Poll: Has any rap label had a bigger/more successful year than Bad Boy in 1997?

[Wacky D]

part of me says yes, especially considering all the affiliates and side-production.

the other part of me remembers the payola & over-saturation.

with that said, no limit in '98 was the most impressive but most of yall on here let white folks write them out the books.

Cash Money and Aftermath both have arguably better runs.

To this day they have Kendrick and Drake/Nicki/Wayne etc.

aftermath lacked cultural significance. aside from GRODT & documentary, they were just a numbers label.

i was about to give you a nod for the cash money mention, but then i read further and saw that you were talking about young money. SCUST.

 

[MikelArteta]

I would mos Def say "No Limit" for #2 most successful year for a Label for the year they had in 98. Then you have to give Death Row and Def Jam some years too. But Your right they dropped 23 albums. Let's check the certs:

1. Young Bleed - My Balls & My Word (GOLD)
2. Silkk the Shocker - Charge It 2 da Game (Platinum)
3. C-Murder - Life or Death (Platinum)
4. Various Artists - I Got the Hook Up (Platinum)
5. Sons of Funk - The Game of Funk (No Cert)
6. Fiend - There's One in Every Family (No Cert)
7. Soulja Slim - Give It 2 'Em Raw (No Cert)
8. Master P - MP Da Last Don (4x Platinum)
9. Kane & Abel - Am I My Brother's Keeper (Gold)
10. Mac - Shell Shocked (No Cert)
11. Snoop Dogg - Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (2x Platinum)
12. Big Ed - The Assassin (No Cert)
13. Skull Duggery - These Wicked Streets (No Cert)
14. Magic - Sky's the Limit (No Cert)
15. Various Artists - Mean Green (Gold)
16. Prime Suspects - Guilty 'til Proven Innocent (No Cert)
17. Gambino Family - Ghetto Organized (No Cert)
18. Mia X - Mama Drama (No Cert)
19. Ghetto Commission - Wise Guys (No Cert)
20. Steady Mobb'n - Black Mafia (No Cert)
21. Full Blooded - Memorial Day (No Cert)
22. Various Artists - We Can't Be Stopped (No Cert)
23. Mystikal - Ghetto Fabulous (Platinum)

No Limit had a fantastic year in 98 just of sheer volume alone. Several of these albums did debut inside the Top 10. Like Bad Boy the year before, Master P hit everyone over the head with constant albums and songs hitting the streets and airwaves. A lot of the albums were filler though and more often then not didn't lead to certification. But I think there can be an argument made about Master P's Year this year rivaling Bad Boy but Puffy, Biggie and Ma$e outsold and out charted this entire roster in 97. Those 3 albums beat out those 23 albums.

this was part as hell, nikkaz prob still eating off that money from 17 years ago

 

[Wacky D]

I can't call sales, but I can tell you that many other labels were "bigger" than bad boy was in 97. They arguably ran 97, but other labels from other eras were bigger. Death Row in 94 was insane. Way bigger than Bad boy. There are many others as well.

death row didnt release nothing.

'94 they dropped 2 soundtracks.

Bone sold 80 million

if they had any business sense, mo thugs wouldve had a huge run.

they didnt even drop a souljah boy album.

It's sad to see biggie dead knowing that he made bad boy and puffy famous smh

ehh. bad boy wouldve had this run anyway.

the 1st 2 hits that year were puffy's and this was before biggie died.

 

[Rapmastermind]

this was part as hell, nikkaz prob still eating off that money from 17 years ago

Master P model was simple. Oversaturate the market. Every damn month or week a No Limit Album was dropping. I also have to give props to their Artwork. People use to hate and say it was "Ghetto" but the designs really caught people's attention in the record stores. What P did with No Limit in 97-98 was Iconic. I laughed looking at the list cause I actually copped some of those. People try to hate on No Limit but a lot of those albums had bangers on them. But again there we also a lot of Weed Plate albums in that 23 releases. The thing is Bad Boy went beyond Hip Hop. Puffy, Ma$e and Biggie all went beyond Global in 97.

 

[Wacky D]

what it comes down to is this:

bad boy was super-commercial/crossover with heavy payola.
no limit was independent, str8 street & str8 grassroots.

if no limit was based in new york rather than new orleans, we wouldnt even be having this discussion right now.

 

[Jack Trippa 3z company ho]

GOOD JOB JROME

L.A.M.B. All day

 

[MegaTronBomb!]

Master P model was simple. Oversaturate the market. Every damn month or week a No Limit Album was dropping. I also have to give props to their Artwork. People use to hate and say it was "Ghetto" but the designs really caught people's attention in the record stores. What P did with No Limit in 97-98 was Iconic. I laughed looking at the list cause I actually copped some of those. People try to hate on No Limit but a lot of those albums had bangers on them. But again there we also a lot of Weed Plate albums in that 23 releases. The thing is Bad Boy went beyond Hip Hop. Puffy, Ma$e and Biggie all went beyond Global in 97.

It wasn't just that, Those album cases were made out of cardboard instead of the regular jewel case....just to save money.

and them infamous Pen & Pixel covers didn't cost much of anything to create... shyt was really years ahead of it's time.

Percy finessed Priority on levels nobody will ever do again

 

[Asicz]

Master P was Genius at cross promoting other Artist on his roster through the CD packaging on the inside

 

[211somelliere]

No Limit 96-2000ish
Death Row 93-96ish
3-6 Mafia 97-2001ish
YMCMB 07-12ish
Rocafela 98-03ish
Interscope 99-04ish
Bricksquad 09-13ish
Def Jam 88-93ish
So So Def 00ish
Timbaland's Label 96-00ish
Nelly's Label 00-05ish
Neptunes Label 00-05ish

Not specific years I can't think as in depth as OP right now but those would be my top "alternate" runs.

Bad Boy did have a strong ass year though

 

[PaperEnterprise]

He broke it down. Bad Boys still holds the record for biggest single year for a rap label ever as far as Hit singles and certifications. The Hits were endless. Just look at this:

Hypontize - #1
Can't Nobody Hold Me Down - #1
Missing You - #1
Mo money Mo Problems - #1
Been Around The World - #2
All About The Benji's - #2
Feels So Good - #5


That's 7 Top 5 Singles, 6 in the Top 2, 4 #1. There hasn't been that type of dominance on the pop charts for a rap label since. The numbers till this day are staggering when you analyze them joints. Mind you, LAD, NWO and HW were all #1 albums too.

Inside story...RZA and Puffy were going at it behind closed doors as far as getting commercial radio spins and media publicity...eventually RZA backed off cause Puff was putting 5 million plus on marketing, paying enormous amounts to hot97...it was ridiculous money for that time frame.

 

[Asicz]

In 97-98 no limit records accounted for 10% of all black music sold worlwide. .

 

[Mac Casper]

I mean you didn't really qualify your question...you talking about sales or impact?

Bad Boy and No Limit ran it in 97-98 for sure. Even then though, without Biggie, most people felt that was just Pop rap. Yeah some good cuts for sure but a lot of it was crossover bullshyt, remaking Sting songs n shyt wtf.

Also, we would roast each other on who had to do Puffs parts on songs lol. He was corny even back then.

I can't call sales, but I can tell you that many other labels were "bigger" than bad boy was in 97. They arguably ran 97, but other labels from other eras were bigger. Death Row in 94 was insane. Way bigger than Bad boy. There are many others as well.

Record label success is quite simply assessed by a combination of sales and chart positioning . . singles + album releases - this should be common sense

 

[Rakim Allah]

I don't I've ever so many wack ass albums listed in one thread

 

[Jack Trippa 3z company ho]

death row didnt release nothing.

'94 they dropped 2 soundtracks.

When did I say they did? They were still dropping singles off doggystyle and were at their peak.

 

[Jack Trippa 3z company ho]

Record label success is quite simply assessed by a combination of sales and chart positioning . . singles + album releases - this should be common sense

He asked who was bigger, I asked if it was based on sales or impact. 2 very different things. Get it?