{"id":15209,"date":"2026-01-19T15:09:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T15:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/?p=15209"},"modified":"2026-01-19T15:11:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T15:11:29","slug":"hydra-entertainment-tribute-mix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strettoblaster.com\/it\/beats\/hydra-entertainment-tribute-mix\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydra Entertainment: brilliance and breakdown of ’90s musical independence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fellow travellers of StrettoBlaster, we are back. Today, the old, battle-weary combo made by me, 2Mave, and the cool gentleman and wicked vinyl spinner, DJ Pio<\/strong>, is gonna dish out for you all yet another research in the history of indie labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might remember that previously we went to Japan to shine some light on Handcuts Records<\/a>, and to L.A. to tell you the Ill Boogie Records<\/a> story, mining shiny antiques here and there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, we ain\u2019t going exotic, but we are staying in the belly of the beast, New York City. Precisely, we will explore a small imprint out of Queens. Bienvenue<\/em> to you all into the depths of one of the jewels of that era, the legendary indie label, Intrattenimento Hydra<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/Oz6XPhzySPs\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It all started with a clear end: the uncompromising & untamed Hip-Hop music of Hydra Entertainment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hydra started in 1994, but much of the output of Hydra Ent. was distributed between 1997 and 1999. Funny enough, but not outright unheard back then, the owner, Jerry Famolari<\/strong>, previously opened a label called Sneak Tip<\/strong>, focused on House music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hydra label was co-founded and run by Mike Heron<\/strong>, the New York hip-hop producer and one-half of the Beatnuts-affiliated production team Ghetto Professionals<\/strong>, who later had a stint as A&R consultant with Rawkus Records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To anyone who was out there back then, as well as to anyone who came after and tried to scavenge a bit deeper than its Spotify playlist, Hydra Entertainment (the only one to us, F- all the metal bygones you find online these days) usually means something unique. On that note, props to Robbie’s Unkut<\/strong> for interviewing both Famolari<\/a> e Heron<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were quite a few underground labels back then, and I personally plumbed the depths of a few of them before (All Natural Inc.<\/a>, anyone?). As hackneyed as it comes, Hydra, however, REALLY had something different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n