Executive List Revealed – Billboard

Amazon Music’s Tim Hinshaw — whose deep relationships within the artist neighborhood have remodeled the corporate into a worldwide chief in R&B and hip-hop — tops Billboard’s record of executives main the genres ahead now.

Tim Hinshaw
Head of Hip-Hop & R&B, Amazon Music

As job purposes go, Tim Hinshaw’s wasn’t fairly conventional.

While angling for a place within the hip-hop & R&B division of Amazon Music in 2018, Hinshaw recruited a number of outdated associates to document themselves hyping him up. “Oh, hey. This is Donald Glover/Childish Gambino saying it is best to most likely rent Tim,” the multihyphenate star says, winking on the digital camera. Cut to Anderson .Paak: “I’m telling you, he’s the one. You want him in your squad.” “Tim is an effective dude, and he is aware of what he’s doing!” Scarface provides earlier than noting that he himself is an Amazon Prime member. The video closes with the late Mac Miller enjoying a white grand piano, then turning to the digital camera to implore: “Hire Tim. I do know I’d.”

Hinshaw edited the clips collectively, then handed the supercut to Amazon — an effort, he says, “to indicate the breadth of my relationships, from the present technology to the legends.” The promo labored: Within a number of weeks, Hinshaw was employed as Amazon Music’s senior supervisor of hip-hop artist relations and inside a 12 months, he was promoted to go of hip-hop & R&B. But it was additionally an apt commercial for the skills that will assist Hinshaw succeed long run on the firm. The shut relationships and credibility he has inside the artist neighborhood — developed over the course of 13 years working in administration and artist relations roles — together with a penchant for innovation and a character that Amazon Music vp Steve Boom calls “tremendous good, real and extremely humble” have all allowed Hinshaw and the crew he has constructed to raise Amazon Music’s hip-hop & R&B division into a worldwide chief within the style.

“Tim has put Amazon Music into the dialog within the hip-hop and R&B neighborhood in an enormous manner,” says Boom, “and in a manner, frankly talking, we weren’t.”

Read Billboard‘s full profile on executive of the year Tim Hinshaw here.

Tunji Balogun
Chairman/CEO, Def Jam Recordings
LaTrice Burnette
Executive vp, Def Jam Recordings; president, 4th & Broadway
Archie Davis
Executive vp/chief inventive officer, Def Jam Recordings
Natina Nimene
Executive vp of promotion and artist relations, Def Jam Recordings
Naim McNair
Noah Preston
Executive vps of A&R, Def Jam Recordings

A return to inventive and cultural management has been the main focus at Def Jam since Balogun started his tenure in January. This 12 months’s artist signings embrace Muni Long (partnering along with her Supergiant Records) and Armani White, whose breakthrough single, “Billie Eilish,” netted the rapper-singer-songwriter his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. “Armani stands out as an actual improvement story that has proven the entire crew coming collectively to interrupt an artist,” says Burnette. “Artist improvement and breaking new artists proceed to be our focus, and we’re excited for the challenges forward.”

Cleopatra Bernard
President, Bad Vibes Forever
Bob Celestin
Alicia Ferriabough Taylor
Heads of enterprise/authorized affairs, Bad Vibes Forever
Solomon “Sounds” Sobande
Manager, Bad Vibes Forever

The crew at Bad Vibes Forever has labored onerous to maintain the late XXXTentacion’s legacy alive within the 4 years since his loss of life. This previous 12 months, the crew produced and launched the Hulu documentary Look at Me, which unflinchingly particulars the life and profession of the rapper born Jahseh Onfroy. While the movie dives deep into the star’s trials and tribulations, it additionally sheds mild on his psychological well being points in a manner that may reinforce the connection between XXXTentacion and his devoted fan base.

Katina Bynum
Executive vp of East Coast labels for city, Universal Music Enterprises

For Bynum, watching Universal Music Group artists Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and others be a part of forces for the 2022 Super Bowl halftime present was only one spotlight from her banner 12 months. Dr. Dre and Snoop’s “The Next Episode,” which opened the present, had a 994% week-on-week U.S. gross sales achieve from the occasion. Bynum additionally factors to key anniversary initiatives, akin to UMe’s collaboration with Interscope Geffen A&M to have fun Interscope’s Thirtieth anniversary, full with an artwork exhibition and vinyl sequence, as effectively the twenty fifth anniversary of Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope — an “iconic launch,” she says.

Don Cannon
Leighton “Lake” Morrison
Tyree “DJ Drama” Simmons
Co-founders, Generation Now

After molding Lil Uzi Vert right into a rap heavyweight, Generation Now scored once more with burgeoning celebrity Jack Harlow. The Louisville, Ky., upstart earned his first solo Hot 100 No. 1 hit with “First Class” because the document loved a three-week keep atop the chart. In May, Harlow launched his second album, Come Home the Kids Miss You, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 113,000 equal album items. DJ Drama additionally reignited his iconic Gangsta Grillz sequence after working with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Snoop Dogg, Jeezy and Tyler, The Creator, with the lattermost successful finest rap album (2021’s Call Me If You Get Lost) at this 12 months’s Grammy Awards alongside the famend DJ. “2022 was an extremely blessed 12 months,” says Morrison.

Steve Carless
President of A&R, Warner Records
Chris Atlas
Executive vp of city music and advertising and marketing, Warner Records
Brannon Scales
Senior vp of rhythm promotion, Warner Records
Shawnae Corbett-Rice
Senior vp of selling, Warner Records

While Warner Records artists like Saweetie proceed to ascend the charts, the label is waiting for the subsequent wave: “2022 has been all about making main contributions in signing artists within the cultural actions and the hyper-local scenes,” says Carless, with Warner investing in such artists as rappers Sha EK, Bandmanrill, 2Rare, Kenzo B and Nigerian producer-performer Pheelz. “We’ve been profitable in figuring out and creating that new wave of younger generational expertise and utilizing the facility, sources and world attain of our label to carry that music to the plenty.”

Julius “J.” Erving
CEO, Human Re Sources; government vp, The Orchard; government vp of inventive improvement, Sony Music Entertainment
Naji Grampus
Vp of streaming and technique, The Orchard
Mark Jackson
Vp/head of Atlanta, Human Re Sources
Sammy Pisano
Director of account administration, The Orchard

In the previous 12 months, Human Re Sources, the artist distribution and providers firm that Sony Music Entertainment acquired in 2020, gave British singer-songwriter Raye “a brand new house and the liberty to talk her reality,” says Erving. Her most up-to-date single, “Black Mascara,” debuted on BBC Radio 1 because the “hottest document within the U.Ok.” Human Re Sources additionally not too long ago added Brooklyn rapper Kelz to its roster, whose first single, “Sinner,” caught the eye of Pharrell Williams, Jack Harlow and Drake. After turning down quite a few front-line label gives, says Erving, Kelz selected Human Re Sources to assist make his musical debut.

Bill Evans
Executive vp of city promotion, Capitol Music Group
Ray Alba
Senior vp of selling, Capitol Records
Rebecca “Dimplez” Ijeoma
Senior vp for digital advertising and marketing and content material improvement, Capitol Music Group
Chris Turner
Senior director of A&R, Capitol Records

As Capitol continues to construct its R&B and hip-hop roster, newcomers and veterans alike scored during the last a number of months. Iconic crooner-producer Babyface took “Keeps On Fallin’ ” to No. 2 on Adult R&B Airplay, whereas Queen Naija and Big Sean topped that chart with “Hate Our Love.” Capella Grey’s “Gyalis” reached No. 3 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and fellow rapper Doechii obtained an MTV Video Music Award for the monitor “Persuasive” from her second EP (and first for the label), She/Her/Black B-tch.

Lanre Gaba
Michael Kyser
Co-presidents of Black music, Atlantic Records
Dallas Martin
Executive vp of A&R, Atlantic Records; president, Asylum Records
Orlando Wharton
Senior vp of A&R, Atlantic Records
Veronica Howell
Director of selling, Atlantic Records
Kathryn Kenealy
Director of digital advertising and marketing, Atlantic Records

Appointed co-president of Black music in January alongside Kyser, Gaba says she’s most happy with the label’s “dedication to long-term artist improvement.” She cites Jack Harlow’s breakthrough along with his first solo Hot 100 No. 1, “First Class” (launched in partnership with Generation Now), Burna Boy’s next-level profession bounce with the No. 1 Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay single “Last Last” and Kodak Black’s chart-topping third album, Back for Everything, and its profitable single “Super Gremlin,” a 10-week No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. And that’s not counting Atlantic’s roster of rising acts. Adds Gaba: “I’m additionally so happy with the crucial approval for our rising artists like Ravyn Lenae and Symba… they’re up subsequent.”

Ghazi
Founder/CEO, EMPIRE
Nima Etminan
COO, EMPIRE
Tina Davis
Senior vp of A&R, EMPIRE
Christian “Hitmaka” Ward
Vp of A&R, EMPIRE

Over the previous 18 months, EMPIRE has seen great development from rapper-singer Yung Bleu, whose tune “You’re Mines Still” (that includes Drake) reached the highest 10 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart final 12 months. “Not solely has he put out a number of platinum data of his personal, however he has actually taken management of his profession and narrative to write down, produce and do options for a plethora of artists together with H.E.R., Maroon 5 and Nicki Minaj,” says Etminan, whose firm additionally represents Eric Bellinger, Larry June and Tink.

Yo Gotti
Founder/CEO, CMG

“I’m proud that me and my artists have constructed CMG right into a powerhouse,” says Gotti, the multiplatinum musician and label government. Gotti’s personal eleventh studio album, CM10: Free Game, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 3, whereas Detroit’s 42 Dugg and Louisville, Ky., native EST Gee’s Last Ones Left album entered at No. 7 and fellow Memphians Moneybagg Yo and Blac Youngsta stay fashionable. The additions of hometown “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” rapper GloRilla, Sacramento, Calif., rap veteran Mozzy and R&B singer Lehla Samia take “CMG to new heights,” Gotti says, including that there’s “no higher feeling than watching your artists develop, attain their potential and put themselves in place to create generational wealth for his or her households.”

Elliot Grainge
Founder/CEO, 10K Projects
Zach Friedman
Tony Talamo
Co-presidents, 10K Projects

Under Grainge, 10K Projects expanded its attain this 12 months with the acquisition of the label Homemade Projects, which led to the latter’s co-founders, Friedman and Talamo, becoming a member of as 10K’s co-presidents. The label’s new administration re-signed marquee artist Trippie Redd in 2022, and located additional success with names like Internet Money and newcomer Jeleel. “Hip-hop is foundational at 10K, and nothing has been extra essential to constructing our legacy than the re-signing of Trippie Redd,” Friedman says. “We’re thrilled he’ll name 10K his house for years to come back.”

Ethiopia Habtemariam
Chairwoman/CEO, Motown Records
Tramiel “Twin” Clark
Senior vp, Motown Records/Quality Control Music/Armani Music
JD Anderson
Senior vp of selling, Motown Records
Britney Davis
Senior vp of artist relations, advertising and marketing and particular initiatives, Motown Records
Kenoe Jordan
Vp of A&R, Motown Records
Jamila Thomas
Vp of selling, Motown Records

After regaining stand-alone label standing in 2021, Motown has been revving up its engines — first with star signings akin to Sean “Diddy” Combs, Brandy and, most not too long ago, YoungBoy Never Broke Again — then with releases of chart-topping albums from Quavo & Takeoff and Lil Baby, whose It’s Only Me marks his third No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Of a roster that additionally consists of Lil Yachty, Vince Staples, City Girls, Offset and Smino, Habtemariam says, “I’m so extremely happy with our crew and artists. Motown continues to create, outline and affect fashionable tradition world wide.”

Wayne Hampton
Co-founder/chief enterprise improvement officer, Create Music Group
Mark Hill
Head of city, Create Music Group
Carl LeGrett
Director of A&R, Create Music Group Publishing

Create Music Group takes delight in its “capacity to deal with artists in any respect ranges,” says Hampton. “We’ve constructed a tremendous crew at Create, one that may assist a longtime artist like Tory Lanez attain the higher reaches of the albums charts.” Lanez has had 5 prime 5 releases on the Billboard 200. “At the identical time, [Create] can establish and assist propel a newcomer like Ice Spice to stardom,” he says. The music tech firm can also be letting artists faucet into their digital service supplier revenue streams as quickly as that cash is earned with the 2021 launch of the Create Carbon Card.

Saint Harraway
Executive vp of A&R, Republic Records; co-president, Uptown Records
Danielle Price
Executive vp, Republic Records
Roderick Scott
Xiarra Diamond Nimrod
Vps of selling technique, Republic Records
Romel Lherisson
Associate director of commerce, Republic Records

Between a star roster that features Drake, The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, Kid Cudi, John Legend and rising newcomer Coi Leray, and a brand new partnership with multiplatinum producer ATL Jacob, Republic garnered a bunch of success tales during the last 12 months. Adds Price, who joined Republic from 10K Projects in April: “We’re very proud to be an organization that launched as a small impartial and has grown into some of the aggressive labels on this planet. This 12 months, we’re most happy with how our strategic label ventures are equally following swimsuit. We’ve seen this firsthand with the relaunch of Uptown Records and Mercury Records, in addition to with the expansion of Imperial Distribution.”

Juliette Jones
COO, Alamo Records
Dharmic Jain
Vp of selling, Alamo Records
Tiara Hargrave
Executive vp/GM, Alamo Records

A 12 months after Sony Music Entertainment acquired a majority stake in Todd Moscowitz’s Alamo Records, the New York-based label had a breakout 12 months. Jones says it was “extremely thrilling” in 2022 to see rappers Lil Durk and Rod Wave rating No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 with 7220 and Beautiful Mind, respectively. “For our artists to attain two licensed gold albums in 2022 is a testomony to their onerous work and our dedication to positioning them for achievement in a aggressive discipline,” says Jones, who additionally notes the rise of Chicago drill rapper PGF Nuk: His single “Waddup” has earned over 100 million U.S. streams in lower than a 12 months. “That,” she says, “displays our dedication to artist improvement and breaking new artists.”

Kevin Liles
Chairman/CEO, 300 Entertainment/Elektra
Rayna Bass
Selim Bouab
Co-presidents, 300 Entertainment
Dee Sonaram
Executive vp of rhythmic promotions, 300 Entertainment
Shadow Stokes
Executive vp of promotions, 300 Entertainment
Leesa Brunson-Boland
Senior vp/head of A&R operations and administration, 300 Entertainment

300 Entertainment/Elektra had a splashy begin to the brand new 12 months when Gunna launched his Billboard 200 chart-topper, DS4Ever. Powered by his Hot 100 prime 10 single “Pushin P” (that includes Young Thug and Future), Gunna had social media in an uproar over his newly coined phrase. The label’s feminine acts additionally scored large in 2022: Megan Thee Stallion flexed her prowess as host and performer on Saturday Night Live after the success of her Billboard 200 prime 5 launch, Traumazine, whereas Mary J. Blige and her fellow Super Bowl halftime present performers every obtained Emmy Awards for that occasion.

Mark Pitts
President, RCA Records; CEO, ByStorm Entertainment
Carolyn Williams
Executive vp, RCA Records
Derrick Aroh
Rich “Skane Dolla” Ford
Senior vps of A&R, RCA Records
Jonathan Master
Senior vp of A&R and advertising and marketing, RCA Records
Sam Selolwane
Head of promotion (hip-hop, R&B, mixshow), RCA Records

Latto, Nardo Wick and Sleepy Hallow have been “main the pack for RCA this 12 months,” says Pitts. Latto grew to become the primary feminine rapper to prime the Rhythmic Airplay, Rap Airplay and Pop Airplay charts with the identical tune, “Big Energy.” Wick’s “Who Want Smoke??” peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100, whereas Hallow’s “2055” grew to become his highest-charting hit, reaching No. 51 on the Hot 100, and was licensed double-platinum. “We’re nonetheless the house for creative expression throughout all genres,” says Pitts, “however notably within the hip-hop area, we’re leveling up.”

Ricky Reed
Founder/CEO, Nice Life Recording Company
Larry Wade
Co-owner/COO, Nice Life Recording Company

Lizzo has been a dominant popular culture presence this 12 months, from climbing the Billboard charts to enjoying a crystal flute that after belonged to President James Madison on the Library of Congress. On the charts, three years after scoring her first Hot 100 No. 1 with “Truth Hurts,” Lizzo notched her second chart-topper with “About Damn Time,” which dominated for 2 weeks. The Reed-produced monitor, launched on Nice Life/Atlantic Records, additionally landed Lizzo her first prime 10 on each the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. “She was in a position to solidify her place as one in every of this technology’s most essential world superstars,” says Reed, “whereas Nice Life was in a position to break new floor with world chart positions. Nobody outworks us.”

Tim Reid
Senior vp of repertoire and advertising and marketing, BMG

Promoted to his present repertoire and advertising and marketing function at BMG in 2020, Reid secured a brand new multi-album take care of Logic and a worldwide recording partnership with Stefflon Don, whereas BMG labelmate Maxwell had a profitable run along with his The Night Tour and the No. 1 Adult R&B Airplay single “Off.” Reid was additionally actively concerned in making a take care of BMG UK for Danger Mouse and Black Thought’s newest album, Dangerous Thoughts.

Sylvia Rhone
Chairman/CEO, Epic Records
Ezekiel Lewis
Executive vp/head of A&R, Epic Records

The previous 12 months introduced numerous wins for Epic below Rhone’s management, together with a mixed 16.1 billion worldwide audio streams throughout the label’s roster and 27 RIAA platinum singles, in line with Epic. In 2022 alone, the label scored 9 Billboard 200 debuts, together with Yo Gotti’s CM10: Free Game at No. 3 and Future’s I Never Liked You at No. 1. Future’s album additionally introduced one other profession achievement with the Hot 100 No. 1 “Wait for U,” that includes Drake and Tems. The monitor set the document for probably the most weeks at No. 1 (15) within the 30-year historical past of the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

Jonnyshipes
Founder, Cinematic Music Group
Hovain Hylton
Vp, Cinematic Music Group

Adding comedy to the Cinematic Music Group roster has been one in every of Jonnyshipes’ largest accomplishments of the previous 12 months. “When I used to be rising up, I all the time cherished comedy — as a lot as I did music,” says the label’s founder, who’s credited with discovering Nipsey Hussle, Joey Bada$$ and Smoke DZA. “I’ve been fortunate sufficient to search out nice artist after nice artist in my profession. Those wins in music gave me the platform to work with Druski,” the web character he co-manages, “and pursue my objectives of fusing hip-hop and comedy.”

Abou “Bu” Thiam
Executive vp, Columbia Records
Luis “Lu” Mota
Senior vp of A&R, Columbia Records
Shahendra Ohneswere
Senior vp of content material improvement, Columbia Records
Wilt Wallace
Senior vp of city promotion, Columbia Records
John Vincent Salcedo
Vp of digital advertising and marketing, Columbia Records
Victoria White-Mason
Vp of selling, Columbia Records

Over the previous 12 months, members of Columbia’s hip-hop roster scored prime 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, particularly Lil Nas X with Montero, Fivio Foreign with B.I.B.L.E. and Polo G with Hall of Fame — his first No. 1 album. For the label’s R&B/hip-hop crew, nonetheless, the actual reward goes past numbers and charts. Says Salcedo: “The capacity to adapt and transfer subgenres of hip-hop into the forefront of mainstream music is a testomony to our crew’s concentrate on additional creating artists’ communities with out ever steering away from the muse they initially constructed.”

Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith
Founder/CEO, Top Dawg Entertainment
Terrence “Punch” Henderson
President, Top Dawg Entertainment

A spotlight of Top Dawg Entertainment’s 12 months was the May launch of Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers — what Tiffith calls the label’s “victory lap album” — in addition to the celebration of the tenth anniversary of Lamar’s major-label debut, good child, m.A.A.d metropolis. TDE’s 12 months additionally included the emergence of newcomer Doechii and SZA’s first Grammy win for her visitor function on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” and the discharge of the deluxe model of SZA’s 2017 breakthrough, Ctrl. Tiffith says TDE is “laying the crimson carpet out” for the upcoming launch of SZA’s second album: “We are very enthusiastic about that.”

Andre Torres
Senior vp of world catalog improvement and advertising and marketing, Warner Recorded Music

Torres, who joined Warner from Spotify final fall, had quite a few successes over the previous 12 months whereas working with the music big’s front-line labels to highlight its hip-hop catalog. Recently, a Kodak Black limited-edition figurine celebrating the fifth anniversary of the rapper’s Project Baby 2 album bought out “in a matter of hours” utilizing Spotify’s Fans First program. His crew additionally labored with Atlantic, HipHopDX and Warner Music Group’s WMX to create a 30-minute documentary concerning the tenth anniversary of Wiz Khalifa’s Rolling Papers and managed to get Kehlani’s Cloud19 debut mixtape on streaming providers for the primary time.

Steven Victor
CEO, Victor Victor Worldwide; senior vp of A&R, Universal Music Group

In April, Victor tasted victory on the managerial entrance when longtime consumer Pusha T notched his first Billboard 200 No. 1 album in May with It’s Almost Dry. The earlier month, Victor loved one other win when Japanese dressmaker/document producer Nigo launched his second album, I Know Nigo!, below Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records. The album debuted within the prime 15 on the Billboard 200 and consists of options from A$AP Rocky, Lil Uzi Vert and Tyler, The Creator. “It’s a considerate and impactful venture,” says Victor, “that’s genuine to its artwork and artists.”

Bryan “Birdman” Williams
Ronald “Slim” Williams
Co-founders/co-CEOs, Cash Money Records

The Williams brothers have launched among the largest names in hip-hop during the last 30 years, together with Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj. The Cash Money co-founders have been honored with this 12 months’s lifetime achievement award on the Living Legends Foundation’s Thirtieth-anniversary gala in October. Other notable feats in 2022: Birdman collaborated with Quavo & Takeoff for his or her single “Big Stunna” and labored with YoungBoy Never Broke Again on his From the Bayou mixtape.

Nicole Wyskoarko
Executive vp/co-head of A&R, Interscope Geffen A&M
Aaron “Dash” Sherrod
President of A&R, Geffen
Tim Glover
Executive vp of A&R, Interscope
Ramon Alvarez-Smikle
Senior vp/head of city digital advertising and marketing, Interscope
Laura Carter
Senior vp of city advertising and marketing, Interscope
Keinon Johnson
Senior vp/head of city promotions, Interscope

Kendrick Lamar’s long-awaited return along with his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and profitable world tour performed a key function in Interscope Geffen A&M’s banner 12 months. Among the opposite R&B/hip-hop artists and partnerships that flourished are LVRN’s Summer Walker, Dreamville’s J.I.D and Ari Lennox, and 10 Summers’ Ella Mai. “These artists continued to develop and push the cultural envelope,” says Wyskoarko. In addition, “newcomers like CMG’s GloRilla and EST Gee, together with Geffen’s partnership with Field Trip Recordings’ Yeat, have damaged new floor and located chart success.”

Andre “Dr. Dre” Young
Founder/CEO, Aftermath Entertainment
Ashley Palmer-Gilkey
GM, Aftermath Entertainment

“While there have been many daring achievements this previous 12 months, it was most fulfilling for the crew to carry the Super Bowl halftime present to life in our yard of Inglewood [Calif.],” says Palmer-Gilkey. The 2022 occasion on NBC introduced collectively Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and shock visitor 50 Cent for a power-packed efficiency. The occasion later scored a landing of its personal, successful the Emmy Award for excellent selection particular (reside), with the performers every receiving the statuette. “More than that,” provides Palmer-Gilkey, “it was a celebratory full-circle homecoming for Dre’s musical household, whom I’ve labored alongside the final 14 years and maintain in excessive regard.”

Tunde Balogun
Co-founder/president, LVRN
Junia Abaidoo
Co-founder/head of operations and touring, LVRN
Justice Baiden
Co-founder/head of A&R, LVRN
Sean “Famoso” McNichol
Co-founder/head of selling and model ­partnerships, LVRN
Carlon Ramong
Co-founder/inventive director, LVRN
Amber Grimes
Executive vp/GM, LVRN

Early in 2022, LVRN bolstered its government crew by hiring revered music trade veteran Grimes as government vp/GM. The R&B powerhouse label, which counts Summer Walker, 6LACK and DRAM amongst its artists, additionally expanded on the administration aspect, the place Grimes serves as a associate, with the signing of Afrobeats stars Davido and SPINALL; the pair be a part of administration consumer dvsn. Along with these new additions, LVRN opened a worldwide headquarters in Atlanta, full with a recording studio that its artists can use.

Peter Bittenbender
CEO, Mass Appeal
Annie Chen
Vp of selling, Mass Appeal

In addition to releasing final 12 months’s King’s Disease II by Mass Appeal co-founder Nas, the indie label and film-content firm spent the previous 12 months constructing consciousness for the fiftieth anniversary of DJ Kool Herc’s historic South Bronx social gathering on Aug. 11, 1973, extensively thought-about the birthplace of hip-hop. Mass Appeal’s #HipHop50 venture honors the style’s key producers with reside occasions, pop-up shops, merchandise and a star-studded EP sequence by producers from DJ Premier to Swizz Beatz. “It has grown into one thing a lot bigger than we ever envisioned, our love letter to hip-hop,” says Bittenbender, who took over the “hybrid leisure firm” a decade in the past with Nas and author Sacha Jenkins.

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter
Founder/chairman, Roc Nation
Desiree Perez
CEO, Roc Nation
Jay Brown
Vice chairman, Roc Nation

Roc Nation scored large time when NBC’s February broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime present, starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, gained three Emmys together with excellent selection particular (reside). “The Emmy wins have been introduced the identical weekend Roc Nation staged the official tenth anniversary of the Made in America competition that includes Tyler, The Creator and Bad Bunny,” says Perez. The NFL and Roc Nation have since confirmed Rihanna because the headliner of the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show — her first main efficiency in 5 years — and in October, Megan Thee Stallion hosted and carried out on Saturday Night Live.

Jermaine “J. Cole” Cole
Co-founder/associate, Dreamville
Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad
Co-founder/associate/data president, Dreamville
Adam Roy
Co-founder/associate/competition president/attire president, Dreamville
Candace Rodney
Executive vp/studios president, Dreamville

After two years of delays, J. Cole’s pioneering label, Dreamville, lastly received to flex its occasion manufacturing abilities as soon as extra with its second Dreamville Festival in April, bringing in outdoors stars together with Lil Baby, Ashanti, Ja Rule and Lil Wayne. Along with the occasion’s return, Dreamville artists celebrated main firsts: J.I.D scored his first prime 10 hit on the Hot 100 with an Imagine Dragons collaboration (“Enemy”), whereas Ari Lennox earned her first No. 1 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart with “Pressure.” Says Roy: “I couldn’t be extra happy with the creativity, ardour and expertise displayed by our artist roster.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs
Chairman/CEO, Bad Boy Entertainment/Love Records/Revolt Media

“Launching Love Records and partnering with Motown has been about constructing on the legacy of Bad Boy and getting again to doing what I really like,” says Combs. “Also having the ability to get again onstage and carry out on the Billboard Music Awards [and the] iHeartwork Music Festival, and being honored on the BET Awards for lifetime achievement. Most importantly, it’s about restoring respect and appreciation for R&B as an artwork type, respecting the craft of constructing hit data and offering a platform for the subsequent technology of artists, songwriters and producers shifting the style ahead.”

Brandon “Lil Bibby” Dickinson
George “G-Money” Dickinson
Peter “Pete” Jideonwo
Partners, Grade A Productions

Following rapper Juice WRLD’s loss of life in December 2019, the Grade A Productions crew has been centered on preserving his legacy. In December 2021, the group cemented the star’s standing with the discharge of his second posthumous album, Fighting Demons, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 119,000 equal album items. The firm additionally introduced the primary Juice WRLD Day (Dec. 9), promoting out Chicago’s United Center in 2021. Jideonwo calls the occasion “a tremendous celebration of life. We look ahead to this 12 months’s Juice WRLD Day and persevering with Juice’s message of hope and positivity.”

Aubrey “Drake” Graham
Co-founder, OVO/OVO Sound
Noah “40” Shebib
Co-founder, OVO/OVO Sound; producer
Oliver El-Khatib
Co-founder, OVO/OVO Sound
Mr. Morgan
President, OVO Sound

On Nov. 4, Drake and 21 Savage launched their joint album, Her Loss, after a delay of per week when producer Noah “40” Shebib contracted COVID-19. The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, the most recent success Drake has achieved in his continued dominance of pop and R&B/hip-hop with the backing of his OVO crew. The Canadian rapper beforehand reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Honestly, Nevermind in June. He is one in every of solely six artists to land over 10 albums on the peak of that chart and claimed 9 of the highest 10 positions on the Hot 100 in September 2021 — a document surpassed solely not too long ago by Taylor Swift.

Shawn Holiday
President/head of A&R, Giant Music; supervisor, Full Stop Management

At the helm of Giant Music, Holiday has achieved success for The Azoff Company with a roster that features Tay B, SwaVay, Ayleen and Cash Cobain. Holiday can also be chargeable for bringing Cardi B, Roddy Ricch and Daniel Caesar to Full Stop Management. Caesar carried out at Coachella earlier this 12 months, and Ricch is on his first enviornment tour with Post Malone. Holiday notes that “it has been a very long time” since Cardi launched her debut album; each her and Caesar have new releases slated for early 2023. Regarding a collaboration between the rapper and crooner, Holiday says: “That’s the plan.”

Matt MacFarlane
Eli Piccarreta
Vps of A&R, Artist Publishing Group

With a roster that features producers akin to Earwulf and The Futuristics in addition to songwriters 24kGoldn, Ava Max and Charlie Puth, Artist Publishing Group had what MacFarlane calls an “unprecedented” 18 months. “APG’s purchasers have touched 23 No. 1 songs at 10 totally different radio codecs,” he says of tracks together with The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay,” co-written by Puth; Latto’s “Big Energy,” co-written by London Jae; and Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” co-written by MD$. Also on APG’s hit record are YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s three No. 1s on Top Rap Albums, together with a Billboard 200 chart-topper with 2021’s Sincerely, Kentrell and this 12 months’s The Last Slimeto, which additionally went to No. 1 on the rap albums chart.

Faith Newman
Executive vp of A&R and catalog improvement, Reservoir

“My relationships with Tommy Boy [Music] expertise date again to my early 20s at Def Jam,” says Newman concerning the integration of the long-lasting label. “It has been an actual homecoming for me to … evolve the roster’s catalog of artists and initiatives whereas preserving its wealthy historical past.” Reservoir celebrated milestone anniversaries for Naughty by Nature and House of Pain, and Newman plans to assist carry De La Soul’s music to streaming platforms for the primary time. “We proceed to honor artists who helped form the label, with homages to the late Shock G of Digital Underground and Coolio, whereas serving to to reveal extra audiences to their music,” says Newman.

Gee Roberson
Cortez “Tez” Bryant
Co-CEOs, The Blueprint Group; companions, Maverick
Jean Nelson
CEO, BPG Records; associate, The Blueprint Group
Al Branch
Partner/chief advertising and marketing officer, The Blueprint Group

In the previous 12 months, Blueprint and Maverick have logged numerous wins, together with Montero from Lil Nas X (whom they co-manage with Adam Leber) and Kanye “Ye” West’s Donda. For Donda, Roberson produced 4 sold-out stadium listening occasions for the album’s launch, and he executive-produced, with J Prince, the Amazon Prime live performance particular #FreeLarryHoover with Ye and Drake. (Roberson’s work with Ye preceded the rapper’s antisemitic remarks in October and subsequent controversy.) Bryant led the corporate’s civic engagement with Project Go Dark, a music-executive program launched to bolster the variety of Black leaders. Additionally, Bryant labored with Pepsi’s Rockstar Energy Drink to launch Culture Lab ATL as an incubator for college kids at traditionally Black faculties and universities.

Jeff Robinson
CEO, MBK Entertainment
Jeanine McLean-Williams
President, MBK Entertainment

MBK Entertainment has been driving excessive. H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas each successful Academy Awards — for 2021’s finest authentic tune, “Fight for You,” from Judas and the Black Messiah — and H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe” capturing the tune of the 12 months Grammy have been simply two highlights, says Robinson. Another shiny spot was the success of H.E.R.’s Back of My Mind, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. But Robinson is much more thrilled for what’s to come back: “I’m over the moon enthusiastic about future albums” subsequent 12 months from Thomas and Tone Stith, amongst others.

Austin Rosen
Founder/CEO, Electric Feel Entertainment

“There have been so many rewarding issues that occurred this 12 months,” says Rosen of the leisure and ventures firm whose purchasers have been within the Hot 100 prime 10 for 100 straight weeks, in line with Electric Feel. Among probably the most thrilling, he says, have been the success of “publishing consumer Vory’s Lost Souls album launch” and rap/pop celebrity Post Malone, whom he co-manages with Dre London. He provides that Post’s Twelve Carat Toothache has “a number of No. 1 radio singles crafted by all Electric Feel co-collaborators,” in addition to “Hot 100 success with ‘I Like You (A Happier Song)’ with Doja Cat.” Post is now wrapping up a sold-out enviornment tour.

Wassim “Sal” Slaiby
Founder/CEO, SALXCO/XO Records
Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye
Artist/co-founder, XO Records
Amir “Cash” Esmailian
LaMar Taylor
Co-founders, XO Records
Melissa Mahood
GM, XO Records

The Weeknd grossed over $131 million along with his long-awaited After Hours Til Dawn Tour — a first-ever world stadium trek showcasing his most up-to-date albums, 2020’s After Hours and 2022’s Dawn FM. He additionally introduced his forthcoming HBO Max sequence, The Idol, and launched the favored attraction The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare at Universal Studios for its Horror Nights franchise. In addition, XO’s Belly returned to Coachella, Nav clocked his third No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and the label launched new feminine expertise Chxrry22. Most notably, says Mahood, is that the success was accompanied by “a number of million {dollars} in fundraising” for World Food Programme by XO’s Humanitarian Fund.

Steve Stoute
Founder/CEO, UnitedMasters

UnitedMasters, a music distribution firm that Stoute based in 2017, has made two main strikes for the 1.5 million impartial artists on the platform. “We launched Split Pay, which allows choose artists to robotically cut up royalties with their collaborators on any monitor they distribute,” he says, “and the Beat Exchange, a curated market the place producers and artists should purchase and promote beats.” UnitedMasters additionally has gotten artists synch offers with manufacturers such because the NBA, ESPN, Bose, Amazon and Coinbase. “The variety of UnitedMasters artists who have been paid for model offers is on monitor to double in 2022,” says Stoute, “and our whole income from manufacturers has already greater than doubled this 12 months.”

Ola Ali
Manager, Lil Durk

Ali had an excellent 12 months creating the JD Sports and Adidas marketing campaign, contributing to the Apple Beats and A-Cold-Wall partnership and serving to orchestrate Lil Durk’s sold-out 7220 tour. He performed a significant function in neighborhood service efforts together with implementing methods for the Neighborhood Heroes Foundation. Ali is most happy with working with a profession readiness program to take 20 younger males from Chicago on a tour of traditionally Black faculties and universities in Atlanta. “I helped to create alternatives for the group to talk with leaders from main firms like Sony, Alamo Records and the New York Knicks,” Ali says. “Our basis additionally introduced college students to the NASCAR Playoffs at Talladega Nights, YellaWood 500, the place they met management.”

Ty Baisden
Jayne Andrew
Co-founders, Colture

In 2014, Brent Faiyaz was a sandwich maker in Charlotte, N.C., earlier than he met his future supervisor and associate, Ty Baisden. Seven years later, Faiyaz is now an R&B powerhouse who went head-to-head with Bad Bunny on the Billboard 200 in July.

Though Faiyaz’s debut album, Wasteland, completed at No. 2 with 88,000 album-equivalent items within the United States in a intently contested battle with the Latin heavyweight, his and Baisden’s choice to spurn main labels for the impartial route has proved profitable.

“People are seeing methods to develop their enterprise from an impartial perspective,” says Baisden. “The aim is to have the choice to do no matter you need whereas nonetheless sustaining possession of your artwork. That’s actually the aim, if we’re being trustworthy.”

Released on Faiyaz’s Lost Kids label with distribution by indies Stem and Venice, Wasteland consists of options from Drake, Alicia Keys and Tyler, The Creator. Packed with star energy, the 18-track set debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and logged 15 tracks on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. “All Mine” was Faiyaz’s crown jewel, reaching No. 4 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

Faiyaz’s fast leap to stardom was a strategic one. After his 2020 EP, F–okay the World, debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200, Baisden and Colture co-owner Jayne Andrew forecast a giant album debut for his or her burgeoning artist. They began with a string of Hot 100 singles in 2021: The Neptunes-produced hit “Wasting Time” that includes Drake, “Gravity” with Tyler, The Creator and the solo songs “Mercedes” and “Price of Fame.”

In 2022, Baisden intently monitored launch dates for upcoming albums and sought to keep away from doable conflicts. After speak of a possible Beyoncé launch got here to Baisden’s consideration, the Colture crew settled on July 8, three weeks earlier than Beyoncé’s Renaissance got here out. Though Faiyaz didn’t fairly topple Bad Bunny, whose album Un Verano Sin Ti topped the Billboard 200 for 13 nonconsecutive weeks, Baisden was proud that Faiyaz was in a position to “compete towards a mammoth” just like the Latin celebrity.

“We’re creating extra producers and songwriters which are getting wealthy off artwork due to how our infrastructure is,” says Baisden of Colture, an acronym for Can Our Leverage Teach Us Real Equity. “You begin to see different individuals undertake that infrastructure by Stem, direct funds and breaking bread with producers in an actual manner. Being in a position to actually do issues that even major-label artists haven’t been in a position to accomplish from an impartial perspective is essential.”

Adds Andrew: “Colture is for the choice thinker. It’s based on humility and understanding the unquestionable proper to possession of our concepts and work. We don’t do issues the traditional manner as a result of we aren’t regular, and we like that.”

Fee Banks
CEO, Good Money Global

“A very long time in the past, I spotted that I’ve an ear for music. I utilized that ear in selecting YoungBoy [Never Broke Again’s] very first platinum document, ‘Untouchable,’ ” Banks advised Billboard in a 2020 interview that marked the success of Top when that album by his administration consumer grew to become the artist’s third No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In October, YoungBoy’s Ma’ I Got a Family grew to become the prolific rapper’s twelfth prime 10-charting launch and his fifth prime 10 in 2022 — probably the most of any act this 12 months. In all, he has charted 25 titles on the Billboard 200 since 2017.

Gordan Dillard
Camille Delaney
Ryan Ramsey
Dina Sahim
Artist managers, SALXCO

“The streak of achievements, development and pleasure right here at SALXCO has been exceptional this previous 12 months,” says Ramsey, citing highlights for the administration agency just like the continued chart success of Doja Cat’s Planet Her and The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” turning into Billboard’s No. 1 Hot 100 Song of All Time, in addition to his After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour grossing over $131 million. (SALXCO co-manages Doja Cat with Josh Kaplan at 10Q Management.) Meanwhile, Brandy signed a take care of Motown Records, Nancy Ajram and Marshmellow’s Arabic-language “Sah Sah” broke onto Billboard’s Dance/Electronic chart, and French Montana’s “Unforgettable” made him the primary African-born artist to attain RIAA diamond standing. In September, Capitol Music Group named Dillard its new government vp of A&R and artist improvement, however he’ll proceed in his function as Doja Cat’s co-manager at SALXCO.

Neil Jacobson
CEO, Hallwood Media
Cory Litwin
Executive vp, Hallwood Media
Brennen Bryant
Manager of A&R, Hallwood Media

Over the final 12 months, Hallwood’s leaders have stayed true to their aim of supporting purchasers on a mission to make moneymaking music. Focusing on audio engineers, Hallwood has signed Jason “Cheese” Goldberg (YoungBoy Never Broke Again), Angie Randisi (Lil Baby), Nickie Jon Pabón (Jack Harlow) and Miyagi (Drake, Ty Dolla $ign, Jeremih), amongst others, with the goal of securing truthful, sizable offers atypical for engineers. Their signees have garnered a number of No. 1 Hot 100 hits, together with Polo G’s “Rapstar” and Harlow’s “First Class,” in addition to numerous Grammy nominations. Other purchasers have been supported of their evolution towards turning into artists and entrepreneurs by endeavors like Murda Beatz releasing his personal music, acting at his first Las Vegas residency and DJ’ing on the crimson carpet on the MTV Video Music Awards.

Josh Kaplan
Founder/supervisor, 10Q Management

Kaplan has helped develop the profession of one of many decade’s largest stars in both hip-hop or pop: Doja Cat, who transitioned from viral rapper to world sensation with the blockbuster success of her Planet Her album. (10Q co-manages Doja Cat with SALXCO.) Since its June 2021 launch, Planet Her has spawned 5 prime 5 hits on the Pop Airplay chart — and Doja has since added two extra along with her Elvis soundtrack contribution, “Vegas,” and a function on Post Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Song).” “As an organization, we’re solely as robust as our artists,” Kaplan says. “Luckily, we get to work with some extraordinarily highly effective artists like Doja Cat.”

Adam Leber
CEO, Rebel

Leber says the spotlight of his 12 months has been working along with his administration consumer Lil Nas X to launch his first-ever sold-out world tour. “It has been unbelievable to get out on the street and eventually meet his followers,” Leber says of the face-to-face alternatives afforded by the Long Live Montero Tour. Leber launched his administration and media firm, Rebel (his final title spelled backward), lower than two years in the past in partnership with Live Nation.

Dre London
Founder/CEO, London Entertainment

London’s consumer Post Malone continued his pop reign in June, when he launched his fourth album, Twelve Carat Toothache. The 14-track set produced two prime 10 Hot 100 hits, together with his star-powered collaborations with The Weeknd (“One Right Now”) and Doja Cat (“I Like You [A Happier Song]”). Earlier this 12 months, London launched his premium tequila model, Don Londrés, which has been the drink of selection at Post’s afterparties.

Paul Rosenberg
President/CEO, Goliath Artists; president/CEO, Shady Records; president/CEO, Goliath Records

This previous 12 months was a spotlight reel of firsts for Rosenberg’s longtime consumer Eminem: He carried out on the Super Bowl halftime present alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar; scored his first No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart for his function on DJ Khaled’s “Use This Gospel (Remix)” with Kanye West; and in March grew to become the top-awarded singles artist in RIAA historical past. But the zenith arrived in November, when Eminem grew to become the most recent rapper inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in his first 12 months of eligibility.

Chris Thomas
Managing associate, Range Media Partners

Thomas cites Jack Harlow’s success as one in every of Range Media Partners’ largest achievements this 12 months. The rapper earned his first solo Hot 100 No. 1 with “First Class,” launched a brand new album, co-hosted MTV’s Video Music Awards and carried out on the Grammys and BET Awards. “My private favourite achievement of this 12 months is the sold-out, 30-date enviornment tour that Jack simply accomplished,” Thomas says. “Seeing him reside his dream, and the euphoric expressions on his followers’ faces as they watched him carry out, was an excellent reminder of how essential reside music is and the way excited the world is to have it again.”

Pierre “P” Thomas
CEO, Quality Control
Kevin “Coach Ok” Lee
COO, Quality Control
Simone Mitchell
President, Quality Control Music/Solid Foundation Management
Brandra Ringo
Executive vp/co-head of A&R, Quality Control Music
Wayno Clark
Executive vp of A&R, Quality Control Music

“Size” was the operative phrase for Quality Control in 2022, with development throughout the corporate’s movie and TV divisions by the Lil Baby documentary Untrapped on Amazon Prime and an government producer credit score on Issa Rae’s Rap Sh!t on HBO Max. Quality Control additionally launched the fact sequence Impact ATL and added a basketball division to QC Sports. Clients Lil Yachty, Quavo & Takeoff and Yung Miami’s podcast (Caresha Please) clocked hits and awards, whereas the Atlanta-based firm additionally expanded with new hires and extra workplace area. “Embarking on constructing out our flagship HQ to open in 2023 feels applicable with all of the enlargement of the previous year-and-a-half,” says Mitchell.

Ebonie Ward
Partner, Emagen Entertainment Group

Emagen’s previous 12 months has been largely outlined by two celebrity administration purchasers. In January, Gunna scored his second No. 1 solo album on the Billboard 200 with DS4Ever, whereas Future dominated the spring along with his chart-­topping I Never Liked You. The venture spawned the Hot 100 No. 1 “Wait for U” that includes Drake and Tems. Ward additionally factors to rising purchasers like Flo Milli, the Alabama rapper who’s headlining her largest tour so far. “These achievements usually are not solely impacting and shifting tradition however are opening doorways to new methods of making moments.”

Anthony “Ant” Wilson
Founder, Anthony Wilson Management; founder, Tycoon Music Festival

Anthony Wilson Management has expanded its leisure attain to incorporate executive-producing movie, TV (Starz’s BMF) and festivals. As the supervisor of world celebrity Chris Brown, Wilson assisted with the discharge of the artist’s tenth studio album, Breezy, in June in addition to Brown’s tour with Lil Baby. The One of the Ones summer season tour bought out 27 cities nationwide. Wilson additionally based the Tycoon Music Festival, which debuted in Houston in August. The comedy/music occasion touted appearances by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Flo Rida and DaBaby, amongst others.

Whitney-Gayle Benta
Global head of artists and expertise relations, Spotify
Sydney Lopes
Head of hip-hop and R&B, artists and label partnerships, Spotify
Safiya Lambie-Knight
Head of music U.Ok. and Ireland, Spotify
Carl Chery
Creative director/head of city music, Spotify

“We teamed up with Kendrick Lamar to launch [mini-documentary] A Day in Ghana,” says Chery of Spotify’s “unbelievable 12 months.” The doc, which adopted Lamar throughout his first journey to the West African nation, focuses on his album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The platform additionally launched the RapCaviar podcast, hosted by Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins, and introduced a RapCaviar documentary sequence that includes Pharrell Williams, Jack Harlow and Tyler, The Creator, amongst others, for Hulu in 2023. “While the podcast is about settling long-standing debates and sparking new conversations,” says Chery, “the RapCaviar docuseries is a storytelling car to the touch on points occurring in hip-hop tradition.”

Tim Hinshaw
Head of hip-hop and R&B, Amazon Music
Rochelle Balogun
Senior hip-hop music curator, Amazon Music
Sierra Lever
Senior hip-hop, R&B and Afrobeats music curator, Amazon Music
Josh Peas
Artist relations supervisor, Amazon Music

Read Billboard‘s full profile on executive of the year Tim Hinshaw here.

Larry Jackson
Global inventive director, Apple Music
Ebro Darden
Host/world editorial head of hip-hop and R&B, Apple Music
Danielle McDoeffectively
Marketing lead, Black music and tradition, Apple Music

Apple Music marked Juneteenth this previous 12 months with an expansive and galvanizing musical assortment. Streaming in Spatial Audio completely on Apple Music, Juneteenth 2022: Freedom Songs featured over 16 artists, commissioned by Apple Music’s curators, throughout genres together with R&B, hip-hop, gospel, Latin, jazz and nation “to uncover the complexity of the Black expertise towards the backdrop of the historic contact level of Juneteenth — from pleasure to ache and hope to rumination,” the corporate stated in a press release. Darden added: “As the notice and mainstreaming of Juneteenth continues to rise, our crew at Apple Music is dedicated to commemorating the vacation whereas guaranteeing that its historic significance is just not misplaced. We proceed our annual efforts with a brand new assortment of Black music and tales from artists throughout an array of genres aimed to amplify the dialog, encourage reflection and have fun freedom.” To complement the gathering, Apple Music partnered with a number of Black visible artists who created authentic paintings and animations for the venture. In September, Jackson confirmed his departure from Apple Music, following a seven-year tenure throughout which he was key in negotiating Apple Music exclusives with superstars together with Drake, Frank Ocean and Kanye West.

Rachel Jackson
Artist relations supervisor, YouTube
Brittany Lewis
Artist partnerships lead, Black music and tradition, YouTube
Adam McFarland
Program supervisor, Black music and tradition, YouTube
Noah Rakoski
Head of West Coast label relations, YouTube

YouTube, which paid out $6 billion in world music royalties from July 2021 to June 2022, strives for cultural affect to match its financial influence. YouTube Avenues, launched in July 2022, goals for fairness and relevance in Black communities “which were traditionally underrepresented and underserved on our platform,” says Lewis. In addition to educating creators concerning the platform, YouTube Avenues has hosted 4 occasions that includes visitor audio system akin to Troy Carter, Kevin Liles and Ethiopia Habtemariam, and attendees akin to Wale, Armani White and Alex Vaughn.

Jason Kpana
Senior vp of artist and label relations, TIDAL
Melanie Mercedes
Former neighborhood and insights lead for social, TIDAL

To have fun hip-hop legend The Notorious B.I.G.’s fiftieth birthday, TIDAL created a chance for hip-hop followers “to come back collectively by curating and internet hosting ‘A Toast to Biggie’ on Twitter Spaces,” says Kpana. Moderated by TIDAL chief content material officer Elliott Wilson, the dialog featured shock appearances by Jay-Z, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Fat Joe, who shared how influential Biggie was to their careers. “A Toast to Biggie” garnered over 8,300 listeners and was replayed over 22,000 occasions, in line with the corporate. “Not solely was this a manner for TIDAL to pay tribute to a hip-hop icon, however the firm was additionally in a position to have fun his lasting legacy and contributions to music,” provides Kpana. Mercedes was a key member of the TIDAL social media crew earlier than not too long ago becoming a member of Amazon Music.

Josh “J1” Raiford
Vp of music programming, Pandora
Akim Bryant
Associate director of music programming, Pandora

“I’m tremendous happy with our Pandora Playbacks, the place we carry an artist in entrance of an viewers — followers, influencers, DJs, faculty college students and extra — to share their music and story,” says Raiford. One of his favorites was held throughout Homecoming Week at Spelman/Morehouse in Atlanta. Featuring rapper-singer Smino, the occasion attracted over 1,600 college students. “This was very particular to me as a result of I graduated from Morehouse College and I’m a giant advocate of [historically Black colleges and universities] and giving again.”

Swizz Beatz
Timbaland
Co-founders/co-owners, Verzuz
Steve Pamon
President, Verzuz

After Verzuz and Triller introduced the appointment of Pamon as president earlier this 12 months, the webcast franchise, co-founded and co-owned by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, continued to push hip-hop and R&B as each “appointment viewing” and “obligatory dialogue.” Ranging from battles between Stephanie Mills and Chaka Khan to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia to the primary Latin pairing with DJ Nelson and Luny Tunes, “no different platform this previous 12 months has showcased such a broad scope and variety,” says Pamon, “with greater than 85 million views and greater than 40 billion impressions since inception.”

Evan Bogart
CEO, Seeker Music

Bogart is a hit-making songwriter for everybody from Beyoncé (“Halo”) to Rihanna (“SOS”), and the corporate he based in 2020 has grown to an 11,000-plus catalog of copyrights and grasp recordings by such acts as Jay-Z, Drake and 2Pac. “We view each catalog as a brand-new artist that we’re making an attempt to interrupt,” says Bogart, who appears at catalogs “that we need to have fun.” He was “so weak” for traditional R&B trio SWV that Seeker labored with the group’s songwriter-producer, Brian Alexander Morgan, to have fun the Thirtieth anniversary of its 1992 multiplatinum debut, It’s About Time. “SWV soundtracked my highschool years, so I jumped on the alternative,” he says. The marketing campaign included an EP of the group’s hits reimagined by present artists, in addition to Nineties membership takeovers, TiokayTookay cowl and efficiency campaigns, and promo merchandise.

Robert Brown
Vp of enterprise affairs and business technique, Kobalt Music
Cee Barrett
Director of inventive, Kobalt Music

Thanks to hits like Roddy Ricch’s “High Fashion” (that includes Mustard) and Chris Brown’s “Heat” (that includes Gunna), Kobalt was named BMI’s writer of the 12 months for R&B and hip-hop in September 2021. The writer’s crew has helped songwriting purchasers akin to Ricch, Gunna, Moneybagg Yo and Yo Gotti “capitalize on their previous successes and have proudly expanded the variety of enterprise partnerships with them,” Brown says. Barrett provides that the corporate’s longtime R&B/hip-hop writers, in addition to new signings akin to Young Thug in late 2021, “have afforded us the privilege to create various alternatives for all.”

Ashley Calhoun
President/head of inventive, Pulse Music Group

Calhoun says it has been “pedal to the ground” ever since she met and first started working with Brent Faiyaz. In July, the R&B artist each renewed his publishing take care of Pulse and launched his debut album, Wasteland, independently on his Lost Kids label by Venice and Stem. The album earned him chart success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 1 on Top R&B Albums, in addition to logging a handful of songs on the Hot 100. “We’ve been concerned with Brent because the starting,” says Calhoun. “Pulse was the primary publishing firm that Ty Baisden [Faiyaz’s manager] despatched Brent’s music to, and as quickly as I heard Brent’s voice, I instantly knew that I needed to work with him.” Faiyaz can also be nominated for favourite male R&B artist at this 12 months’s American Music Awards.

Cristina Chavez
Vp of A&R, Universal Music Publishing Group
Denzel Baptiste
David Biral
Members, Take a Daytrip; founders, NO IDLE, a three way partnership partnership with UMPG
Tommy Brown
Founder, Champagne Therapy Music Group, a three way partnership partnership with UMPG

At UMPG, which signed new offers prior to now 12 months with Drake and The Weeknd, the R&B/hip-hop crew has much more purpose to have fun, from Steve Lacy hitting No. 1 on the Hot 100 to the continued success of joint ventures like Take a Daytrip’s NO IDLE and Tommy Brown’s Champagne Therapy. Chavez says she is concentrated on constructing the tradition’s future in addition to its current. Within the previous two years, by its joint ventures, UMPG additionally added “wonderful new writers like Roy Lenzo, 18YOMan, Matt Cohn, Peter Lee Johnson, Khaled Rohaim and Xavi, and [in December], we’ve got the discharge of Metro Boomin’s anticipated album to look ahead to.”

Sabrina Coghiatti
Music supervisor, Primary Wave Music

Earlier this 12 months, when Cee Lo Green carried out at Brazil’s Rock in Rio, he included a James Brown tribute that he had brainstormed with Coghiatti months earlier. “That second will all the time have a particular place in my coronary heart, being house doing what I really like,” says Coghiatti, who’s from São Paulo. “One factor I discovered a very long time in the past is to all the time take heed to the consumer no matter what the trade is and/or what the present development is. Something your complete crew at Primary Wave takes significantly is to all the time help our artists it doesn’t matter what. Our objectives are to bear in mind and take heed to our purchasers’ needs.”

Ian Holder
Senior vp of inventive, Sony Music Publishing
Ari Gelaw
Vp of inventive, Sony Music Publishing
Will Skalmoski
Jamin Whatley
Directors of inventive, Sony Music Publishing

With the assistance of the highly effective inventive crew of Holder, Gelaw, Skalmoski and Whatley, Sony Music Publishing launched a few of 2022’s most defining R&B/hip-hop hits, together with Jack Harlow’s Hot 100 No. 1, “First Class,” Nicki Minaj’s “Do We Have a Problem” with Lil Baby, Chloe’s “Have Mercy” and Giveon’s “For Tonight.” The crew can also be happy with its continued partnership with BeatStars Publishing to empower the subsequent technology of songwriters and the inaugural SMP Hip-Hop Conference in Atlanta, which Holder says “symbolizes our dedication to discovering new alternatives for the SMP roster. We are energized and excited for what’s to come back subsequent.”

Ryan Press
President of North America, Warner Chappell Music
Rich Christina
Senior vp of A&R and enterprise companions, Warner Chappell Music
Wallace Joseph
Vp of A&R, Warner Chappell Music

Playing the lengthy recreation paid off this 12 months for Warner Chappell when abilities like Muni Long, whom it signed in 2009, achieved breakthroughs after releasing her No. 1 R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay hit “Hrs and Hrs.” Press says, “We’re all the time centered on signing and creating rising expertise.” Other signees together with Summer Walker, Anderson .Paak, Jhené Aiko, Ari Lennox, Fousheé and Chloe x Halle additionally achieved private bests. “I’m actually happy with our A&R crew,” Press provides, “for enjoying a key function in guaranteeing our hip-hop and R&B roster stays culturally related and represents what Warner Chappell will feel and look like shifting ahead.”

Tolu Ayeni
Nicole Johnson
Music artist partnerships, Meta

The Meta crew has used its partnerships within the hip-hop and R&B neighborhood to assist stars like DJ Khaled and Megan Thee Stallion immediately promote current albums to followers on Facebook and Instagram, in addition to give rising artists like Doechii, Cordae and Latto platforms for unique content material. Johnson has additionally made a long-lasting influence with initiatives just like the Meta Elevate Mentorship Circles Program, for which she teamed with Ciara to highlight Black-owned companies. “It has been thrilling working with the hip-hop and R&B neighborhood to leverage the total potential of their presence throughout Meta’s applied sciences,” says Ayeni. “We’ve finished that this 12 months by amplifying the cultural relevance of SZA, Chloe Bailey, Jack Harlow and Kid Cudi by internet hosting them at our desk on the Met Gala” in New York and collaborating with artists from Burna Boy to Beyoncé.

LL Cool J
Founder, Rock the Bells; creator/curator/host, Rock the Bells Radio, SiriusXM
James Cuthbert
President, Rock the Bells

While music followers put together to have fun the fiftieth anniversary of hip-hop in 2023, one pioneer of the style has already performed a key function in retaining the legacy alive.

Since 1985, Queens-raised rapper LL Cool J has been a hip-hop hitmaker, and in 2018 he launched Rock the Bells Radio on SiriusXM as an artist-branded channel, which he curates with a variety of traditional hip-hop, interviews and specialty packages.

LL Cool J actually has the hit-making credibility to hold the torch for hip-hop.

“I Can’t Live Without My Radio,” from his 1985 debut album, Radio, marked his arrival on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The second charting single from Radio, “Rock the Bells,” later gave its title to the rapper’s SiriusXM channel.

His a number of hits on the Hot 100 have included the highest 10s “Around the Way Girl” (1991), “Hey Lover” (1995), “Loungin” (1996), “Luv U Better” (1996) and “All I Have” (2003), his visitor activate the Jennifer Lopez single.

Now, says LL Cool J, “what I’m most happy with is that we remodeled Rock the Bells, which began off solely as a SiriusXM channel, right into a content material, commerce and experiential world platform that celebrates and elevates timeless hip-hop tradition.”

In early 2021, Rock the Bells tapped Cuthbert, a former BET government, to steer the corporate in that course.

For the August 2021 We Love NYC: Homecoming Concert in Central Park, staged to have fun the town’s resilience in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizer Clive Davis reached out to Rock the Bells for an old-school hip-hop celebration. Before thunderstorms reduce the live performance brief, LL Cool J was joined onstage by Busta Rhymes, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, French Montana, Melle Mel and Scorpio, and Rev. Run of Run-D.M.C.

In September 2021, when the producers of the 73rd Emmy Awards needed to open with a tribute to Biz Markie, who died the earlier July, with a takeoff on his hit “Just a Friend,” the Television Academy reached out to Rock the Bells, and LL Cool J carried out a brand new, authentic rap for the opener.

The firm has finished partnerships with P&G, Coca-Cola and Toyota, amongst others.

And this previous August, Forest Hills Stadium in LL Cool J’s house borough of Queens was the positioning of the primary Rock the Bells competition. The day of interactive experiences, artwork reveals, meals, trend and extra was capped by performances: Joining LL Cool J have been DJ Z-Trip, Ice Cube, Rick Ross, Lil’ Kim, The Diplomats that includes Cam’ron, Jim Jones and Juelz Santana, Fat Joe and Remy Ma, Jadakiss, Scarface, Trina, N.O.R.E and Digable Planets.

Says LL Cool J proudly: “We bought out.”

Thea Mitchem
Executive vp of programming, iHeartworkMedia; government vp of hip-hop and R&B programming technique/program director, WWPR (Power 105.1) New York
Doc Wynter
President of hip-hop and R&B programming technique, iHeartworkMedia; program director, KRRL (Real 92.3) Los Angeles
Charlamagne Tha God
Angela Yee
DJ Envy
Co-hosts of The Breakfast Club, WWPR (Power 105.1) New York

Mitchem and Wynter have been once more on the helm for iHeartworkMedia’s second Living Black! occasion in February, which generated greater than 30 million views and listens over 80 iHeartwork stations and livestreams. The occasion featured performances from Lizzo, H.E.R., Big Sean and Moneybagg Yo, together with appearances from Saweetie, John Legend and J. Cole, amongst others. Also a part of the celebration of Black tradition and Black-owned companies have been all three hosts of Premiere Networks’ syndicated morning present The Breakfast Club. Yee will quickly depart the morning program to host the syndicated Way Up With Angela Yee beginning in January.

Connie Orlando
Executive vp of specials, music programming and music technique, BET Networks

The 2022 BET Awards averaged 3.2 million viewers, in line with Nielsen — a 34% enhance over final 12 months, bucking an industrywide development of declining viewership for awards reveals. Helping to speed up BET’s enhance have been riveting performances from Lizzo, Latto and Jack Harlow (with respective shock company Mariah Carey and Brandy) and a salute to Sean “Diddy” Combs that featured Mary J. Blige, Lil’ Kim and others. “We take delight in authentically celebrating Black tradition and artistry,” says Orlando. “Our rankings underscore the truth that hip-hop and R&B are reactive drivers for music programming,” including that this 12 months the BET Awards have been seen throughout 10 ViacomCBS shops.

Kashon Powell
Vp of programming, Urban One

At Urban One, one of many largest distributors of city content material within the nation, Powell says, “It’s tough to pinpoint a single achievement, as our R&B/hip-hop radio stations characterize the tradition every day by music, impactful occasions and neighborhood engagement.” The firm started 2022 with its fourth annual Urban One Honors, titled “The Soundtrack of Black America,” with Ne-Yo as host and Powell as government producer. The present celebrated Jennifer Hudson, Timbaland, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and extra. As Powell says, “Our manufacturers are a direct reflection of the R&B/hip-hop life-style.”

Isabel Quinteros Annous
Global lead, music partnerships, TiokayTookay
Shawna Spears
Senior supervisor of artist partnerships, hip-hop and R&B, TiokayTookay

Hip-hop is the main style on the TiokayTookay platform. And with greater than half of the highest 10 hip-hop tracks within the United States coming from feminine creators, the platform has grow to be a house for rappers like Rico Nasty and Ice Spice. Quinteros Annous labored with Nicki Minaj to rally her followers round her presence on the platform, whereas Spears led its celebration of Black Music Month, which included TiokayTookay LIVE occasions with Coco Jones, Lakeyah, Lu Kala and a listening social gathering with Ciara. TiokayTookay additionally not too long ago introduced Quincy Jones, Dru Hill and Jermaine Dupri onto TiokayTookay, with Dupri utilizing the platform to interrupt down parts of his hit data.

Reggie Rouse
Urban format vp, Audacy; model supervisor, WVEE (V-103) Atlanta

Ahead of each the earlier presidential elections and this 12 months’s midterms, Rouse’s management within the R&B/hip-hop format for Audacy and at V-103 Atlanta goes past music playlists. “The city stations in Atlanta teamed up for Black Radio United for the Vote to assist push voter consciousness, voter schooling and assist get out the vote in 2020 and once more this 12 months,” says Rouse. “In probably the most aggressive city market within the nation, we got here collectively to push the significance of voting.”

Kenny Smoov
Vp of city codecs, Cumulus Media

To Smoov, his work is all about “steadiness” and “love.” The veteran radio programming skilled, who serves as a company programming useful resource for Cumulus’ 37 R&B/hip-hop-formatted stations in 25 U.S. markets, says his firm has made a “concerted effort to push the R&B aspect of hip-hop/R&B. There are so many nice artists doing R&B and offering a steadiness to all of the ‘opps’ [opposites] rap and drill music that dominates our present sound.” He provides, “Anytime our group can help artists that make songs about love and life, we’re right here for it.”

Dion Summers
Vp of music programming, SiriusXM
Ronnie Triana
Associate director of hip-hop programming, SiriusXM
Sway
Host of SiriusXM’s Sway within the Morning with Heather B and Tracy G

Known for its heritage rock star channels, in addition to its information and speak stations, SiriusXM (with 32 million subscribers) additionally produces unique R&B and hip-hop content material with artist channel companions together with Drake (the Sound 42 channel), LL Cool J (Rock the Bells Radio) and Eminem (the Shade 45 channel). With the assistance of Pandora’s 50.5 million month-to-month energetic listeners, it has the facility to nurture younger expertise. “SiriusXM/Pandora was the primary to help Muni Long, SleazyWorld Go, Arin Ray and Armani White this 12 months,” says Summers. “We delight ourselves in main the way in which in audio leisure with regard to breaking new hip-hop and R&B acts.”

Ikenna Ezeh
Partner/agent of brand name partnerships, WME
Zach Iser
Caroline Yim
Partners/co-heads of hip-hop/R&B, WME
Sarah Tehrani
Agent, WME

“We construct out world consumer methods as a crew, and that coordinated effort is an actual driving power of our success,” says Tehrani. For Kid Cudi this meant a worldwide enviornment tour, his personal Moon Man’s Landing competition, the animated Netflix particular Entergalactic and model offers with McDonald’s, Louis Vuitton and Bose. The WME crew additionally facilitated Summer Walker’s return to the street, together with her “A Hot Summer Night in LA” present at Crypto.com Arena. Tyler, The Creator, in the meantime, bought out 32 North America enviornment dates, grossing over $32 million from the largest tour of his profession.

Mike G
Cheryl Paglierani
Partners/music brokers, UTA
Robert Gibbs
Partner/co-head of Atlanta, UTA
Chris Jordan
Music agent, UTA

Paglierani says the final 18 months for UTA have been unbelievable, “from our rising abilities like Flo Milli, Dominic Fike, The Kid LAROI, Ari Lennox, J.I.D and Latto having breakout success to huge sold-out excursions with our superstars like Post Malone, Lizzo, Lil Nas X and Wizkid.” She can also be enthusiastic about increasing UTA’s actions with Gibbs, who was not too long ago named head of the company’s Atlanta workplace and can “make 2023 even greater and higher for the corporate,” provides Paglierani.

Joseph Harris
Ryan Thomson
Olivia Mirabella
Jasmin Nash
Music touring brokers, Creative Artists Agency

“Our group has centered on constructing our general roster throughout many rising subgenres,” says Harris of increasing to underground hip-hop with Destroy Lonely, Ken Carson and Symba. The house of stadium and enviornment superstars Beyoncé, The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti and Doja Cat, CAA can also be working with Afrobeats artists Tems and Amaarae. Its roster additionally options a number of rising feminine R&B artists, together with Muni Long and pianist-guitarist Mereba, whose new age singles fuse people, hip-hop and different genres.

Ari Bernstein
Jacqueline Reynolds-Drumm
Yves Pierre
Music touring brokers, Creative Artists Agency (previously brokers of ICM Partners)

Amid the merger with CAA, Reynolds-Drumm and her colleagues becoming a member of from ICM labored with purchasers Khalid, Little Simz, Fivio Foreign, Kehlani, Duckwrth, G-Herbo and others on excursions, music, branding and TV offers. These ventures included City Girls opening for Jack Harlow’s Come Home the Kids Miss You tour and Kehlani nabbing a visitor look on Showtime’s third season of The L Word: Generation Q. Lil Yachty, who has partnered with Sprite, Target and Nautica, inked a pandemic-era take care of the General Mills breakfast cereal Reese’s Puffs. He additionally sells his personal model of frozen pizza (Yachty’s Pizzeria) at Walmart and not too long ago joined Futuremood eyewear as an investor and associate.

Brent Smith
Executive vp/managing government, Wasserman Music
Callender
Fred Zahedinia
Vps, Wasserman Music
Anthony DiStasio
Vp of branding, Wasserman Music

Wasserman Music continues to construct momentum following its April 2021 launch with the acquisition of Paradigm Talent Agency’s North American music enterprise. Recent signings embrace Childish Gambino, Jaden, Daniel Caesar, FERG, Cat Burns and FLO. The company booked $uicideboy$’ Grey Day summer season amphitheater reveals, in addition to Jack Harlow’s sold-out Come Home the Kids Miss You dates. Smith hails Kendrick Lamar’s The Big Steppers Tour as “artistically genius and a business juggernaut on 4 continents,” whereas the company secured a tour sponsorship from Cash App. Other model partnerships embrace DJ Snake with PUMA Mirage Sport and Killer Mike with Monster Energy.

Steve Ackles
Cindy Agi
Jay Byrd
Global tour promoters, Live Nation
Tyler Scott
Tour promoter, Live Nation

Ackles has labored intently with Roc Nation to supervise the worldwide touring technique for world purchasers together with Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert and Meek Mill — and performed a key function in Megan Thee Stallion’s rise to the primary stage at a number of prime festivals. He’s additionally partnered with Rolling Loud to supply North American excursions for stars together with Rod Wave and $uicideboy$. Agi focuses on constructing relationships with artists and reserving main worldwide excursions and has promoted Jazmine Sullivan, Snoh Aalegra and Blxst, amongst others. Just over a 12 months after becoming a member of Live Nation in October 2021, Byrd has booked Lil Durk’s first headlining tour, Wiz Khalifa and Logic’s co-headlining Vinyl Verse tour, the Lil Baby-Chris Brown One of Them Ones tour and Anita Baker’s Detroit live performance, her first enviornment hometown present in practically three a long time. Scott’s current achievements embrace reserving the Made in America competition, alongside Ackles; reserving and selling Larry June’s and Isaiah Rashad’s excursions with Sascha Guttfreund; reserving Sullivan’s and Blxst’s excursions alongside Agi; and dealing on Pi’erre Bourne’s fall tour.

Danny Bell
Vp/expertise purchaser, Goldenvoice
Dominick Prieto
Talent purchaser, Goldenvoice

The Coachella headliners (this 12 months’s have been Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and The Weeknd) typically garner all of the headlines. However, it’s the remainder of the lineup that attracts in lots of the followers — and helps present a springboard for youthful or abroad acts trying to break by within the U.S. touring sector, a subject that’s essential to Bell and Prieto. “After seeing breakout units from [Baby] Keem and [British rapper] Dave at Coachella, selling sold-out reveals in San Francisco for every of them was positively a spotlight for me,” says Bell. “Watching Keem have the breakthrough 12 months he had, along with seeing Dave make inroads right here as a U.Ok. grime artist, reminds you simply how highly effective and common hip-hop really is.”

Tariq Cherif
Matt Zingler
Co-founders/co-CEOs, Rolling Loud

Cherif says that regardless of the difficult occasions for music festivals, Rolling Loud had “some of the profitable years in our historical past.” The authentic, flagship competition in Miami that he and Zingler launched in 2015 had its largest turnout ever, drawing 85,000 followers to see Kendrick Lamar, Future and Travis Scott, whereas debut occasions in Portugal and Toronto took the model to new locations overseas. But the 2 founders are most excited concerning the 12 months forward, after they plan to relaunch their L.A. competition at Hollywood Park, launch their first Asian fest in Thailand and debut a brand new Rolling Loud-branded album.

Mari Davies
Vp of reserving and expertise, Live Nation Urban
Brandon Pankey
Vp of enterprise improvement and operations, Live Nation Urban

The live performance promotion firm, which operates as a three way partnership with Live Nation, acquired an fairness stake within the Broccoli City competition this 12 months and launched a brand new occasion for Mary J. Blige referred to as Strength of a Woman in Atlanta. “The biggest achievement of Live Nation Urban is how we mirrored the mosaic of Black tradition by the dynamism of all of our reside occasions,” says Pankey, citing additional development of the long-running Roots Picnic competition as proof of the corporate’s success. “We perpetually need to proceed to attain and ascend to larger heights by furthering the reference to our audiences in deep and significant methods.”

Gary Guidry
CEO, Black Promoters Collective
Shelby Joyner
President, Black Promoters Collective
Bill Ingram
CFO, Black Promoters Collective
Shahida Mausi
Chief technique officer/senior vp, Black Promoters Collective
Troy Brown
Chief advertising and marketing officer, Black Promoters Collective
Lionel Bea
Senior vp, Black Promoters Collective

The Black Promoters Collective produces 200 to 250 excursions yearly, and this 12 months, the coalition of a number of of the nation’s prime impartial live performance promotion and occasion manufacturing firms promoted and produced excursions for Maxwell, New Edition and “the extremely profitable tour with the queen of our tradition, Mary J. Blige, on her Good Morning Gorgeous tour,” says Joyner. “We acknowledge our collective’s energy and dedication to shifting our tradition ahead ‘for us, by us, with us.’ However, the mission of the BPC is larger than excursions. It’s about our mental property, controlling what we create and guaranteeing we offer extra important alternatives and entry to the neighborhood.”

Heather Lowery
President/CEO, Femme It Forward

Earlier in November, Heather Lowery introduced that Femme It Forward, the female-led music and leisure platform that she based, was holding its first Give Her FlowHERS Awards gala. The occasion, held Nov. 11 in Los Angeles, was conceived as a fundraiser for Femme It Forward’s mentorship program, Next Gem Femme.

The gala “is a realization of the work we do year-round with Femme It Forward,” Lowery says, “to champion, empower and have fun the ladies who’re pushing our tradition ahead each day.”

First-time particular awards honorees, introduced earlier than the gala, embrace breakthrough hip-hop star Latto (Big Femme Energy Award); actress, social media character and entrepreneur Tabitha Brown (Self-Love Award); songwriter-artist Jozzy (Pen It Forward Award); R&B singer-songwriter Muni Long (Bloom Award); Lashon Jones, mom of rapper Lil Baby (Moms I’d Like To Follow, or M.I.L.F. Award); singer-songwriter Victoria Monet (Visionary Award); and high-profile couple Ciara and Russell Wilson (Black Love Award).

Executive mentors, who have been chosen by vote by their Next Gem Femme mentees for his or her influence, embrace Baroline Diaz (Interscope), Dimplez Ijeoma (Capitol Music Group), Madeline Nelson (Amazon Music), Nicole Wyskoarko (Interscope Geffen A&M), Valeisha Butterfield Jones (Google), Alex Maxwell (Live Nation) and Diana Dotel (MTW Agency).

Rising artists chosen to carry out on the gala included Baby Tate; Mapy, The Violin Queen; Joyce Wrice; and Alex Vaughn, whereas Jasmine Solano was set to DJ on the afterparty.

Since 2019, Lowery has led Femme It Forward, which was launched below the Live Nation Urban banner. Now, it’s a three way partnership with mother or father Live Nation Entertainment. Its mission is to have fun, educate and empower the trade’s “most inventive and achieved feminine visionaries by multiformat, multimarket client experiences,” in line with the group.

“I’m so happy with the numerous achievements by our unbelievable Femme It Forward crew,” says Lowery.

“This 12 months alone we offered 4 headlining feminine R&B excursions that includes Sevyn Streeter, Alex Isley with Green Bunn, LAYA and Zyah Belle, Teyana Taylor and the Big Femme Energy Live Orchestra Experience that includes Ambre, Baby Rose and SayGRACE.

“We executed our Femme It Forward present sequence, which featured a number of lineups with rising and established feminine R&B artists together with Ari Lennox, Queen Naija, Ashanti, Mya, Muni Long, Tank and the Bangas, SWV, Faith Evans and 702.

“And lastly, we produced the Serenade sequence that includes male R&B artists like Boyz II Men, Ty Dolla $ign, dvsn, 112, Dru Hill and Omarion. It has been an enormous 12 months for Femme It Forward,” says Lowery, “and we’re solely going to push this optimistic vitality ahead.”

Sherrese Clarke Soares
Founder/CEO, HarbourView Equity Partners

Since launching HarbourView Equity Partners a 12 months in the past, Clarke Soares has invested in over 40 music catalogs, offering finance to a variety of artists in trade for the rights to gather royalties on their music. Her fast-growing portfolio spans genres from nation to Latin however consists of stakes in a swelling variety of main hip-hop titles, akin to Travis Scott’s “5% TINT,” Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones, Pt. II” and “Motorsport” from Migos, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, in addition to R&B hits together with Usher’s “Caught Up” and TLC’s “Waterfalls.”

Rene McLean
Partner/founding advisor, Influence Media Partners

Influence Media Partners continues to substantiate hip-hop and R&B’s worth within the market with spectacular catalog acquisitions. The firm’s newest: hip-hop celebrity Future, whose eight-figure deal encompasses greater than 600 songs from 2004 to 2020. Other main acquisitions embrace copyrights by hitmaker Tainy (Cardi B’s “I Like It” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin) and The Stereotypes (Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic”). “Hip-hop and R&B lastly have an actual seat on the desk within the more and more strong music rights market,” says McLean. “We have each intention to double or triple our dedication over the subsequent 12 months.”

Michelle Richburg
President/CEO, Richburg Enterprises

“Every day I woke as much as be one of the best,” says Richburg. “I didn’t take into consideration the challenges and the uphill battle. Every day I needed to underpromise and overdeliver.” A single Black mom who raised a son whereas constructing an organization, Richburg has been a frontrunner within the music trade’s lean towards larger inclusion. Richburg Enterprises is the tax agency of document for the $100 million Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund. A member of the Recording Academy since 2021, she is also a school member on the WMG Global DEI Institute, which the music group described as “a hub of innovation, studying, development and motion to drive impactful change at WMG and past.”

Nicole George-Middleton
Senior vp of membership, ASCAP; government director, ASCAP Foundation

As senior vp of membership for ASCAP, George-Middleton is dedicated to “develop[ing] distributions and including providers” for members. Diversity and inclusion are additionally a key focus for ASCAP because it continues to “domesticate the subsequent technology of R&B/hip-hop songwriters, artists and music executives.” This 12 months, below George-Middleton’s management, the ASCAP Foundation launched its inaugural HBCU scholarship for college kids enrolled at a traditionally Black faculty or college and who’re thinking about a profession in music. This is along with the ASCAP Aspire HBCU internship program, which is now in its third 12 months.

Sean Glover
Director of trade engagement, SoundExchange

Glover has helped R&B/hip-hop performers monitor down and gather thousands and thousands of {dollars} in royalties they may have missed as a result of they didn’t correctly register, or file a declare, with SoundExchange. “I’m most happy with the truth that during the last 12 months SoundExchange has recognized and distributed over $2 million to the style in unclaimed royalties as a result of concentrated outreach efforts in these communities,” says Glover. That’s only a drop within the bucket of the practically $465 million in digital royalties SoundExchange distributed to rights holders within the first half of 2022. But it’s cash that artists by no means would have made if not for the lists of unclaimed royalties SoundExchange maintains.

Mario Prins
Vp of inventive, SESAC

With a 2020 SESAC efficiency rights deal in place, Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy rose to stardom with prolific collaborations with Coldplay’s Chris Martin (“The Monsters You Made”) and Sam Smith (“My Oasis”). Two years later, he entered the Hot 100 and broke out on U.S. radio along with his single “Last Last,” which hit No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. “Burna has cemented himself as a worldwide star,” Prins says, “and we’re excited to be part of his continued radio success.”

Byron Wright
Executive director of inventive in Atlanta, BMI

Wright says BMI’s retention of R&B/hip-hop songwriters and producers together with ATL Jacob, Davido, DJ Khaled, D’Mile, Future, Latto and Megan Thee Stallion was a spotlight for the performing rights group, whereas Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Marley Bleu not too long ago signed to BMI. “I’m actually excited to have [Marley Bleu] at BMI along with her blossoming profession and all that she has forthcoming,” says Wright. BMI’s R&B/hip-hop inventive crew additionally assembled two main awards reveals — BMI’s Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards and BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards — in individual for the primary time since 2019. “Both occasions celebrated the achievements of our prime songwriters, producers and music publishers,” Wright says, “whereas highlighting that everybody was greater than able to get again to reside occasions.”

Contributors: Trevor Anderson, Rania Aniftos, Rich Appel, Chuck Arnold, Nefertiti Austin, Katie Bain, Alexei Barrionuevo, Dave Brooks, Dean Budnick, Anna Chan, Mariel Concepcion, Stephen Daw, Elizabeth Dilts Marshall, Bill Donahue, Thom Duffy, Chris Eggertsen, Griselda Flores, Clayton Gutzmore, Raquelle Harris, Lyndsey Havens, Hannah Karp, Gil Kaufman, Steve Knopper, Carl Lamarre, Cydney Lee, Jason Lipshutz, Heran Mamo, Gail Mitchell, Melinda Newman, Jessica Nicholson, Ronda Racha Penrice, Glenn Peoples, Isabela Raygoza, Sigal Ratner-Arias, Bryan Reesman, Kristin Robinson, Jessica Roiz, Neena Rouhani, Dan Rys, Crystal Shepeard, Andrew Unterberger, Jewel Wicker, Deborah Wilker, Xander Zellner

Methodology: Billboard energy lists are selective, with honorees chosen by Billboard editors. Nominations for every energy record open a minimum of 120 days upfront of publication. (For a contact for our editorial calendar of publication dates, please e mail [email protected].) The on-line nomination hyperlink is distributed to press representatives and/or honorees of firms beforehand featured on any Billboard energy record, in addition to those that ship a request earlier than the nomination interval to [email protected]. Nominations shut and lists are locked not lower than 90 days earlier than publication. Billboard’s 2022 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players have been chosen by editors primarily based on components together with, however not restricted to, nominations by friends, colleagues and superiors. In addition to nominations, editors weigh the success of every government’s firm or affiliated artists as measured by chart, gross sales and streaming efficiency. Career trajectory and trade influence are additionally thought-about. Unless in any other case famous, Billboard Boxscore is the supply for tour grosses. Luminate is the supply for streaming, gross sales, and radio airplay and viewers figures.

This story will appear in the Nov. 19, 2022, issue of Billboard.