Maybach Music Group (MAY-back;[a] abbreviated MMG) is a record label founded by American rapper Rick Ross in 2008.[1] An imprint of gamma. since 2023, the label was previously an imprint of Def Jam Recordings (2009–2011), Warner Records (2011–2012) and Atlantic Records (2012–2023).[2][3] The label, having signed artists including Wale, Meek Mill, French Montana, Omarion, Rockie Fresh, and Stalley, has released a total of 29 studio albums, including three compilation albums in its Self-Made series. The "Maybach Music" vocal tag heard in many of the label's recordings is spoken by Australian model Jessica Gomes.[4]
| Maybach Music Group | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | gamma. |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Rick Ross |
| Distributor(s) |
|
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Official website | mmgselfmade |
Five of the label's albums have been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while four have been certified platinum.[5] The label has also released seven albums which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200: Deeper Than Rap (2009), God Forgives, I Don't (2012), and Mastermind (2014) by Rick Ross, The Gifted (2013) and The Album About Nothing (2015) by Wale and Dreams Worth More Than Money (2015) and Championships (2018) by Meek Mill.
History
edit2009–2011
editMaybach Music Group (MMG) was launched in a joint venture and as an imprint of Ross' then-label, Def Jam Recordings in 2008. Along with Ross himself, the label signed its first two acts that same year; its first was the hip hop group of which Ross was a member, Triple C's (alongside Gunplay, Torch, and Young Breed), while its second, singer Masspike Miles was signed in November of that year.[6] The label released its first major album, Deeper Than Rap by Ross in April 2009. The Triple C's debut album, Custom Cars & Cycles followed thereafter in October of that year. In August 2009, Ross signed MMG's third artist, dancehall singer Magazeen.[7]
In 2010, MMG released Ross' fourth album, Teflon Don. The second album by Triple C's, Color, Cut & Clarity was for scheduled for that year, but remains unreleased. In August, Ross made an offer to Pennsylvania rapper Wiz Khalifa to sign to Maybach Music Group; however, he was signed with Universal Music Group's competitor label, Atlantic Records.[8]
In February 2011, Ross parted ways with Def Jam as the label's distributor (although he remained signed as a solo act) in favor of Warner Bros. Records, and signed two of MMG's soon-to-be flagship artists: Washington D.C.-based rapper Wale and Philadelphia-based rapper Meek Mill.[9] The following month, on March 25, Ross signed R&B singer Teedra Moses to the label; she was the label's first female artist.[10] On May 23, 2011, MMG released the compilation album Self Made Vol. 1, predominantly featuring Rick Ross alongside the label's roster of whom signed that same year, including Wale, Meek Mill, Teedra Moses, Pill, and Stalley, along with the Triple C's. In June, Ross announced plans to launch the sub-labels Maybach Music Jamaica and Maybach Music Latino, both of which failed to effectively materialize.[11]
2012–present
editIn December 2011, New York rapper French Montana signed a joint venture deal with Maybach Music Group and Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records. His debut studio album, Excuse My French (2013) was released in a joint venture with Interscope Records and executive produced by both Combs and Ross.[12] On February 4, 2012, Ross spoke about the departure of rapper Pill from Maybach Music, and said that Pill was never signed to the label; Pill was signed to its parent label Warner Bros., whose executives proposed the idea of Pill joining. Ross further added that he worked out a one-year deal in which Pill would be signed with the label. [13] On May 2, 2012, Ross signed R&B singer Omarion to the label. MMG's second compilation album, Self Made Vol. 2 was released on June 26, and his fifth album, God Forgives, I Don't was released on July 31.[14]
On June 22, 2012, while promoting Self Made Vol. 2, Rick Ross stated that Gunplay signed a solo deal with the label and Def Jam, further announcing promotional releases from the rapper leading up to his debut album, Living Legend.[15] Rumors of Dom Kennedy and Nipsey Hussle signing to label began to spread during this time, both of which were disavowed by Ross himself, although he admitted to being a fan of the artists.[16] On July 12, 2012, Ross confirmed that rapper Rockie Fresh was signed to MMG; Fresh's debut mixtape with the label, Electric Highway was released on January 21, 2013.[17]
On December 11, 2012, Ross parted ways with Warner Bros. Records as the label's distributor in favor of Atlantic Records.[18] On June 2, 2013, Ross revealed an album cover and announced that MMG will be releasing its third collaboration album, Self Made Vol. 3 on August 6, 2013.[19] The following day, three songs—"Poor Decisions", "God Is Great" and "Oil Money Gang"—were released in promotion for the album. On June 4, 2013, three music videos for each of the songs were uploaded to the label's official YouTube.[20] Self Made Vol. 3 was released to generally positive reviews on September 17, 2013. That same day, Stalley released his first retail project for the label, Honest Cowboy EP. On November 6, 2013, the label signed another Washington D.C.-based rapper and Wale associate, Fat Trel.[21]
Discography
editThe following is a list of albums released through Maybach Music Group, various album distributors are noted below.
| Artist | Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | CAN | |||||
| Rick Ross | Deeper Than Rap |
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
| |
| Triple C's | Custom Cars & Cycles |
|
44 | 5 | 2 | — |
| |
| Rick Ross | Teflon Don |
|
2 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
|
|
| Maybach Music Group | Self Made Vol. 1 |
|
5 | 1 | 1 | — |
| |
| Wale | Ambition |
|
2 | 1 | 1 | — |
|
|
| Maybach Music Group | Self Made Vol. 2 |
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 37 |
| |
| Rick Ross | God Forgives, I Don't |
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| Meek Mill | Dreams and Nightmares |
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
|
|
| French Montana | Excuse My French |
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| |
| Wale | The Gifted |
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| |
| Maybach Music Group | Self Made Vol. 3 |
|
4 | 1 | 1 | — |
| |
| Stalley | Honest Cowboy EP |
|
— | 41 | — | — | ||
| Rick Ross | Mastermind |
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| |
| Stalley | Ohio |
|
35 | 5 | 5 | — |
| |
| Rick Ross | Hood Billionaire |
|
6 | 2 | 2 | — | ||
| Omarion | Sex Playlist |
|
49 | 5 | — | — |
| |
| Wale | The Album About Nothing |
|
1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| |
| Meek Mill | Dreams Worth More Than Money |
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| Gunplay | Living Legend |
|
171 | 17 | 11 | — | ||
| Rick Ross | Black Market |
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 68 |
| |
| Rick Ross | Rather You Than Me |
|
3 | 2 | 2 | 16 | ||
| Wale | Shine |
|
16 | 8 | 6 | — | ||
| Meek Mill | Wins & Losses |
|
3 | 2 | 2 | 17 | ||
| Meek Mill | Championship |
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
| Rick Ross | Port of Miami 2 |
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Wale | Wow... That's Crazy |
|
7 | 6 | 5 | 55 | ||
| Meek Mill | Expensive Pain |
|
3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Wale | Folarin II |
|
22 | 12 | 11 | — | ||
| Rick Ross | Richer Than I Ever Been |
|
22 | 10 | 5 | 96 | ||
Notes
edit- ^ Note that the pronunciation of "Maybach" here is not the same as that of the German car brand; cf. the way the name is pronounced in the label's signature producer tag in songs.
References
edit- ^ "Rick Ross Biography". The Biography.com Website. A&E Television Networks.
- ^ "Maybach Music Group Moves to Atlantic Records". Billboard.com. December 11, 2012.
- ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (September 29, 2023). "Rick Ross, Maybach Music Group Announce Partnership With Gamma". Variety. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ Elibert, Mark. "Rick Ross Shouts Out Woman Behind 'Maybach Music' Tag: 'Let Me Introduce You'". Complex. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ "Rick Ross Isn't the Only Rap Label Head Not Signing Women". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ https://www.newswire.com/news/maybach-music-group-and-rick-ross-artist-masspike-miles-signs-to-9049
- ^ https://sflcn.com/rick-ross-launches-dancehall-artist-magazeen-in-jamaica/
- ^ DX News Bits: Wiz Khalifa, Soulja Boy, Bruno Mars Archived 2015-01-05 at the Wayback Machine. 25 August 2010.
- ^ https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/3505-meek-mill-signs-to-maybach-music-speaks-on-deal-and-new-mixtapes-news
- ^ Harper, Rosario (March 25, 2011). "Rick Ross Signs The First Lady Of Maybach Music". sohh.com. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
- ^ Rick Ross Introduces Maybach Music Jamaica & Maybach Music Latino On BET's 106 & Park. BET.com. Retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ "French Montana Celebrates Signing With Bad Boy & MMG".
- ^ "Rick Ross Speaks On Pill's Departure From MMG, Wishes Rapper "Success"". Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- ^ "Rick Ross Signs Omarion to Maybach Music Group". May 2, 2012.
- ^ "Gunplay Signs To Def Jam".
- ^ "Rick Ross Talks About Possibly Signing Nipsey Hussle & Dom Kennedy".
- ^ "Rockie Fresh Signs To Maybach Music Group".
- ^ "Rick Ross Confirms That Maybach Music Group Is Moving To Atlantic Records". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ^ "Rick Ross & MMG Talk Self Made Vol. 3". Rap Radar. June 4, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
- ^ "MMG". YouTube. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
- ^ "Fat Trel Signs To Maybach Music Group". XXL Mag. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ Insanul Ahmed. "Rick Ross, "Deeper Than Rap" (2009) - Ranking Rick Ross' Albums From Worst To Best". Complex.
- ^ Insanul Ahmed. "Triple C's, "Custom Cars and Cycles" (2009) - Ranking Rick Ross' Albums From Worst To Best". Complex.
- ^ a b "American certifications – Rick Ross". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/31/2011". HipHopDX. August 3, 2011. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ^ "American certifications – Wale". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ "IP EOL". defsounds.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- ^ fashionablyearly (July 21, 2015). "Meek Mill's 'Dreams & Nightmares' Certified Gold". Fashionably-Early. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 5/26/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ^ "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 6/30/2013". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
- ^ HipHopDX (December 3, 2014). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Eminem, Rick Ross, Beyonce". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- ^ HipHopDX (December 10, 2014). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Wu-Tang Clan, Mary J. Blige, Eminem". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - Dreams Worth More Than Money by Meek Mill". iTunes.
- ^ "Meek Mill's 'All Eyes On You' Goes Platinum; 'Dreams Worth More Than Money' Goes Gold | Welcome To KollegeKidd.com". June 12, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ HipHopDX (June 16, 2015). "Rap Release Dates: Geto Boys, RiFF RAFF, Gunplay, Joell Ortiz & !llmind". HipHopDX.
- ^ RIAA. "American Certifications - Meek Mill". Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ "The NPR Politics Podcast".