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The moment Steve Rifkind knew Akon was going to be huge? His toddler started singing the hook from the backseat.
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On Mixed and Mastered, Steve shares how one Akon record that never even became a single kept pulling him back. Something about the drums stuck with him, and when his two year old son knew every word, Steve knew they had something special.
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Full conversation streaming now. Link in bio.
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#MixedAndMastered #SteveRifkind #Akon #MusicBusiness #HipHopHistory

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1993 Classic Cassette single ( Hip Hop Superheroes ) fuego buisness 🔥🏆🍻 🎙️ The Alkaholiks - Make Room 💥 much love to one of the best to do it in hip hop, my bros the humble legends who I was blessed to interview on SBRC, also hang out with and build when they were here a couple of years back for a show 🚀 salute 🫡 “ It’s tha Liks baby’ It’s tha Liks 🍾 shoutout to my friends at @shugarecords for allowing me to add this gem to my collection! #thaliks #90shiphopcassettes #slickblastrapcast #loudrecords #gemhead

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When Steve Rifkind hit his lowest point, Heavy D showed up.
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On Mixed and Mastered, Steve opens up about a stretch when he had no deal, no new home, and had shut out everyone around him. Heavy D came to see him and pulled him out of it with tough love. Sometimes the people who carry us through are the ones we remember most. Rest in peace, Hev.
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Full conversation streaming now. Link in bio.
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#MixedAndMastered #SteveRifkind #HeavyD #HipHopHistory #MusicBusiness

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Before he built Loud Records, Steve Rifkind revolutionized music marketing with $3,000 and a vision.
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On the latest episode of Mixed and Mastered, the legendary executive breaks down how managing New Edition inspired him to pioneer the modern street team. Armed with pamphlets and pure hustle, he flew to New York, landed $140,000 in deals overnight, and created the blueprint for rap promotion.
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Out now everywhere you listen.
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#MixedAndMastered #SteveRifkind #JeffreySledge #LoudRecords #StreetTeam #HipHopHistory #MusicBusiness

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He signed Big Pun without hearing a single bar.
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Steve Rifkind tells Mixed and Mastered how one meeting with Fat Joe was all it took. No demo, no audition, just trust in Joe and in the man he brought into the room. The deal was done by two o’clock, and Steve still made his flight home.
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Full conversation streaming now. Link in bio.
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#MixedAndMastered #SteveRifkind #BigPun #FatJoe #HipHopHistory

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Big Punisher Condoms.

A Loud Records promo for Capital Punishment, 1998. One side of the matchbook carries the product, the other side carries the album: „The Album. In Stores Now.“

The lead single „Still Not a Player“ feat. Joe reached #24 on the Hot 100. The album went platinum, the first solo album by a Latino rapper to do it, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.

Distribution details for this promo remain undocumented. Did you work on it or receive one in 1998?

Rest in peace, Christopher „Big Pun“ Rios (1971–2000).

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LP of the day:

Pete Rock - Soul Survivor LP (1998)

#peterock
#loudrecords
#ripheavyd
#ripbigpun

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At The Speed Of Life, by Xzibit

30 years ago today West-Coast heavy hitter Xzibit dropped his debut album “At The Speed Of Life” through LOUD / RCA Records on October 15th 1996.

Before X-to-the-Z was gettin his walk on and hanging with Dr Dre, Snoop and Em, Xzibit made his presence known in ‘95 on “Hit And Run” by Tha Alkaholiks” and a little over a year later Xzibit was gearing up to drop his debut LP and with the waves made by his single ‘Paparazzi’ calling out mainstream artists and Hip-Hop sellouts, a lot of eyes were on Xzibit including those of the late great 2Pac.

Xzibit’s first line on the album; “it took a long time coming but we waited, Xzibit went from underrated- to now most anticipated”. In the span of a year, 1 feature and 1 single, Xzibit had garnered the attention of the West Coast, and despite the album not topping charts or going platinum like later releases, “At The Speed Of Life” stays true as an underground classic and a staple of 90s West-Coast Hip-Hop, and would be my personal favourite Xzibit album. Sure 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz has some gems, Restless is arguably his magnum opus and Man Vs Machine marked a career high debuting at 3 on the Billboard 200 and 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts… but there’s just something special about his debut for me that draws me back every time.
I was hunting for this for years. I needed it in my collection and one day last summer I walked into All City and made a trade of some records I hadn’t spun in a while for this 1996 US OG Pressing they had listed on their site. A deal was made and a dream came true, this is undoubtedly one of those records in the collection that is a true prized possession and I’m so happy to have my hands on it.

Happy 30th Anniversary to “At The Speed Of Life” 💙🔥

@xzibit @loudmusicgrp @allcityrecordstore

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Xzibit’s At the Speed of Life is a powerful debut, combining hard-hitting West Coast hip-hop with sharp storytelling, commanding delivery and thoughtful reflections on street life, ambition and fame. Backed by heavyweight production from E-Swift, DJ Muggs, Diamond D and others, Xzibit balances raw intensity with introspection and a distinctive lyrical edge. From the haunting “Paparazzi” and energetic “Eyes May Shine” to “The Foundation” and “Carry the Weight,” the album captures a hungry young MC establishing his identity with confidence and substance.
(Source: Internet)

Click (or copy and paste) the links below to listen to the full album and beyond!

RAP: 1996 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5MWTMGITRB1ejykPkiq8WR?si=353331cdf2254c3d&pt=4b382038f9b76e9aad4ffd26a43e4e15
VAULT 45 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/55Oun8jAZ0z6U6ba2wy8Za?si=b88d707fc65044e3&pt=c870bd3c6757f622f15436748a84c7da
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#Xzibit #AtTheSpeedOfLife #Paparazzi #WestCoastHipHop #90sHipHop

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📼💿 #CassMeetsWaxSeries
From Tape Decks to Turntables

For the next edition of CassMeetsWax, we’re heading back to the end of 2000 for the album that took @xzibit from respected West Coast MC to a much bigger stage...

Xzibit – Restless 🔥

🌴 By the time Restless arrived, Xzibit had already built a serious reputation through At The Speed of Life, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz and his work with the famous Likwit crew. But linking with Dr. Dre and the wider Aftermath camp pushed things completely into another gear.

💿 Released December 12, 2000 through Loud Records/Open Bar, Restless was Xzibit’s third studio album, with Dr. Dre serving as executive producer 🎛 The production lineup was stacked too, with Dre, Rockwilder, Battlecat, DJ Quik, Erick Sermon, Eminem, Rick Rock, Mel-Man, Nottz, Scott Storch, Sir Jinx and Soopafly all contributing. Insane!

🔥 And the guest list matched it too.. Nate Dogg, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Erick Sermon, J-Ro, Tash, KRS-One, Eminem, Defari, Goldie Loc, Kokane, Suga Free, King Tee and Butch Cassidy all appear across the album 😵‍💫

🎤 What makes Restless work for me is that even with that huge cast around him, @xzibit still sounds like Xzibit. That rough voice, aggressive delivery and no-frills style are still there, with everything else dialled up to maximum.

Tracks like “Front 2 Back,” “Been A Long Time,” “U Know,” “X,” “Alkaholik,” “Don’t Approach Me” and “Get Your Walk On” give this one plenty of replay value and really capture that turn-of-the-millennium West Coast sound. I've always been a big fan of the ascetic too. Straight West Coast classic in every sense.

It's hard to believe this dropped 26yrs ago.. Peace.

Cass or Wax.. which one are you reaching for?

#xzibit #restless #loudmusicgroup #drdre

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1998 in hip-hop music marked a pivotal year of artistic maturation and commercial expansion for the genre, following the intense rivalries and losses of the mid-1990s, with a surge in diverse regional voices, innovation production, and breakthrough albums that solidified hip-hop's mainstream dominance.

The year saw the release of over 30 platinum-certified rap albums, reflecting hip-hop's growing economic power and cultural influence beyond traditional East Coast and West Coast centers.

Culturally, 1998 highlighted hip-hop's shift toward regional pride and authenticity, with the South gaining prominence through artists like OutKast, Goodie Mob, and No Limit Records' roster ----- including Master P and Mystikal ----- generating over $110 million in revenue and inspiring broader entrepreneurial pursuits in fashion and film.

The underground scene thrived in response to mainstream commercialization, emphasizing roots in lyricism and social commentary via labels like Rawkus Records, while established East Coast figures such as GangStarr, The LOX, and Busta Rhymes reinforced gritty narratives.

This era's diversity ----- from introspective soul-rap to horrorcore and futuristic Southern sounds ----- underscored hip-hop's evolution into a global force, setting the stage for its dominance in the 2000s.

Here are XXL Magazine's Off The Hook from October-November 1998.

@xxl

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Could Wu-Tang’s mystery be replicated today? 🤨  ‘When 36 Chambers dropped, it’s like a new religion dropped’ - The great @freemusicempire dropping dimes on the latest pod, for our series on Loud Records. We got into it, and one of the most intriguing parts was dealing with the loss of mystery in music and culture. When Wu dropped, there was NOTHING like it. We lived the making of mass culture…but what now?   Drop us your takes in the comments, and peep our Loud Records Chronicles pod series - featuring @timlaska_atoms @sach_sonraw and more 🔥

Link in bio 🔗

#36chambers #loudrecords #hiphoppodcast #rappodcast #wutangclan

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