Walkup Records was conceived during a jam in Brett Smith’s 4th floor walkup apartment, just up the block from the original Fillmore East in New York City's East Village.
Brett and childhood friend Marc Lawrence first met in kindergarten and had long dreamed of conquering the music business together. Twenty-four years into their friendship, they decided to finally make it happen. With a combined 22 years of experience in the music industry and a small investment in a recording studio, they joined forces and formed Walkup Records.
In its first year, Walkup secured a worldwide digital distribution deal with The Orchard and signed legendary reggae singer, Bigga Haitian. Brett and Marc have been producing Bigga's upcoming record Sak Pase, due out March 3rd, 2009. The release will feature an all-star lineup of international reggae musicians as well as some diverse musical surprises.
Bigga's debut single for Walkup, "Gi Me Da Weed", was released ahead of Sak Pase to universally positive reviews. Produced by Brett, Marc, and Yvad (current lead singer of The Wailers), "Gi Me Da Weed" continues to receive strong support in clubs and on radio, achieving airplay on over 50 stations across the United States and Europe, and has generated sales on three continents. On the strength of the single, Walkup has succeeded in raising Bigga's profile:
in 2007 Bigga was invited to share the stage with such reggae luminaries as Buju Banton, Shaggy and Capleton. Bigga also headlined the 2007 Lake Worth Reggae Festival, an event that drew over 10,000 people.
The past months have also seen the guys producing recording sessions with the likes of Jerome “Bigfoot” Brailey (Parliament/Funkadelic), Black Sheep, Clark Gayton (Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Prince, Steel Pulse), Cedric “Im” Brooks (Light of Saba, Skatalites, Bob Marley), Kevin Batchelor (Steel Pulse, Skatalites, Boogie Down Productions) and Mike “Angel” McLaughlin (Peter Criss), and Mecca a/k/a Grimo (Wyclef Jean’s Sak Pase Records).
Through their diverse experiences, Brett Smith and Marc Lawrence understand the strengths and weaknesses of the major labels yet possess the spirit and flexibility of an independent, and the vision to lead in this challenging time of change for the music industry. With a commitment to high quality music played by real musicians, and a determination to do things the right way,
Walkup Records stands poised to make an impact that will be felt around the globe.
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“Ironically, after twenty years of making reggae music, Bigga says of Walkup Records, ‘Just now, I feel that I’m in the music business because of these guys’ professionalism.’”
-Skope Magazine, July/August 2007
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