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File this story under great news you probably didn’t know you wanted. After an eight year hiatus, Roots maestro Questlove has decided to relaunch Okayplayer Records with releases from former Def Jukie and Interscope refugee Danny! and Jay-Z’s engineer extraordinaire Young Guru. Danny!’s Payback drops on September 25th and Young Guru’s Essentials Vol. 1 (the first in a trilogy of instrumental albums) follows it on October 9th. Questlove stated, in a press release,
“I’ve been waiting years for the right moment to re-launch the label, and I’m eager to kick things off with Danny!. … I’m excited for what the future holds for Okayplayer Records and look forward to releasing more great projects over the next few years.”
With the recent signing of Action Bronson to Warner Music, the rise of diverse acts like A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Odd Future, Mr. Mothafuckin eXquire, Danny Brown, and the resurrection of Okayplayer, one of the indie stalwarts of the late 90s and early 2000s, it’s an exciting time for hip-hop, even if the industry at large continues its struggle against the future.
