Eastern Conference Records
Eastern Conference Records was a New York City–based independent rap label started in 1996 by Mighty Mi of the High & Mighty. It became known for releasing music by underground artists like Cage, R.A. the Rugged Man, Tame One, and The Weathermen, a supergroup that included Cage, MHz, and Aesop Rock. The label rose during the late 1990s indie rap boom when vinyl was popular.
Originally a vinyl-only imprint, Eastern Conference issued well-regarded early singles, including a cult-favorite that helped put the label on the map. In 1998 it released its first compilation, Eastern Conference All-Stars, which gathered tracks from its early roster. In 1999 the label began distributing through Rawkus Records, helping it reach a wider audience. This period brought its biggest commercial attention, with The High & Mighty’s Home Field Advantage and the Smut Peddlers’ Porn Again both cracking the Billboard Top 200. Notable singles like “B-Boy Document ’99” and “That Smut” also gained traction.
When the Rawkus deal ended after two years, Mighty Mi chose to stay independent and partnered with Landspeed Records for distribution. The release of All Stars II marked the next wave, but interest from fans faded over the next few years. Part of the downturn came when Cage and the Weathermen left for Definitive Jux, amid claims of financial mismanagement and poor promotion at Eastern Conference. Those claims, whether entirely accurate or not, contributed to a blowback and a drop in support for the label.
From 2005 onward, Eastern Conference released only a handful of albums, and by 2007 activity had slowed dramatically. The label’s status became unclear, with little public information available. In 2013 Cage released Kill the Architect, his fourth studio album, marking a notable later chapter for the artists once tied to the Eastern Conference roster.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:24 (CET).