| Wild Pitch Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985; 39 years ago (1985) |
| Founder | Stu Fine |
| Defunct | 1999 (1999) |
| Distributor(s) | EMI Records |
| Genre | Golden age hip hop |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | New York City, New York, US |
Wild Pitch Records was an American Golden age hip hop record label, started in 1987 by Stuart Fine, that was eventually distributed by EMI. Artists who released records on the label included Gang Starr, Chill Rob G, Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth, Main Source, The U.M.C.'s, Hard Knocks, Brokin English Klik, Street Military, Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud, The Coup, Ultramagnetic MCs, O.C., as well as Latee, Jamose, and female rapper N-Tyce.
Together, Fine and Howard re-established and released the label's catalogue, while also releasing records by Bigmouth, The Wallmen, Mary Lee's Corvette and Mighty Purple. The hip hop music catalogue was eventually acquired by Jay Faires, who tried to reactivate it as part of his short-lived JCOR Entertainment label.
As the majority of its albums were released in the early 1990s and went out of print, Faires re-released the label's catalog on April 22, 2008, through Fontana Distribution.
In 2013, Complex placed Stu Fine at No. 25 of their 'The 25 Best A&Rs in Hip-Hop History' list.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | UK | UK R&B | ||
| 1980s | Gang Starr – No More Mr. Nice Guy
|
— | 83 | — | — |
Chill Rob G – Ride the Rhythm
|
— | 60 | — | — | |
| 1990s | Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth – Funky Technician
|
— | 93 | — | — |
Main Source – Breaking Atoms
|
— | 40 | — | — | |
The U.M.C.'s – Fruits of Nature
|
— | 32 | — | — | |
Hard Knocks – School of Hard Knocks
|
— | — | — | — | |
Brokin English Klik – Brokin English Klik
|
— | — | — | — | |
The Coup – Kill My Landlord
|
— | 83 | — | — | |
Ultramagnetic MCs – The Four Horsemen
|
— | 55 | — | — | |
The U.M.C.'s – Unleashed
|
— | 63 | — | — | |
Main Source – Fuck What You Think
|
— | — | — | — | |
The Coup – Genocide & Juice
|
— | 62 | — | — | |
Wild Pitch Classics
|
— | — | — | — | |
O.C. – Word...Life
|
— | 34 | — | — | |
Bigmouth – Bigmouth
|
— | — | — | — | |
Bryan Steele Group – Bryan Steele Group
|
— | — | — | — | |
Wallmen – Electronic Home Entertainment System
|
— | — | — | — | |
Mary Lee's Corvette – True Lovers of Adventure
|
— | — | — | — | |
Mighty Purple – Para Mejor ó Peor...Mighty Purple Live
|
— | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||
Extended plays
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | UK | UK R&B | ||
| 1993 | Street Military – Don't Give a Damn
|
— | — | — | — |
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud – Blow Up the Spot
|
— | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||
Singles
- 1987: Gang Starr — "The Lesson"
- 1987: LeMonier — "The Hardest Beat Around"
- 1987: Latee — "This Cut's Got Flavor"
- 1987: Gang Starr — "Believe Dat!"
- 1988: Chill Rob G — "Dope Rhymes"
- 1988: Latee — "No Tricks"
- 1988: Artomatik — "Free"
- 1988: Kool D & Technolo-G — "Now Dance"
- 1988: Gang Starr — "Movin' On"
- 1988: Trybe — "Psychedelic Shack"
- 1989: Chill Rob G — "Court Is Now in Session"
- 1989: Gang Starr — "Words I Manifest"
- 1989: Jamose — "Dance to the Megablast"
- 1989: Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth — "Baby, You Nasty"
- 1989: Gang Starr — "Positivity"
- 1990: Chill Rob G — "Let Me Show You"
- 1990: Power Jam & Chill Rob G — "The Power"
- 1990: Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth — "Strictly for the Ladies"/"Back to Back Rhyming"
- 1990: Main Source — "Looking at the Front Door"
- 1990: N-Tyce — "Black to the Point"/"Chinese Eyes"
- 1991: Main Source — "Just Hangin' Out"
- 1991: The U.M.C.'s — "Blue Cheese"/"Anyway the Wind Blows"
- 1991: Elements of Style — "That's the Kind of Girl"/"Walking in Harmony"
- 1991: Main Source — "Peace Is Not the Word to Play"
- 1991: Hard Knocks — "Nigga for Hire"
- 1991: The U.M.C.'s — "One to Grow On"
- 1992: Main Source — "Fakin' the Funk"
- 1992: Hard Knocks — "Dirty Cop Named Harry"
- 1992: The U.M.C.'s — "Never Never Land"
- 1992: Ultramagnetic MCs — "Two Brothers With Checks (San Francisco, Harvey)"
- 1993: N-Tyce — "Walk a Little Closer"/"Peace Ride"
- 1993: Brokin English Klik — "Who's da Gangsta?"
- 1993: The Coup — "Dig It"
- 1993: The Coup — "Funk"
- 1993: The U.M.C.'s — "Time To Set It Straight"/"Ill Demonic Clique"
- 1993: Main Source — "What You Need"
- 1993: Brokin English Klik — "Hard Core Beats"/"Here Come da Hoods"
- 1993: The Coup — "Not Yet Free"
- 1993: Ultramagnetic MCs — "Raise It Up"/"The Saga of Dandy, The Devil and Day"
- 1993: N-Tyce — "Hush Hush Tip"/"Root Beer Float"
- 1994: The Coup — "Takin' These"
- 1994: O.C. — "Born 2 Live"
- 1994: O.C. — "Time's Up"
- 1994: The U.M.C.'s — "Hit the Track"
- 1995: N-Tyce — "Sure Ya Right"
- 1995: The Coup — "Fat Cats, Bigga Fish"
References
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 368. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
- McGee, Alan (January 3, 2008). "The missing link of hip-hop's golden age". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- "Wild Pitch Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- "Wild Pitch Records". Bandcamp.
- Paine, Jake (April 16, 2008). "Wild Pitch Records Re-releases Historic Catalogue". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- Charnas, Dan (February 1, 2013). "The 25 Best A&Rs in Hip-Hop History". Complex. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
External links
- Wild Pitch Records discography at Discogs