Why is Empire one of today’s most popular rap labels?

by Nathan Merchadier.

Empire, the rap label endorsed by 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar

The name Empire may not ring a bell, but since 2010, this American label has been standing out for its ability to attract established figures from the rap and R’n’B scenes. Seduced by the label’s independence, rapper 50 Cent has released several projects with them, just like Tyga, Shaggy, Snoop Dogg and Cardi B. The label has also worked on re-releasing albums by R’n’B icon Aaliyah – she tragically died on her way home from shooting the video for Rock the Boat in the Bahamas in 2001 – thus reviving the singer’s legacy for a new generation of listeners.

Right from the start, the label Empire made a name for itself by distributing Section.80 (2011), Kendrick Lamar’s debut album, also known as K-Dot. At the time, the Compton rapper was still unknown to the public and that release marked a decisive turning point in his career.

“In the early 2010s, my associate had a connection with TDE, Kendrick Lamar’s label,” Ghazi Shami explained to us when we met in Empire’s large office in San Francisco. Four recording studios are located in the vast premises of the label, which boast a swimming pool, lots of marble and a rooftop. “They used to release their mixtapes online for free. I told them, ‘Why not monetise them? There are people out there willing to pay to listen to your tracks through more convenient media.” This proposal won over TDE and enabled Empire to lay the foundations of a hybrid distribution model, combining artistic freedom and commercial efficiency.

“I grew up taking tapes apart to figure out how they worked.” Ghazi Shami, founder of the label Empire

It takes a healthy dose of audacity to launch a music label in the midst of economic turmoil, especially in a city like San Francisco, renowned for its start-ups rather than for its recording studios. Yet for Ghazi Shami, who formerly trained as an engineer, it was the right time. In 2010, at a time when the Silicon Valley was establishing itself as the nerve centre of technological innovation, Ghazi saw digital technology as a unique opportunity to reinvent the traditional model promoted by music labels.

To compete with other labels and get a better feel for what’s about to come in the music industry, the founder of Empire drew on his experience in tech – he used to work on music distribution softwares. “I grew up taking tapes apart to find out how they worked,” Ghazi Shami shared, while scanning the gold records hanging on the walls of his office. “Then, I worked on streaming networks long before they became the norm.” This dual expertise in music and technology has enabled him to design a distribution model suitable to the challenges of our digital age.

A few years later, Empire struck a blow by signing a distribution deal with XXXTentacion, rap’s rising star with dark lyrics. XXXTentacion was murdered in 2018 and over 500,000 copies of his posthumous album Skins (2018) were sold in the United States within a few months. A success that confirmed the label’s intuition.

A talent-scouting label, from Asake to Shaboozey

Empire has recently signed two trending artists – Asake, the Nigerian superstar who gathers 6.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and Shaboozey, the new prince of country music endorsed by Beyoncé. They are both exploding at an international level and are among the label’s most recent signings. On the other side of the globe, the rapper G-Dragon, leader of the K-pop group BigBang, allows the label to make a name for itself among an ever-widening audience.

At the same time, Empire supported other promising young artists, becoming the first label to distribute records by K Camp, Rocko, Trinidad James and the group Migos. Thanks to that support, these names stepped into the international hip-hop scene.

“Ghazi is a visionary. He sees a lot of potential where a lot of people wouldn’t. He owes the success of his label to ten years of hard work, and I’m impressed by everything he has achieved,” Grammy Awards genre manager Shawn Thwaites explained at a private party in San Francisco organised by the label to celebrate the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.

Rapper Doria: Empire’s first French signing

In France, rapper Doria is the first French artist to sign with Empire – a symbol of the label’s international openness. “They constantly want to build bridges between cultures,” the rapper from Nanterre told us when we met her in one of the label’s studios in San Francisco. “Empire is everywhere: in the United States, France, Africa, but also in Asia since they’ve signed K-Pop artists… All that buzz is what makes the difference.”

Their collaboration began unexpectedly during an informal meeting at a concert at the Institut du Monde Arabe. “In the beginning, it wasn’t about business. It was a human exchange first and foremost. Then, the conversation just flowed,” she shared. Shortly afterwards, Doria was invited to the label’s offices in the United States and her Empire adventure took a more tangible turn. The label’s organic approach is what first caught the artist’s attention. “Here, you can release a track overnight if you feel like it. It’s much more instinctive, there’s much more freedom.”

Connections with Pauline Ducruet and Alter Design

While Empire has already created several clothing collections revisiting the classics of California streetwear, including T-shirts and basketball shorts, the label will be taking a new step forward next June by celebrating its friendship with the highly promising fashion brand Alter Design, founded by Pauline Ducruet. This collaboration will be celebrated in style at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix, where artists, models and jetsetters will gather for an exceptional evening.

“Music and fashion share a common language,” Pauline Ducruet stated. This collaboration, which could also result in a capsule collection, demonstrates Empire’s desire to play on several cultural fronts and to extend its influence well beyond the music world…

Traduction Emma Naroumbo Armaing.