SHORT TAKES : Rap Producer Starts Own Label

The producer of rap stars Public Enemy, L.L. Cool J, 3rd Bass and others has started his own record label.

“I worked at Def Jam and Columbia and I found myself running between the two companies all the time,” Hank Shocklee said. “I said if I am going to be doing all this, I should take care of my own situation, give artists the attention they need rather than going through a record company that has 17 other rap groups.”

The label is called SOUL (Sound of Urban Listeners) and was co-founded by former Def Jam promotions man Bill Stephney. Shocklee says they currently have four acts, including Alva Rogers and Son of Bazerk, and are negotiating with a fifth.

“You really have to have your ears and eyes on the street,” Shocklee said. “For example, you might find a crowd of guys hanging out and go up to them. Everybody that I’ve signed I’ve known for a while. I’ve been monitoring them, helping them along. I give them direction, insight and focus in the business.”

SOUL’s debut single, “Nobody Knows Kelli” by the Young Black Teenagers, was released Tuesday.