Rawkus Records is an American hip hop record label, known for jump-starting the careers of both Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Rawkus was at first a label searching for a sound. Initial releases were in the genre of House and Drum & Bass. Label heads Brian Brater and Jarret Meyer were introduced to local talent from the New York area notably Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Company Flow among others. From these introductions began a new direction for them. Rawkus developed into a hip hop label, issuing a string of 12" releases. These releases helped initiate a resurgence in the New York/ East Coast sound. Many of Rawkus' releases are considered "classics" among hip hop aficionados. At the time of the mid to late 90's Rawkus among other burgening labels was considered a top independent record label in the underground hip hop scene. News began to surface that Rawkus was not truly independent but in fact funded in an indirect way by Rupert Murdoch through son James Murdoch. This created a backlash amongst the hip hop community and its own roster artists. Most outspoken was Company Flow's El-P. Rawkus was able to secure distribution deals with major labels and continued to release albums with varying success. With associations with major label limited their album releases and many of their artist pursued other ventures. Rawkus became a label without artists nor releases and in time went on a hiatus. Recently, Rawkus has reemerged issuing a "Best Of" album and submitting advertisement boasting a large roster of new artists and upcoming releases.

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