Music of Life
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Music of Life was the first record label to focus on releasing British hip hop. It was formed in 1986 by Simon Harris, his first intention being to release compilations of imported US hip hop. However, due to a lack of material and finances, the first release Def Beats 1 (Music of Life, 1986) was short and the company's quasi-A&R man Derek Boland stepped up to record "Rock the Beat" as Derek B. He followed this up with two singles that made the UK charts and sparked record label interest in British hip hop.
Music of Life looked for other homegrown talent, and soon discovered artists like Hijack, Demon Boyz and MC Duke. They released the legendary Hard as Hell series, still fondly remembered and highly sought after to this day. They also branched out into reggae very early on, releasing music by artists like Asher D, Daddy Freddy and Tenor Fly, as well as DJ breakbeat albums produced by label owner Simon Harris.
Nowadays, Music of Life focuses primarily on their DJ tools and breakbeat albums.
