Headquarters: London
Founded: ~1993
Founded by: Peter Adarkwah and Ben
Link: http://www.bbemusic.com/
Genre(s): Hip-Hop, Funk, Soul, Jazz, Turntableism
Active Roster
- DJ Vadim
- D'Nell
- The Foreign Exchange
- Siji
- Mr Thing
- Aaron Jerome
- Cut Chemist
- Freddie Foxxx
- Baby Blak
- Roy Ayers
- Larry Gold
- King Britt
- DJ Spinna
- DJ Jazzy Jeff
- Tha 4orce
- Jay Dee
- Pete Rock
- Will.I.Am
- Marley Marl
Key Releases
- Jay Dee - Welcome to Detroit
- Pete Rock - Petestrumentals
- The Foreign Exchange - Connected
History
London's BBE was originally conceived as a promotional company called Barely Breaking Even, but thanks to another promotor who made it more than clear that he was using the name first, the BBE (which I guess now has to stand now for nothing) was born. Before it became a full-fledged label, BBE was a weekly night at a London club DJed by Peter Adarkwah and another guy who is simply know as Ben. The two budding DJs came together with a love for eccentric music that was not in the British limelight at the time. Their club sets were known and promoted for playing music overlooked by their contemporaries, and on any given night, you could find yourself dancing to a potent combination of hip-hop, Brazilian grooves, 70's funk, jazz-fusion and anything else that sparked the DJs' imagination. In late 1996, the promotion company decided to become a record company by releasing a compilation called Stop and Listen. This became the cornerstone of the label and still exists today. The label continued to grow into the new millinium and has released 40+ compilations to date from a variety of well-known DJs. The next movement within the label was for a series called The Beat Generation, which featured hip-hop producer's beats rather than rhymes. The series is widely successful and has seen amazing albums from the likes of Jay-Dee, Pete Rock, Will.I.Am and Marley Marl. Today, the original BBE club shows and promotions still exist and are going strong. The label has recently had a lot of success with the success of The Foreign Exchange, a over-seas collaboration between the Netherlands' Nicolay and Raleigh, NC's Phonte of Little Brother fame.