Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, founded in 1984 by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. It was later purchased by Universal Music Group, and in 1998, was merged with Island Records and Mercury Records to form the Island Def Jam Music Group (which absorbed Motown in 2011). Island Def Jam was dissolved in 2014, with Def Jam reverting back to its own label; as of 2024, all three labels operate under the Republic Records umbrella. Nowadays, it focuses primarily on hip-hop and urban music.
In addition to music production, they were also behind the Def Jam Series of video games.
Their only relation to Def Leppard is that Rick Rubin asked Leppard’s singer Joe Elliot for permission to use the name “Def”. Joe, thinking that the record label would get nowhere, agreed — something which he regrets to this day.
Notable subsidiary labels of Def Jam, past and present
- Def Jam South
- Def Soul
- Disturbing Tha Peace
- G.O.O.D. Music
- Murder Inc.
- Roc-A-Fella Records
- Ruff Ryders Entertainment
Notable artists, past and present, with TV Tropes pages:
- 070 Shake
- 2 Chainz
- 3rd Bass
- Afrojack
- Jhené Aiko
- Alesso
- Amerie
- Ashanti
- Babyface
- Beastie Boys
- 1986 - Licensed to Ill
- Scarlett Belle
- Justin Bieber
- Big Boi of OutKast
- Big Sean
- Toni Braxton
- BTS (Japan)
- Alessia Cara
- Mariah Carey
- Common
- DMX
- EPMD
- Insane Clown Posse (as part of Island/Def Jam after the two labels merged)
- 1999 - The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
- 2000 - Bizaar/Bizzar
- The Isley Brothers
- Ja Rule
- Jay-Z (also served as president of the label from 2006-2008)
- DJ Khaled (served as president of Def Jam South from 2009-2012)
- Patti LaBelle
- Leona Lewis
- Lil Durk
- LL Cool J
- Logic
- Ludacris
- Method Man
- Christina Milian
- Nas
- Ne-Yo
- Frank Ocean
- Public Enemy
- Rihanna
- The Roots
- Rick Ross
- Rick Rubin
- Scarface
- Slayer
- 1986 - Reign in Blood
- Slick Rick
- Snoop Dogg (one compilation album)
- Stormzy
- Twiztid (as part of Island/Def Jam after their merger)
- Hikaru Utada
- Kanye West
- Young Jeezy