Houston, TX (Swisha House) - Now after turning us all out on iced-out grills, candy paint and 84-spoked rims, the Swisha House returns with an all-star lineup for 2006;
Mike Jones and
Paul Wall are scheduled to both drop follow-up albums. Jones' The American
Dream will be released by early summer, and Paul's Ain't No 401K For A Hustla will hit store shelves in the Fall.
'I look forward to Swisha House being one of the next big labels in the game,' prophesizes label co- CEO G-Dash. 'In 2006 we're going to expand and do a variety of things.'
And with releases this Fall, that variety includes label signee Coota Bang's debut album Big Bang Theory and the return of original Swisha House member, Archie Lee, who took a brief hiatus from the house, is now back in the fold with Hollyhood.
Through a relationship with TF Records the Swisha House will be involved with the reintroduction of Houston rapper Lil Keke, an original member of DJ Screw's, the Screwed Up Click. TF Records will drop Loved By Few Hated By Many in the fall as well.
But the streets have been craving for the newest installment of the classic compilation series The Day Hell Broke Loose 3. The long-awaited album is slated for an August release. The early candidate for the lead single is a track called Gangsta, a hood song with a classic Scarface rhyme for the hook, featuring Lil Keke, Coota Bang and Scarface. Also featured on the CD is 'So Fly,' which features Lil Keke and Paul Wall pairing up to serenade their cars like they serenade females. The Day Hell Broke Loose 3 also features Swisha House artist Archie Lee, Houston veteran Z-Ro, and Juelz Santana.
Although the rest of the free world is just beginning to catch up with Swisha House after the mainstream success of breakthrough artists Mike Jones and Paul Wall, the north side Houston empire has been holding down the underground for more than a decade strong. Launching the careers of the Dirty South's most known and unknown underground kings, Swisha House has been the most influential imprint to emerge from the Lone Star State since Rap-A-Lot.
The label staked its claim on the national scene last year with the release of Mike Jones' platinum-plated SwishaHouse/Asylum/Warner Brothers debut Who Is Mike Jones? and Paul Wall's platinum-selling smash hit The People's Champ via SwishaHouse/Asylum/Atlantic Records. Swisha House takes pride in having taken on the bulk of marketing of both releases themselves through the development of cutting edge visuals (video, photos), grassroots sales and radio campaigns and without warning, single after blistering single spawned Billboard success with Mike's 'Still Tippin'' and 'Back Then' and Paul's 'Sittin' Sideways.' But last year was just the tip of the iceberg.
'We have a proven track record,' label co-CEO DJ Michael '5000' Watts explains. 'I've always said that no matter how big we get, we're going to continue to treat this as if we didn't have a deal.'
The foundation for this self-sustained powerhouse was built back in 1996 on Houston's rugged north side by Michael '5000' Watts, a celebrity neighborhood DJ who made a name for himself selling mix tapes back in high school for lunch money. Inspired by elements of the legendary DJ Screw for his mixes, Watts would also 'screw and chop' his music and allow neighborhood rappers the opportunity to freestyle over his popular instrumentals.
Of these hungry, unsigned talents were Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall and Mike Jones. As his movement grew to a cult-like following across the south and into the Mid-West, Watts enlisted a team of proven go-getters to aid him in his vision- co-CEO G. Dash, label president and A&R T Farris and VP of Marketing and Promotions Michael Clarke. Together, they ran the independent label like a fine-tuned machine.
