Big Dada

Big Dada is a British independent record label, operating as an imprint under Ninja Tune. Founded in 1996 by respected hip hop journalist Will Ashon, the label is known for releasing work by artists such as Roots Manuva, Kae Tempest, DELS, and Mercury Prize winners Speech Debelle and Young Fathers.

The label’s first release was a 12-inch single, “Misanthropic,” by Alpha Prhyme—a collaboration between Luke Vibert and Juice Aleem—in 1997. Since then, Big Dada has put out more than 150 records and earned significant critical praise; the Observer Music Monthly called it “the very best underground hip hop label.” In 2007, the label marked its tenth anniversary with the compilation *Well Deep*. NME noted that Big Dada was “not only a platform for the British urban underground but also attracts some of the most progressive wordsmiths and beat-scientists in the whole world,” adding that the label was “still pushing things forward.” While known for British acts, the roster has also included American hip hop artists like Bigg Jus, Busdriver, and Mike Ladd, as well as the French group TTC. Big Dada released debut albums from Spank Rock, and also put out a comeback album from grime pioneer Wiley.

On 8 September 2009, Speech Debelle won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for her debut album *Speech Therapy*, produced by Wayne Lotek. This was the label’s third Mercury nomination, following Roots Manuva’s *Run Come Save Me* in 2002 and Ty’s *Upwards* in 2003. On 30 October 2014, Young Fathers won the Mercury Prize for their debut album *Dead*. That year, the label had a joint fourth nomination with Kae Tempest’s *Everybody Down*, and it marked Big Dada’s second Mercury-winning album. Roots Manuva, one of the label’s most famous artists, signed a new deal in 2011. In the 2007 documentary *Well Deep*, he said, “It’s been a lovely relationship over the years... Big Dada’s unique and it will always be unique because it’s a philosophy, y’know? It’s unique because it dares to stick its neck out and it’s run by people who genuinely love music. It’s not just a record label, it’s a movement.” In 2021, Big Dada relaunched “as a label run by Black, POC & Minority Ethnic people for Black, POC & Minority Ethnic artists.”