Music Executive Quotes

Music is one of those businesses in which, if you're talented and hustle hard enough, you can make it - specifically as an entrepreneur. If you look as far back as Berry Gordy, Russell Simmons, Andre Harrell, L.A. Reid, and Sean 'Diddy' Combs, there's a whole lineage of successful black entrepreneurs who have built their own companies from scratch.

I signed Jay-Z because he was on fire. I wasn't a genius. The record was great. I put it on The Nutty Professor soundtrack and we signed him.

I'm signed to Atlantic through 300 Entertainment [Lyor Cohen's label]. That is my only contractual relationship.

I want to be the president of Columbia Records, maybe C.E.O. - kind of like L.A. Reid.

When I was doing mainstream country, there was no way that an executive was going to ask you to do a gospel album.

I don't want to be judged next to guys like Suge Knight. I want to be measured next to David Geffen, Irving Azoff, and Clive Davis. Whether I measure up or not, I let my record speak for me. That's how I want to be judged - by what I've done, not by what people like Ice Cube and Dr. Dre have said about me.

I have inherited two of the most important brands in hip-hop, Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella. Reid and Universal Music Group have given me the opportunity to manage the companies I have contributed to my whole career. I feel this is a giant step for me and the entire artist community.

The only biography I read was about Al Bell, of Stax Records. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Al Bell.

Pop managers are fixed in the dramatic stock character repertoire too, ever since the first British pop film musical, Wolf Mankowitz's 'Expresso Bongo' of 1959, with Cliff Richard as Bongo Herbert and Laurence Harvey as his manager. The key components were cast as X parts gay, X parts Jewish and triple X opportunistic.

I don't like to be considered a 'hip-hop mogul.' I don't know what that means.

Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs is a hustler. In fact, he's what I call an extreme hustler.

There are pop managers, and then there's Simon Cowell, who isn't gay, Jewish or particularly riveting. He's not without interest but he doesn't exactly have the hinterland of, say, Brian Epstein.

I got an invitation to go to the Olympic trials. And in the same week, I got a telegram from a... big executive at Columbia Records.

Birdman is probably one of the most intelligent music moguls out there.

Let's Face it, - Sinatra is a king. He's a very sharp operator, a keen record chief, and has a keen appreciation of what the public wants.

I don't think any of us can compete with Cowell. He is the best at what he does.

It was actually really hard to get a record deal after 'American Idol.'

I was signed by L.A. Reid on Arista Records when I was 16. He understood me and believed in me. Arista folded and I got put on RCA or whatever, then there were new people there, and every six months it changes and more new people come in.

I have the weirdest career in hip-hop, and I say that because I started so young. I started So So Def when I was 17 years old.

I met Rick Rubin through Cat Collins, a DJ friend of mine that had worked for Rubin at American Recordings.

All I ever really work for is to be a really good engineer, a good producer, a good executive, good in the world of Beats. That's power to me.

I met P. Diddy. Or Diddy. I like to call him Puffy because, let's be honest, that's who he is.

Def Jam is an iconic label.

It's an honor for me to have the opportunity to work with Emilio Estefan.

Chris Lighty was a huge portion of my actual career. It's difficult to adjust to not have someone around that's in your life, in your life.