Kemet Entertainment's story starts like most street-oriented entities' do – with its owners peddling their wares from car boots. More specifically, Kemet first sold bashment and house music discs in 1999 before deciding to raise its profile on the club scene, staging regular house nights at venues across London such as Global Cafe, the old Annex and The Rocket. Managing house DJ Randy Peterson at the time gave Kemet its first dealings with an artist. Later on, many more would follow.

In 2001 Kemet’s party ventures expanded to include the monthly Gritz parties and pirate radio station Itch fm’s annual birthday bashes – now a staple item on London’s Hip-hop calendar. That same year Kemet established its record label wing, its premier release being rapper Suparnovar’s When Suparnovar Explodes/All I Need. But it was with its 2002 signing Klashnekoff (with Zero/Our Time) that Kemet Entertainment Records gained sizable momentum. The success of Its Murdah, his Harry Love-produced single of 2003 was two-fold: it entrenched the name of the socially conscious MC and the reputation of the label in the minds of street and industry players who now paid full attention.

The two years that followed saw the stable of rappers get wider. Starting with Kyza (who with Klashnekoff and Scribbla form the Hip-hop supergroup Terra Firma), and following up with Armslength, Wan-Cee and Mr Ti2bs.

Snapman, Gizmo and Skob are the record label’s 2006 signings, the latter whose imminent release signify Kemet’s foray into the grime genre.

With a well-harnessed underground aesthetic, Kemet move to add glossier elements to its MO is a natural progression. Naked, its monthly Hip-hop R&B club night established late in 2005, and gaining renown for its youthful sophistication provides just one of many of Kemet’s lessons in a healthy, bottom-up approach to music business success and longevity.