TOPLINE
year. That’s what artist development is
about. It’s not just putting out a music
video or a song on Apple and Spotify and
praying that it gets playlisted. It takes a
lot of hard work. We don’t expect things
to happen overnight. Rap camp was one
way of introducing new, talented artists
into the world. Many of those artists that
were part of that experience weren’t
artists that had big streaming numbers.
That was the first time many of those
artists were exposed to audiences
outside of their own social media.
How much does data play a factor
in signing decisions?
One of the things that Paul really
brings to the table is that he’s not
just looking at statistics. Anybody
can get millions of streams if the
stars align. Paul’s mandate is to find
and sign real artists and not be so
preoccupied with numbers.
What does innovation look like for Def
Jam today?
There are no rules. Find great artists, and
figure out a way to make them want to
come to Def Jam. We’re always looking
to be creative and not be constrained by
what’s in vogue at a given moment.
The birth of street marketing is
attributed to how you promoted your
acts at Loud Records. Did it feel like a
major innovation at the time?
We started street marketing because we
had no resources. It was cheap. There
was no internet, and hip-hop wasn’t on
the radio like it is today. So we had to
touch people where they were — whether
that was in a club, a barbershop or a
1 A pen collection designed
by management client Mika.
“I have represented Mika for
15 years, and he never ceases
to amaze me. Pilot asked him
t o d e s i g n s i x p e n s f o r t h e i r
100th anniversary, and he
created a collection of 24,
package and all.” 2 A gift from
RZA on the 25th anniversary
of Wu-Tang’s debut album.
“A life-changer for me and
a l l o f u s a t L o u d Re c o r d s , ”
he says. 3 “ B ox i n g i s o n e o f
my hobbies, and the poster
of Muhammad Ali inspires
me e a c h d ay, ” h e s ay s. “ N o t
only [was he] the greatest
heavyweight champion but
one of the most important
figures of the 21st century.”
4 A book of photos, scripts and
trivia from The Godfather.
How did you wind up at Def Jam?
I knew Paul [Rosenberg] from the time
he was an intern at BMG in Detroit. After
all these years, he called me and asked
me to help him rebuild Def Jam, to make
it the No. 1 hip-hop label again. At any
given time, I’m working with an artist’s
manager, solving a problem about getting
a clearance; or I’m working with our
department heads and planning releases
3
“W e’re always looking to be creative
and not be constrained by what’s
in vogue at a given moment.”
swap meet. At the time, nobody was
doing that, especially on the corporate
side. We were lucky to have artists like
Wu-Tang Clan and Tha Alkaholiks and
Mobb Deep early on. And it was because
we were doing things that other people
didn’t know how to do.
How are you implementing those ideas
at Def Jam today?
On a recent tour of historically black
colleges and universities, when we visited
a campus, we made sure our artists
actually met the students. In 2018, we
spent a ton of money on a blimp letting
everybody know about the new 2 Chainz
album. YG released a big song, “Go
Loko,” so we had a taco truck go all
over Los Angeles and New York giving
out tacos, playing his record, and he
would pop up in person. That’s all
street marketing.
After leaving Loud, you started the
Latin marketing and management
firm Fuerte Group in 2002. What has
changed in the Latin market since then?
Back then, there were already really
strong signs that it was going to become
as successful as it is now. When I got into
the Latin business, reggaetón was having
a massive moment and had several
big stars, [including] Tego Calderón,
Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Zion &
Lennox. The industry was so eager for
growth that it was premature to have
a whole reggaetón station playing the
same seven or eight artists over and over
again. It took hip-hop 20 years to get
from a phenomenon to becoming pop
culture. But now, because of the internet,
streaming in Latin America, Mexico
[and] South America is exploding. Those
numbers don’t lie.
or a personnel issue; or helping close a
deal with a new artist. It’s kind of all over
the place, which makes it fun.
Rosenberg has spoken about wanting
to build career artists at Def Jam. What
projects is the label launching to find
those kinds of acts?
We’re constantly finding ways to have
our artists perform in front of people.
We have a partnership with Courvoisier,
and we have 20 showcases over the next
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26 BILLBOARD | AUGUST 24 , 2 019