Advertisement for Def Jam Recordings: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Advertisement for Def Jam Recordings. Advertisement is blue with yellow, black, and white type. Large yellow type at center of advertisement reads, [Def/Jam/recordings]. Black and yellow type circles center and reads, starting in the TL portion of the circle, [IN '85 WE BROUGHT YOU LL COOL J IN '86 WE BROUGHT YOU BEASTIE BOYS IN '87 WE BROUGHT YOU PUBLIC ENEMY IN '88 WE BROUGHT YOU SLICK RICK]. This black and yellow type is laid over large white type that reads, [PLATINUM/PLATINUM]. Orange type at bottom of advertisement reads, [IN '89 WE BRING YOU ONLY THE 5TH RAP GROUP IN THE HISTORY/F.Y.I. - MOST MAJOR LABELS HAVE SIGNED MORE RAP IN 6 MONTHS THAN WE HAVE IN 6 YEARS]. Reverse side of paper has an advertisement for Atlantic Records featuring an illustration of a red, yellow, and green abstract figure.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1989
• Created by: Def Jam Recordings, American, founded 1984
• Subject of: LL Cool J, American, born 1968
• Subject of: Beastie Boys, American, 1980 - 2012
• Subject of: Public Enemy, American, founded 1982
• Subject of: Slick Rick, British American, born 1965
• Type: advertisements
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 13 1/4 × 10 3/4 in. (33.7 × 27.3 cm)
• Place used: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2015.239.17
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dwandalyn R. Reece and Maya King
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.