Black N Blue has been associated with independent music around the globe for several years now, and naturally, has a huge presence in its hometown of New York City. Known largely for its wildly successful Black N Blue Bowl, occurring annually in NYC, bringing together the best punk and hardcore bands from around the world in one glorious showcase before almost 2000 fans, BNB also produces THE premier weekly street music radio show, The Black N Blue Takeover, every Tuesday night on East Village Radio. The Black N Blue family has numerous branches to its tree and boasts members representing such crucial and influential artists as AGNOSTIC FRONT, MURPHY'S LAW, CRO-MAGS and RANCID, alongside rappers SLAINE (La Coka Nostra), JAYSAUN (Special Teams) and others.
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One of the main characters responsible for BNB's reach is the infamous Freddy "Madball" Cricien, who in addition to his countless Hardcore efforts, is a heavy MC in his own right, having released his debut hip-hop album Catholic Guilt not long ago. Beginning this June, Freddy Cricien will be bringing you The Black N Blue Label - a record label dedicated to DIY ethics and a level of passion, love and professionalism rarely seen in the underground music scene; one which by nature is designed to rally around its own. "I've had the idea to launch a label for a long time and feel as though I've reached a level of maturity and I am savvy enough where I'm ready to do it now" offers Freddy. He adds "I'm only going to deal with music I'm about putting my heart into and I want to roll this out right."
What better project to put your heart and soul into than your own music, so the first release to come from BNB will be Madball's brand new Rebellion ep. It will be available digitally, as well as on vinyl in mid-June and will be funded entirely by Freddy. "I've had a number of different label experiences, worked with several different publicists...some good, many not so good, so I want to know that whoever is involved cares about what we're doing as much as I do (if that's possible)" says Cricien. Look for additional releases from the label in the future, but Freddy makes it clear that The Black N Blue Label intends to be very selective, as well as diverse when it comes to which artists become associated with the company.