Keep Cool Records is an American record label founded by Tunji Balogun, alongside Right Hand Music Group founder Courtney Stewart, A&R Jon Tanners and marketing executive Jared Sherman.[1] The label is a joint venture with RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.
| Keep Cool | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Sony Music Entertainment |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Founder | Tunji Balogun Courtney Stewart Jon Tanners Jared Sherman |
| Distributor(s) | RCA Records |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Official website | keepcool |
History
editTunji Balogun began working with RCA Records as an A&R representative, where he signed and developed artists Bryson Tiller, GoldLink, Khalid, Wizkid, and H.E.R. He was also involved in the partnership with RCA and Top Dawg Entertainment that signed SZA, bringing Cozz to Dreamville Records, as well as contributing in signing Childish Gambino to RCA.[2][3] On April 9, 2018, RCA and Keep Cool announced the joint venture record label to sign and develop artists, promoting Tunji Balogun to executive vice president of A&R. Balogun spoke with Billboard about the deal saying: "I’m honored to be able to continue that legacy with the launch of Keep Cool. My passion is discovering and working with artists that are slightly left-of-center, and finding meaningful ways to organically build culture around them. Keep Cool will be a safe-haven for artists and creatives who want to do things differently." The same day, they announced the signing of Normani.[4][5][6] In November 2018, they revealed the signings of Lucky Daye and duo VanJess.[7][8] On February 20, 2019, Keep Cool announced a deal with hip hop duo Freddie Gibbs & Madlib for their second album Bandana.[9] In May 2020, Keep Cool announced the signing of UMI to the label.[10] In February 2021, Keep Cool announced the addition of Louisville-singer Marzz to the roster.[11]
Roster
editCurrent artists
edit| Act | Year signed |
Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| Lucky Daye | 2018 | 5 |
| VanJess | 2018 | 2 |
| Freddie Gibbs & Madlib | 2019 | 1 |
| UMI | 2020 | 3 |
| Marzz | 2021 | 1 |
Former artists
edit| Act | Year signed |
Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| Normani | 2018 | 6 |
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Artist | Album | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lucky Daye | Painted |
|
| Freddie Gibbs & Madlib | Bandana |
|
| VanJess | Silk Canvas (Remixes) |
|
| Lucky Daye | Candydrip |
|
Extended plays
editExtended plays
| Artist | Extended play | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lucky Daye | I |
|
| Lucky Daye | II |
|
| UMI | Introspection |
|
| VanJess | Homegrown |
|
| Lucky Daye | Table For Two |
|
| Marzz | Love Letterz |
|
References
edit- ^ Jones, Rhian. "TUNJI BALOGUN LAUNCHES LABEL JV WITH RCA RECORDS, AS HE'S PROMOTED TO EVP OF A&R". Music Business Worldwide.
- ^ Lyle, Ashley. "A&R Spotlight: RCA's Tunji Balogun on Working With Bryson Tiller, SZA & Khalid". Billboard.
- ^ Payne, Ogden. "RCA Announces Joint Venture With Keep Cool And CoFounder Tunji Balogun". Forbes.
- ^ Mitchell, Gail. "RCA Enters Into Keep Cool Joint Venture With Co-Founder Tunji Balogun: Exclusive". Billboard.
- ^ Mitchell, Gail. "Normani Signs to Keep Cool/RCA Records: Exclusive". Billboard.
- ^ "RCA RAMPS UP KEEP COOL, UPS TUNJI, SIGNS NORMANI". HitsDailyDouble.
- ^ Babalola, Bolu. "VanJess Go Deeper than Nostalgia with Their 90s-Style R&B". Noisey.
- ^ Leight, Elias. "Lucky Daye Doesn't Want to Fit In". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Announce New Album 'Bandana,' Share 'Flat Tummy Tea' Single: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ "UMI's Introspection EP Out Now Via Keep Cool/RCA". RCA Records.
- ^ "MARZZ – "SO FREQUENTLY" (VIDEO)". 2DopeBoyz.
- ^ "Homegrown by VanJess". Apple Music. Retrieved February 5, 2021.