RZA

Gravediggaz is an American hip hop group from New York City, well known for its dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing soundscapes. The group was... formed in 1994 and was effectively a supergroup, bringing together Prince Paul , Frukwan , Too Poetic and RZA . Its inception was largely due to the efforts of Prince Paul. The group is widely credited as being one of the most influential and pioneering groups in the small hip-hop subgenre of horrorcore. The group's first album was originally titled Niggamortis; however, the potentially risqué title was changed to 6 Feet Deep for the American market . Released on August 9, 1994, 6 Feet Deep was a mix of black humor, cartoonish violence reminiscent of the Geto Boys, esoteric references to the Nation of Gods and Earths, and some of Paul's darkest production. The four members adopted Gravedigga alter egos for their work with the group: The RZA became Rzarector, Poetic became the Grym Reaper, Prince Paul became the Undertaker, and Frukwan became the Gatekeeper.
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Achozen [pronounced: UH-choh-zen] is a project by System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, Wu-Tang Clan member RZA, Killarmy member Kinetic 9, and... Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Reverend William Burke. The group's debut album has been completed and set for release for several years now, and it is unknown when or if the album will be released, considering Odadjian's commitments to System of a Down, who reunited in 2011. Achozen is currently managed by Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group alongside Afghan Raiders, Alice in Chains, Cypress Hill, Deftones, The Fall of Troy, Revolution Mother, and System of a Down. The music of Achozen is described by one writer as "space hip hop, rap without a coast or even a planet. Instead, each song revolves around a solar system of feeling. The album explores and exorcises a spectrum of emotions, as each track delves into either pain, ecstasy, hate or hope. Utilizing sitar and violin, Shavo breaks the mold, playing live instruments across the album, as he constructs beats with a cosmic fluidity".
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Tommy Boy Entertainment is an independent record label started in 1981 by Tom Silverman. After borrowing $5,000 from his parents, the label was an outgrowth of Tom Silverman's Disco News bi-weekly publication , which spanned 14 years, beginning in September 1978. In 1985, Warner Bros. Records... bought 50% of the label, eventually buying all of it in 1990. Silverman and Monica Lynch became Vice Presidents of Warner as well. Warner allowed Tommy Boy to use independent distribution as it saw fit, with the option to put artists through the major-label channel through Warner Bros. Records or its sister label Reprise Records. Silverman bought 50% back from Warner Bros. in 1995. Also the same year, the first incarnation of Penalty Recordings, a joint venture with Neil Levine, was created, but it was absorbed by Tommy Boy in 1999. The imprint Tommy Boy Gospel was launched in 1998 under the direction of Max Siegel and Marvie Wright—and Tommy Boy Black Label and Tommy Boy Silver Label were founded as well.
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The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a British multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and was one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a... major publishing arm, EMI Music Publishing – also based in London with offices globally. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but since February 2011 it has been wholly owned by Citigroup . EMI is a member of the RIAA & IFPI. In November 2011 Citigroup announced a tentative deal to sell off pieces of the company with the music arm going to Vivendi's Universal Music Group for $1.9 billion and the publishing business going to a Sony/ATV consortium for around $2.2 billion. Other members of the Sony consortium include Blackstone and Abu Dhabi-owned investment fund Mubadala. Both before and after the sale announcement, Universal Music Group pledged to sell off EMI assets to the value of half a billion Euros.
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E1 Music , the primary subsidiary of E1 Entertainment LP, is an independent record label in the United States. It is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe under the name E1 Universal. On January 22, 2009, Koch Records was officially branded as "E1 Music" by parent company... Entertainment One. E1 Music was formed in May 1999 as "Koch Records" to serve as the North American umbrella for E1 Entertainment's labels . They would sign many country, classical, and rock acts including, Cledus T. Judd, Ringo Starr, Joan Baez, Chris Brubeck, Bob James, and an exclusive distribution with Suge Knight's embattled Death Row Records. The label soon began to gain ground on the other independent record labels in the United States. In the 2000s, they began to sign more hip hop acts and become one of the biggest hip hop labels in the world. They signed various distribution deals with labels like Open Bar Entertainment, Terror Squad, D-Block Records, and others. In 2004, they were able to sign a deal with Snoop Dogg and his Doggystyle Records along with Mobb Deep.
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