Jul 12, 2025 at 1:13 PM

I figured this topic could spark up some decent conversation outside of the main thread. Sine GRIP apparently left Shady, the label officially has 3 artists left on it's roster (BME is a bit of a weird case, so I'm separating it from the solo artists). There's been some debate over whether the label sucks or not, who's responsible for the management, whether the artists are good themselves, etc. I think that some fans simplify the lineups as just "1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and so on, but I think the following eras represent their roster more accurately:

1. Shady OG (1999 -2001): Mainly made up of Detroit artists
- Eminem
- D12
-Obie Trice
Some affiliates include Dr. Dre, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, etc.

2. Prime Shady (2002-2004/5): Addition of 50 Cent, which led to the creation of the Shady-Aftermath-G-Unit ensemble, which led to the label being involved in the Murder Inc. feud. Some of the label's best selling records come from this era. 50 Cent and Stat Quo are the first artists to be jointly signed to Shady/Aftermath.
- Eminem
- D12
- Obie Trice
- 50 Cent
- Stat Quo
- DJ Green Lantern
Affiliates include Aftermath/G-Unit artists like the aforementioned Dr. Dre, G-Unit, Busta Rhymes, etc. The Game technically counts as an associate for like, 3 months before he starts beefing with 50.

3. Re-Up era Shady (2005 - 2010): Mainly showcased on the Re-Up compilation album. Most of the new artists around this time never released a full album, and many of them left the label in the following years, or simply disbanded (D12)
- Eminem
-D12 (disbanded in 2006, had a non-Shady comeback in 2008 before officially ending in 2018)
-Obie Trice (left in 2008)
-Stat Quo (left in 2008)
-Bobby Creekwater (left in 2009)
-Cashis (left in 2011)
I don't really know who to add as an associate for this era.

4. Shady "2.0" (2011-2016): Most of the previous artists had left, so basically a fresh slate. Mainly showcased on projects like Shady XV and the artists' own respective albums. Lots of good records, but some projects were criticized, leading Em to become less involved with the albums moving forward.
- Eminem
-Bad Meets Evil
-Slaughterhouse
-Yelawolf
The only real associate that i can think of is probably Skylar Grey

5. Shady "3.0" (2017- 2021) This era stretched from the Revival era to the MTBMB one. After Glasshouse got canceled, the label signed some promising up and comers. Conway the Machine's God Don't Make Mistakes is probably the most well received project from this roster
- Eminem
- Bad Meets Evil (There were lots of Em and Royce collabs around this time)
- Yelawolf (left in 2019)
- Griselda (minus Benny) [Gunn left in 2020, while Conway left in 2022]
- Westside Boogie

6. Current Shady (2021- Onward): After Griselda left, the label decided to sign some more up and comers, to mixed results. Ez Mil is also the first rapper to be signed to Shady/Aftermath since Stat Quo in 2003.
- Eminem
- Bad Meets Evil [questionable status. Last BME release was 2011, last Em and Royce collab was in 2020. Still signed technically]
- Westside Boogie
- GRIP [Left apparently?]
- Ez Mil

The following albums were confirmed to have been worked on but scrapped:
- Untitled 3rd D12 album
- Statlanta (Stat Quo)
- Loose Cannon (Cashis)
- Untitled Bobby Creekwater album
- Glasshouse (Slaughterhouse)

So yeah, feel free to discuss your thoughts about the label.