Diggin' In The Digits

On Ep.74 of DITD: For a good while, Def Jam WAS Hip-Hop. The entire culture was in lockstep with the growth of Def Jam. But once the new Century came around, Def Jam started to decline in relevance and is now trying to pick up the pieces of their once-revered name.

Show Notes

Def Jam WAS Hip-Hop for nearly 2 decades. Starting off with Russell Simmons & Rick Rubin, nobody could've predicted the heights Def Jam were going to reach. They were in lockstep with the growth of Hip-Hop itself.

But once the new millennium came through, Def Jam started to lose grip of the rocket that was Hip-Hop, they started to miss out and eventually get left behind. Now Def Jam is just another sub-label with SUB-sub-labels under them. Where did it all go wrong? We try to find out.

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (1:15)
Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (19:16)
Def Jam is too big to fail - (23:39)
What is their identity now? - (29:16)
Their unique approach - (32:11)
The Universal Buyout - (36:04)
Was it their unique approach that kneecapped them? - (38:21)
Was it their size that kneecapped them? - (44:06)
Stats on charting Def Jam albums by President - (47:47)
If you could pick one major issue, which one would you pick? - (58:44)
Lighter Note - (1:11:11)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved. Be sure to let us know that you're supporting us!

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Records for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @5thElement_UK
5E Community Discord
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

Creators & Guests

Host
Ben Carter
Hip Hop Stats.
Host
Charlie Taylor
Director of The 5th Element

What is Diggin' In The Digits?

Welcome to "Diggin' In The Digits", where Creator of 'Hip-Hop By The Numbers' Ben Carter and Director of 'The 5th Element' Charlie Taylor deliver entirely unique retrospectives behind Hip-Hop's biggest artists, stories & its roots, discussing them in detail.

From Australia to the UK and beyond.

A 5EPN Original.