Diaz Brothers - Tone Def Records

Tone Def Records

After seeing this success, Online Studios' owner Danny Cannary stepped in come 1990 to offer his assistance in running a label with Lu developing new talent. With that, World Premier Records ended, and the partnership of Danny C, Danny B and Lu setup Tone Def Records. Lu, along with Lil Danny B, began production on a Freestyle/Bass hybrid song titled Be With You Tonight for the group Power Patrol. Although Lu was not sure if his debut record for Tone Def Records met his aim quality-wise, they released the record, and quickly found they had a larger hit on their hands than their previous efforts. This strengthened the relationship the label had with local mega radio station Power 96, which in turn brought on-air talent into the studio to help out with records (notably, DJ Laz performed scratches on the track Cuban Booty by Twice as Nice). This led to further records, such as Respect by Kool Kris, as well as signing acts such as Breezy Beat MC.

After a number of months, Hugo returned to Lu, announcing that not only did he have Hip-Hop groups that he was producing, but he had scored a deal with Atlantic Records. Hugo asked Lu for engineering help, sparking the official team that would become The Diaz Brothers. However, after the an A&R staff turnover within Atlantic, the groups floundered, and Lu's engineering gigs returned to the front burner.