Beats & Rhymes, a hip-hop music licensing company associated with DeWolfe Music, has recently broken into the record business. The release of their split 12" single, Jones in Ya Bones / Blackman marks an expansion into a new sector of the music industry by the talented New York-based company. They also recently teamed up with BeanDip clothing company to carry out music and fashion collaborations.

The tracks from the split single are part of an upcoming EP release, Stereobytes Vol. 1. Artists featured include Black Attack, Butta Verses, and C Rayz Walz, as well as production by V.I.C. and Marco Polo. Marco, recently signed to Sony / Rawkus Records, joins the ranks of artists whose careers exploded after working with Beats & Rhymes, including Joell Ortiz (signed to Aftermath Recordings), and Frequency (featured on a collaboration with Snoop Dogg for Blue Carpet Treatment).

Beats & Rhymes also has a small line of streetwear, made by BeanDip clothing, which is set to expand. The pairing came about after both had been collaborating with Butta Verses. After a brief meeting the clothing company decided to manufacture and sell Beats & Rhymes shirts. Eventually KarmaLoop, a large-scale clothing distributor, picked up BeanDip and business boomed. Now, Beats & Rhymes is looking to use the partnership to build their brand. Says creative director Brian Hamilton, “With the way the industry and its environment is going right now we need to cover a lot more ground and think of unconventional outlets to build our brand and create artist awareness”.

This is not to take away from the success the business has experienced in licensing; they have placed their unique brand of hip-hop tracks from artists Lord Finesse, CL Smooth, Termanology, and Sean Price in such TV shows as Saturday Night Live, Dancing With The Stars, and various programs on MTV including Short Circuitz. Films such as Stomp the Yard have also taken advantage of their music. Based in New York City and managed by the offices of prestigious licensing company DeWolfe Music, Beats & Rhymes is looking forward to continuing its expansion, while maintaining consistent hip-hop music.