1990s Chris Manak, known professionally as
Peanut Butter Wolf, founded Stones Throw in 1996 as a means of releasing music he had recorded previously with the subsequently deceased rapper Charles Edward Hicks Jr., known professionally as
Charizma. Hicks and Manak met in 1989 at 16 and 19, respectively, and began collaborating as Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf. The duo released one promo cassette of "Red Light Green Light" through Hollywood Basic—the now-defunct hip-hop subsidiary of
Hollywood Records—before leaving the label. Their collaboration was cut short in 1993, when Hicks was fatally shot in a carjacking at the age of 20.
2004–2014 The label has released hip hop records including
Madvillainy, the acclaimed debut from
Madvillain (a collaboration between producer
Madlib and rapper
MF Doom) in 2004, and
J Dilla's
Donuts in 2006. Other notable hip-hop artists on Stones Throw's roster include Madlib,
Jaylib and
Quasimoto. In addition to hip-hop, artists on Stones Throw's roster work in genres including funk and soul, electronic, indie pop, psychedelic rock, jazz, and more. Stones Throw releases the majority of their artists' albums on vinyl in addition to digital formats. Stones Throw released singer-songwriter
Aloe Blacc's debut album,
Shine Through, in 2006.
Pitchfork wrote that Shine Through signaled "some sort of greatness." Blacc's second album
Good Things came out on Stones Throw in 2010.
Good Things was certified gold in the UK, France, Germany and Australia, among other countries, and ultimately went double platinum. The single "
I Need A Dollar", which was used as the theme song to the HBO series
How To Make It in America, reached 1 million in sales in 2013; two additional singles, "Loving You Is Killing Me" and "Green Lights" became European hits as well. Also in 2013, Stones Throw released
7 Days of Funk, the eponymous debut studio album by California-based funk duo
7 Days of Funk, consisting of rapper
Snoop Dogg —performing under his funk persona Snoopzilla — and modern-funk musician
Dâm-Funk. The album was Snoop's first project with a single producer since his landmark 1993 debut album,
Doggystyle. R&B singer
Mayer Hawthorne debuted on Stones Throw in 2008 with the single "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" / "When I Said Goodbye", which was released on a red heart-shaped
7" record. Hawthorne's debut album
A Strange Arrangement was released on Stones Throw Records in 2009. Hawthorne is also one half of the funk duo Tuxedo, with producer
Jake One; their debut self-titled album was released on Stones Throw in 2015 and
Tuxedo II in 2017. In 2014, the documentary
Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This is Stones Throw Records was released. The feature-length film, directed by Jeff Broadway, depicts the label's evolution from the initial collaboration between Hicks and Manak to Stones Throw's influence on mainstream hip hop. Artists such as
Kanye West,
Tyler, The Creator, and
Questlove appear in the documentary and offer testimonials.
2015–present Mild High Club, the psychedelic pop project helmed by musician Alex Brettin, released their debut album
Timeline in 2015. In 2016, Mild High Club released their second album,
Skiptracing, on Stones Throw, which included the RIAA-certified gold single, "Homage". Hip-hop producer
Knxwledge's Stones Throw debut was
Hud Dreems, released in 2015. Knxwledge also produced the track "Momma" on
Kendrick Lamar's album
To Pimp a Butterfly released the same year. In 2016, Stones Throw announced the signing of
NxWorries, the duo consisting of singer
Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge, with the viral single "
Suede". NxWorries' debut album
Yes Lawd! was released in the same year. In 2022, NxWorries released the first single "Where I Go" featuring
H.E.R from their upcoming second album, and in 2023 they released the second single "Daydreaming". In 2019, Stones Throw released "Someone to Spend Time With", the debut viral single from Oxnard-based band
Los Retros. The band followed their release with the
Retrospect EP the same year, the
Everlasting EP in 2020, and the
Looking Back EP in 2021. Stones Throw signed singer, songwriter, and violinist
Sudan Archives in 2016 and released her debut album,
Athena, in 2019. In 2022, she released her follow-up album
Natural Brown Prom Queen, which received "universal acclaim" according to
Metacritic, and performed at festivals including Glastonbury, Coachella, Fujirock and Bonnaroo. At the
2023 Libera Awards, organized by the
American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), Sudan Archives received awards for Best R&B Record and Best Breakthrough Artist/Release. In 2018 Stones Throw opened Gold Line, a cocktail bar featuring a collection of 7,500 vinyl records and hosting all-vinyl DJ sets. Gold Line is located beneath Stones Throw headquarters in the
Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. ==Artists==