Mello Music Group

For other uses of "MMG", see MMG (disambiguation).
Mello Music Group
Founded 2007 (2007)
Founder Michael Tolle
Distributor(s) The Orchard[1]
Genre Hip hop
Country of origin United States
Location Tucson, Arizona
Official website MelloMusicGroup.com

Mello Music Group, also referred to as MMG, is an American independent record label based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2007 by Michael Tolle, it has released hip hop compilations and albums by producers and emcees such as Oddisee, Apollo Brown, yU, Open Mike Eagle, L'Orange, and Rapper Big Pooh.[2] In 2012 MTV Hive described MMG as having a "dedication to intelligent, street-wise boom bap,"[3] although the label has released a number of purely instrumental albums as well.[4] Forbes magazine called Mello Music Group the most successful indie-rap label of the decade in 2016 [5]

History

2007-10: Founding, first releases

An early form of the label, Mello Mixtapes, was founded by Arizona hip hop fan Michael Tolle in 2004.[6] As a college deejay Tolle releases a series of hip hop mixtapes, also avidly collecting vinyl.[4]

"After a year of working 80 hour weeks, I was missing the days when I dug through records all night, helped throw after hours events, and lived for music. I had continued listening, but now I had some extra money and didn’t know shit about flipping houses or the market, so I invested in what I knew about, what I wanted to support – beats, rhymes, and cuts."
— Founder Michael Tolle[7]

Tolle graduated from the University of Arizona in 2006, and afterwards had founded an educational company that catered to international professors and teachers on sabbatical. After working with the company for a year, he decided he'd prefer working with music.[7] He first founded Mello Music Group in the fall of 2007, using his laptop and cell phone to organize the business from his home in Tucson, Arizona.[6]

According to Tolle, "I started with making one song. I spent every penny I had to get a Kev Brown beat, a Kenn Starr verse, and Rob Swift on the cuts."[7] Tolle has quoted the Barely Breaking Even Beat Generation Series of albums as an important stylistic influence on Mello Music Group,[7] and he also studied labels such as Blue Note,[4] Motown, also paying attention to Stones Throw Records and Roc-A-Fella Records.[7] Rap artist Dudley Perkins and the producer Oddisee were also involved in the early business affairs of the label, and were later joined by producer Apollo Brown.[6]

The label started with putting out only a few albums a year; one in 2008 and four in 2009[7] Tolle has stated that In the Ruff by Diamond District in 2009 was the label's breakthrough album.[7] MTV Hive called the album "Arguably the best hip-hop album ever released in D.C."[3] Singer Georgia Anne Muldrow produced and is featured with Dudley Perkins on an album for Mello Music Group titled SomeOthaShip: Connect Game.[8]

2011-12: Increased output

The label released nine album in 2010, and in 2011, the label worked on several dozen projects.[7] Unlike many independent labels, MMG as of 2011 offered regular paychecks to their signed artists as compared to advances, with Tolle stating "we try to provide stability, regular paychecks instead of chunk advances. This gives a little more peace of mind, and means that everyone is free to work on music... it’s also about making people feel like they have an entire career to develop, not just a fiscal quarter to show results."[7] The company continues to be based in Tucson as of 2011.[4] Oddisee as of 2011 was working as the company's Assistant Director of Operations, while Tolle continued to serve as the company's Director of Operations.[7]

Trophies is the debut collaboration album by D.I.T.C. member O.C. and Detroit, Michigan producer Apollo Brown. It was released on May 1, 2012 by Mello Music Group. The first single was "Prove Me Wrong."[9] Dice Game is a collaborative studio album by Brown and rapper Guilty Simpson. It was released online by Mello Music Group on November 6, 2012 in digital format,[10] and physical copies were made available on November 13, 2012.[11] The record was entirely produced and arranged by Apollo Brown, and features guest appearances from Torae and Planet Asia.[12][13]

2013-15: Recent releases

As of 2014 Oddisee continues to produce for the label,[14] often working closely with artists such as rapper Substantial.[15] In early 2014 MMG released the compilation Mandala Vol. 1, Polysonic Flows, which featured a wide variety of their signed artists.[16]

In January 2014 Virginia artist Rapper Big Pooh signed a two album deal with the label.[17] The first release will be an album produced entirely by Virginia producer Nottz, while the second project will be an EP produced by the label's production roster.[18] In February 2014 it was announced that Chicago rapper Open Mike Eagle, who had been named 2013 Rapper of the Year by Impose Magazine, had signed a three album deal with Mello Music. The deal led to the release of his album Dark Comedy several months later.[19]

Releases for fall 2014 included a new album from Diamond District (Oddisee, Uptown XO and yU the 78er) called March on Washington and a collaboration album between rapper Ras Kass and producer Apollo Brown called Blasphemy.

Several albums were released in 2015, including Kenn Starr's Square One, the compilation album Persona, Red Pill's Look What This World Did To Us, Open Mike Eagle's A Special Episode Of, Oddisee's The Good Fight, Rapper Big Pooh's Words Paint Pictures (produced by Apollo Brown), L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae's The Night Took Us In Like Family, Georgia Anne Muldrow's A Thoughtiverse Unmarred, Pete Rock's PeteStrumentals 2, L'Orange & Kool Keith's Time? Astonishing!, Finale's Odds & Ends, Verbal Kent's Anesthesia, Apollo Brown's Grandeur, Semi Hendrix's (Ras Kass, Jack Splash) Breakfast At Banksy's, Rapper Big Pooh & Nottz's Home Sweet Home and Red Pill's Day Drunk EP.[20][21]

In October 2015, veteran rapper Mr. Lif signed to Mello Music Group for an album deal of two new studio albums, plus the reissue of his debut album I Phantom, which was released on November 27, 2015.[22]

Style and genres

"We’re giving a real picture of what’s happening within American culture today. I don’t think we’re trying to mimic anything from the past. I don’t think we’re trying to live a fantasy. I think all of our artists really have their finger lyrically on what’s going on right now, and so they’re kind of like poets."
— Michael Tolle[4]

Mello Music Group has released a number of purely instrumental albums, many of which are the side projects of hip hop producers associated with the label.[4] The label also focuses on the hip hop music of various scenes, including Detroit hip hop. In 2012 MTV Hive described MMG as having "dedication to intelligent, street-wise boom bap... these artists make attainable music that doesn’t find them praising their jewelry or stunting on private jets. Instead, they talk about real-life issues that relate to everyday listeners — paying bills, raising children, and finding inner peace."[3]

Artists

Current

Emcees[2]
Producers[2]

Past and rotating

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Discography

Main CD series

MMGCD series of releases for Mello Music Group[9]
Yr Cat# Release title Artist(s) CD release
date[23]
2008 MMG001 101 Oddisee Dec 9, 2008
2009 MMG002 Mental Liberation Oddisee May 5, 2009
MMG003 New Money Trek Life & Oddisee May 5, 2009
MMG004 Black & Read All Over Sareem Poems Jul 28, 2009
MMG005 In The Ruff Diamond District Oct 27, 2009
2010 MMG006 Someothaship Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime Feb 23, 2010
MMG007 Traveling Man Oddisee Mar 2, 2010
MMG008 Before Taxes YU Apr 13, 2010
MMG009 The Reset Apollo Brown May 18, 2010
MMG010 Everything Changed Nothing Trek Life Aug 10, 2010
MMG012 The Brown Study Boog Brown & Apollo Brown Sep 28, 2010
MMG011 Gas Mask The Left Oct 26, 2010
MMG013 Vweto Georgia Anne Muldrow Dec 14, 2010
2011 MMG014 Wouldn't Change Nothing Trek Life Aug 23, 2011
MMG015 Clouds Apollo Brown Mar 1, 2011
MMG016 In Case I Don't Make It Has-Lo Mar 29, 2011
MMG017 Odd Seasons Oddisee May 17, 2011
MMG018 Rock Creek Park Oddisee Sep 6, 2011
MMG019 Daily Bread Hassaan Mackey & Apollo Brown Aug 2, 2011
MMG020 Makin' Dollas DTMD Sep 27, 2011
MMG021 the EARN YU Dec 13, 2011
MMG012B The Brown Study Remixes Boog Brown & Apollo Brown Dec 20, 2011
2012 MMG022 Behind The Scale Sean Born Feb 14, 2012
MMG023 Lo-Fi Fingahz Gensu Dean Feb 28, 2012
MMG024 A Friendly Game Of KT 14KT Mar 6, 2012
MMG025 Self Sacrifice Various Mar 27, 2012
MMG026 Trophies Apollo Brown & O.C. May 1, 2012
MMG027 As Himself Stik Figa Apr 17, 2012
MMG028 People Hear What They See Oddisee Jun 12, 2012
MMG029 Home Is Where The Art Is Substantial Sep 4, 2012
MMG030 Heaven's Computer 7even Thirty Sep 25, 2012
MMG031 Libretto: Of King Legend The Black Opera Oct 30, 2012
MMG032 Dice Game Guilty Simpson & Apollo Brown Nov 13, 2012
2013 MMG033 Colour de Grey Uptown XO Feb 5, 2013
MMG034 Abrasions Gensu Dean & Planet Asia Mar 5, 2013
MMG035 Hometown Foreigner Trek Life Apr 16, 2013
MMG036 Ugly Heroes Apollo Brown, Verbal Kent, Red Pill May 28, 2013
Re.Turn Duke Westlake Jul 30, 2013
MMG037 Gasface Castle Jul 30, 2013
MMG039 The Cognac Tape Hus Kingpin (ft. Roc Marciano) Oct 1, 2013
MMG040 The City Under The City L'Orange & Stik Figa Oct 15, 2013
MMG041 Ghost At The Finish Line Quelle Chris Oct 29, 2013
MMG042 Dr. Stokley Dudley Perkins Dec 3, 2013
MMG043 Tangible Dream Oddisee Dec 10, 2013
MMG044 Victim Of A Modern Age Jamall Bufford Dec 10, 2013
2014 MMG045 Mandala, Vol. 1: Polysonic Flows Various[24] Feb 4, 2014
MMG046 Mandala Vol. 2 Today's Mathematics Various Feb 4, 2014
MMG047 Sound of the Weapon Verbal Kent Feb 11, 2014
MMG048 Return Of The Gasface Castle Apr 1, 2014
MMG050 The Orchid Days L'Orange Apr 15, 2014
MMG051 Thirty Eight Apollo Brown May 13, 2014
MMG052 Dark Comedy Open Mike Eagle Jun 10, 2014
MMG053 The Problem 7evenThirty & Gensu Dean Jul 8, 2014
MMG054 Live Like You're Dead Has-Lo & Castle Aug 5, 2014
MMG056 The Great Year The Black Opera Sep 30, 2014
MMG057 March on Washington Diamond District Oct 14, 2014
MMG058 Blasphemy Ras Kass & Apollo Brown Oct 28, 2014
MMG059 People Of Today The 1978ers Nov 11, 2014
2015 MMG060 Square One Kenn Starr Jan 27, 2015
MMG00061 SynthBASED Drew Dave Feb 24, 2015
MMG00063 March on Washington (Redux) Diamond District Mar 10, 2015
MMG00064 Persona Various Mar 10, 2015
MMG00065 Words Paint Pictures Rapper Big Pooh Mar 24, 2015
MMG00066 Look What This World Did to Us Red Pill Apr 8, 2015
MMG00067 The Night Took Us In Like Family L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae Apr 21, 2015
MMG00068 The Good Fight Oddisee May 5, 2015
MMG00069 A Thoughtiverse Unmarred Georgia Anne Muldrow May 19, 2015
MMG00071 PeteStrumentals 2 Pete Rock Jun 23, 2015
MMG00073 Time? Astonishing! L'Orange & Kool Keith Jul 24, 2015
MMG00074 Odds & Ends Finale Aug 14, 2015
MMG00075 Anesthesia Verbal Kent Sep 11, 2015
MMG00077 Grandeur Apollo Brown Sep 25, 2015
MMG00076 Breakfast at Banksy's Semi Hendrix (Ras Kass & Jack Splash) Oct 16, 2015
MMG00078 Home Sweet Home Rapper Big Pooh & Nottz Nov 13, 2015
2016 MMG00083 Times and Material Cavanaugh (Open Mike Eagle & Serengeti) Feb 12, 2016
MMG00085 Lullabies for the Broken Brain Quelle Chris Feb 26, 2016
MMG00079 Hella Personal Film Festival Open Mike Eagle & Paul White Mar 25, 2016
MMG00084 Don't Look Down Mr. Lif Apr 15, 2016
MMG00080 The Odd Tape Oddisee May 13, 2016
MMG00089 Alwasta Oddisee Jun 10, 2016
MMG00087 Everything in Between Ugly Heroes Jun 24, 2016
MMG00088 Whole Food Gensu Dean & Denmark Vessey Jul 29, 2016
MMG00090 For Mark, Your Son Lando Chill Aug 12, 2016
MMG00092 Instinctive Drowning Red Pill Aug 26, 2016
MMG00091 Feature Magnetic Kool Keith Sep 16, 2016
MMG00094 The Easy Truth Apollo Brown & Skyzoo Sep 30, 2016
MMG00093 The Life & Death of Scenery L'Orange & Mr. Lif Oct 14, 2016

Further reading

Interviews
Articles

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Orchard and IODA Combine to Create New Global Distribution Leader". theorchard.com. The Orchard. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  2. 1 2 3 "Home". Mello Music Group. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  3. 1 2 3 J. Moore, Marcus (October 17, 2012). "Five Must-Have Mello Music Group Releases". MTV Hive. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lee, Christina (October 24, 2011). "Label Profile: Mello Music". WonderingSound.com. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  5. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=http://www.forbes.com/sites/passionoftheweiss/2016/08/01/how-mello-music-group-became-the-most-successful-new-indie-rap-label-of-this-decade/&refURL=https://www.google.com/&referrer=https://www.google.com/
  6. 1 2 3 "Read the Label: Mello Music Group". Praverb.net. April 2011. Retrieved 2014-07-29. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Moss, Chris (May 24, 2011). "Interview: @MelloMusicGroup Michael Tolle". Allindstrom.com. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  8. ↑ Cowie. F, Del."Georgia Anne Muldrow's Family Ties", Exclaim!, June 2009.
  9. 1 2 Mello Music Group Discography at Discogs
  10. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Dice Game by Guilty Simpson & Apollo Brown". iTunes. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  11. ↑ "Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson "DICE GAME" (CD)". Mello Music Group. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  12. ↑ Dice Game (Media notes). Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson. Mello Music Group. 2012.
  13. ↑ "Apollo Brown / Guilty Simpson - Dice Game CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 4 Nov 2013.
  14. ↑ "Oddisee". Mello Music Group. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  15. ↑ Interview with Substantial - RapReviews.com
  16. ↑ James, Nicolas (December 19, 2013). "Invisible Walls". HotNewHipHop.com. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  17. ↑ Kyles, Yohance. "Rapper Big Pooh Signs New Deal With Mello Music Group". article. allhiphop.com. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  18. ↑ Baker, Soren. "Big Pooh Signs With Mello Music Group & Set To Release Project With Nottz". article. hiphopdx.com. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  19. ↑ Gillespie, Blake (February 26, 2014). "Open Mike Eagle inks three album deal with Mello Music Group". Impose Magazine. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  20. ↑ http://www.mellomusicgroup.com/pages/release-dates
  21. ↑ https://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com/
  22. ↑ http://2dopeboyz.com/2015/10/05/mr-lif-mello-music-group-signing/
  23. ↑ MMG Discography at Underground Hip Hop
  24. ↑ Jones, Grant (March 18, 2014). "Mello Music Group: Mandala Volume 1 - Polysonic Flows". RapReviews.com. Retrieved 2014-07-29.

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