D-Block

In 2003 the Yonkers, NY rap trio the LOX—Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P—established D-Block Records, whose first official release was Sheek Louch’s solo album Walk Witt Me. Alongside J-Hood (aka Jae Hood) and Team Arliss, the label’s president Supa Mario joined the roster, and the collective began issuing compilations and additional projects under the D-Block banner through New York’s active mixtape scene. One standout entry, The CD/DVD Mixtape, entered the Top 40 of the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart upon its March 2006 appearance on Koch Records. Tension with 50 Cent and his G-Unit entourage—sparked when 50 Cent took issue with Jadakiss’s guest spot on rival Ja Rule’s “New York”—prompted the crew’s departure from Interscope in favor of a Koch distribution arrangement. Additional friction arose with Roc-a-Fella artist Beanie Sigel and the LOX’s onetime Bad Boy label head Sean “Diddy” Combs over publishing rights, although both disputes ultimately ended on cordial terms.