RELENTLESS RECORDS, the UK label spearheaded by co-founder Shabs Jobanputra is celebrating its 25th anniversary with Relentless 25, a limited-edition vinyl boxset to mark the occasion.
Known for shaping British music culture by providing a platform to artists often overlooked by the mainstream, the label is made its name originally for UK garage singles such as Artful Dodger’s “Re-Rewind” and B-15 Project’s “Girls Like Us” as well as Grime, and Drill tracks from the likes of So Solid Crew, Roll Deep, Lethal Bizzle and Headie One.
Along the way, its also supported artists like Craig David, Joss Stone, Tom Walker, Daniel Bedingfield, KT Tunstall, Not3s, Jay Sean, Professor Green, Cage The Elephant and Bad Boy Chiller Crew break into the mainstream.
Daniel Bedingfield Gotta Get Thru This
With plenty to celebrate, the Relentless 25 boxset is an exclusive 10-disc exploration of the label’s influence across genres and shows just how the label has consistently championed British underground music.
As such, expect fan favourites, rare remixes, and never-before-seen exclusive archive content, from So Solid Crew’s “21 Seconds” to Roll Deep’s “When I’m Ere”, “POW (Forward)” by Lethal Bizzle and Bedingfield’s “Gotta Get Thru This” Bedingfield. There’s also a full disk dedicated to Headie One featuring Skepta, Dave, AJ Tracy and Stormzy.
Shabs – Relentless Records
Shabs Jobanputra, Founder and CEO, says, “Relentless was born from a late-night conversation in 1999, driven by our passion to create a label for UK Hip Hop and R&B. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come – all thanks to the artists, the incredible team, and the fans who have kept the vision alive.”
The label wants to offer a visual experience too, and packaged in red vinyl with a Relentless-branded slipmat, it includes a 28-page booklet filled with seminal archive images including exclusives from photographer Ewen Spencer alongside original sketches from Virgil Abloh for Headie One’s custom Louis Vuitton look at the Brit Awards 2021.
Relentless Records 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Vinyl Boxset
In the spirit if championing newcomers, this anniversary comes ahead of the annual Relentless 2025 showcase in January, that’ll spotlight the next generation of talent, where it celebrates the label’s role as a springboard for fresh talent; past performances have included the likes of Professor Green, Big Narstie, Nadia Rose, Headie One, Not3s and Bad Boy Chiller Crew.
Through Relentless Music Group, which is made up of Relentless Records, artist management company Relentless Talent, the higher education music college Notting Hill Academy of Music, and West London venue Notting Hill Arts Club (which helped launch the careers of Mark Ronson, Lily Allen, Libertines and more), Shabs continues to pave the way for the next generation of music entrepreneurs and artists ensuring that Relentless’ impact on music and culture endures for the future.
by Felicity Carter
See more on relentlessrecs.com.