The label's first release was Rebirth into Reality by Too Phat in 2005, jointly-owned and in partnership with EMI Malaysia.

In 2008, Kartel Records released President, the debut solo studio album by Joe Flizzow.

President featured many notable collaborations with regional and international superstars such as KRS-One, Jin, Thaitanium, TerryTyeLee and Hady Mirza.

This was very much in line with the label's mission to place Malaysia in the forefront of hip-hop music at an international level.

The signing of Altimet, a prominent figure and popular artist in Malaysia's hip-hop music scene, is regarded by many to be a significant and shrewd move by the label in strengthening its position as one of Asia's fastest growing hip-hop record labels.