Hollywood wanted a certain type of comic - that Def Jam comedy style of comic that was very loud, very brash, very much from the ghetto, had that sensibility.
There's probably a bunch of Power Stripe floating through the Def Jam offices right now.
People don't get signed by Def Jam every day on my block.
Would I have signed to Def Jam if I knew they was deaf? Nah.
Def Jam, they've shown nothing but love as far as supporting my records. We haven't missed yet, radio-wise, and every song that they've actually tried to support has been No. 1.
I never had to ask Def Jam for anything.
Success happened for me when I dropped my first major label album for Def Jam, 'Live From The Underground.'
To me, Def Jam put my career on hold. I was used to making 13-14 songs a year, and they trickled that down to nothing.
I have inherited two of the most important brands in hip-hop, Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella. Reid and Universal Music Group have given me the opportunity to manage the companies I have contributed to my whole career. I feel this is a giant step for me and the entire artist community.
When people see that we're signed to Def Jam, the perception has changed.
I can think of no one more relevant and credible in the hip-hop community to build upon Def Jam's fantastic legacy and move the company into its next groundbreaking era.
I was just rapping as a pastime and I became good at it. So much so that by the time my Def Jam contract was in front of me, I didn't have a rap name.
When I first came to Def Jam, in '06, all we ever did was win, put up big numbers.
Leaving Def Jam was kind of a blessing in disguise because we can make whatever record we want.
I'm looking at EarDrummers like a boutique label, like an Interscope or a Def Jam.
Even at it's worst, 'Def Jam' was extremely interesting and extremely well performed. And the crowds were amazing.
I signed to Def Jam and within two months, I heard that Ja Rule was looking for someone to do a song with.
My entryway into hip-hop was - my biggest introduction was obviously like, you know, the Def Jam, Run D.M.C., Beastie Boys, like, that conglomerate.
I don't really have a blueprint to follow besides watching interviews. Well, I guess the blueprint I do follow is Def Jam, in a way, just because it started in a small space, which is so similar to how we started.
I think Def Jam happened to be one of the labels that really didn't have a good grip on things that were going on. I'll say that - that's my political answer.
Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella were two equal entities under the Def Island umbrellas.
I'm not just going to get a deal; I'm going to get the deal. And in my deal I got by signing with No I.D. to Def Jam, I got full creative control, the money was great, the contract was good, and I got to create the album that I wanted.
Def Jam just made deals with me. They wouldn't let me go because they didn't really have that much street cred. So they kept me around.
Def Jam is the reason why I started a label.
Def Jam is an iconic label.
