2009: The year of G.O.O.D Music

Getting out our dreams, it’s something we all want to do. The earth is a canvas, and our dreams are what we paint with. This is exactly what Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music crew does through their music and style.

It was 2004 when West founded his own label, G.O.O.D Music, an acronym for getting out our dreams. West quickly rose to fame when his first album was released, and with the creation of the label, West will be able to bring other creative minds to the forefront of music.

A lot of the artists that have signed with West have yet to release an album under G.O.O.D Music. In fact, only West, John Legend, Common, and Consequence have. We have finally arrived to 2009, where every member of the G.O.O.D Music family, besides Legend, plans to release an album this year.

Now, some of the names on the label you probably already know, yet when we go through the rundown of artists, I’m sure there’s a few you probably haven’t heard.

Legend was one of the first artists to sign with the label. It was through his college roommate at Penn, who just so happened to be West’s cousin, that he was able to meet West. Legend went on to sing hooks on West’s demo of “The College Dropout”, and West provided rhythm tracks for Legend’s demo of “Get Lifted.”

Common, an already established artist, joined West’s label after appearing on “The College Dropout.” The first album Common released after joining West, “Be”, earned four Grammy nominations, and also achieved gold status.

With those two artists West now had two established and critically-acclaimed artists on his side, proving to be two solid bricks to help build the foundation of G.O.O.D Music.

The next addition to the G.O.O.D Music family, out of Queens, N.Y., was Consequence. He was originally signed with Elektra Records, but when the label folded in 2004, he was left hanging out to dry. Luckily for Consequence, his mixtape “Take ‘Em to the Cleaners” found its way to West leading to a guest spot by Consequence on “The College Dropout.”

It wasn’t until 2007 where Consequence dropped his debut album for G.O.O.D Music, “Don’t Quit Your Day Job!”

Gangsta L. Crisis, or GLC, first met West when they were both 15-years-old back in 1993, long before he officially signed with G.O.O.D Music in 2004. He made his introduction to the world of hip-hop by appearing on West’s song “Spaceship,” which appeared on “The College Dropout.”

Since signing, he’s released plenty of mixtapes, leading up to his debut album that is expected this year.

The next G.O.O.D Music crew member is someone that most people should be able to recognize, due to his heavy association with Diddy by being his assistant.

Mr. Bentley is more than just your typical musician. He is a classically trained violinist, and also an expert in etiquette. He even wrote a book on etiquette, “Advance Your Swagger.” The addition of Mr. Bentley brings more style and smoothness to the label.

Mr. Hudson is the only overseas artist to sign with West. Coming out of London, the addition of him brings a new kind of genre to the label. There’s a definite Motown inspired influence to his alternative music, which creates a unique sound that pulls the listener in.

Mr. Hudson was heavily involved in West’s 808s & Heartbreak. Ranging from guest appearance, producing and adding additional influence. It is safe to say that Mr. Hudson left his mark on that record.

Kid Cudi is quickly blowing up in the hip-hop world. It’s easy to determine that West made the right decision by signing Kid Cudi to the label after hearing his mixtape “A Kid Named Cudi” in 2008. Kid Cudi brings a whole different kind of hip-hop to the label.

The label even includes a family member of West’s, with the addition of the soulful Tony Williams, who is West’s cousin. Williams was involved in West’s first three albums. Most notably, Williams was recently featured on Jay-Z’s tribute track to Barack Obama, “History.”

After first appearing on “We Major,” of “The College Dropout,” it appears that Chicago native Really Doe, has been really low key. His album, “First Impressions,” is continually hitting delays, but is now expected to release this year alongside the albums of the other G.O.O.D Music artists.

The label receives a poetic kick with the addition of Malik Yusef. Yusef is a noted spoken-word poet, and his addition is sure to bring new style to the label. Yusef prepares for his second release in the music world and his first under West’s label.Yusef merges poetry and hip-hop and will sure draw attention with the release of “GOOD Morning & GOOD Night,” later this year.

Big Sean’s first encounter with West was at a Detroit radio station where he rapped for West. After much time spent sending West his music, Big Sean was finally signed to the label, bringing his unique flow filled with witty lines.

All these artists make up the G.O.O.D Music family, which appears destined to take the music world by storm. Not only do these artists have amazing talent, but they are being lead and influenced by one of the most powerful members of the hip-hop industry.

G.O.O.D Music even offers more than just their musical talent. When you see these artists in person, you can see that they all have their own sense of style. They are by far the most stylish label out there. This further adds to their power since they will not only influence others with their music, but also style and appearance.

In 2009, G.O.O.D Music will become the Justice League for the music industry.