Quannum Projects was formed in 1991 under the name Solesides Records by Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lateef, Lyrics Born, DJ Zen and Jazzbo. Headquartered in San Francisco, Quannum is one of the nation’s leading independent labels, having sold over 2 million records since its inception. Before evolving into Quannum in 1997, Solesides released seminal recordings such as Shadow's "Entropy," Blackalicious' "Melodica," as well as Latyrx's "Lady Don't Tek No" and "Balcony Beach," ushering in a wave of independent hip hop from Northern California and beyond. Quannum then went on to see massive grassroots success with the release of Blackalicious’ debut Nia in 2000. That same year marked the arrival of a new group into the Quannum fold, Portland’s Lifesavas, whose debut album Spirit in Stone quickly became a hip hop classic. Lyrics Born followed in 2003 with his explosive solo debut Later That Day.... The label since has locked in countless licensing deals with companies such as Coca Cola, Motorola, ESPN, EA Sports and the major motion pictures Abandon and Collateral, in addition to signing a host of new artists.