The 50th birthday celebration for hip-hop continues.
Variety released a list of the greatest hip-hop executives of all time. From the early 1970s, some of the greatest sounds of the genre are because of the hardworking visionaries behind the scenes. As the years went on, executives started to look a little different, ranging some those with no musical talents to artists suddenly calling the shots for their own legacy and artists coming up behind them.
Using GOAT status, the words “all- time” means no one on the list has risen to prominence over the last 10 years.
Coming in at No. 1 is Mr. G-Unit, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. After dropping his iconic debut studio album, “Get Rich or Die Tryin” in 2003, the Queens, New York, native grew his label with rappers including Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck. Following his success in the booth, he challenged the boardrooms of major corporations. In 2004, he scored an endorsement deal with Vitaminwater and then cashed in big when Coca-Cola acquired the company for $4.2 billion.
Now, he’s a leading force in Black entertainment as the mastermind behind the hit series, “Power.”
Hip-hop wouldn’t even know who 50 Cent is without the like of another major executive, Dr. Dre, coming in at No. 8. Not too many on the list are co-founders of two of the most prolific forces in music. The West Coast legend founded both N.W.A and Death Row Records. Besides some legal and health troubles, Dre gained massive success bringing the world the sounds of Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar.
Not to mention his Beats by Dre headphones can be seen everywhere.
The ladies also have a strong place on the list. Former BET CEO Debra Lee and Ethiopia Habtemariam, the genius behind Quality Control Music, were high up on the list. According to Black America Web, Urban One Founder Cathy Hughes, was highlighted.
Others who made the list include founders of some of the most legendary labels including Roc-A-Fella records founder, Jay-Z, So So Def creator, Jermaine Dupri, and Cash Money founder, Birdman. The list also pays homage to those icons who are no longer here including Def Jam Records Co-founder Andre Harrell and Violator Founder Chris Lighty. Lighty bought heavy- hitting names like Busta Rhymes, Nas, and A Tribe Called Quest to the forefront.
