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Newtroit Records Celebrates 30th Anniversary

It's hard to keep a record label going for three years let alone thirty, but Newtroit Records has done just that. Celebrating its third decade in the game, Newtroit -- a combination of New York and Detroit -- is marking its anniversary with a new distribution deal through Thompkins Media Group that will get albums all over the country.

Newtroit was the first hip-hop label to actually be owned and operated by a rap artist. In 1980, they released a first 12'' single entitled 'Big Apple Rappin,' which was an early rap hit and is still considered one of the seminal hip-hop singles of the genre's first decade.



Oddly, one of Newtroit's biggest current projects is an attempt to reunite George Clinton's original Parliament band for a record. "We are currently negotiating with funk legends Grady Thomas and Fuzzy Haskins of the original Parliament on doing all new music with guests appearances by some of today's new crop of stars, as well as trying to reunite the original band with George Clinton. They are legends and huge influences on so many of today's artists. It's only right," said rapper and owner Spyder, the main MC from 'Big Apple Rappin.'

While known for its initial series of singles, Newtroit hasn't made a big splash in the industry since eventual juggernauts like Def Jam came around in the early '80s. The revamped label is planning a reintroduction mixtape release that features all of its current artists, including Mikey D, The Street Poets, Butta Tones and Spyder's final rap recordings.

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