GOOD Music

Kanye West, founder of GOOD Music

GOOD Music was founded in 2004 by Kanye West in conjunction with Sony BMG, shortly after the release of his debut album The College Dropout.[6]

Ohio singer John Legend and fellow Chicago rapper Common were the label's initial artists, along with West himself.[7] Legend's Get Lifted (2004) was the label's first album release, leading both the artist and label to tremendous success. The album received eight nominations and three wins at the 2006 Grammy Awards. The album contained the single "Ordinary People", which was nominated for and won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.[8] In October 2006, Legend released his second album, Once Again, which won Legend his second consecutive Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in the song "Heaven".[9]

Common's Be (2005), the label's second release, was the recipient of four Grammy Award nominations. The label later added GLC, Really Doe, Malik Yusef, Tony Williams and Consequence to its artists.[10] West's second studio album, Late Registration, included featured guest appearances by every artist signed to GOOD Music's roster at the time of its release in August 2005.[11] In 2005, West came across a young Sean Anderson, known today as Big Sean, before a radio interview. After performing a freestyle, he left West with a demo tape,[12] and in May 2007, Big Sean was signed to the label.[13] In an August 2007 interview with Billboard West expressed regrets over starting the label:

Running a record label was the biggest mistake I ever made. I never asked to be a label owner. Sony offered it to me, and I took it. But I can't be there when people are calling me to the studio to hear some music or approve clothes for a video. No disrespect to anybody, my focus is Graduation, I've got a hard enough time calling radio programmers and getting them to play "Can't Tell Me Nothing", a song that's connecting with people but that's only at 1,400 spins.

— Kanye West, Billboard[14]

In 2008, British singer-songwriter Mr Hudson was signed, following the release of his debut A Tale of Two Cities (2007). There followed Kid Cudi, and manager Plain Pat.[15][16] Kid Cudi's debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day was released under GOOD Music on September 15, 2009. The album earned three Grammy nominations and was certified Gold by the RIAA.[17] A month later Mr Hudson's solo debut, Straight No Chaser, was released.[18]

Big Sean signed to the label in 2007.

In late 2010, West released several tracks featuring himself, and others members of the GOOD Music roster, in a free weekly giveaway known as, G.O.O.D. Fridays.[19] In September 2010, Brooklyn rapper Mos Def was signed.[20] Shortly afterwards Consequence released a diss track and left the label.[21] The following month Pusha T announced his signing to the label.[22] Late in 2010, Kid Cudi released his second studio album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, followed by West's fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[23][24] West, Pusha T, Big Sean, Common and Cyhi the Prynce took part in a cypher at the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards.[25]

In April 2011, West signed American rapper and producer Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest.[26] Kanye West also signed producer Hit-Boy, to Very Good Beats.[27] In 2011, West signed Nigerian artists D'banj and Don Jazzy.[28] In June 2011, GOOD Music signed their first distribution agreement, with Def Jam Recordings.[29][30] Big Sean's debut Finally Famous was the first album released by GOOD Music with distribution by Def Jam.

In 2015, Pusha T was appointed as the President of the label.

In late 2011, plans were announced for a release of a compilation album, later entitled Cruel Summer.[31] The album's lead single "Mercy", was released on April 6, 2012, and features verses from Kanye West, Pusha T and Big Sean, as well as GOOD Music affiliate 2 Chainz.[32] The album was also preceded by the singles "New God Flow" and "Clique", the latter of which peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It features West and Big Sean rapping alongside Jay-Z.[33] Cruel Summer was released on September 18, 2012. It was accompanied by the eponymous short film Cruel Summer, which was shot in Qatar; the film premiered at Cannes Film Festival.[34]

In January 2013, Scottish record producer and DJ Hudson Mohawke, announced that he had signed to the production arm of G.O.O.D. Music - Very Good Beats.[35] On April 2, 2013, Kid Cudi announced on Power 106 that he was no longer with the label, leaving on amicable terms. Cudi felt he was "underused" and would have preferred to record something particular for Yeezus (2013).[36] On June 29, 2013, producer Hit-Boy of Very Good Beats announced that his contract expired and that he was no longer signed to GOOD Music.[37] American Apparel model Kacy Hill was signed to the label December 2014, after appearing as a backup dancer on West's Yeezus Tour.[38] In March 2015, GOOD Music signed HXLT.[39]

In November 2015, West appointed Pusha T the president of GOOD Music, while record executive Steven Victor was appointed COO.[3][4] In January 2016, Mos Def retired from music announcing it in a freestyle released in conjunction with West's G.O.O.D. Fridays series.[40] On June 3, 2016, Kanye West announced GOOD Music's upcoming album, Cruel Winter, in an interview with Big Boy.[41]

On September 7, 2016, West announced that former Young Money/Cash Money Records artist Tyga, signed a record deal with GOOD Music.[42][43] Later that day, Pusha T announced Atlanta-based rap trio Migos had signed a management deal with the label.[42] However, in January 2017, Migos clarified that although there were discussions for a management deal, nothing had come to fruition.[44] On September 9, 2016, the official GOOD Music Twitter account uploaded an image of an updated artist roster with the caption "THIS IS GOOD MUSIC".[45] The image indicated that several artists had either left or been removed by the label, including D'banj, Malik Yusef, Ryan McDermott, and Mr Hudson. Later that month, in a radio interview with The Breakfast Club, John Legend announced that his fifth studio album, Darkness and Light, would be his last with GOOD Music.[46]

GOOD was advertised as one of the headlining acts of the ill-fated Fyre Festival in 2017; however, the exact member(s) of the label that were to perform were never established.[47]

In May 2017, Pusha T signed Francis and the Lights to GOOD Music. In February 2018, Pusha T followed up by signing Valee with GOOD Music as well.[48]

In 2018, Kanye revealed he would produce upcoming albums by GOOD Music label-mates Pusha T and Teyana Taylor, as well as Nas.[49] Pusha T's Daytona, "the first project out of Wyoming", was released in May to critical acclaim, although the album's artwork—a photograph of deceased singer Whitney Houston's bathroom that West paid $85,000 to license—attracted some controversy.[50] The following week, West released his eighth studio album, Ye. West has suggested that he scrapped the original recordings of the album and re-recorded it within a month.[51] The week after, West released a collaborative album with former GOOD Music artist Kid Cudi, titled Kids See Ghosts, named after their group of the same name. West also completed production work on Nas' Nasir[52] and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E., which were released in June 2018.[53]

On October 29, 2021, Big Sean announced on Twitter that after 14 years, he has stepped away from Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label, saying "That’s a forever brotherhood, but business wise, I had to start getting a bigger cut! I worked my way out that deal."[54] Afterwards, Kanye would appear on the program Drink Champs hosted by N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, where he would talk with them about different topics, one of them being John Legend and Big Sean leaving his label, where West would state "I already decided that when I die on my tombstone it’s going to say, ‘I deserve to be here because I signed Big Sean,’" as well as "The worst thing I’ve ever done was sign Big Sean." Before the episode, Big Sean said on Twitter "I just got asked to be on the next Drink Champs so I’m assuming Ye talkin’ crazy."[55] And would also share a photo of him and West from after the interview and wrote "Was just [with] this man, he ain’t say none of that!"[56]

On October 24th, 2022, it was revealed that Def Jam had officially dropped both Ye and GOOD off of their label. [57] This comes as a response to Ye’s recent controversies involving actions deemed as antisemitic and racist, though it was revealed that Ye was already released from Def Jam following the release of Donda as the album completed his album contract with the label.