Dreamville Records
| Dreamville Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Interscope Geffen A&M Records |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder |
J.Cole |
| Distributor(s) | Interscope Records |
| Genre | Hip hop, R&B, PBR&B |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | |
| Official website |
dreamville |
Dreamville Records is a record label founded and owned by American rapper J. Cole. There are currently six artists signed to the label, J. Cole, Bas, Omen, Cozz, Lute, and Ari Lennox. Dreamville also houses producers Elite, Ron Gilmore, K-Quick, and Cedric Brown.[1]
History
2007–2013
J. Cole and Omen first met when they were teenagers on a blog, where they used to share rhymes and battle each other. They later met in person when the Dreamville brand was created with J. Cole and Ibrahim Hamad. Cole released three mixtapes, The Come Up (2007), The Warm Up (2009), and Friday Night Lights (2010), and Omen released two mixtapes, Delayed (2010) and Afraid of Heights (2011).
J. Cole released his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story on September 27, 2011, selling 218,000 copies in the first week of its release. His sophomore album, Born Sinner was released on June 18, 2013, selling 297,000 copies in its first week of release.
2014–present
On January 28, 2014, J. Cole announced that his record label Dreamville Records had signed AES a distribution deal with Interscope Records, while releasing the first Dreamville collaborative mixtape, Revenge of the Dreamers.[2] On the same day he announced the signing of Queens-based rapper, Bas. His debut album, Last Winter was released on April 29, 2014.[3]
On June 26, 2014, J. Cole officially announced the signing of Los Angeles-based rapper, Cozz.[4] His debut album was titled Cozz & Effect and was released on October 3, 2014.[5] On December 9, J. Cole released his third album titled 2014 Forest Hills Drive, which marks as the labels first platinum album.
On July 21, 2015, Omen released his long-awaited debut album titled Elephant Eyes including features from label-mates, J. Cole and Bas.[6] On December 8, 2015, Dreamville released a collaborative album titled, Revenge of the Dreamers II, officially announcing two new label signees, Charlotte rapper, Lute and Washington D.C singer Ari Lennox.[7]
On January 4, 2016, Cozz released his second project, as a free mixtape, titled Nothin' Personal.[8] On March 4, 2016, Bas released his second album Too High to Riot.[9] On October 22, Ari Lennox released her first EP on the label, titled Pho.[10]
Roster
Current artists
| Act | Year signed |
Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| J. Cole | Co-Founder | 3 |
| Omen | 2007 | 1 |
| Bas | 2014 | 2 |
| Cozz | 2014 | 1 |
| Lute | 2015 | - |
| Ari Lennox | 2015 | 1 |
In-house producers
| Act | Year signed |
|---|---|
| J. Cole | Co-Founder |
| Omen | 2007 |
| Elite | 2007 |
| Ron Gilmore | 2010 |
| K-Quick | 2014 |
| Cedric Brown | 2014 |
| Meez | 2014 |
The Dreamville Foundation
In October 2011, Jermaine Cole established The Dreamville Foundation. The foundation's website describes its purpose in this way:
“The Dreamville Foundation is a non-profit organization 501(c)(3), created to 'bridge the gap' between the worlds of opportunity and the urban youth of Fayetteville, NC. The foundation’s goal for the urban youth is to have a dream, believe in their dream, and achieve their dream. The Dreamville Foundation is dedicated to creating programs and events that will allow our youth to be 'Set up for Success.'"
The mission of the foundation is to “To reveal to the urban youth, their limitless potential, through positive life- altering experiences.” The Dreamville foundation offers a variety of programs geared towards inspiring and empowering Fayetteville's youth. In 2015, with help from volunteers, the foundation’s annual “Back To School Supply Giveaway” provided more than 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to the community.[11] The Dreamville Foundation also partnered with DTLR to launch their book club as an initiative established to improve the reading and comprehension among young men. Likewise, The Nobody's Perfect Writing Contest and Mother's Day Brunch allows students to express their gratitude for the role models they aspire to be someday, while celebrating their personal accomplishments. Every year J.Cole hosts a weekend of community events called the 'Dreamville Weekend' at his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina. The events include a discussion with the Young Men's Book Club and Appreciation Dinner to recognize community leaders and organizations who've impacted the community alongside the foundation, as well as, students for their improvement academically and socially. During Dreamville Weekend, the foundation hosted a conference that consists of a Career Day panel of African-American professionals in a variety of fields.[12]
In 2014, Jermaine Cole purchased his childhood home in Fayetteville, NC for $120,000 through the Dreamville Foundation. The home had been repossessed from his mother years earlier, while Jermaine was attending college in New York. His plan is to turn the house into a homestead for single mothers and their kids to live rent-free.[13]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certification | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | ||||
| 2011 | J. Cole – Cole World: The Sideline Story
|
1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| 2013 | J. Cole – Born Sinner
|
1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| 2014 | Bas – Last Winter
|
103 | 18 | 13 |
| |
Cozz – Cozz & Effect
|
160 | 31 | 17 | |||
J. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive
|
1 | 1 | 1 |
|
| |
| 2015 | Omen – Elephant Eyes
|
– | – | – | ||
Dreamville – Revenge of the Dreamers II
|
29 | 4 | 3 |
| ||
| 2016 | J. Cole – Forest Hills Drive: Live
|
71 | 11 | 9 |
| |
Bas – Too High to Riot
|
49 | 7 | 6 |
| ||
J. Cole – 4 Your Eyez Only
|
– | – | – | |||
Upcoming releases[14]
| Artist | Album | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lute | West1996 pt.2 |
|
Extended plays
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2013 | J. Cole – Truly Yours
|
J. Cole – Truly Yours 2
| |
| 2014 | Bas – Two Weeks Notice
|
| 2016 | Ari Lennox – Pho
|
Mixtapes
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2007 | J. Cole – The Come Up
|
| 2009 | J. Cole – The Warm Up
|
| 2010 | J. Cole – Friday Night Lights
|
Omen – Delayed
| |
| 2011 | Bas – Quarter Water Raised Me Vol. 1
|
Omen – Afraid of Heights
| |
| 2013 | Bas – Quarter Water Raised Me Vol. 2
|
| 2014 | Dreamville – Revenge of the Dreamers
|
| 2016 | Cozz – Nothin' Personal
|
References
- ↑ "J. Cole Returns To North Carolina For 'Dreamville Weekend'". RapFix.
- ↑ Goddard, Kevin. "J. Cole - Revenge Of The Dreamers Feat. Dreamville [New Mixtape]". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ Z, DJ. "Bas - Last Winter". DJBooth. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ Gruger, William. "5 Questions With Cozz, J. Cole's New Dreamville Artist". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ Ortiz, Edwin. "Stream Cozz's "Cozz & Effect" Album". Complex. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ Lyons, Patrick. "Stream Omen's "Elephant Eyes"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ↑ Ortiz, Edwin. "J. Cole Signs Two New Artists to Dreamville Records". Complex. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ Goddard, Kevin (January 4, 2016). "Cozz - Nothin Personal [New Mixtape]". hotnewhiphop. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
- ↑ Goddard, Kevin (March 4, 2016). "Listen To Bas' New Album "Too High To Riot"". hotnewhiphop. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
- ↑ Lyle, Ashley (October 21, 2016). "Dreamville's First Lady Ari Lennox Releases 'PHO' EP: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
- ↑ Mullen, Rodger. "J. Cole's Dreamville Foundation prepares local students for class". Fayetteville Observer.
- ↑ "The Dreamville Foundation | Bridging the gap between the world of opportunity and the urban youth.". www.thedreamvillefoundation.org. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ↑ Adame, Tony (March 13, 2015). "Five things to know about J. Cole" – via NewsBank.
- ↑ http://2dopeboyz.com/2015/12/07/j-cole-dreamville-revenge-of-the-dreamers-2-out-now/?utm_content=buffer4ec04&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer