URBAN FRONT: Geffen Records is preparing to...

URBAN FRONT: Geffen Records is preparing to get back into the lucrative urban pop market, an area it has stayed clear of since severing ties with American Recordings in 1990 after refusing to distribute the Geto Boys’ graphic debut album. Geffen recently hired Wendy Goldstein, formerly of EastWest Records, to head up a new urban music department. Among Goldstein’s credits at her former post is the signing of Canadian reggae-rapper Snow.