Suave House Records

Founding

Suave House Records was founded in Houston, Texas, in 1990 by Tony Draper, who was sixteen years old at the time. Draper built the company as an independent operation, and its identity became closely tied to 8Ball & MJG, the Memphis rap duo of Premro Smith and Marlon Goodwin. Their debut album “Comin' Out Hard,” released on Suave House in August 1993, reached number 40 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and sold more than 500,000 copies. Spin later named it one of the defining albums of Southern rap. The label's roster in its early years also included South Circle, Tela, Mr. Mike and Crime Boss.

The Relativity years

Suave House's first distribution partner was Relativity Records, which gave its releases national reach. 8Ball & MJG's third album, “On Top of the World,” released through Suave House and Relativity on October 31, 1995, peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and was certified gold. The album confirmed 8Ball & MJG as the label's flagship act and gave Suave House a national profile.

Universal, Artemis and Koch

In 1997 Suave House moved its distribution from Relativity to Universal Records. The first release under the new arrangement was MJG's solo album “No More Glory” (November 18, 1997), which reached number 20 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in March 1998. Eightball's double album “Lost” (May 19, 1998), issued through Draper's affiliated Draper Inc. imprint, reached number 5. 8Ball & MJG then returned as a duo with “In Our Lifetime” (May 18, 1999), which debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 with about 95,000 copies sold in its first week, topped the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and was certified gold. The label also issued the compilation “Suave House Presents.. Off Da Chain Vol. 1” in 1999. When the Universal deal ended that year, Suave House signed with Artemis Records.

Later years and legacy

In the 2000s Suave House's output slowed as 8Ball & MJG went on to other labels. The company used its catalog of early recordings by Rick Ross, once signed to the label, for the 2007 release “Rise to Power,” and in April 2008 it signed a joint venture with Koch, whose first release was the 8Ball & MJG collection “We Are the South: Greatest Hits.” Other artists who released music through the label included Big Mike, Gillie Da Kid, One Gud Cide and Jazze Pha. Suave House is remembered as one of the Houston companies that turned Southern rap into a national business in the 1990s, and Draper as one of the youngest label owners of the era.