Big Dada

Hip Hop label Big Dada was set up by journalist and writer Will Ashon in 1997. Big Dada was created with a similarly open-minded remit to sister label Ninja Tune, traversing the boundaries between hip hop, grime and ragga. Born out of a frustration over acts going unappreciated elsewhere, Big Dada swiftly cemented itself as a force in its own right. The name came up in reference to Ashon’s love of Kool Keith, who he'd described in print as the “Mac Dada”, as a combination of mac daddy and Dadaism.

Big Dada began releasing 12”s in the summer of 1997. Since then, Big Dada has become home of some of the most maverick, forward-thinking and innovative artists in hip hop and beyond, including essential British hip hop artist Roots Manuva (Mercury Prize nominee), Mercury Prize winner Speech Debelle, UK hip hop artist TY (whose 2003 Upwards album was also Mercury nominated). Roots Manuva’s album releases have been integral to the label, including Brand New Second Hand, Run Come Save Me, Awfully Deep, Slime & Reason and 4everevolution. Other notable artists over the past two decades include Diplo, cLOUDDEAD, Juice Aleem, DELS and Young Fathers. In more recent years the label has released music from Sampa The Great, Farai and PVA.

In January 2021 and in response to the largest global Civil Rights movement that is BLM, Big Dada has relaunched as a label run by Black, POC & Minority Ethnic Ninja Tune staff members for Black, POC & Minority Ethnic artists.

By creating opportunities for Black & POC members of the wider Ninja Tune staff to learn & grow, whilst simultaneously being placed in key decision-making positions, the label aims at generating genuine upward mobility from within. It serves to address the need to ensure there are new generations of experienced industry executives being trained across all ethnic minority backgrounds, which studies show are greatly under represented at the upper echelons of the UK music industry.

On the other side, it looks forward to actively step into its mission and champion underground and independent Black, POC and Minority Ethnic artists, to create a home for them where there is no danger of feeling like a token or part of a quota being filled.

Alongside the relaunch comes a new look for Big Dada, including a refreshed logo and website revamp. The new website features a resource section offering music industry tips, from general music legal advice, collecting agencies and distribution, through mental health resources for Black and POC artists, as well as editorial think-pieces and long reads exploring various music scenes and movements, rewiring the label as a platform for minority communities.

Big Dada wants to continue championing new artists across the musical spectrum whilst continuing to tip its hat to the foundations that built its legacy.