The Conglomerate (American group)
| The Conglomerate | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, Rap |
| Years active | 1996–Present |
| Labels | Conglomerate Records |
| Past members |
Busta Rhymes Spliff Star Reek Da Villian Dready J-Doe Seige Monstracity DJ Ice Cold Nikki Grier Lonny Bereal N.O.R.E. DJ Scrachator Serious Lord Have Mercy Roc Marciano Meka M. Dollars Labba Show Money Papoose Rah Digga Rampage Baby Sham Chauncey Black |
The Conglomerate (formerly Flipmode Squad) is a production crew and musical group, founded and fronted by rapper Busta Rhymes. The first Flipmode album debuted in 1998 with The Imperial, Rampage and Rah Digga went on to record solo efforts. In the move to J Records in 2000, Lord Have Mercy left Flipmode Squad in preference of a solo career in 2000, feeling that Busta was holding him down.[1][2] The original line up also included Serious, who after quickly leaving would later produce for artists on No Limit Records, and later acts like Show Money and M. Dollars who were signed to the label as independent artists. Underground MC Roc Marciano would also be signed to the label for a number of years before going the independent route.
A second Flipmode Squad release, Rulership Movement, was set for release in 2003 on J Records, but because of the label change to Aftermath it was never released. It was announced that the album might be released sometime in 2009,J-MOE was in the group until he went solo. The founding member, Busta Rhymes later joined Dr. Dre's Aftermath label in 2006, and Rah Digga & Spliff Star appeared alongside Busta in the "Touch It (Remix)" video. Rah Digga left the Flipmode Squad amicably a couple of years later and directed her solo career. Spliff Star continued to collaborate in forming the Conglomerate with Busta, along with founding his own label. DJ Scratchator left Flipmode/The Conglomerate in 2009 but returned in 2011 with the new movement taking form. Reek da Villian left Flipmode in 2009, but because of business reasons, he then headed to the Conglomerate, as well. Various members continued to record with each other. Busta signed with Cash Money Records in 2011, taking his business there with him. As the Conglomerate, an official mixtape was released in 2012.
Discography
Studio albums
- 1998: The Imperial
Mixtapes
- 2002: Arsenal For The Streets pt. 1
- 2003: Arsenal For The Streets pt. 2 (The Full Court Press)
- 2007: The Facelift pt. 1
- 2007: The Full Course Meal
- 2012: Catastrophic (as newly formed Conglomerate)
Singles
- 1998: "Everybody on the Line Outside"
- 1998: "Run For Cover" (Promo)
- 1998: "Cha Cha Cha"
- 1999: "Rastaman Chant" (Bob Marley featuring Flipmode Squad) (from the album Chant Down Babylon)
- 2002: "Here We Go"
- 2002: "Just Chill"
- 2003: "I Know What You Want" (Busta Rhymes featuring Mariah Carey & Flipmode Squad) (from the album It Ain't Safe No More)
Members[3]
- Busta Rhymes (1996–2014)
- Spliff Star (1996–2014)
- Reek Da Villian (2006–2009; 2011–2014)
- Dready (2007–2014)
- J-Doe (2008–2014)
- Seige Monstracity (2009–2014)
- DJ Ice Cold (2009–2014)
- Nikki Grier (2010–2014)
- Lonny Bereal (2010–2014)
- N.O.R.E. (2011–2014)
- DJ Scratch (1996–2009, 2011–2014)
- Brady Lanter (1998–2014)
- Serious (1996–1998)
- Lord Have Mercy (1996–2000)
- Roc Marciano (1999–2001)
- Meka (1997–2003)
- Rampage (1996–2006)
- Papoose (2006–2008)
- M. Dollars (2003–2007)
- Labba (2003–2007)
- Rah Digga (1997–2007)
- Baby Sham (1997–2008)
- Chauncey Black (2004–2009)
- Show Money (2007–2014)
References
- ↑ BallerStatus.com | Hip-Hop, R&B & Urban Lifestyle Portal
- ↑ Cantor, Paul (19 August 2004). "Lord Have Mercy: It Was Written". AllHipHop. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- ↑ http://www.conglomeratefans.com/bioflipmode.htm