Prior efforts
In 2001, West established a company to forward revenue cuts for his expanding production work. Known at the time as Konman Productions (or Konman Entertainment),[5] it was joined by local talent including Devo Harris, BoogzDaBeast, Brian "All Day" Miller, Arrowstar, GLC, Mikkey Halsted, and Really Doe, among others. Many members of the company have since contributed to West's following projects or sign to what would become known as GOOD Music.[6] Select members of the company, including West, contributed to a bootleg compilation project titled World Record Holders under the recording outfit "Go Getters" in 1999.[7][8]
2004–2007
GOOD Music was founded in 2004 by Kanye West in a joint venture with Sony BMG, shortly after the release of his debut album The College Dropout. Ohio singer John Legend and fellow Chicago rapper Common were the label's initial artists, along with West himself.[9] Legend's Get Lifted (2004) was the label's first album release and quickly led both the artist and label to commercial success. The album won three awards from eight nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, and was supported by the Best Male R&B Performance recipient "Ordinary People", which also peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] In October 2006, Legend released his second album, Once Again, which won Legend his second consecutive Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance with its single "Heaven".[11]
Common's Be (2005), the label's second release, was the recipient of four Grammy Award nominations. During this time, Chicago-based recording artists GLC, Really Doe, Consequence, and Malik Yusef, as well as West's familial relative Tony Williams were added to its roster.[12] West's second studio album, Late Registration, included guest appearances by each of the label's artists by the time of its August 2005 release.[13] In 2005, West met then-unknown rapper Sean "Big Sean" Anderson before a radio interview. After performing a freestyle, he left West with a demo tape,[14] and in May 2007, Big Sean was signed to the label.[15] In an August 2007 interview with Billboard, West expressed regrets over starting the label:
"Running a record label was the biggest mistake I ever made. I never asked to be a label owner. Sony offered it to me, and I took it. But I can't be there when people are calling me to the studio to hear some music or approve clothes for a video. No disrespect to anybody, my focus is [on] Graduation, I've got a hard enough time calling radio programmers and getting them to play 'Can't Tell Me Nothing', a song that's connecting with people but that's only at 1,400 spins."
2008–2011
In 2008, British singer-songwriter Mr Hudson was signed, following the release of his debut A Tale of Two Cities (2007). There followed Kid Cudi, and manager Plain Pat.[17][18] Kid Cudi's debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day was released under GOOD Music on September 15, 2009. The album earned three Grammy nominations and was certified Gold by the RIAA.[19] A month later, Mr Hudson's major label debut, Straight No Chaser, was released.[20] In late 2010, West released several tracks featuring himself, and other members of the GOOD Music roster, in a free weekly giveaway known as, G.O.O.D. Fridays.[21] In September 2010, Brooklyn rapper Mos Def was signed.[22]
2012–2017
In late 2011, plans were announced for a release of a compilation album, later entitled Cruel Summer.[33] The album's lead single "Mercy", was released on April 6, 2012, and features verses from Kanye West, Pusha T and Big Sean, as well as GOOD Music affiliate 2 Chainz.[34] The album was also preceded by the singles "New God Flow" and "Clique", the latter of which peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It features West and Big Sean rapping alongside Jay-Z.[35] Cruel Summer was released on September 18, 2012. It was accompanied by the eponymous short film Cruel Summer, which was shot in Qatar; the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.[36]
In January 2013, Scottish record producer and DJ Hudson Mohawke, announced that he had signed to the production arm of GOOD Music — Very Good Beats.
2018–present
In 2018, West revealed he would produce upcoming albums by GOOD Music label-mates Pusha T and Teyana Taylor, as well as Nas.[51] Pusha T's Daytona, "the first project out of Wyoming", was released in May to critical acclaim, although the album's artwork—a photograph of deceased singer Whitney Houston's bathroom that West paid $85,000 to license—attracted some controversy.[52] The following week, West released his eighth studio album, Ye. West has suggested that he scrapped the original recordings of the album and re-recorded it within a month.[53] The week after, West released a collaborative album with former GOOD Music artist Kid Cudi, titled Kids See Ghosts, named after their group of the same name. West also completed production work on Nas' Nasir[54] and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E., which were released in June 2018.[55]
