Top Notch: 30 Years of Dutch Hip Hop | History & Artists

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  Rachel de Meijer

  Editor

The Youth of Today, Lil’ Kleine, Extince, Opgezwolle, The Opposites, Broederliefde, Frenna. They all became big at the record label Top Notch, which celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year.

The anniversary is a reason for the Amsterdam City Archives to include a number of archive items from the label in its collection. To mark the occasion, a number of those pieces were on display today.

The hip-hop label was founded by Kees de Koning and grew into the largest music label in the Netherlands and Belgium. It put Dutch-language hip hop on the map.

It all started with a song from Extince, Spraakwater:

“At that time I had a program on VPRO radio. When I… Talking water heard, the seed for the label was planted. Dutch hip-hop, with almost poetic lyrics, a good one flow and humor. I loved it.”

The King wanted as many people as possible to hear it. “But record labels weren’t interested, so I started my own label.”

The exhibition includes a black and white photo from the early days of Top Notch showing Russell Simmons, the founder of the iconic American label Def Jam.

The King really looked up to Simmons. “For me, Top Notch was the best record label that existed at the time and an inspiration. We were really on a mission.”

During the first few years it was hard work, not much money was earned. That only happened after about ten years. There have been major successes before, such as Documentsthe Postmen’s 1998 album that sold more than 100,000 times. Furthermore, the now deceased Def Rhymz was the first hip-hop artist to have a number 1 hit with Doekoe.

The biggest change in the past three decades came with the advent of streaming, YouTube and Spotify. Artists no longer needed radio DJs to bring their music to the attention. “A good development,” says De Koning.

Yet there is also controversy attached to the label. For years, Top Notch was very reluctant to comment on its artists who received negative press. Lil ‘Kleine, for example, was held accountable for a long time after he was accused of assault. And there was criticism of the misogynistic lyrics in many hip-hop songs.

Some artists were associated with criminal activities. Top Notch even signed a rapper, Kempi, at a time when he was in prison.

The exhibition contains letters that Kees de Koning wrote to him when Kempi was in custody. “My reflex has always been to be very protective of my artist outwardly. But of course it is also difficult, although I have almost never ended a relationship with an artist for that reason.”

And there was a lawsuit over Ronnie Flex’s recording contract. “I would have liked it if that contract had been in the exhibition, so that people could see what it really said,” says De Koning. “Much of what was written about it was incorrect. I found it difficult and it left a bad aftertaste. Because I did beautiful things with him.”

In 2019, Kees de Koning transferred the general directorship to Vincent Patty. He further expanded the label into the current large-scale multimedia platform.

More documents will be added to the Top Notch collection in the future.