Who Is Signed to Empire Records (Empire Record Label Artists In 2025)

The San Francisco-based indie distributor, Empire Records has released albums from some of the largest names in the industry!

Some big name Empire record label artists you may know of are:

• Snoop Dogg,
• Young Dolph (deceased) ,
• Robin Thicke,
• and Iggy Azalea,
• as well as popular country Empire distribution artists

Although EMPIRE has made a name in hip-hop, counting Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, and DRAM, many are still unaware of the full empire record label artists roster.

Today, we will unpack exactly who is signed to Empire Records, and a few facts you may have not known about the company to remove the guesswork from your research.

Let’s get to it.

Who Is Signed to Empire Records Distribution?

According to Wikipedia, as of 2022 Empire Records has the following artists signed under their label/distribution company (highlighted red are the Empire Distribution artists that died whose stories we cover further in the article)

SpaceGhostPurrp	Daz Dillinger	The Grouch & Eligh	Fireboy DML
J Dilla	Jim Jones	Boosie Badazz	Problem
SOB X RBE	Loote	Zion I	WHITE EAGLE
Che’Nelle	Phresher	Kurupt	Skyzoo & Torae
RBL Posse	Pleasure P	Shaggy	Konshens
9th Wonder	Robb Banks	Nef the Pharaoh	Brockhampton
2nd Nature	The Alchemist	Tego Calderon	Olamide
BONES	Victoria Monet	Remy Ma	Saba
D Smoke	Sean Garrett	Starlito	Hayley Kiyoko
Rotimi	The Foreign Exchange	Tink	Dizzy Wright
Rapper Big Pooh	Doe B	Trae tha Truth	Hustle Gang
BeachBoyNino	Mario	Shapiro (Song writer)	Skeme
J. Valentine	Robin Thicke	We Are Toonz	Eric Bellinger
Keak Da Sneak	Dounia	Adam Lambert	Z-Ro
B-Legit	XXXTentacion (Deceased)	Bobby V	Freddie Gibbs
MAJOR.	Mack Wilds	Justina Valentine	DJ Pauly D
Ester Dean	Mars	Travis Garland	Kwengface
Messy Marv	LeekThough	Slim Thug	Rakeem Miles
Lyrica Anderson	DRAM	EarthGang	Tank
Mistah F.A.B.	Drakeo The Ruler	NIKI	Styles P
PnB Rock (Deceased)	Jacquees	Jake Miller	Trinidad James
Philthy Rich	Trevor Jackson	Lil Duval	Anderson .Paak
Zion y Lennox	Nefew	Diamond D	Young Chop
Show Banga	DJ Kay Slay	Amber Liu	King Von (Deceased)
Jarren Benton	Clyde Carson	Glasses Malone	Andre Nickatina
Mitchy Slick	Supa Bwe	Tyra B	Alexis & Fido
Ab-Soul	Dinah Jane	Raisa	Lloyd
Kilo Kish	Jewel	JUsjoose	Jacob Latimore
No Malice	Rapsody	Mann	Sean Kingston
Young Dolph (Deceased)	Lucki	Crooked I	Mac Dre
Mozzy	Hopsin	Emilio Rojas	Mandy Rain
Flipsyde	Berner	50 Cent	Joji
Yung Bleu	Turf Talk	Dru Hill	J-HAZE
Lamont Sincere	Benny the Butcher	Bankroll Mafia	Selfish
A.Chal	Rich Homie Quan	Members Only	Iggy Azalea
Rayven Justice	Wande Coal	Yung Beef	The Jacka
Busta Rhymes	Amanda Perez	Kizz Daniel	Chronixx
Rich Brian	Mo3 (Deceased)	Aaliyah (Deceased)	WC
Rocko	Afgan	Jesse Boykins III	Troy Ave
Popcaan	Pia Mia	Riff Raff	B.o.B
Fashawn	Iamsu!

Is Empire Also A Record Label?

Is Empire also a record label?

The answer is yes and no! Due to Fox's hit TV show, ‘Empire', which advertises, distributes, streams music and sells downloads under the ‘Empire’ brand, many people think when they read about EMPIRE Records, that they are referencing the TV show label – especially as the music style, genres etc are so similar.

However, the two are not the same.

Empire the TV show is not a real record label, while Empire Distribution is a read record label; it has no ties with the TV show.

Empire is one of the world's leading record labels, distributors, and publishers.

In addition to providing comprehensive, cutting-edge social networking outreach and executing digital development projects, the company has developed the industry's most intuitive and efficient delivery and content management systems.

So it doesn't come as a shock that the fictitious entity in the TV show would be seen to be emulating the real thing.

Who Is Signed To EMPIRE (Record Label Division)?

Alex Faith & Dre Murray	The Grouch & Eligh	Cool Uncle	Savannah Conley
Slim Thug	Sleepy D	Andre Nickatina	Kamaiyah
Robb Banks	Celly Cel	David Banner	Rayven Justice
June	J. Stalin	MR. CAPON-E	Busta Rhymes
Mozzy	N.O.R.E	Lil Yee	Philthy Rich
DJ Kay Slay	Baeza	Hot Rain	Raekwon
Trinidad James	Jarren Benton	Goapele	Yxngxr1
DB Tha General	Ralo	Anderson Paak	Iman Omari
Snoop Dogg	Twista	Nef The Pharaoh	IshDARR
Tyga	B.O.B.	Hi-Tone	Mac Mall
Freddie Gibbs	Sadat X	Rayana Jay	Morgan Heritage
Skyzoo & Torae	Figg Panamera	Dreezy	Rapsody
Sammie	Round2Crew	Pete Muller	Keak Da Sneak
Devin The Dude	TEC	Rudeboy Mafia	SOB x RBE
Luniz	Planet Asia	REEM Docs	Vellione
Konshens	Troy Ave	Mitchy Slick	Show Banga
T-Rell	Eric Bellinger	Trae Tha Truth	Earthgang
Styles P	Lil Romo	Jez Dior	Sky Balla
Skyzoo	A.CHAL	DJ Fresh	Ricky Hil
22nd Ways	Z-Ro	The Mekanix	Young Dolph
The Jacka	Paul Wall	Jay.Keyz	Kool John
B-Legit	Tenille Arts	XXXTENTACION	P-Lo
Zion Foster	Fat Joe & Remy Ma	Boosie Badazz	Michael Christmas
Kutt Calhoun	Lucki	Bosco	Starlito

Empire Distribution Artists That Died

There have been a handful of rappers signed to Empire that have passed away for various reasons, resulting in a lot of conspiracy theories and speculation.

1. PnB Rock:
   This is the most recent death in a string of rappers who were signed to the record label. TikTok users have been pointing out the details of the other artists signed to Empire who have passed away, speculating a possible connection between them and the label.
   
   There is an ongoing conspiracy about Empire Distribution and other record labels that sign rappers, as many people believe the music industry is evil— however, of course, these are just conspiracies.
   
   
2. XXXTentacion:
   XXXTentacion's death was a tragic loss for the music industry. The young rapper was only twenty-one years old when he was gunned down in Florida.
   
   He had signed a new ten-million-dollar deal with EMPIRE Records just months before his death, and was widely considered to be one of the most promising young talents in the rap game.
   
   
3. Young Dolph:
   Memphis rapper, Young Dolph died in a fatal shooting in November 2021. His autopsy revealed he was shot 22 times!
   
   Young Dolph signed to Empire Records (Empire Distribution, Records and Publishing) in 2019.
   
   
4. King Von:
   In November 2020, King Von died of a gunshot wound. The rapper was signed to Empire Distribution under Lil Durk's label imprint, “Only The Family”. The 26-year-old had a short-lived career of only 2 years which kicked off after the release of his single, “Crazy Story”.
   
   
5. Mo3:
   Mo3 who was previously signed to Epic Records, bought himself out of his contract after being involved in a shooting. He was not convicted, however, but due to the bad press Epic found this problematic, and he ended up leaving the label.
   
   Trouble followed him – he released Osame and Badazz Mo3 in 2019 and 2020 under Empire distribution and was shot and killed in November 2020 at the age of 28. The rapper was being followed and fled to the highway before the fatal shooting.
   
   
6. Drakeo The Ruler:
   The Empire Record Label artist Drakeo The Ruler was only 28 years old when he was stabbed to death at a Once Upon A Time in LA Festival in December 2021. The young rapper had only released one project under the label before his untimely death.
   
   The news of Drakeo The Ruler's death came as a shock to the music world, as he was an up-and-coming artist with a lot of potential.
   
   The young man's life was cut short, and his career was set to flourish with the booking of him performing alongside legends Snoop, Ice Cube, and 50 Cent.

Do Empire Record Label Artists Own Their Masters?

Upon intensive Google research, it does not seem that Empire Record Label artists own their masters!

That being said, it is possible that some artists might have something in their contract that will help them to get their masters. We won't know for sure unless both parties make the information public.

Who Is the Richest Empire Records Artist?

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According to The Richest, Adam Lambert is the richest Empire Records artist. He began his career at a young age as an exceptional singer-songwriter and actor. As a runner-up in the 8th American Idol season in 2009, he gained prominence.

This talented artist and actor have a net worth of $30 million, making him the richest artist under the label. In addition to EMPIRE, he has partnered with Queen as well.

Who Is the Owner of Empire Records?

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So, who owns Empire Records?

The founder, CEO, and principal supporter of Empire Records is Ghazi Shami, a native of San Fransisco, California.

It was founded in 2010 as a distribution company and record label. Among the best artists, Empire Record has worked with are DRAM and Tyga.

A decade before he became a hit record champion, Ghazi Shami was building computers. My passion for technology and music has always run hand in hand,” says Ghazi, who operates a music label and distribution company called Empire, which has released hits by Tyga, Migos, and Money Man.

How Does Empire Pay Their Artists?

Cryptocurrency is not a game! The music industry is changing, and of recent, it's made a revolutionary change that has taken over so many avenues.

EMPIRE, the San Francisco-based company, announced in November 2021 that it offers advanced payments to its artists.

According to The Shade Room, Ghazi who founded EMPIRE records label and record label in 2010, is now enabling artists to receive advanced payments via Bitcoin and through CashApp.

The new advance payment system is part of a new way to innovate financial tools for artists, according to Empire. A number of rappers call Empire home, such as #YungBleu, #42Dugg, and the late #KingVon.

At current valuations, Atlanta rapper #MoneyMan is the first artist to receive a $1 million advance through the decentralized digital currency. Each digital token is worth around $68,000.

Found this information useful? You might also want to find out about who is signed to other top labels in the music industry 👇

• Who Is Signed to Roc Nation?
• Who Is Signed to OVO?
• Who Is Signed to Capitol Records?
• Who Is Signed to Good Music?

References