B-Boy Records
B-Boy Records was an American independent hip hop record label founded in 1986 by Jack Allen and William Kamarra, in the Bronx, New York City. Its most notable signing, Boogie Down Productions, released the singles “South Bronx” (1986) and “The Bridge Is Over” (1987), and the landmark album Criminal Minded (1987). Other artists included JVC Force, Cold Crush Brothers, Sparky D, Levi 167, and Jewel T. The label’s music blended new and veteran artists, capturing a shift from drum-machine-driven tracks to sampler-based hip hop with horns and drums, while lyrics began detailing street life.
B-Boy Records
- Name
- B-Boy Records
- Founded
- 1986
- Headquarters
- United States
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
B-Boy Records was an American independent hip hop record label founded in 1986 by Jack Allen and William Kamarra, in the Bronx, New York City. Its most notable signing, Boogie Down Productions, released the singles “South Bronx” (1986) and “The Bridge Is Over” (1987), and the landmark album Criminal Minded (1987). Other artists included JVC Force, Cold Crush Brothers, Sparky D, Levi 167, and Jewel T. The label’s music blended new and veteran artists, capturing a shift from drum-machine-driven tracks to sampler-based hip hop with horns and drums, while lyrics began detailing street life.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for B-Boy Records. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q4833671 · wikipedia · B-Boy Records
In this article
Overview
Overview
Records closed in 1988. Nate Patrin of Pitchfork notes that Allen and Kamarra attempted to revive the label independently, straining their partnership.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — B-Boy Records • Parent — Phase One Network • Founded — 1986 • Founder — Jack Allen, William Kamarra, Ray Wilson • Distributor — Traffic Entertainment • Genre — Hip hop • Country — United States • Location — New York City, New York
Foundation
Foundation
Jack Allen and William Kamarra established B-Boy Records in 1986 with one act. Operating as Rock Candy Records and Filmworks with Ray Wilson, they advertised in a newspaper for new musical talent. Rumors suggested the label was a front for a pornography business. Boogie Down Productions responded to the ad, recording an anti-drug song, “Crack Attack,” and signed with the new label. KRS-One, the group’s lead emcee, designed the label’s graffiti-style logo.
Retrospectives
Retrospectives
Traffic Entertainment Group, under license from Phase One Network Inc., controls B-Boy Records’ discography. Retrospectives include The Best of B-Boy Records (2002) and Boogie Down Productions’ Best of B-Boy Records (2001). In 2007, Traffic released the two-disc B-Boy Records: The Archives Rare & Unreleased. In 2008, the four-disc B-Boy Records: The Masterworks featured acts such as Soul Dimension, Incredible Two, Crazy 8 Posse, Wacky Rapper, Spyder-D (of “Big Apple Rappin'” fame), and B Girls Live and Kicking (1987), showcasing female MCs Sparky D, Five Star Moet, Baby Doll, and L.A. Star. A planned Boogie Down Productions track, “Gotta-Rock” (G-Supreme & K-Rakeem), was abandoned after Scott La Rock’s death. Nate Patrin of Pitchfork observes that B-Boy’s recordings mark the rise of independent, street-level hardcore rap lyricism during a shift from 808 drum machines to SP1200 samplers. He describes the roster as a mix of “past icons, future legends, could-have-beens, never-weres, and several acts that shone briefly in a single 12-inch record".
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United States
Named but not plotted · 1
B-Boy Records is associated with United States.
Country
Notable releases
B-Boy’s first release, “South Bronx” (1986) by Boogie Down Productions, was an oral history of hip hop responding to MC Shan’s “The Bridge,” fueling the Bridge Wars and gaining significant attention in New York. During that period, KRS-One, technically homeless, lived in a meat freezer below the label’s offices. The track, like many B-Boy releases, featured noisy, minimalist drum-machine hip hop, as seen in The Brothers’ “I Got Rhythm,” Wax Master Torey’s “Duck Season,” Jewel T’s “I Like It Loud,” and Levi 167’s “Something Fresh to Swing To” (all 1987). By contrast, Castle D’s “Just Saying Fresh Rhymes” (1987) used a quieter hi-hat-based percussion and a disorienting synth melody, reminiscent of G-funk. Sampler-influenced 1987 releases include The Busy Boys’ “Classical", Cold Crush Brothers’ “Feel the Horns,” and Sparky D’s “Throwdown.”After releasing Criminal Minded (1987), Boogie Down Productions planned to sign with Warner Bros. Records, and B-Boy folded soon after. Writer Peter Shapiro highlights Levi 167’s 1987 single as the label’s best release outside Boogie Down Productions. The label achieved late success with JVC Force’s “Strong Island” (1988), which Shapiro calls “one of the most kinetic records in hip-hop history.” After Scott La Rock’s murder, Boogie Down Productions signed with Jive Records.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Virgin Books. The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music. 21. 1998. 0-7535-0252-6.
- 2.Patrin, Nate. Various Artists: B-Boy Records: The Masterworks. Pitchfork Media. August 15, 2008.
- 3.Huey, Steve. Boogie Down Productions Biography. AllMusic.
- 4.Shapiro, Peter. Rough Guide to Hip-Hop. Rough Guides. 21–22. 2005. 978-1-84353-263-7.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Coleman, Brian. Check the Technique. Villard. 80–84. 2007. 978-0-8129-7775-2.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,866 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Azucena MaizaniPerson
- Azuli RecordsOrganisation
- AzuquitaPerson
- B ZoneOrganisation
- B-ComplexPerson
- B-RealPerson
- B-TightPerson
- B-Unique RecordsOrganisation
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with B-Boy Records?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.