Empire Distribution


Empire Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. is an independent American record label, distribution and publishing company founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami. Based in San Francisco, EMPIRE has offices in New York, London, Lagos, and Johannesburg in addition to recording studios in San Francisco and New York.
Shami, a San Francisco native with a background in music and tech, founded Empire as a digital distribution company focused on hip hop and rap. Developing proprietary software that allowed managers and artists to easily track airplay and sales, Empire paid monthly royalties to artists, many of whom had not previously earned digital revenue, and gained early support from the Bay Area's artist community.
In 2014, Shami, known as Ghazi, launched the Empire label. Empire Africa, Empire Latino, and Empire Nashville divisions were later established. Since its founding—in partnership with artists and artist labels—Empire has released music by artists including Kendrick Lamar, Anderson.Paak, Shaboozey, Fat Joe, Tyga, Olamide, Asake, Fireboy DML, XXXTentacion, G-Dragon, Philthy Rich, Young Dolph, Key Glock, King Von, Tink, Black Sherif, Yung Bleu, D Smoke, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, DRAM, Cardi B and Emtee, among others. Empire Publishing was founded in 2020.
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History

2010-2014: Founding, early success

Empire was founded in by Ghazi Shami. Raised in San Francisco, he grew up listening to Bay Area artists such as Too Short, Spice 1, RBL Posse, Souls of Mischief, Luniz, JT the Bigga Figga, and Rappin' 4-Tay. Equally interested in music and technology, in college he worked at the tech companies Sun Microsystems, Eloquent Technologies and Audio Highway; he later worked at Hyde Street Studios, where he engineered and mixed music by artists including Messy Marv, Planet Asia and Too Short.
In 2006, he was hired at INgrooves Music Group, an independent distribution and marketing company. While he had written code and built out streaming media sites since he was a teenager, at INgrooves, he learned about the intricacies of digital distribution, artist contracts, and royalties. Helping to build the company's rap division, he signed DIY artists representative of the Bay Area sound and culture, often introducing them to online revenue streams.
Ghazi founded Empire from his home in the Potrero neighborhood of San Francisco in 2010. In a 2019 interview, he said: "This company wouldn't exist if I wasn’t born and bred in the Bay; in SF and Silicon Valley. This company is as much a software company as it is a music company. It’d be a disservice to the roots, to the origin, to everything that I stand for, if this company wasn't firmly planted or rooted here."
Initially focused on rap, Empire's backend technology bypassed the existing digital distribution system and delivered music directly to streaming and retail platforms quickly to capitalize on the viral momentum of the genre's traditional rapid-fire releases. Contracts were non-exclusive and proprietary software allowed managers and artists to easily track royalties, which were paid monthly. The company's core practices, in addition to Ghazi's relationships, attracted artists, and as Empire gained traction, Ghazi hired Nima Etminan as his second-in-command. Etminan later became the company's COO.

2014-2020: Empire Records, Empire Latino, Empire Nashville

With its digital distribution platform successful, Empire established Empire Records. Among others, the label released Anderson.Paak's album Malibu, which earned.Paak a Grammy nomination in the Best New Artist, category, as well as Fat Joe's “All The Way Up” and DRAM's “Broccoli.” Young Dolph turned down a $22 million major label deal to sign with Empire and remain independent. In an interview with Variety, Dolph said: "Empire is on deck with people who love to do this shit just as much as I do...whether you got money to deal with it or no money to deal with it, the best relationships are going to be the ones where you understand each other."
In 2017, XXXTentacion's debut album, 17, was released on Empire. It charted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200. His sophomore album was released on Capitol. He returned to re-sign with Empire a month before his death; The New York Times reported that the deal was worth $10 million. XXXTentacion's posthumous album, Skins, debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart.
In 2018, Tina Davis, previously an artist manager and a head of A&R at Def Jam, was named SVP of A&R, and a partnership with L.A. Reid's Hitco was announced. King Von's Empire-distributed song "Crazy Story" was a 3× platinum viral hit. He subsequently signed with Empire, releasing the mixtape, Grandson, which became one of the label's most successful releases. Empire also worked with Tyga in 2018; the track "Taste", was 9× platinum as of 2023.
Empire began working with Latino artists including Tego Calderón and Luis Enrique in 2012, and in 2018 established Empire Latino. In 2019, Empire Latino had its first hit with Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Jay Wheeler; as of 2023, his song La Curiosidad was 8× platinum.
Empire Nashville, a country music division, was founded in 2019, "blazing a trail for Black country artists."

2020 - present: Empire Publishing, Empire Africa, Shaboozey

In 2020, after developing proprietary software specific to music publishing that provided transparency similar to Empire's royalty software, Empire established a publishing division. Initial signings included Illmind, Nebu Kiniza, Dr Zeus and Empire artists Young Dolph, Key Glock, Mozzy, Fireboy DML, Yung Bleu and RJMrLA.
In partnership with Olamide and his label, YBNL Nation, Empire Africa's first signing was Nigerian Afrobeats artist Fireboy DML. His 2021 single "Peru", remixed by Ed Sheeran, was a global hit. With subsequent signings including Asake, Burna Boy, BNXN and Kizz Daniel, Empire Africa became a preeminent Afrobeats label; on Nigeria's year-end TurnTable Charts, Empire had the top three artists, the top two songs, and the top album. Empire releases held the #1 position on the Nigerian charts for 35 weeks over the course of the year.
Empire began investing in the Detroit hip-hop scene not long after the company was founded. In a 2022 interview with Billboard, Ghazi said he felt a strong connection between San Francisco and Detroit. The label signed Babyface Ray in 2017, and by 2022 had signed 10 artists, including Peezy, Babytron, Payroll Giovanni, and Rio Da Yung OG. Peezy's "2 Million Up" went viral on TikTok and hit seven Billboard charts, including the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Rap Airplay and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
In October 2022, Empire acquired the Bay area-founded dance label, Dirtybird. In January 2023, a partnership with the Web3 investment platform, Nebula, was announced. It was also announced that Money Man, who was paid in Bitcoin when he signed with Empire in 2021, would release his EP on the Nebula platform.
In June 2023, Davis was named president of the company.
In May 2024, Shaboozey—who signed with Empire in 2021—released the album Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going. The album was a worldwide hit, with the single "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" hitting #1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. It held the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 non-consecutive weeks, tying the 2020s record for the most weeks at #1 in November. He was nominated for five 2025 Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Best New Artist.

Notable artists

Selected discography

YearCatTitleArtistDetailsCertifications
2010EREAuthenticityThe Foreign ExchangeOct 12, 2010#145 on the Billboard 200
  1. 23 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
2011ERESetbacksScHoolboy QJan 11, 2011#100 on the US Billboard 200
2011ERELongterm MentalityAb-SoulApril 5, 2011#32 on the US Top Heatseekers
  • 73 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
    • 2011ERESection.80Kendrick LamarJuly 2, 2011#113 on the US Billboard 200
  • 1 on the US Top Heatseekers Albums
    • 2011ERECharity Starts At HomePhonteSep 27, 2011
    2011EREIn None We TrustCrooked INov 17, 2011
    2011EREGift Of Gab 2RockoNov 24, 2011
    2012EREDirty SlumsSlum VillageMar 27, 2012
    2012EREStoner's EPSnoop DoggApril 17, 2012#31 on the US Independent Albums
  • 33 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
    • 2012EREDon't Be S.A.F.E.Trinidad JamesSep 18, 2012#103 on the US Billboard 200
  • 8 on the US Top Heatseekers Albums
    • 2012EREBaby Face KillaFreddie GibbsSep 25, 2012
    2013EREStill Goin In Rich Homie QuanFeb 8, 2013Named tenth best mixtape of 2013 by Rolling Stone.
    2013EREThe Year of the UnderdogzYoung Noble & Gage GullyMay 7, 2013
    2013EREWest Coast Gangsta ShitDaz Dillinger and WCJune 19, 2013
    2013EREESGN (Evil Seeds Grow Naturally)Freddie GibbsJune 20, 2013#8 on US Top Heatseekers Albums
  • 24 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
    • 2013ERECold TurkeyStarlitoJuly 2, 2013
    2013ERE108 Apex PredatorCrooked IJuly 30, 2013#33 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
    2013ERE1103ChordFoldTerrace MartinAug 13, 2013#43 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
  • 9 on US Top Heatseekers Albums
    • 2013ERETravis GarlandTravis GarlandSep 10, 2013
    2013EREGas Pedal EPSage The GeminiSep 10, 2013
    2013EREO.K.E. (Deluxe Edition)The GameOct 8, 2013#89 on the US Billboard 200
  • 19 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
    • 2013EREKnock MadnessHopsinNov 24, 2013#1 on US Top Heatseekers Albums
  • 7 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
  • 6 on US Independent Albums
    • 2014ERE135Tortoise and the Crow CDGrouch, ElighMar 04, 2014
    2014ERE139Phantom and the GhostStyles PApr 29, 2014#74 on US Billboard 200
  • 14 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
  • 18 on US Independent Albums
    • 2014EREBarrel BrothersSkyzoo and ToraeMay 27, 2014
    2014ERE141 VeniceAnderson.PaakOct 28, 2014
    2015EREStrictly RootsMorgan HeritageJune 8, 2015Grammy Award Winning : Best Reggae Album
    2015ERE141 Fuk Wat They Talkin BoutTygaAug 24, 2015
    2015ERE141Shadow of a DoubtFreddie GibbsNov 20, 2015#76 on US Billboard 200
    2016ERE141 MalibuAnderson.PaakJan 15, 2016#79 on US Billboard 200
    2016ERE141 King of MemphisYoung DolphFeb 19, 2016#49 on US Billboard 200
    2017ERE310Plata O PlomoFat Joe and Remy MaFeb 17, 2017#44 on US Billboard 200
    2017ERE344Neva LeftSnoop DoggMay 19, 2017#54 on US Billboard 200
    2017EREFor Your Girl TooSelfishMay 23, 2017
    2017EREBitchImTheShit2TygaJul 21, 2017
    2017ERE17XXXTentacionAug 25, 2017#2 on US Billboard 200
    2018ERE381KyotoTygaFeb 16, 2018
    2018ERE453Tru LPLloydAug 31, 2018
    2018EREDancing ShadowsMarioOct 5, 2018
    2018ERESkinsXXXTentacionDec 7, 2018#1 on US Billboard 200
    2019EREWalk with MeRotimiMay 24, 2019
    2019ERELegendaryTygaJun 7, 2019#17 on US Billboard 200
    2019EREIn My DefenseIggy AzaleaJul 19, 2019#50 on US Billboard 200
    2019ERE524I Wanna Thank MeSnoop DoggAug 16, 2019#76 on US Billboard 200
    2019EREWicked LipsIggy AzaleaDec 2, 2019
    2019ERE537Bad Vibes ForeverXXXTentacionDec 6, 2019#5 on US Billboard 200

    Notable singles