When you talk about Hip Hop labels, you can’t go without mentioning Roc-A-Fella and Murder Inc., two of the more prominent labels the game has ever seen. Now, which one was bigger may be up for discussion. Or may be it isn’t according to Big Gipp of the Goodie Mob.
“Then when you wanna say a bigger label, I still think Murder Inc.,” Gipp says during a sit down with The Art of Dialog. “Hey folk, they were bigger than Roc-A-Fella. When you go back and look at them numbers back then, that boy Ja Rule nothing but on the radio. That girl (Ashanti) was nothing but on the radio. Only people were on when you go back and look at the Roc-A-Fella roster it was Beanie Sigel dem. It wasn’t Ashanti.”
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The topic came about when the South legend was making his case as for why Jay-Z isn’t the best from his vantage point.
But let’s get back to the lecture at hand. Was Murder Inc. bigger than Roc-A-Fella? Let’s start by doing a quick evaluation on Jay-Z and Ja Rule, the label’s biggest stars. Comparing peaks, you have to give that to Ja Rule. At one point during the early 2000s, Ja owned the Rap & Pop charts. As far as longevity, it’s Hov without question.
Gipp was right: Murder Inc. had Ashanti. However, Roc-A-Fella had Kanye West. Needless to say, neither labels were one trick ponies.
Aside from Jay and Ja, there were other legitimate artists on their respective labels. Beanie Sigel, Cam’Ron, and Memphis Bleek, among others, were throwing up “the Roc.” Whereas Charlie Baltimore, Lloyd, and Vita were represented for the Inc.
So, does Gipp have a point?
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Which was the bigger label; Roc-A-Fella or Murder Inc.?
[Polls Are Closed!]
Roc-A-Fella – 80%
Murder Inc. – 20%