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INCE THE BEGINNING OF HIS
career in the music business, Def
Jam Recordings executive vp/
GM Rich Isaacson’s “unwritten
mission statement” has been to elevate
the underdog. So in 1991, at age 27,
he left his position at an esteemed
Manhattan law firm to pursue his dream
job. He co-founded Loud Records with
childhood friend Steve Rifkind, looking
to provide a platform for up-and-coming
hip-hop artists.
Isaacson’s approach paid off in 1993,
when Wu-Tang Clan leader-producer
RZA started to use his group’s street buzz
to shop for record deals. RZA wanted to
maintain creative control over the act’s
music and give individual members the
freedom to sign solo deals with other
companies, a then-unprecedented
contract point that had scared away other
labels. But Loud agreed — and Isaacson
and Rifkind got one of the iconic acts
of the ’90s, as well as a reputation for
valuing artistic integrity. They built a
roster that included Big Pun, Mobb
Deep, Raekwon and Three 6 Mafia.
Along the way, Isaacson experimented
with the then-new concept of street-team
marketing — on-the-ground promotion
run by tastemakers that catered to hip-hop
fans directly in their neighborhoods — to
promote Loud’s artists and allow them
to work with major corporations on a
shoestring budget. “We were creative out
of necessity,” he says. “There’s still a lot to
be said about physically touching people
[instead of ] doing it through the phone.”
Thirty years later, that ingenuity led
Eminem manager Paul Rosenberg to
make Isaacson one of his first hires when
he became chairman/CEO of Def Jam in
January 2018. Rosenberg tasked Isaacson
with running the label’s day-to-day
operations and helping to restore the iconic
imprint to its top-tier status in hip-hop.
Now, Isaacson says he has come “full
circle,” working for the company that he
considered the “gold standard” during
his time at Loud. Under his purview, Def
Jam released Undisputed — a compilation
of 17 newly signed acts, including
recent XXL Freshman YK Osiris, who
created songs during a label-sponsored
“rap camp” — and the company has
landed No. 1 albums by the likes of
Logic and Kanye West. Isaacson’s
approach to acquiring talent remains the
same. “There’s nothing more exciting,
motivating, energizing or validating than
working with a new artist,” he says. “One
that only has great music — nothing else.”
You started your career in law. How did
you end up in the music business?
One of my closest friends growing up was
Steve Rifkind. He went into the music
business to work with his dad [Jules
Rifkind]. I went to a big corporate law
firm and hated every second of it. Steve
used to come to New York and visit, and
one time, he [was] like, “Hey, I got a
label deal. We can go into business now.”
When we were younger, we used to talk
about it as a joke. I jumped at the chance.
Isaacson photographed
Au g . 5 a t D e f J a m
in New York.
FROM THE DESK OF
BY JEWEL WICKER
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANIEL DORSA
Rich
Isaacson
EXECUTIVE VP/GM, DEF JAM
The industry vet on street-team
marketing and Def Jam’s future
24 BILLBOARD | AUGUST 24 , 2 019