Purple City

The New York mixtape scene functioned as a vital incubator for up-and-coming rap acts, illustrated most vividly by 50 Cent and the members of his G-Unit circle. Harlem’s Purple City crew, frequent collaborators with the Diplomats, put out multiple underground mixtapes throughout the early 2000s and moved more than 80,000 copies without any formal distribution network. More accurately described as a roster of artists orbiting Purple City Entertainment (also known as Purple City Productions) than a conventional rap group, its central figures remain Shiest Bub, Un Kasa, and longtime underground MC “Don Bishop” Agallah, who also serves as the crew’s primary producer. After acquiring promotional experience alongside Dipset leaders Cam’ron and Juelz Santana, Shiest Bub launched Purple City with assistance from Un Kasa and “Don Bishop” Agallah and installed himself as CEO. Late in 2004 the crew secured a deal with Babygrande Records that prompted the label to issue a best-of compilation, three albums, and several potential solo projects. The two 2005 Babygrande releases, Road to the Riches: The Best of the Purple City Mixtapes and The Purple Album, both appeared on the upper reaches of the independent and rap album charts. Despite this initial promise, fractured internal relations led Un Kasa to exit in 2006, citing poor business practices and communication breakdowns.