all the while having the edge and street credibility to resonate with the purist and the thug, suburbia and the streets, all in one. Rapping since the eighth grade, Lupe began taking the craft seriously when he was 17 years old, inspired by other MC's and groups such as Twista, Nas, Crucial Conflict, Spice 1, Eightball and Psycho Drama. Lupe followed this love, and at the age of 19, his group Da Pak landed their first major record deal under Epic Records. The set-up of the four-man group was 'similar to Boyz N Hood,' according to Lupe. Unfortunately, the group disbanded soon after releasing their first single. Unfazed and determined, Lupe and his manager/business partner Chill moved ahead. At one point, the rapper planned to sign with Roc-a-Fella Records. 'That's when I first met Jay,' recalls Lupe. 'The situation fell through, but we always stayed in contact because he respected my partner and me as a fellow rapper. He did [a lot] to help me boost my career.' Lupe then signed with Arista Records, but once again his career was halted, this time because Arista head L.A. Reid was relieved from his post. After being thrown around labels, luck finally struck when a former Arista A&R rep and manager of the Notorious B.I.G., Mark Pitts, brought Lupe to the attention of Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman. Atlantic proved to be a perfect fit.
'The title reflects on me being Muslim and being from the streets,' says Lupe about FOOD & LIQUOR. 'In Chicago, instead having bodegas like in New York, the majority of the corner stores are called 'Food and Liquors.' The store is where everything is at, whether it be the wine-o hanging by the store, or us as kids going back and forth to the store to buy something. The 'Food' is the good part and the 'Liquors' is the bad part. I try to balance out both parts of me.' Laced with 14-tracks of complex, thought-provoking and playful lyricism coupled with sure-fire beats, FOOD & LIQUOR will be distributed by Atlantic through Lupe's company, 1st & 15th Productions, and will feature production by the likes of Nottz, Needles, the Buchanans, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, not to mention 1st & 15th producers Soundtrakk and Pro. The song that is sure to help thrust Lupe from underground phenom to mainstream success is the album's lead single that is dedicated to the art of skateboarding, 'Kick, Push,' produced by Soundtrakk. 'It's a skateboarding song. I used to skateboard when I was younger. I was really into it. I never really knew that skateboarding was so deep as a culture. It's just as deep as hip-hop. I'm not the greatest skateboarder, but I'm a damn good rapper, so I made a damn good skateboarding song.'Many artists have albums that aim to reach a diverse audience, but Lupe is a living embodiment of the word. Lupe is a devout Muslim and a deep thinker who listens to jazz. But he's also a young man who loves the ladies and likes to chill with his crew. The continued success of hip-hop depends on individuals who combine the streets with intelligence with strong radio airplay. And with Lupe Fiasco, rap has found another favorite son. '[When I retire], I want to step away on positive note.' says Lupe. 'What you put out into the world comes back to you. You actually change the world with what you do. I want to put some good in the world.' – Atlantic Records
== Background ==
Following the merge of BMG and Sony Music Entertainment in 2004, L.A. Reid was fired in January of that year. Artists were moved onto sub-labels or left, with Fiasco choosing the latter. Mark Pitts, the A&R representative of Arista, introduced Fiasco to Atlantic's then-president, Craig Kallman. The deal not yet finalized, Fiasco's manager Charles "Chilly" Patton explained that Jay-Z was offered to become next president of Atlantic Records, inviting him and Fiasco to join the roster. They signed to Atlantic with an advance from the label, using the money to bail Chilly out of jail, though Jay-Z was offered a position at Def Jam Records and accepted their offer instead. Nevertheless, Jay-Z would still serve as executive producer of Fiasco's debut album.Berry, Peter A. (December 5, 2016). "Jay-Z Is the Reason Lupe Fiasco Signed to Atlantic Records". XXL.
Early on, Fiasco experienced issues during his contractual term, including no promotion or funding for records and music videos. He claimed the label slowed down the promotion of his single, "Kick, Push," to acquire controlling portions by buying the rights to the song it was sampled from.Watson, Elijah (April 7, 2020). "Lupe Fiasco Explains How Atlantic Records Bought the "Kick, Push" Sample to Partially Own His Song". Okayplayer. Meanwhile, "Daydreamin'" was a conditional record, where his album wouldn't be released if it wasn't included. He stated he did not receive any revenue from it, other than performing it at concerts."Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. January 12, 2022.
A notable moment was the delayal of Lasers, which he believed occurred because of his refusal to sign a 360 deal. Fiasco explained of this agreement, "entails that they get 25% of any ancillary properties that [comes] from [my] music." This led to Fiasco Friday, where fans planned to protest outside of the label's headquarters and demand for a release date. Eventually the record label gave them the date, though they still attended in support. In a 2014 interview, Fiasco said about his contract, "Bad, to keep it a thousand. I can't wait to get off. Even with that said, I'm coming with the biggest records of my career over the next two albums just to set myself up for that post-Atlantic Records career. I've had a very interesting run for various reasons. I don't even think about it anymore. I just go ahead.""Lupe Fiasco Visits Torae on #TorGuideSXM". YouTube. August 19, 2014.
Concerning the setback with Tetsuo & Youth, Fiasco revealed, "Atlantic Records won't release the album until they get a 'pop' single. [S]o putting together a mini-project while they find one for me. It's called 'Lost in the Atlantic Ocean' with a bunch of my friends to stay active and happy…"Fleischer, Adam (October 14, 2014). "Lupe Fiasco Is in Another Battle with Atlantic Records". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. An incident that arose from this was the hacktivist group, Anonymous, who tweeted the next day on October 15, 2014, "@AtlanticRecords: You have 24 hours to present a statement announcing the immediate release of [Tetsuo & Youth]. If you do not comply, we will launch a direct attack against your website, your associates, and your executives […] Blatantly censoring @LupeFiasco is inexcusable." Less than 24 hours later, the label announced the release date.Michaels, Sean (October 17, 2014). "Hackers Claim Victory in Lupe Fiasco 'Censorship' Row". The Guardian.
Despite Tetsuo & Youth (2015) marking Fiasco's departure from Atlantic, he was "contractually obligated" to release one more project, which was Drogas Light (2017). He admitted, "Around Lasers, I knew there was going to be some bullshit. So, I was like, you know what? I will never, ever, ever, as long as I'm on this label, give this label my heart. What I truly believe and what I really feel. 'Cause I feel like when you work for somebody, they have to show you some love back; show that they deserve your worth. So, since Lasers, I've never really put my all into a project because I feel like Atlantic doesn't deserve it. So I took an L."Zisook, Brian (May 5, 2017). "Lupe Fiasco Admits He Made a Crappy Album Because Atlantic Didn't "Deserve" His Best". DJBooth.
In 2022, Fiasco elaborated that he "was comfortable making pop records. The issue was who controlled those records and what the ownership and splits were. Atlantic would only promote my records if they owned a large portion of them or if I signed a 360 deal." He continued, "The issue was never my ability to make hit or pop records. The issue wasn't even the business per se. My contracts were solid. It's when the label didn't want to abide by the contracts anymore and started throwing shitty little curveballs out of FOMO and greed. All bad after that."Mahadevan, Tara (August 1, 2022). "Lupe Fiasco Speaks on Problems with Former Label Atlantic Records". Complex.
== Discography ==
=== Studio albums ===
Album 	Details
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor 	
* Released: September 19, 2006
* Chart position: #8 U.S.
* RIAA certification: Gold
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool 	
* Released: December 18, 2007
* Chart position: #14 U.S.
* RIAA certification: Platinum
Lasers 	
* Released: March 7, 2011
* Chart position: #1 U.S.
* RIAA certification: Gold
Food & Liquor II:The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1	
* Released: September 25, 2012
* Chart position: #5 U.S.
* RIAA certification: Gold
Tetsuo & Youth 	
* Released: January 20, 2015
* Chart position: #14 U.S.
* RIAA certification: —
=== Compilation albums ===
Album 	Details
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor Series	
* Released: June 12, 2021
Now Playing 	
* Released: June 21, 2024
== References ==
category:Record labels