Take Fo' Records

Take Fo' Records is an independent record label from New Orleans and the first to specialize in Bounce music. The label is a subsidiary of Positive Black Talk, Inc., was founded in 1992 and operated by creative duo Earl J. Mackie and Henry F. Holden, until Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. Prior to creating the record label, the duo teamed up to produce a cable access television program called Positive Black Talk, due to a need for positive African American leadership in the New Orleans community. The television show changed its name to PBT and was later hosted by Mackie’s younger cousin, Anthony Mackie, who was a student at New Orleans Center of Creative Arts (NOCCA) at the time. After holding a fundraising concert for the program, Mackie and Holden became intrigued in the music industry, so they decided to put together a girl group called Da’ Sha Ra’. The newly formed group was created to make young people aware of the television program.

Take Fo’s cornerstone was created one night while promoting the girl group at a high school dance at Walter L. Cohen High School, in the uptown section of New Orleans. Mackie and Holden met Eldon Delloyd Anderson and Jerome Temple a.k.a. DJ Jubilee, who was the school’s DJ at that time. Jubilee took the microphone to warm up the crowd and had the whole gym floor line dancing, as if they were on Soul Train. The duo were impressed, then took Anderson under their wings. Take Fo’ continued to create and promote new and upcoming artist by sponsoring concerts throughout the southwest and gulf coast regions. Several of those concerts were hosted by Anthony Mackie [1], who achieved global recognition with his portrayal of Sam Wilson / Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making his first appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

The label continued to expand from its base and broke new ground in the Texas and Arkansas markets thru Terry Wilburn who was intrigued by the growth and popularity of the label. Take Fo’ Records emerged and quickly became the center of the New Orleans hip hop movement and became New Orleans' third most popular hip-hop label behind only to Cash Money and No Limit Records. Bounce music was the new sound at that time and Take Fo’ without the help of the Internet or Social Media, was responsible for introducing this newest dance phenomenon to the nation and became known as The Backbone of Bounce Music and The Bounce Music Capital of The World.

The label has influenced and paved the way for many southern artists and several Billboard Top 10 nationally acclaimed songs in the music industry. Several significant mainstream records was influenced by Take Fo’ music including Beyoncé "Get Me Bodied", "Formation", “Before I Let Go”, which used a sample from “Get Ready, Ready” by D.J. Jubilee [2] [3]and Drake “In My Feelings” and “Nice for What”. DJ Jubilee, also known as “The King of Bounce” achieved significant recognition for his 1993 cassette single Do The Jubilee All.[4] This song contains the first recorded use of the word 'twerk'.[5] In November 2013, DJ Jubilee headlined the first bounce show to be performed at New Orleans' Preservation Hall with the Big Easy Bounce Band.[6]

Take Fo’ introduced Choppa [7] and relaesed his first single "Choppa Style", which peaked at #49 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and #94 on the Billboard Hot 100. Take Fo' also introduced Baby Boy Da Prince and released his first hit single "The Way I Live, which peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. [8]

In addition to DJ Jubilee, Choppa and Baby Boy da Prince, Take Fo’ has launched the careers of hip-hop and R&B greats such as Lisa Amos, The Beat Doctor -7th Ward Soulja, TEC-9 from U.N. L.V., Chef Reero from Da’ Sha Ra’, P-Town Moe, K.C. Redd, 2-Sweet, Bigg Ramp, The Hideout, Willie Puckett, 5th Ward Weebie, Katey Red, and Big Freedia, just to name a few. The labels first releases featured Da'Sha'Ra' and DJ Jubilee, respectively.[9][10]