A CAPPELLA GROUP STRAIGHT NO CHASER LAUNCHED IMPRINT SNC RECORDS WITH WARNER MUSIC GROUP. ANDY DANIELL WAS HIRED TO LEAD THE NEW WARNER-OWNED DANCE IMPRINT FFRR RECORDS.
FROM THE DESK OF
MARK
CHEATHAM
Agent, Creative
Artists Agency
BY GAIL MITCHELL
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
ERIK UMPHERY
L
IKE MANY EXECUTIVES
in the music business,
Mark Cheatham started
his career in the
mailroom. But he took a circuitous
route getting there.
During his stint as a Navy hospital
corpsman stationed in Long Beach,
Calif., the Queens native studied with
professors flown in each weekend
from Southern Illinois University
in Carbondale. Later, although he
was armed with a degree in health-
care services, Cheatham opted to
join Merrill Lynch as a stockbroker.
While there, a tip from a family friend
helped him land a $200-a-week
mailroom gig at Associated Booking
Corporation, whose clients included
B.B. King and Anita Baker and whose
founder, Joe Glaser, mentored the
music industry’s so-called “black
godfather,” Clarence Avant.
“What engaged me was the pace
of the business,” reflects Cheatham,
who maintains that same momentum
driving his 2004 classic Porsche 911.
“I liked the transactional nature of it;
dealing with people and discovering
new music.”
That fervent engagement has fueled
Cheatham through stints at Norby
Walters Associates, the William Morris
Agency and an 18-year tenure at Inter-
national Creative Management (ICM).
Along the way, he worked with R&B/
hip-hop pioneers ranging from Cash
Money and Wu-Tang Clan to Usher,
Jodeci and Mary J. Blige.
Since joining Creative Artists
Agency in 2008, Cheatham has
represented R&B/hip-hop’s latest
wave of stars, including Kevin Gates,
Saweetie, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
and Cardi B, who is set to embark
on her first worldwide tour in 2020
and whom Cheatham championed
early in her career. Cheatham spoke
to Billboard about confronting racism and ageism
in the music business, the future of R&B and why
agents are still important in the industry.
What was a pivotal turning point in your career?
I was in the Navy with Charlie Murphy, and one day,
he told me that his brother was going to be really
famous. I happened to be working at ICM when
Charlie and I reconnected. And Eddie Murphy was a
client of ICM when Charlie invited me to the Nutty
Professor premiere. Eddie walks over to Jim Wiatt,
who was ICM’s president and didn’t know me. But
Eddie put his hand on Wiatt’s shoulder and said,
“Mark Cheatham’s my man. Are you guys taking care
of him?” Eddie’s little statement empowered me to
be seen in a different light within the building. I got
a raise and was able to get into rooms with different
people that I never would have otherwise.
How have you overcome race-related barriers in
this industry?
Being an African American in an agency or the
music business, a lot of times we have to work
twice as hard to get recognition — to get people to
believe that we can do the job. We represent talent,
so sometimes when you can have an artist endorse
you, it lends credibility and gives you power with-
in the building and the business. There weren’t a
whole lot of black agents when I started; you could
count on one hand how many there were. Now
the music business is looking to hire more diverse
staff members that reflect the culture. So that’s an
Cheatham
photographed
Oct. 8 at CAA in
Los Angeles.
22 BILLBOARD • OCTOBER 19, 2019