Led by five albums from Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label, Def Jam Recordings has clocked more than 1 billion streams globally in the past month alone, capping a banner first six months for the label’s new CEO, Paul Rosenberg. New music from Alessia Cara, Logic, YG, 2 Chainz and Jeremih look set to keep the streak running throughout the summer.
“We’ve been very fortunate to be treated to this unprecedented schedule of game-changing releases from the inimitable Kanye West and his G.O.O.D. Music label,” Rosenberg told Variety. “I’m very pleased with how the team has responded and the success we have shared so far.”
West’s unprecedented album rollout — five releases in as many weeks from him, Pusha T, Kids See Ghosts, Nas and Teyana Taylor — netted four Top 5 debuts on the Billboard 200, and combined with singles from Cara, 2 Chainz and MihTy (Jeremih and Ty Dolla Sign), hed to 19 debuts on the Billboard Hot 100. The label also still has momentum from earlier releases including Logic’s mixtape “Bobby Tarantino II” and his four-times-platinum suicide-awareness anthem “1-800-273-8255,” as well as Jhené Aiko’s ambitious album “Trip,” which spawned the gold single “While We’re Young” and platinum “Sativa” featuring Rae Sremmurd.
The label now claims to have the No. 1 social following of all major record labels, with more than 400,000 followers on Instagram, over 900,000 followers on Twitter and more. And it is also the top Direct-To-Consumer label within the Universal Music Group.
And there’s plenty more to come, as new music is on the way from recent signings like YK Osiris, Bobby Sessions, G.O.O.D. Music’s 070 Shake & Valee, PVRX, Fetty Luciano, and more.
