Phylicia Fant
Co-head of urban music, Columbia Records
Shawn Holiday
Co-head of urban music, Columbia Records; executive vp A&R, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Azim Rashid
Senior vp/head of urban promotion, Columbia Records
Dave Gordon
Director of sales, urban, editorial and programming, Columbia Records
Columbia returned to a “competitive presence on the R&B/hip-hop charts,” says Rashid, noting Chloe x Halle’s first top five on R&B Digital Song Sales (“Do It”), rapper Polo G’s consecutive top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200 (Die a Legend, The GOAT) and Raphael Saadiq’s highest-charting song in the format (“Something Keeps Calling”). In June, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Columbia’s parent company, Sony Music, established a $100 million fund to support social justice reform and anti-racism initiatives. “Everyone is uncomfortable now, which is a good thing,” says Rashid, “because change — real change — requires discomfort, self-reflection and ultimately sacrifice.”
Advice for a Young R&B/Hip-Hop Artist: “Get financially literate. Anyone being given huge sums of money needs to understand taxes, savings and investing. After art, the second most important aspect of this business is commerce.” - Rashid
Elliot Grainge
Founder/CEO, 10K Projects
Following the success of its early breakout stars Tekashi 6ix9ine and Trippie Redd, 10K “continued to build our roster and find creative ways to help our artists build their audiences,” says Grainge, 27. “Finding the right collaborations has become a cornerstone of artist development.” The next-generation label is now striking big with its new class of charttoppers, led by iann dior, whose single with 24kGoldn, “Mood,” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, and Internet Money, whose “Lemonade” (No. 7) has earned 220 million global streams, says Grainge. “To take this ride with Taz [Taylor of Internet Money] and [co-producer] Nick Mira in creating a brand-new artist project has really been a thrill for everyone at 10K.”
The Word That Defines R&B/Hip-Hop Culture: “Punk rock.”
Alan Grunblatt
President of urban music, eOne
With both new releases and catalog titles putting numbers on the board for eOne, Grunblatt’s department is having a great run. Brandy’s B7 debuted in the top 10 on both the Top R&B Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, while Blueface’s 2018 mixtape, Famous Cryp, is still paying off thanks to a deluxe version that arrived in July. Plus, upcoming releases from Juicy J, Sevyn Streeter and Latin trap artist Bryant Myers are expected in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, eOne’s catalog, which now includes Death Row Records, has earned a catalog market share of nearly 1% — putting it among the top independents — thanks to the arrival of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic on streaming services widely in April. “We are doing more mature hip-hop, R&B and Latin, and we are even doing an [audiovisual] comedy project with Lil Duval,” says Grunblatt. “Being diverse is our twist.”