Ghazi photographed by
Jessica Chou on Jan. 7 at
EMPIRE in San Francisco.
Ghazi
Founder/CEO, EMPIRE
In a step toward EMPIRE’s broader interna-
tional expansion — “a work in progress,” says
Ghazi — the San Francisco-based indepen-
dent label, distributor and publisher opened a
London office in 2019 while also establishing
footholds in Southeast Asia and China. Back
in the United States, Ghazi (who uses only his
first name professionally) notes that EMPIRE
also created a Nashville division, hiring Black
River Entertainment’s Eric Hurt as vp A&R,
and formed a partnership with New York’s
+1 Records. “I want to wake up every day and
kill it,” says Ghazi, who also signed Afrowave
singer Afro B in June to a roster that already
included Robin Thicke and Young Dolph.
“When somebody trusts me with their art,
that [demands] a high standard from me.” GR
OOMING^BYAMYLAWSON2
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