A History of Uncommon Records

Foundational Years (2004-2006)

Uncommon Nasa spent his musical years from 2000 through 2006 working as the head mixing engineer at Definitive Jux Records, having met El-P at recording sessions he worked on at Ozone Music in years prior. It was at Def Jux that Nasa learned what operating an indie label was about, from curating a sound to the business end of things. Taking the experience of watching others successes and failures into account Nasa set out on his own to start a label that focused solely on “Progressive Hip-Hop” (a term he coined and was using during this time period).

The label was co-founded by Cirrus Minor for the releases of music from their collaborative group, The Presence. The Presence was fresh off of a demo EP that was circulating hand to hand in NYC called Advanced Bloodbath (2001, later re-issued officially in 2008) and their Def Jux single, Woke (2003) when the Members Only EP (2004) became the first ever project released under the label Uncommon Records. The following year saw Common Man’s Anthems (2005), a full length from The Presence, which featured a track produced by EL-P and collaborations with Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, Karniege and Masai Bey. The first Uncommon Records mixtape was created from an relentless 48 hour session of Djing, creating and editing Live at Nasa Labs (2005), by DJ Shortrock. This Mix CD included many of the classic Definitive Jux and Ozone recordings that Uncommon Nasa was a part of, but also included newly created material and Uncommon Records’ burgeoning members material. It fully bridged the gap and handed the torch from Uncommon Nasa’s Definitive Jux work to the Uncommon Records.

During this period of releases from The Presence, Uncommon Records was expanding their roster, working with the first wave of signed collaborators. This line up included Brooklyn based producer Arcsin, Long Island emcee Centri, Berkeley’s Digdug and Sweden’s Stacs of Stamina. This base of artists formed the core of the music found on the label’s first compilation, We Are, Vol. 1 (2006). The groundbreaking record also included future label participants from Stolen Music Imprint, like Masai Bey, as well as the first of many collaborations between Uncommon Nasa and billy woods. This compilation was also significant in the founding of Uncommon Records due to the fact that it was the first album distributed digitally by the label.

In 2006, selling and distributing music digitally was a novel idea for indie labels and for Uncommon Records it became part of it’s mission statement. It was during this time that Uncommon Records signed a long term distribution deal with IODA Distribution (later The Orchard/Sony Music). The goal from this point forward as a fledgling label was to produce as much quality music as possible, distributed digitally, since the resources were not there to keep up with the more established indie labels at the time that were pressing high volumes of CDs and Vinyl (which in 2006 was even more costly then it is today). This founding period ended with the release of Arcsin’s Oculus Fang (2007), the first non-The Presence artist release on the label. The early ideals of “flooding the market” with quality “progressive hip-hop” releases digitally would set the stage for the next period of Uncommon Records’ story.

The Progressive Years, Yule Prog Era (2007-2013)

By 2007, Uncommon Nasa was no longer working at Definitive Jux and while The Presence would soldier on through 2010 before disbanding, Nasa was now clearly at the helm of the label and it’s direction. In this time period, Uncommon Records could easily be described as an A & R label. There was a rapid expansion of the roster starting in 2007, which continued through 2013. The label was constantly on the look out for new talent that fit into it’s then Progressive vision.

2006 and 2007 saw several releases from Masai Bey on Uncommon Records including the free collection of his stellar previous works, Collector’s Bey (2006). This was followed up by Masai’s solo album, The Panacea Goldmind (2006) and his collaboration with BMS, C87 (2007). Masai’s last Uncommon release from this time period was 2010’s Transit, performed under the alias Kitchen Khemistry. Collector’s Bey would also mark a label shaping moment as it was the first artwork contributed to Uncommon Records by DJ Jazzpants, the label’s now long standing art director and graphic designer. The label saw a release from Digdug, Tales from the Cafetorium (2007), which featured recordings of Digdug’s young musical students creating their first songs. The long worked on and awaited album from Karniege, From the Left (2008), which was fully produced by Uncommon Nasa also arrived. The additions of New York based duo 11:00A.M., Chicago & Milwaukee’s W.A.S.T.E.L.A.N.D.S. and Stolen Music Imprint’s Tracy Jones rounded out a newly formed line up of artists, culminating in the label’s second compilation, Uncommon Burners (2008).

It was during this period that Uncommon Nasa was promoting and performing at underground hip-hop events in New York City at venues like Galapagos, Northsix, House of Yes, The Delancey, Apocalypse Lounge and many more under the Uncommon Records banner. This began to cement the label more locally as an underground stalwart in New York City filling the gap left by succeeding artists from the prior generation of the city’s scene. All of this culminated with the annual progressive hip-hop ceremonies known as Yule Prog, which began in December of 2007.

Yule Prog was an annual event in New York City that was founded by Uncommon Records and conceived by Uncommon Nasa in 2007. The goal was to put together an event close to the Holiday Season that focused specifically on Progressive Hip-Hop, thus the name. The first event took place at Galapagos Art Space, with later Yule Prog events over the next decade happening at a renamed Galapagos as Public Assembly, Southpaw and DROM. The event would later include Backwoodz Studioz and later still A.M. Breakups’ Reservoir Sound in it’s planning year over year. The event would come to center around each contributing labels rosters combining them with more well known relevant artists and up and coming affiliates. The goal was to create the event as a festival featuring at least 11-14 acts on one stage, in one night. It’s organization from venue booking, artist booking and night of organization faced obvious challenges yearly but provided a home to artistic driven hip-hop in New York City at a time when there was no other home for it. Some of the then little known artists that played the event over the years were Homeboy Sandman, Open Mike Eagle, Despot, Elucid, Cavalier and many more (too many to name). They were combined with some of the more popular names of the era like Beans (from Anti-Pop Consortium), Vast Aire, Meyhem Lauren, Brown Bag All-Stars, KA, Breeze Brewin, Rob Sonic and more. This powerful and unifying event drew fans and artists from across the United States and the world to both attend and perform. It continued until 2017, when the last Yule Prog held took place at DROM in the East Village of New York City.

In 2008, the release of W.A.S.T.E.L.A.N.D.S.’ After Years of Television was a touchstone moment for the next several years of Uncommon Records. From W.A.S.T.E.L.A.N.D.S. came solo material from members Short Fuze and Taiyamo Denku, who have both gone on to contribute many releases to the label. Taiyamo Denku’s debut on Uncommon Records was Articles of Mind (2010), it featured production and appearances from a variety of established artists. This was followed up by Quadrofiendia (2012), an album fully produced by Digdug under the moniker Agartha Audio. Quadrofiendia served as a follow up to Digdug’s own follow up release on the label, The Hollow Earth (2010). The Hollow Earth and Quadrofiendia solidified DigDug as one of the labels key producers during this time period with both releases relying heavily on Uncommon Records personnel like Masai Bey, The Presence, Tracy Jones and Atari Blitzkrieg.

The second artist to come out of W.A.S.T.E.L.A.N.D.S. to land with Uncommon Records for solo material was Short Fuze. He’s released 3 releases with Uncommon Records that were all produced by Uncommon Nasa under the names Short Fuze & Nasa or simply Short Fuze & Uncommon Nasa. Beginning with Lobotomy Music (2010), Toxicology Music (2011) and Autonomy Music (2016). The latter of which we’ll get into a bit later as the two continue working on music together to this day as Guillotine Crowns. Lobotomy Music marked the beginnings of the direction the label would later take. While Uncommon Records was already known for heady and experimental music, Lobotomy Music marked a step towards introspection in artists work. This was done earlier by Tracy Jones with Humancloud Abandonment (2007) and to some extent by The Presence, but Lobotomy Music was the first attempt by either Short Fuze as an artist or Uncommon Nasa as a Producer to crystalize that kind of intention.

By 2011, Uncommon Records had signed Los Angeles veterans, Acid Reign. Acid Reign came to Uncommon Records with prior success in the underground scene of the United States and were part of the legendary Project Blowed collective. The group released it’s introduction to Uncommon Records in the form of the free, Tracks from the Abyss, Vol. 1 (2011), to be followed by Diversity (2011) and a maxi-single Kiss Ass (2011). Diversity featured a now classic Blowdien posse cut called Creme De La Blowed, that posse cut became part of Uncommon Records’ first Remix Contest. The prize of the remix contest was release of the winning remix on the Kiss Ass maxi single. With the original album version being produced by OoloO the Wize aka Nathaniel Eras, Kiss Ass featured EQ’s album remix and two contest winners as judged by the tribunal of Uncommon Nasa, Gajah and Beond. Those winners would be named as work from SBK Basement and Scorpioflo. In addition to this banger, Diversity’s goal was to represent a wide span of musical styles and influential genres, this was shown from the variety in the album from tracks like Babalu, all the way Kiss Ass itself (and everything in between). Diversity was also a key release as it sparked solo work with Gajah for Uncommon Records that continues to this day.

Uncommon Nasa himself, under that exact namesake, did not exist during this period. Nasa was simply Nasa on production and in his participation on the mic within The Presence. Eventually breaking off to do some early solo experimentation under the Adam Warlock and ADAM alias’. This resulted in his first solo EP, Dark Weapons (from Mars) (2011). DW was compiled solely with samples Nasa used from releases from The Mars Volta and could be referred to as an early example of what would later be dubbed “Noise Rap”. He then went on to release The Early Life of Adam (2012), a collection of the one off singles and cameos he had been taking part in within the previous 2-3 years, it featured production from some future collaborators on his solo work like Black-Tokyo and Lyle Horowitz among others. It was in 2013 that Uncommon Nasa took on that moniker for good during the release of his debut solo albums’ first single. Frequent Flyers, featuring Prince Po of Organized Konfusion fame guested on the track, originally released under Adam Warlock and then landing as the first ever Uncommon Nasa single. This lead up to the release of Land of the Way It Is, an album produced by multiple beat makers including mainstays during Nasa’s career like Black-Tokyo and Digdug. The release also featured many on the Uncommon Records roster of the time including Acid Reign, Short Fuze, Taiyamo Denku, Pruven, Aeon Grey and Atari Blitzkrieg. This release helped set the stage for the next few years of the label.

Uncommon Records was also producing a podcast hosted by Uncommon Nasa during this period and early time for the podcasting medium, called Uncommon Radio. Uncommon Radio went through several iterations beginning in 2006 where it was featured exclusively on the Uncommon Records website of the time. It featured interviews with legendary artists like The Rammellzee, Mr. Len of Company Flow, The Juggaknots and more (all of which were recorded in person-in studio). The show eventually got on Itunes with a version that was then co-hosted by Nasa’s partner in The Presence, Cirrus Minor. The last iteration of the show took it to live internet radio broadcasters, Bondfire Radio, as Uncommon Radio Live. In this last version Samurai Banana served as DJ and co-host of a live program that featured interviews as well as live djing of new independent releases over a two hour time format. Uncommon Radio Live’s last broadcast at Bondfire Radio took place in 2016.

Uncommon Records released albums from Des Moines’ Aeon Grey, Virginia’s Atari Blizkrieg and Connecticut’s Pruven. With all of the artists involved in Uncommon Records at the time almost every region of the United States was represented in the “Progressive Movement" of Hip-Hop that began in New York City. With that accomplishment being met, it was time for Uncommon Nasa’s production and writing talents to come to surface.

New York Telephone & Becoming a Vinyl Label (2014-2019)

By early 2014, Uncommon Nasa, as the head of Uncommon Records made a conscious decision to focus the record label more so around his own production and solo work. The belief was that if he could build up his own catalog, this could only lead to more opportunities for the entire roster. This also coincided with a rigorous DIY touring schedule that Nasa embarked on between the years 2014 and 2017. A pace of touring about 3 times per year or about 35-50 shows per year, each year, took Uncommon Nasa to almost every mainland state in the U.S. in a very short time period, all of which was the first time Nasa ever engaged in such travel for music. This eventually culminated with a tour of the United Kingdom with Last Sons in early 2017.

2014 started with the release of Steroid Stereo (Orange Edition) by Duke01. It was fully produced by Uncommon Nasa and featured all of the originally artist-released tracks, re-made with Furious P behind the turntables plus some additional tracks and instrumentals. The release was later re-branded as a Last Sons release, as this was the core personnel line up for 2018’s Chekhov’s Gun from the aforementioned group.

By the Summer, it was time for Uncommon Nasa to release, New York Telephone (2014). While the direction of the label had been steered toward Nasa’s solo work by this point, the success of this title was then un-precedented for the label. While a portion of that momentum can be attributed to a review at the upstart youtube review channel, The Needle Drop, it’s sound was universally accepted and hit a chord across several generations of underground hip-hop and underground music fans. Cassette copies of NYT, sold through 3 pressings and can still be considered rare. The record featured production from a variety of beat makers, including the first work between Nasa and Messiah Musik, but also continued work with Black-Tokyo, Lyle Horowitz, A.M. Breakups and others. New York Telephone took Nasa to perform in cities that would not have been possible prior to it’s release and eventually lead to a vinyl deal with Four Finger Distribution for release early in 2015. This partnership was the first ever vinyl record released by Uncommon Records and lead to a further circulation of New York Telephone, extending it’s promotion window through the Spring of 2015.

By this time, Uncommon Nasa was already ready with a follow up, Halfway (2015). Halfway was pressed up on vinyl as well, this time solely funded by Uncommon Records. It was produced entirely by Black-Tokyo, spurred on by previous collaborations like The War on Bicycles and This Bodega (Is Trying to Kill Me). The album’s theme, much different then New York Telephone’s, focused on mortality across 12 tracks and fleshed out concepts and topics that would have far reach into Nasa’s future releases. Halfway was also significant as it marked the first release that was recorded by Rubieseyes at Nasa Labs, NYC. 2014 also so the release of a full length from Gajah called Hands of Gold Are Always Cold, produced entirely by Uncommon Nasa. This release allowed Gajah to dig deep in tackling personal and global predicaments from homelessness to global conflict and featured a new wrinkle of Nasa’s production for the first time at album length, a more choppier use of samples and less profound use of drums that set it apart from previous releases on the label.

The album release schedule at Uncommon Records had admittedly slowed down during this period, mostly due to Uncommon Nasa’s work scheduling and promoting independent tours. Halfway spawned a trio of runs, Midwest/Northeast with Carl Kavorkian and Samurai Banana, West Coast with Gajah and Southeast with SKECH185. All of this said, Autonomy Music (2016) by Short Fuze & Uncommon Nasa came out on vinyl the next Summer. The album featured production exclusively by Uncommon Nasa, who also jumped on a few tracks. It served as a long awaited follow up to 2010’s Lobotomy Music and would continue to set the stage for the later formed Guillotine Crowns.

By late 2016, Man Bites Dog Records approached Uncommon Nasa about an opportunity to release a self produced solo album that’s focus would be to have Nasa collaborating as much as possible. This resulted in the release of Written At Night (2017) which became Uncommon Nasa’s largest commercial success to date (at least in terms of digital streaming). The record featured several contemporaries and associates like billy woods, Quelle Chris, Guilty Simpson and several artists that remained on the active Uncommon roster like Short Fuze, Gajah and the Last Sons.

The years between and including 2017-2019 saw a further reduction of releases actually put out by Uncommon Records since Written At Night later lead to a second agreement between Nasa and Man Bites Dog that surfaced as the Kount Fif produced City As School (2019). A notable exception was the release of Chekhov’s Gun (2019) from Last Sons, which continued to build on Uncommon Records’ new tradition of highly concepted vinyl releases, from the music to the artwork included. Chekhov’s Gun was produced by Uncommon Nasa and featured a far more in-depth coordination between he and Furious P on the turntables as well as a deeper dive on lyrical themes discussed on their previous release, Steroid Stereo, by Duke01.

This 3rd phase of Uncommon Records history could be summed up by the phrase “taking a step back to take two steps forward”. While the release schedule slowed down, the labels releases that did surface began to land with an even greater impact and for the artist at the helm it opened the door to third party opportunities that were never possible previously.

a multi-artist label again, Uncommon Restoration Imprint (2020-2024)

During the Summer of 2019, Uncommon Nasa had a hard drive go corrupt and it was believed at the time that several releases would be lost. Fortunately, through a very long series of events that included lots of IT conversations, the drive was saved and devastation was avoided. Sitting in limbo on that hard drive were large portions of what would become the debut album from White Horse (2020), Uncommon Nasa’s Only Child (2021), Guillotine Crowns’ Hills to Die On (2022) and also the Man Bites Dog release, City As School (2019). With all of those albums recovered and ready for release, it set the stage for the beginning of the next several years and a refocus on Uncommon Records as a multi-artist label.

The first of these albums, White Horse, a collaboration between Gajah and Uncommon Nasa that had been conceptually in the works for years, was finally released on vinyl by Uncommon Records in the Fall of 2020. The album featured multiple singles and remixes across streaming services. During this time period Uncommon Records upped it’s presence on Youtube, creating original content like Flashback Sessions, Dope Sh!t Podcast snippets, Live Beatmaking Sessions, Behind the Scenes Label Updates and much more on the @UncommonRecordsNYC channel.

2021 marked the launch of Uncommon Restoration, a 45RPM 7” imprint label run by Uncommon Nasa and Short Fuze. Releases from Tracy Jones, Masai Bey, Karniege and Acid Reign make up the first four releases from the imprint. The rejuvenation of interest in Tracy Jones’ classic Humancloud Abandonment project and Masai Bey’s Def Jux single, Paper Mache, along with Karniege’s Mad Cow Milk. While it came sadly after Gajah’s passing, Acid Reign’s dual banger 45 which brought Babalu and Fantastic 4 (featuring Neila and Myka9) solidified two solid years of pressings.

Masai Bey’s back catalog was signed by Uncommon Records during 2021, resulting in the aforementioned Paper Mache re-issue (both digital and 45), as well as the 15th Anniversary Re-Release of The Panacea Goldmind on CD, with Natural Magic Music, a re-issue on CD of C87, Art of the Covenant and Kitchen Khemistry following. Uncommon Records has moved happily into a phase where the label’s past is celebrated while still building new works for the future.

The year also saw the first Uncommon Nasa solo project in two years with the Messiah Musik produced Only Child. This album explored early childhood memories in order to highlight the experiences of only children, with often personal, abstract and poetic vocals. Messiah Musik and Uncommon Nasa’s follow up came early the next year in the form of Oculus (2022).

2022 brought the saddest of times with the passing of Gajah. Gajah was an incredibly talented emcee, poet, friend and executive producer. His vision for combining complex word play and technical mic skills with universally recognized musicality and messaging reached many people, both with Uncommon Records projects and with his other groups - Acid Reign, Lunar Pistols and of course his rich catalog of solo material. He is deeply missed.

Short Fuze was at the center of two of 2022’s full length releases. First, the long awaited debut LP from his duo with Uncommon Nasa, Guillotine Crowns - Hills to Die On and then his own solo album, The Painkiller Boutique. Those contributions re-established him with audiences after a musical hiatus and landed each record on many year’s best lists.

2023 has seen the additions of Samurai Banana and Pastense as members of the Uncommon roster. Samurai Banana released an instrumental opus, Just Tired, which came in the most detailed CD release in the label’s history. Including original artwork within a 16 page booklet from his father, Richard Gann, the release also saw three envelope pushing music videos attached to it. Uncommon Records also re-issued two Pastense projects to welcome him to the line up. Good Will Cutting (with Shortrock) and Paper Cuts and Aged Spirits. These re-issues lead up to a brand new album from Pastense, produced by Uncommon Nasa, Sidewalk Chalk, Parade Day Rain - released in 2024.

Guilty Simpson’s Escalation was released in October of 2023, produced by Uncommon Nasa, it’s 12 tracks are unique. The album stands out and also fits right into Guilty’s deep catalog.

Uncommon Records is thankful for all of our supporters, whether they’ve been with us from the very beginning or jumped on during one of the label’s periods described above. When you think of us, don’t think of us as an independent music business, think of us as independent from the music business.