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Over the past decade, hip-hop record labels have been churning out radio hits, platinum selling albums, and major star power. Some of these already-famous megastars have gotten in on the industry game, founding record imprints of their own! Despite the derisive-sounding tag of “vanity label,” these artist-founded subsidiaries offer up some of the biggest smashes and most important rap releases of recent times.
With established names at the helm, labels like Eminem’s Shady Records or Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment have been on the cutting edge of hip hop, introducing huge acts like Nicki Minaj, Drake and more to the masses -as well as putting out the founder’s own chart-topping material, of course. We’ve even watched these labels carry an era. Just think Cash Money in the ’90s or Roc-A-Fella Records in the ’00s! To pay tribute to these power houses, we’re counting down the top ten most successful hip hop vanity labels of all time, ranked in order of the most gold and platinum albums collectively.
[Photo: Getty Images]