About
Def Jam West (or DJ West) was a sublabel formed by Def Jam in 1992 strictly dedicated to the Gangsta Rap genre as well as Hip-Hop acts coming from the West Coast. The first act to be signed to the label was the female Gangsta Rap duo Boss (who hailed from Michigan), and were soon followed by Mel-low and South Central Cartel. Def Jam West was officially retired in 1996, just barely releasing any records during the PolyGram distribution period.