Rappers Rapp Records

Rappers Rapp Records emerged in Los Angeles in 1981, founded by Duffy Hook III and Jerry Hooks Sr. The label is identified as the first West Coast rap label, making its early activity part of the region's transition from live, community-based rap performance to independently issued commercial recordings. Its first documented release was “The Gigolo Rapp” by Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp. The single's success encouraged Hook to hold auditions in Los Angeles, through which the label found the Rappers Rapp Group. The Rappers Rapp Group was a five-member Los Angeles rap act associated with MC Fosty, Lovin C, King MC, Macker-Moe, Mr. Ice, and DJ Flash. The group released “Rappers Rapp Theme” in 1982. This recording represented the label's early identity: a local, artist-centered imprint promoting rap performers at a time when the West Coast recording infrastructure for hip-hop was still developing. In 1983, the label's musical direction expanded through Rich Cason's “Year 2001 Boogie.” The track moved away from the typical early old-school rap format toward an electronic wave sound combining vocoders and rap. Reference material credits Cason with a major influence on subsequent releases such as “Magic Mike Theme,” “Radio Activity Rapp,” “Killer Groove,” and “Bad Times (I Can't Stand It).” This phase connected Rappers Rapp Records with the electro-oriented experimentation that was becoming important to 1980s hip-hop and dance music. The label's documented catalog continued in 1986 with The Brothers Supreme's “We Can't Be Held Back,” described in reference material as a West Coast classic. The release indicates that the imprint remained a vehicle for West Coast rap during the middle of the decade, even as the broader genre was developing new production techniques, regional scenes, and business structures. Lee “DJ Flash” Johnson, who was associated with the Rappers Rapp Group, later ran the label. Available material does not provide a reliable date for the end of the imprint's operations, a detailed corporate succession, or evidence sufficient to classify it definitively as active or defunct today. Rappers Rapp Records is therefore best understood historically as an early independent Los Angeles rap label whose importance rests on its pioneering regional position, its connection to early West Coast artists, and its documented movement from basic old-school rap toward electronic and electro-influenced hip-hop.

• 1986

  The Brothers Supreme release

  [1]Rappers Rapp Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The Brothers Supreme released “We Can't Be Held Back,” a recording described as a West Coast classic.

• 1983

  Electronic sound enters the catalog

  [1]Rappers Rapp Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Rich Cason issued “Year 2001 Boogie,” introducing vocoder-based and electronic wave elements alongside rap.

• 1982

  Rappers Rapp Group debut

  [1]Rappers Rapp Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The Rappers Rapp Group released “Rappers Rapp Theme” after being discovered through Los Angeles auditions organized by Duffy Hook.

• 1981

  Label founded in Los Angeles

  [1]Rappers Rapp Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Duffy Hook III and Jerry Hooks Sr. established Rappers Rapp Records, identified in reference material as the first West Coast rap label.

• 1981

  First release: The Gigolo Rapp

  [1]Rappers Rapp Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp released “The Gigolo Rapp,” the label's first documented single.

An early independent West Coast rap label focused on developing Los Angeles-area rap acts and releasing music that evolved from old-school rap toward electronic and electro-influenced styles.

• Single · 1981

  The Gigolo Rapp

  The first documented release on Rappers Rapp Records, issued in 1981 by Disco Daddy and Captain Rapp. Its reported success helped prompt the label to expand its artist roster through auditions in Los Angeles.

• Single · 1982

  Rappers Rapp Theme

  A 1982 single by the Rappers Rapp Group, the act discovered through the label's Los Angeles auditions. The recording is part of the imprint's early old-school West Coast rap catalog.

• Single · 1983

  Year 2001 Boogie

  A 1983 Rich Cason release that marked a move toward electronic wave production, vocoders, and rap. The track is associated with a change in the label's sound and with Cason's influence on several later Rappers Rapp recordings.

• Single · 1986

  We Can't Be Held Back

  A 1986 release by The Brothers Supreme on the Rappers Rapp label. It is identified in reference material as a West Coast classic and is among the later documented releases in the imprint's catalog.

1. 1Rappers Rapp Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rappers Rapp Records official websiterappersrapprecords.com