ABOUT LAND AND WATER RECORDS
Land And Water Records is an independent record label committed to making music that promotes positive attitudes and lifestyles. As law, our music does
not, nor will it ever, in any way, promote self-destructive thought and behavior, or degrade women. At Land And Water Records, we do not bend to the will of “mainstream” corporate media, its norms, trends, business practice, values or vision. Our interest isn’t to simply sell the consumer a product. It is to create music with substance and significance in order to promote a “bigger picture” and a far greater reality.
At Land And Water Records, we overstand the “do’s and don’ts” of business and industry. We know that we are supposed to dive into a world of micro and macroeconomics. We are supposed to use marketers and promotional campaigns. We are supposed to base these campaigns on demographics, so as to target people strategically and bombard them with ads. However, we are not the “industry” and we do not intend on insulting the intelligence of our communities. #!*@ who we offend. Hiphop has taught us differently. We major in concepts of self, not trickery.
We create music because it resonates the mind, body, and spirit. Indeed, as the creative extension of the human spirit, music will always defy attempts at control. At Land And Water Records we are guided by these fundamental values and as an ongoing challenge our everyday lives are a testament.
If you can relate, and recognize the power of music as a transformational force, as a social service, then we are confident that you will appreciate our work. Welcome to Land And Water!
Land And Water Records was founded, and is based, in Washington Heights, New York City – a community rich in cultural heritage. Historically, Washington Heights played an integral role in the development of Hiphop culture. It is land marked by one of the first Hiphop clubs in the country, The Audubon Club, and has been the home of many influential, early 1970s graffiti pioneers, most notably “JULIO 204” and “TAKI 183”. The Writer’s Block on 188th and Audubon Avenue and the famous handball courts at George Washington High School were also iconic hubs of Hiphop culture.
Washington Heights is also the neighborhood where members of the High Times Crew were arrested for break-dancing in the Subway, back in 1980. It is in the spirit of innovation, non-complacency, and resilience fostered by this community, and other ghettos alike, that we, at Land And Water Records, exist.
To us, land and water represents growth and fertility, autonomy and self-sufficiency, freedom and independence. It represents culture and the natural world, and the creative forces that bring us abundance, giving us all that we need. Land and water represents a return to natural, and universal, law and living. Accordingly, our company’s logo presents the scales of justice with two things that represent the most fundamental elements of Hiphop culture: two turntables and a mic!
Although we are based in Washington Heights, NYC, our perspective is universal. Land And Water Records represents ideas that transcend any particular place, geographically speaking. Indeed, from Anacostia to Amsterdam, Brockton to Brixton, Carson to Cape Town, we are bonded by common experiences and a collective consciousness.
