LABELS
Quincy “QP” Acheampong
Sambou “Bubba” Camara
CO-CEOs, HIGHBRIDGE THE LABEL
A BOOGIE WONDERLAND Just weeks after the
2019 ball dropped, Acheampong and Camara,
both 26, had reason to break out the bubbly
again when Hoodie SZN, the second album by
Highbridge’s marquee artist (and its co-CEO),
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, topped the Bill-
board 200 after a No. 2 debut. Four of its songs
have charted on the Hot 100: “Look Back at
It” (No. 27); “Startender,” featuring Offset and
Tyga (No. 59); “Demons and Angels,” featuring
Juice WRLD (No. 90); and “Swervin,” featur-
ing 6ix9ine (No. 38). Those wins have helped
push Boogie’s career on-demand streams to
6.5 billion. “Look Back at It” was also a solid
radio hit, reaching No. 17 on the all-genre Radio
Songs chart.
MORE THAN MUSIC Highbridge’s principals, who
are among the industry’s youngest CEOs, plan
to expand beyond music. “We want to deliver
the Highbridge lifestyle to the people,” says QP,
who adds that sports and gaming are on the
horizon.
Katina Bynum
EXECUTIVE VP EAST COAST LABELS, CATALOG,
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
Dion “No I.D.” Wilson
EXECUTIVE VP A&R, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP;
PRESIDENT, ARTIUM RECORDS
Naim McNair
SENIOR VP A&R, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
RED-HOT BLUEFACE AND BROWN Before trans-
ferring to UMG in early September, Bynum
worked as a senior vp for Cash Money and
UMG-owned Republic Records Group. At
RRG, she helped break rapper Blueface, who
came out of nowhere to land three Hot 100
hits, including the No. 8-peaking “Thotia-
na,” which has generated 1.5 billion catalog
streams. She also worked with Nicki Minaj,
whose sudden retirement announcement in
September “caught all of us by surprise,” says
Bynum. McNair signed Tommy Brown, the hot
producer who worked on Ariana Grande’s first
two Hot 100 No. 1 singles, “Thank U, Next” and
“7 Rings.”
BIG UPs Wilson, who moved from Capitol Music
Group to his new role earlier this year, reports
to UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge and
advises the music giant’s senior management
team on A&R, the company’s creative direction
and global artist and label strategies. At AR-
Tium, his roster includes Jhené Aiko, Common
and Vince Staples.
Brandon “Lil Bibby” Dickinson
George “G-Money” Dickinson
PARTNERS, GRADE A PRODUCTIONS
JUICE UP THE CHARTS In March, Grade A and
Interscope’s breakthrough artist, Juice WRLD,
topped Billboard’s Artist 100 chart; his album
Death Race for Love ruled the Billboard 200;
What was growing up in Chicago like?
I grew up on the South Side in Auburn
Gresham, which now has goofy nicknames
like Chiraq. If there is one story from that time
that I attribute to my professional success and
how I move as a person, it has to do with my
dad, who was a Chicago police officer. He and
I loved going to the movies every weekend.
It was our way of bonding. The thing is, we
would always be late to the movies because
on the way there, my dad would stop and talk
to every person. I used to think, “Is my father
trying to be mayor?” This happened over the
course of a few years, and when I got to be 12
or 13, I thought, “Let me challenge this.” I said,
“Pop, do you have to interact with everyone?
Can you and I just have our experience?”
How did that go down?
My father is a very talkative guy like me, but
he got kind of quiet. He opened up his jacket,
and he pointed to his shoulder holster. He said,
“Steve, how many bullets in this gun?” I’m
like, “What’s that got to do with anything?” I
guessed six. He said, “How many people do
you think are out here in these streets? A lot
more than six. So don’t you ever think this
badge and this gun is what’s keeping you safe
out here. What’s keeping you safe is the love
and support that I’m giving everybody because
we could help a lot more than six people.” That
math always stuck with me — that you could
love much more than you could ever hurt. He
was trying to teach me that growing up in that
neighborhood, I wasn’t going to fight my way
up. What saved my life, to be honest, is being
cool with everybody, showing love, being pro-
active. Being a giver.
And you have applied that lesson to your
work at Parkwood?
At Parkwood, we don’t have enemies. We don’t
have beef. We have love. I tell people all the
time, this tough-guy thing — where nobody can
win but us — that’s outdated.
What lessons did you take away from
your work at Time Warner and JPMorgan
Chase?
At the end of the day, it comes down to, how do
you provide value? How do you make some-
thing happen? And a lot of that isn’t about
me. It’s about we. Phil Jackson, the basketball
coach, used to say that all the time. One of the
most unfair things a person can do is treat
everyone the same. If I care about you, I have
to know you and what motivates you. [Former
Time Warner chairman/CEO] Dick Parsons
was an incredible mentor not only for what he
said and how he moved, but also for his ability
to create a culture where everybody felt good.
What are you looking for from someone
who would want to work at Parkwood?
Beyoncé is media and entertainment, but she’s
also health and wellness. She’s fashion and
beauty. We refuse to be put in the box of “just
music.” This is about a lifestyle, and for some-
one who wants to join our team, the question
is, can you put in the work? The work ethic
here is — listen, anybody that’s been around it
has to level up. It weeds out a lot of people.
In other words, you are not going to be at
parties with Beyoncé.
Right. Part of the reason that most of the world
doesn’t know me is because I don’t do that
stuff. I’m not part of the industry. I’m part
of this team here. That’s why I wanted to be
photographed with them because they toil in
obscurity — on purpose. They help B and me
do what it is we need to do together. I don’t
consider this acknowledgment a referendum
on my success. This is a referendum on the
team’s success.
What’s a typical work day like?
I look at my job as managing the three P’s: the
people, the projects and the partners.
Dick Parsons was a mentor. Whom else do
you look to for honest feedback?
[Epic Records chairman/CEO] Sylvia Rhone
is somebody I look up to in a huge way. JAY-Z
is someone I can always call who will tell me
straight up how things are. He’s the Clarence
Avant of today. [Sony/ATV Music Publishing
chairman/CEO] Jon Platt is impeccable — his
counsel and leadership is unparalleled. Miss
Tina Knowles and Richard Lawson — fantastic.
And then B herself. My mother is one of my
biggest advisers, as are my family, my uncles.
That’s my village. I tell people: One dot is a
data point; two dots makes a line. Three or
more is confirmation. I generally try to get
three or more opinions as affirmation.
You mentioned Clarence Avant. What
impact did Netflix’s The Black Godfather
documentary [about Avant] have on you?
It hit me like a ton of bricks. One reason is
that so often people assume they know what
other people are doing based just on what they
have been made aware of. The Black Godfather
shows how powerful someone could be behind
the scenes without credit or compensation. It
was a real demonstration of how we have to
build as a people. If you have an opportunity
like I have and you don’t give back, it is being
disrespectful to people like him.
Avant used his connections to lift up presi-
dents. Right now, we have a president
who is not lifting up anyone. Are there
plans to connect creatively to what’s go-
ing on in our nation right now?
Absolutely. Everything we do is connected to
what’s going on in the world. The moves that
you have seen us make over the past two or
three years have been about affirming people’s
self-esteem and generating love. To me, the
best way to combat what is being propagated,
particularly by people in power right now, is to
continue doing that.
This interview was edited for clarity.
ACHEAMPONG
CAMARA
BYNUM
McNAIR
B. DICKINSON
G. DICKINSON
DOMINGUEZ-REYES
ARNOLD
EVANS
WILSON
48 BILLBOARD • OCTOBER 19, 2019 NOTE: PROFILE SUBJECTS WHOSE AGES ARE NOT INCLUDED DECLINED TO PROVIDE THEM.
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POWER PLAYERS 2019