Land And Water LLC, a comprehensive entertainment company based in New York City, announced on Wednesday that it would be launching an independent record label, called Land And Water Records. According to Robert E. Villanueva, Vice President of Business Development at Land And Water LLC, “the label has been created to pursue a vision where barriers to entry are removed and replaced with a universal common ground for the expression of creativity and imagination.”
Land And Water LLC www.landandwaterllc.com will be launching Land And Water Records www.landandwaterrecords.com on May 31, 2002. Private investors back the independent record label, often referred to by the “L.A.W” acronym. The company will be based in Washington Heights, New York City.L.A.W Records will be focused foremost on the Rap genre, making Washington Heights a seemingly ideal setting. Washington Heights is the home of many early 1970 graffiti pioneers, most notably “JULIO 204” and “TAKI 183.” It is land marked by one of the first Hip-Hop clubs in the country, The Audubon Club, and the neighborhood where members of the High Times Crew shocked the media, when arrested for break-dancing in the Subway back in 1980. Hip-Hop pioneers in Washington Heights have contributed immensely to the culture, with its own code of behavior, slang, and esthetic standards.
“Having been raised in this community, a community that’s played such an integral role in the establishment of Hip-Hop mores and traditions, it’s a natural progression for our company to base its operations in Washington Heights,” said Rene Marcano, a Brown University alum, and Vice President of Land And Water Records.
The first release from Land And Water Records will be a Single by the “other-ground” group ‘Krimzon’ (Anebawk and Modtrikz). The Single will include two electrifying and emotionally charged recordings, “Live Wire” and “Every Ghetto Got.” L.A.W Records will release the 12″ Single, with guest vocals and production by Al-Shid of Bigger Picture Productions, on June 11, 2002. Other singles will follow shortly thereafter. The Krimzon Album, “Le Sacrifice” (Creole translation of The Sacrifice) is set to drop Fall 2002.
Land And Water Records will embrace the Internet as its primary communication media. The website will add visual life to the labels name, provide its fans with unparalleled access to and interaction with the label’s ground, and in essence, manifest its liberation for users of this digital community.