Aftermath Entertainment

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Lore & Background

Upon his departure from Death Row Records on March 22, 1996, Dr. Dre quickly launched Aftermath Entertainment through Death Row's former parent label, Interscope Records. It was founded as a 'boutique label' that prides itself on 'quality over quantity', focusing on small numbers of high-profile releases. A few months prior to the release of his compilation album and the label's first release, Dr. Dre Presents: The Aftermath, a July 1996 Source magazine article titled 'Dr. Dre Leaves Death Row' featured the producer discussing his departure and hinting at new tracks, 'East Coast/West Coast Killaz' and RBX's 'Blunt Time'. The first single/video for the album was 'East Coast/West Coast Killaz', released amidst the height of the East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry and nearly two months after 2Pac's murder. The track featured B-Real, RBX, Nas and KRS1, under the name Group Therapy. Though critically acclaimed, the track failed to make a major impression in mainstream radio play and influence. The same held true for Dr. Dre's second single for the album, 'Been There, Done That', in which Dre performs solo. The album entered the charts at #6 and went platinum.

In Their Own Story

A year later, on October 21, 1997, Aftermath released the only collaborative project by hip-hop supergroup The Firm, composed of Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and Nature. Despite the album featuring Nas and Dr. Dre, debuting atop the Billboard 200 and being certified platinum, it sold below commercial expectation. The group was subsequently dropped from Aftermath and later disbanded. Upon recommendation from Interscope co-founder and Dre's close friend, Jimmy Iovine, he signed Eminem to Aftermath on March 9, 1998. On February 23, 1999, Eminem's major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP was released. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, going on to be certified quadruple platinum. Also in 1999, on November 16, after a seven-year hiatus from releasing an album, Aftermath released 2001, Dr. Dre's follow-up to his 1992 album, The Chronic. The album went on to be certified sextuple platinum.

Reader's Guide

Several more artists were signed to, and later dropped from Aftermath, including Hittman, Rakim, King T, Dawn Robinson and Eve, due to production, creative or business conflicts. Following the June 25, 2002 release of her debut album under Aftermath, Truthfully Speaking, singer Truth Hurts, Dr. Dre and producer DJ Quik faced a multi-million dollar lawsuit from Lata Mangeshkar over the unauthorized usage of one of her songs as a sample for her hit single, 'Addictive'. This caused sales from her debut album to dwindle and Truth Hurts to subsequently cut ties with the label soon after. In 2002, New York City rapper 50 Cent signed to Aftermath by Dr. Dre through a joint venture with Eminem's Shady Records for $1 million. That same year, Compton rapper The Game signed with the label in 2002 through a joint venture with 50 Cent's G-Unit Records, after a negotiation between Dre and Iovine. 50 Cent's official debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', was released on February 6, 2003, through the three labels. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 872,000 copies in its first week, and went on to be certified 9× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2020 with 'In da Club' going diamond in 2023. On January 18, 2005, Aftermath and G-Unit released The Game's commercial debut album, The Documentary, to commercial success and critical acclaim. It stood upon the Billboard 200's number one position for a total of two weeks and went on to sell two million copies in the United States. That March, 50 Cent released his second studio album, The Massacre, which set a record as the sixth fastest selling album since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking albums in 1991, with 1.14 million albums sold in four days. As of 2025, the album has been certified sextuple platinum in America, and total worldwide sales stand at nine million copies. Due to The Game's feud with 50 Cent, in 2006, he was transferred from Interscope to its sister label, Geffen Records, to help terminate his contractual obligations with Aftermath and G-Unit. Busta Rhymes was signed and released one album on June 13, 2006, The Big Bang, which debuted at number one, becoming his first and only album in his career to make the number one slot on the Billboard 200. In 2008, after internal conflict with Jimmy Iovine over the delaying of his planned eighth studio album, Blessed, Busta Rhymes was released from Interscope, causing him to lose his deal with Aftermath. Stat Quo was released from Aftermath and Eminem's Shady Records in 2008 after being a part of the joint deal for five years, citing differences in direction over whether or not to release his debut album, Statlanta. Philadelphia rapper Eve, who had returned to the label in 2004, also ended her relationship with Aftermath for the second time, leaving the label in December 2007. In January 2010, it was revealed that Bishop Lamont had left the label, due to the delaying of his debut, The Reformation, while singer Marsha Ambrosius had also left the label the same year to sign with J Records. In March 2012, it was announced that Kendrick Lamar had signed with the label jointly through Top Dawg Entertainment. That October, his album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, was released. It received commercial and critical acclaim, being regarded as one of the best hip-hop albums of that year and decade. In October 2013, Jon Connor announced his signing to Aftermath during the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards. However, in May 2019, he parted ways with the label after his planned debut album, Vehicle City, was delayed, ending his four-year relationship with Dre. On February 20, 2014, 50 Cent announced his departure from Interscope Records, which included his joint deal with Aftermath and Shady. On March 15, 2015, Kendrick Lamar's third studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly, was released a week earlier than expected, due to a marketing error on behalf of Interscope. Despite this, the album received widespread acclaim and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming Lamar's first in his career to do so. On August 7, after fifteen years and nine months of not releasing an official album, Dr. Dre released his latest album, Compton, in promotion for the year's biopic, Straight Outta Compton, which chronicled the rise and fall of Dre's previous group, N.W.A. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.

Did You Know?

• The label's first release, Dr. Dre Presents: The Aftermath, entered the charts at #6 and went platinum.
• The Firm, composed of Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and Nature, released the only collaborative project by a hip-hop supergroup on Aftermath on October 21, 1997; it debuted atop the Billboard 200 but sold below commercial expectation and the group was subsequently dropped.
• 50 Cent's debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' sold 872,000 copies in its first week and was certified 9× Platinum by 2020; its single 'In da Club' went diamond in 2023.
• Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly was released a week early on March 15, 2015 due to a marketing error by Interscope, yet still debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• Dr. Dre's album Compton, released on August 7, 2015, was his first official album in fifteen years and nine months, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.