Omar "Animal Steele" Barnes Joins The Famous Firm
Omar Barnes, aka Animal Steele, has been named Executive Brand Manager of The Famous Firm, a "talent label" founded by Sickamore who blogs at Thank God I'm Famous.
At MySpace:
Animal Steele
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Omar Barnes, aka Animal Steele, has been named Executive Brand Manager of The Famous Firm, a "talent label" founded by Sickamore who blogs at Thank God I'm Famous.
At MySpace:
Animal Steele
ProHipHop has been following the career of Ben Chavis at H3 Enterprises and the HipHopSodaShop from day one. Enjoy!
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis New H3 Enterprises CEO
Dr. Benjamin Chavis Completes Takeover of H3 Enterprises
Dr. Ben Leads H3 to the Land of Pop N Go
Dr. Ben Chavis/HipHopSodaShop Fulfill Dr. King's Dream
HipHopSodaShop in Co-Branding Deal w/Diddy's Sean John
H3 Enterprises has announced the appointment of Jordan Edelson as Chief Technology Officer and Digital Entertainment Director to "spearhead H3's video gaming and web property development".
Shakir Stewart, Executive Vice President, Def Jam Recordings
From the official announcement:
"Shakir Stewart has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Def Jam Recordings, it was announced today by Antonio "L.A." Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group. Mr. Stewart will report directly to Mr. Reid, and to Steve Bartels, President & COO, Island Def Jam Music Group, on operational matters. Stewart will be based in Atlanta and New York."
"In his new post, Mr. Stewart will assume overall responsibility for the day to day activities of the Def Jam label, including the acquisition and development of new talent, overseeing producers and guiding the creative vision and brand recognition of the legendary label..."
"Since September 2006, Mr. Stewart has served as Senior Vice President, A&R, Def Jam Recordings. That followed two years as Vice President, A&R, Def Jam Recordings, where his new artist signings included hip-hop stars Young Jeezy and Rick Ross. Mr. Stewart came to the company from Hitco Publishing, where he was Senior Vice President & General Manager since 1999, and signed Beyonce to the firm. During that same period, he served as an A&R consultant to LaFace Records and (from 2000 to 2004) Arista Records, where he signed R&B sensation Ciara. Mr. Stewart was graduated from Morehouse College in 1996, with the Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing."
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Shakir Stewart Commits Suicide
[Photo Courtesy PRNewsFoto/Island Def Jam Music Group]
The Other Suge Knight Knockout
Jay Smooth breaks down the fact that Suge Knight is a failed music mogul that couldn't leave the hood behind when it was time to move up. Since his strongest currency is violence, getting knocked out took away much of his game, at least for the moment.
Jay actually only leaves out one point that I think is crucial in examining the failures of Suge Knight. He's ruined many artists' careers by signing them and then sitting on their music. And that's much worse than simply being a failure at business.
Given all the firings in the magazine industry, not just in hip hop but all over the place, it's nice to see the VIBE Media Group announcing some promotions.
Special note should be made of the promotion of Danyel Smith, VIBE Editor-in-Chief, to Vice President and Editorial Director of VIBE Media Group. She keeps her EIC position at VIBE so she must be doing something right!
Additional announcements include the hiring of Edgar Hernandez as VIBE Associate Publisher back in September and the promotion of Gary R. Lewis to Chief Marketing Officer.
But they didn't stop there, oh no. They gave some shine to the folks you rarely hear about.
"Other recent staff promotions, include (in alphabetical order):
Chauncie Burton to Marketing Director
Kevin S. Ford to Research Chief
Janelle Grimmond to Associate Market Editor
Sarah Hambrick to Interactive Art Director
Cher Harrison to Entertainment Account Manager
Shanel Odum to Associate Editor
Aileen Payumo to Marketing Associate
Williams Perkins to Sportswear & Footwear Manager
Anthony Ragusa to Designer, Creative Services
Heston Roberts to Web Producer
Audrea Soongg to Account Executive, Interactive Media
Michelle Tennant Timmons to Office Manager"
Congratulations everybody and best of luck to whoever held those positions before you and to those who will come after!
Hate to be a spoil sport but let's hope at least some of these positions are newly created since we all know how tough it is to keep one's job in a declining industry being reamed by the demands of private equity.
Flashback to the Summer of 2006 via The Huffington Post:
A Whole New Vibe: Layoffs, Unrest and "White Boys" Standup
Both AllHipHop and SOHH are reporting that XXL head blogger and Editor-in-Chief Elliott Wilson has been canned for unknown reasons and that Vanessa Satten is the interim EIC.
And just when James Brown Week was about to start!
Here's an interesting description of Mr. Wilson from SOHH:
Wilson made an infamous industry name for himself by penning scathing editorials which often took direct and personal shots at his former empolyee, competitors, internet sites, and artists.
I wonder how that affects one's job search? In any case, a great man like Elliott Wilson will bounce back in no time.
Special thanks to Rizoh at The Rap Up and Maura at Idolator for filling me in on the news.
Previous ProHipHop Coverage:
Elliott Wilson: The Great Lion Brushes Off the Flies
Industry Pros Term Elliott Wilson's Back Cover Ad "Offensive" & an "Egregious Violation" of Ethics
XXL Editor "Goin' Nuts"?
In the January '08 issue (p. 46), Black Enterprise is reporting that Master P is now the President of UDubMusic, the digital label of UrbanWorld Wireless.
There's hardly anything about this online. Even finding out that UrbanWorld Wireless and UDubMusic are connected is seemingly impossible from the UrbanWorld Wireless site.
Update:
I finally clued in to searching with "udubmusic" as one word and found a couple of things. Master P's presidency of UDubMusic was announced at least as far back as October.
Either something fell through and the Black Enterprise article was the last thing to get out due to the normal news delay in print publishing or this whole thing has been handled incredibly poorly. Of course, it still should have gotten more attention when announced this fall.
I haven't had a chance to check it out but this video is said to be an interview at CTIA Wireless 2007 in San Francisco in October:
"Nicole Scott chats with Mike Johns from Urban World Wireless and Master P of UdubMusic"
As it turns out, the Black Enterprise article actually mispells the company names as Urban World Wireless and Udub Music. That actually made a surprising difference for the UDubMusic search though that's primarily due to lack of online coverage and many results containing dub and music.
L.A. Reid was recently featured in his hometown newspaper, The Enquirer, and expressed great interest in reconnecting with his Cincinnati roots which could be good news for local artists:
Nothing would make me happier than to put my arms around a band or an artist from Cincinnati, in any genre. It could be country, anything. I'm open to it.
Jermaine Dupri w/Samantha Marshall - Young, Rich, and Dangerous
Jermaine Dupri and Samantha Marshall's Young, Rich, and Dangerous: The Making of a Music Mogul is set for release from Atria on October 16th.
Coauthor Samantha Marshall also worked with Kevin Liles on Make It Happen.
Via The Rap Up.
Official Site:
SimonSays.com: Young, Rich, and Dangerous
Last week, Warner Music Group announced that Chris Lighty will be CEO of the new joint venture between WMG and Mr. Lighty, Brand Asset Group.
From the release:
The Group is designed to increase revenue by more aggressively managing artist brands from all genres and capitalize on the value of those brands through corporate sponsorships, strategic and integrated marketing campaigns and comprehensive brand extensions.
Lighty will serve as CEO of Brand Asset Group, where he will develop product endorsement opportunities and implement strategic, integrated marketing campaigns with artists for the vast array of Fortune 500 companies. The company will seek to serve artists in all genres of music and entertainment – including, but not limited to – artists on WMG's labels...
Lighty will continue in his role as CEO of Violator. As CEO of Brand Asset Group, he will report to Kevin Liles and work closely with executives at Warner Music Group’s labels including The Atlantic Records Group and Warner Bros. Records in identifying sponsorship and brand extension opportunities for artists.
Though I've often given Chris Lighty a hard time, this is one of those moments when I wish he took blogging more seriously.
I'm looking at the news regarding Dr. Benjamin Chavis' takeover of H3 Enterprises and all I can think about is the fact that we may never really know the good stuff. I'm not saying that includes anything bad, only that there must be some fascinating behind the scenes tales to [not] be told.
Dr. Benjamin Chavis recently became CEO of H3 Enterprises in a deal that included his management firm:
Dr. Chavis comes to the leadership of H3 Enterprises, Inc., as part of an executive management services contract between H3 Enterprises, Inc. and CEF Management, LLC (CEF), a New York City based management firm, in which Dr. Chavis is a principal, along with New York attorney and developer Joseph Fleming, and entrepreneur and restauranteur Leon Ellis. One of CEF's major roles will be the future development and international roll out of HipHopSodaShops.
Dr. Chavis has since been voted President of H3 in a move further entwining CEF and H3:
Dr. Ben has also announced that H3's Corporate Offices have been moved to 116 John Street. All corporate and administrative activities will now flow through the Company's Wall Street area offices per H3's new contract with the CEF Executive Management Services Team, lead by Dr. Ben, which has become the cornerstone of Team H3's management and operational support structure.
Cofounder and former President Brian Peters plans to be CEO and President of the H3 Foundation which will do charitable stuff.
Wow. Chavis is also getting nice uptake from the mainstream media for his socially conscious theme of "Empowerment through Investment". In an article titled "HipHopSodaShop to serve as youth business school", Paul Swider of the St. Petersburg Times reports:
H3 hired Chavis and his firm, CEF Management, as the company's board gets serious about its novel business model. Pitching itself as the first publicly traded hip-hop company, H3 is planning to use HipHopSodaShop as a vehicle to promote sound business, teach investment to hip-hop youth and incorporate social responsibility into what Chavis describes as a unique business concept.
"This is a model development," said Chavis. "We hope the rest of corporate America will look at this."
..."For the last three years, Russell and I have been talking about teaching financial literacy to young people," Chavis said. "This is the perfect teaching tool. We're going to put it into practice."
Details to follow. Investigative reporters encouraged to dig in. There's a great story here for somebody with the resources to get past the pr shield.
Official Site:
H3 Enterprises
While Suge Knight continues to spin his past as the story of a misunderstood businessman who really cares about the music and the ghetto, he still has plenty of interesting thing to say in a Washington Post online chat.
On his reality tv show:
The new project I'm doing is more exciting, because I'm dealing with kids -- I get about 20 troubled kids, kids in trouble for burglary, attempted murder, things like that. They're 20 kids who are gang members, white gangs, black gangs, Mexican gangs -- and they're all going to be in the same house. They'll learn to use computers, how to study...This isn't the average reality show where people get up in the morning with their makeup. This is 20 real people, and I'm going to be there to supervise them.
OMGWTF!!!: Suge Knight has 20 troubled kids and he'll be supervising them!
Check the transcripts linked above for more from Suge on the problems with hip hop and the music industry, the artists with whom he's working and why he's still one of the most misunderstood guys in show biz.
Via Idolator.
In what seems like a rather startling move, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, President of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, has been recruited for the CEO position at H3 Enterprises, Inc., creators of the HipHopSodaShop.
Here's a press release quote from Dr. Ben to tie it all together:
The HipHopSodaShops can quickly become one of the single greatest forces for job creation, inner city revitalization, and equal access to quality education. It also will provide investment opportunities for every generation, and a productive combination of entrepreneurship, cyber entertainment, and youth leadership development the world over.
MIMS & Unknown Entities Front for the Cameras
Rather than simply celebrating MIMS' quite obvious achievements in the mobile category, Virgin Mobile preferred to manufacture an award focusing attention on a questionable claim:
Capitol Records breakthrough artist MIMS has been honored by Virgin Mobile with a special award for having sold the 50-millionth ringtone purchased through Virgin Mobile.
No, not the "breakthrough" part, that's called publicists' license. It's so incredibly obvious that the "50-millionth ringtone purchased through Virgin Mobile" is so phony that one suddenly realizes that those parodies of big media thinking were only called parodies because they changed the names.
Of course, it is possible that they figured out a way to decide which ringtone was the 50-millionth and that they all sat around waiting with the single thought, "please make it MIMS' This Is Why I'm Hot since we've already planned the awards ceremony and related campaign."
It's sad to watch elite delusions foisted on the masses. But it's one thing for a ringtone champion to buy into receiving a bogus award. I'm sure it's very confusing and things are moving very fast for MIMS at the moment.
However, putting aside all those who just reprint this stuff, one wonders how many "legitimate" media outlets will report this award as straight news.
IAC announced their plans for an "online destination for the Black community". The site is "yet-to-be-named" and will not launch till January 2008!
That sounds so far away and like way too early a warning for the competition. I don't want to automatically say that such seemingly slow movement is characteristic of the inflexibility of large corporations but it sure looks that way.
However, on the black executive tip, congratulations are in order for newly appointed CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr..
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
RushmoreDrive: A Success Prior to CEO Johhny Taylor's
Steve Harvey Appearance?
RushmoreDrive Launches: Search, News & Jobs Portal for Black Community
Jermaine Dupri
The news is official and Jermaine Dupri is the new president of Island Records Urban Music, a new division of the Island Def Jam Music Group:
As part of the arrangement, Mr. Dupri will oversee Island's entire urban music operation. In addition, he will produce artists on the IDJ roster, as well as provide his production services to the entire Universal Music Group family of labels.
(Photo courtesy PRNewsFoto/Island Def Jam Music Group)
Rick Rubin has been offered a job as co-chairman of Columbia Records and is attempting to negotiate a deal that would allow him to continue to produce records for Warner Brothers Records.
According to Billboard, expect an announcement tomorrow from Universal Music Group that Jermaine Dupri will be the new president of urban music at Island Records. Dupri left Virgin back in October.
Via the homepage of Inside Digital Media you can currently access interviews with Amy Hoover, Executive Vice President of advertising exec search firm TalentZoo, and Mitch Koulouris, CEO of Digital Music Group that "obtains the digital rights to recordings and then sells them to iTunes and others."
Jermaince Dupri has resigned his exec position at Virgin Records in the wake of a generally disappointing response to Janet Jackson's 20 Y.O., an album with which he was deeply involved.
Congrats to Braden Herman, who has been named Senior Vice President, Digital Advertising Operations at MTV Networks, and to Kevin Arrix, who has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Digital Advertising Sales, also at MTV Networks.
Octavia Bostick has some good questions for Kevin Black, VP of Interscope's Rap Marketing and Promotions.
Promotional Strategy:
I don’t have one promotional strategy. What I do is tune into the artist and I tune into the type of album he’s making and I find out what direction I think the album is going, then I put a campaign around the album that will better fit his creativity. Then I start thinking of ways to expose the album that will give it the biggest punch...I taper my programs to each artist.
The Mistakes of Indie Labels:
1. Not enough funding.
2. Trying to hang your hat where you can’t reach it.
3. Lack of information is what kills them and not knowing that every mistake costs...
4. Promoting to your friends. Your friends will tell you anything...
5. ...Mostly people start without a distribution deal and I think you need a distribution deal before you start. A distribution deal is someone who houses you product and puts it in stores for you.
The Four F Theory:
I live by my “Four F” theory.
1. Be Friendly, you always gotta treat people friendly.
2. You have to Focus, but I don’t me[an] just straight ahead, you gotta know your mission and always be open to see the big picture.
3. the third F is be Firm. Nobody likes a motherf**ker that just says yes to everything...
[4.] And my last F is you gotta know when to say “F**k it.” Sometimes the mountain can’t be climbed, the elephant can’t get straddled, sometimes the lion don’t want to get fed, but it’s up to you to know what’s going on.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Interview With Kevin Black, Interscope's VP of Rap Promotions
SOHH's Janeé Bolden speaks with Serchlite Music's CC Smooth the "co-owner and president... [who] has organized national marketing tours for over 400 records and can count top brands like ESPN The Magazine, Mitchell & Ness and Ecko Clothing among her clients."
Davey D interviews Interscope's VP of Rap Promotions Kevin Black. I haven't had a chance to listen yet but I'll be making time soon.
Via Nah Right.
Verizon Executive to Speak at AllHipHop.com Social Lounge Panel, to Be Held Aug. 9:
Jeff McFarland, director of multicultural marketing for Verizon, will serve as a panelist for the AllHipHop Social Lounge, a roundtable discussion of important issues to the Hip Hop community, such as the business of Hip Hop, artist responsibility and politics. Verizon is also a major sponsor of AllHipHop Week 2006.
The Social Lounge is part of AllHipHop Week 2006.
Adisa Banjoko recently interviewed Sway and it's a great interview. I actually didn't know much about him beyond the VJ and DJ work he's done but he's quite politically astute and even drops some insights about Diddy that shifted my perception a bit.
However, the big news is that he hasn't been at the MTV offices for the last six weeks while he negotiates an executive position, a proposal that caught MTV by surprise. To MTV's credit, they're trying to figure out how to make it happen, so we'll see.
Here are Sway's comments on the MTV situation:
I’m not working with MTV right now. Just to let you know I walked away from MTV six weeks ago. It wasn’t about the money. It was about the show and to prove to myself that I could work on that platform. I’m an entrepreneur, Adisa. You know my history.
They approached me in one way but I’m saying “No, I see bigger things. Let’s make a multi-media/brand deal. Let me become an executive within the company. I want to grow equity within the company. I want to put programming on the air. Let's utilize all the platforms we have.”
They agreed. They came back finally with a skeleton. But I have not been there in six weeks. I won’t go back until I feel comfortable about my contract. God has blessed me where I have the luxury to do that. You gotta know your self worth. You gotta know your value. I think MTV respects that and we gotta work it out. Otherwise I would have been on the air reporting this S!@#. . .
Adisa Banjoko then asked:
Do you think that MTV is not comfortable with an African American male in an executive position like that?
Sway responded:
Actually, I don’t think that’s true at all. I don’t think they’ve had a talent approach them the way that I approached them. I think it’s relatively new for them. The main guy I deal with, Dave, was enthusiastic about it. He was like “I did not know you were thinking like this”. In all honesty why would he because I know a majority of the talent are not approaching him on that level.
They took the contract and said “Let us look at it and we’ll re-present it to you." Which they did. We’re just working out the . . . We’re just tweaking out the little things. In my experience, no, they are not scared of the idea.
Right now, it SEEMS like they are quite welcoming to the concept. Eventually, we’ll square it out and I’ll be back. But until then, you gotta hold your ground. If for some reason it doesn’t work out then I gotta go to plan B. I gotta contingency plan. I gotta plan B, plan C and D. At the end of the day it’s business, when it comes to negotiating contracts.
For more from Sway, peep the interview at Adisa's blog, Holla at a Scholar!!.
Yesterday Warner Music Group announced the exit of Atlantic Records Group Chairman and CEO Jason Flom. He will be replaced by Craig Kallman who was Atlantic Records Group Co-Chairman and COO. Julie Greenwald continues as President of Atlantic Records Group and will report to Kallman who will report to Lyor Cohen, Chairman and CEO of WMG's U.S. Recorded Music.
The press release quotes Lyor Cohen:
"We want to thank Jason for all he has done over the past 26 years to strengthen Atlantic's proud tradition as one of the world's greatest homes for recording artists. Thanks to his leadership and exceptional A&R talents, Jason is leaving The Atlantic Records Group well-positioned for continued growth. Jason's indelible impact on Atlantic's culture, his concern for his fellow employees and his contributions to the company's artistic success will be felt for many years to come. He departs with our deepest respect and we wish him only the best."
Sounds nice but, according to the NY Times, Jason Flom "resigned under pressure" and was "forced out after a string of clashes with Warner Music's domestic chief, Lyor Cohen." According to Times Reporter Jeff Leeds, this information came from "executives close to the company."
Kiss! Kiss!
Update: The New York Daily News has more:
"Tension has been mounting at Atlantic for some time as the top-heavy record label suffered through a long cold streak. Its weak performance has been a drag on parent company Warner Music, which recently went public. Nonetheless, sources say Flom was caught off guard when Cohen flew out to Los Angeles to tell him he was being forced out earlier this week."
But don't cry for Jason Flom:
"Flom is expected to move on to Universal, which is run by his longtime mentor Doug Morris. Flom is currently negotiating a multimillion dollar payout."
I always forget how different it is when an exec gets fired compared to what us common folk go through. Hey, I want in on that!
Kevin Liles, Executive VP of Warner Music Group, has a book coming out in September that relates "Ten Rules For Making It Happen" inspired by his own rise from intern to exec, rather than the questionable state of affairs at WMG.
Here are my current favorites, though all ten are solid:
Rule 2: Do You
Discover your own flava, then package it and present it to the world.
Rule 3: Walk This Way
Get educated, find a mentor, read and research.
Rule 7: Get Connected
Build relationships to last forever.
Rule 8: Step Outside Your Box
Be open to people from all walks of life.
Rule 10: Flex Purpose, Not Power
Or, to paraphrase Tony Montana, first you get the Purpose, then you get the Executive Vice Presidency, then you get the Women. Thanks for the blueprint, Kev!
Jermaine Dupri: Restaurateur
Yesterday was the planned grand opening of Cafe Dupri, Jermaine Dupri's new joint in Atlanta. According to the release, Cafe Dupri offers a breakfast menu with:
"So So Def specials like Eggs Oscar, Eggs Portobello and Applewood Smoked Salmon. Lunch includes Turkey Burgers, Chicken Kabob's, Veggini's and the signature dish, Tomatoes Dupri (Fried Green Tomatoes w/ Blackened Crawfish). For dinner, guests can dine on Chicken Napoleon, Tuna Carpaccio and Eggplant Roulade, among other dishes. On Sunday, Cafe Dupri offers a Sunday brunch complete with complimentary mimosas."
However, the restaurant actually opened on the 6th and Atlanta Blogger Terrell says his "favorite is already the homemade peach cobbler." His review:
"I have had an opportunity to eat at the cafe already and it's definitely on point. I put it right up there with Diddy's restaurant Justin's. The ambience is cool, laid back with a nice hip hop feel to it. And the food, the food is excellent. Plus, it's open 22 hours a day, a good afterhours spot when leaving the club."
I'm getting really, really hungry right now. Dupri hopes to open other locations including New York and Japan but no mention yet of San Francisco (insert sad frown icon).
Jermaine Dupri: Artist
Dupri, along with The Roots, Fat Joe and other acts, will also participate in a series of Fusion Flash Concerts with a free concert in Atlanta. The concerts are intended to promote the 2006 Ford Fusion sedan and are a joint effort of Ford Motor Company and Sony Pictures Digital with Cingular supplying last minute emails and text messages to alert locals to the location.
This innovative campaign will demonstrate, for better or worse, what can happen when you bring a lot of companies together and combine all the hottest technologies in a marketing effort:
"The Fusion Flash Concerts website also features exclusive video, a tour blog, concert reviews, a "mash-up" remix contest hosted by ACIDplanet.com, 10 music downloads provided by connect.com, and the chance to win prizes including an all-new 2006 Ford Fusion sedan, Sony consumer electronics and VIP access to the shows. In addition, plans are in the works to release a compilation disk of participating artists in the Fusion Flash Concerts that will be available for sale exclusively at Target retail locations at the conclusion of the Fusion Flash Concerts series."
Jermaine Dupri: Producer
Jermaine Dupri recently visited Toronto to promote the "July 19 release of Young, Fly & Flashy, a So So Def compilation of up-and-coming Southern hip-hop acts, including Young Capone, T. Waters, Pastor Troy and Kavious, whom he discovered through his weekly radio show."
JD described his current status and responsibilities to Mary Dickie:
"I have to be a bit more stern than I am usually . . . People forget that I make the decisions now. It's interesting, but I have to be careful -- I don't want to become a power freak . . . I always thought I'd be in this position one day. The hardest part is making sure you pay attention and watch everything, make sure people stay focused."
Dupri also shared what may be a surprising relevation:
"Being a producer and watching an artist blow up is better than being an artist yourself. Being an artist is tough. And I don't know how much people really like me as an artist. I'm always feeling that nobody's really waiting for my next record."
You know, Jermaine Dupri's starting to become my favorite hip hop mogul. He takes care of business without flaunting his ego. His girlfriend's the greatest diva of all time. And I love good peach cobbler!
Chronic Magazine has been running a series of interviews called Hip-Hop Heads: Executives and Entrepreneurs in Hip-Hop. I only just discovered it and here are the interviews I could find online, given that there doesn't seem to be a master list.
Jackie O. Asare - Publicist and founder of 4Sight Media Relations.
Bryan Leach - Vice President of Urban A&R for TVT Records.
Bryan Leach - Part 2.
Anslem Samuel - Editor-In-Chief for The Ave.
Anslem Samuel - Part 2.
Felisha Booker - Founder of Dynamic Producer.
Tony Kelly - Producer for dancehall stars like Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder, Supercat, Beanie Man and Shaggy.
Plus some related interviews not designated as part of the series:
Kevin Black - National Urban Field Director at Interscope Records.
Kevin Black - Part 2.
Jermaine Dupri will head the new Virgin Records Urban Music division and he's bringing So So Def with him. Dupri will be putting all of his talents to work and intends to "do for Virgin what Russell Simmons did 10 years ago, when he moved Def Jam to Island Records."
The NY Times reports that Jay-Z will helm Def Jam in what also amounts to a victory for Antonio Reid, chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group.
The 9th Annual Multicultural Prism Awards Gala, set for Dec. 17th in Hollywood, focuses on the timely theme of "Celebrating the Contributions of the Hip Hop Culture through Urban Economics." National VP of Rap Music for Interscope Kevin Black will receive the "Urban Hit-Maker Award" for his promotional work with a wide range of hip hop and hip hop related acts. A variety of other folks will also be honored and the show will include a "very special tribute to Hip Hop Legends Past and Present." The Multicultural Prism Awards are part of the Minorities in Business magazine event series.
The new Senior Vice President, Urban Marketing for Arista/J Records Jeff Burroughs brings a wealth of experience to the position including running his own company, Rise, and serving as Executive VP for Bad Boy Entertainment.
Jerry Wexler discusses the early days at Billboard and the shift in terms from "race records" to "rhythm and blues."
Murder charges have been added to the investigation of The Inc.'s involvement with the criminal activities of Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, which may include the murder of rapper E-Money Bags. Label founder Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo was quoted as recently saying, "When people see Ja in the streets it's still Murder, but to corporate America, it's The Inc.". Unfortunately for Mr. Gotti, corporate America still reads the daily news, whether on or offline.
Mel Karmazin, former President and COO of Viacom among other achievements, is the new Chief Executive Officer at SIRIUS Satellite Radio. Karmazin's addition to SIRIUS brings executive star power to match the groundbreaking signings of Howard Stern and Eminem.
MocoNews.net, an important source for ProHipHop, has an audio interview with Robert Tercek, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for the (M)FORMA Group, a mobile entertainment publisher. Though not truly a hip hop business item, Tercek has a rich history in the entertainment field and discusses a variety of relevant issues for those interested in music on mobile platforms.
Luke Campbell is developing a chain of strip club franchises called Luke's Cabaret. Clubs will feature ethnically diverse dancers, hip hop and R&B music and an urban perspective.
Treasure Neal, publisher of The Ave magazine, recently spoke at Syracuse University.
Russell Simmons appears, along with Ted Turner, in the "Rebels" chapter of the PBS documentary series "They Made America" that began airing last night.
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