Saturday 26 June 2010


Kold Sweat was founded in West London in 1990. After the successes of the pioneering UK label Music of Life, Many artists jumped straight from Music of Life to Kold Sweat. Several artists who transitioned from Music of Life to Kold Sweat Records were Son of Noise, St. Troopers, Katch 22, and Standing Ovation, and along with other new and different artists, such as Krispy 3, Unanimous Decision, F9's, Dynametrix and offered a new identity to UK Hip Hop's growing fanbase.(6) These artists saw what was happening in the UK; Hip Hop was beginning to take its place in the music industry.



Once UK hip hop scene started to emerge in the early 90s, Kold Sweat managed to bridge a gap by allowing an easy and credible transition of new artists to looked for new directions lyrically and new sounds to sample. Under the guidance of accomplished songwriter, record producer, and engineer Angelo Starr, Kold Sweat managed to contribute to British Black music and hip hop history. For an independent record label, their diverse acts, distinctive green record covers, healthy amount of air play and increasing record sales the label grew strongly in early 90s.

Unfortunately,as the late 90s started to approach, American hip hop was starting to flourish more than ever. As American hip hop labels were releasing new artists by the minute; such as, the infamous Notorious B.I.G, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Tupac, Kold Sweat record label took a turn for the worse. Kold Sweat artists like the F9's and Point Black simply could not compete with the quantity and quality coming out of the U.S. The F9's legendary album, "Are a hip hop Band" went down as one of the worst British Hip Hop albums ever released. Kold Sweat's somewhat limited success did not last, and Kold Sweat ceased trading in the mid-1990s, leaving their artists homeless.(7)
Here is one of Kold Sweat successful artists Unanimous Decision with "Prosecution." They sold over 25 million albums worldwide. However, it was just not enough to save the record label.(1)





2 comments:

  1. no way did Unanimous Decision sell 25 million albums!!!!!! Hijack only sold 30k

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