Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
For as long as he has been in the hip hop game, Busta Rhymes has held himself down. When he had his first meeting with Elektra Records, Busta Rhymes created Flipmode Records. The label was run under Elektra Records and was home to a few other artists.
Rampage and Rah Digga were among the most popular artists on the label. When Busta Rhymes left Elektra Records, so did the artists signed to Flipmode Records. But, things changed when the boss decided to join Dr. Dre's team. Busta Rhymes signed a joint-venture deal with Aftermath Entertainment in 2005.
The deal left Flipmode Records without a solid distributor, but it left Busta Rhymes a nice deal with Aftermath/Interscope. The deal only lasted for one album before it went sour. A fight broke out between Busta Rhymes and Interscope Records owner, Jimmy Iovine, in 2007. Following the fight, he allowed Busta Rhymes to sign with Universal Records.
Universal Records not only signed Busta Rhymes, but also put together a deal to distribute his Flipmode Records. Under the terms of the deal, Busta Rhymes only had to keep good music flowing. In 2009, the first release from the album came B.O.M.B. Originally, Busta had plans of releasing his "final" album, The Chemo before the end of 2009. But, he changed the concept of the album and pushed it back to 2010 and pushed the album well into 2011.
When 2011 comes, Busta Rhymes will not be releasing albums on Flipmode Records. Instead, his next releases will be coming from Conglomerate Records, his new label. The label is named after his 2009 single, "Respect My Conglomerate." Reek da Villain is the first artist signed to the label, he was also signed to the old Flipmode Records for a period of time. However, when Reek's album did not come, he decided to leave the label, but they reunited over the summer of 2010.