"The record company doesn't have any ownership of Drake," Bryant said. "The label does not have participation on profits. They don't have ownership of his masters. We control his entire career. Those deals don't happen anymore."
Although already famous in his native Canada for portraying a disabled high school basketball player on the teen television drama "DeGrassi: The Next Generation," which also airs in the U.S., Drake (government name: Aubrey Drake Graham) didn't exactly take the music industry by storm when he self-released a mix-tape, the appropriately titled "Room for Improvement," in 2006. "I was recording, and the music was decent. But I was on my own. I had no team in place," Drake said. "What you learn as you progress is this business is based on relationships in a major way."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 2 inches; 99 words Type of Material: Correction
Toronto rapper: An article about Toronto rapper Drake in Sunday's Arts & Books section said the heads of management firm Hip Hop Since 1978 -- Gee Robertson, Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua and Al Branch -- are also credited with raising the stature of artists Jill Scott and the Roots. Hip Hop Since 1978 does not work with those two artists. It was another individual, Shawn Gee, who had a hand in boosting the careers of all three; Robertson is not a part of Hip Hop Since 1978, but he cooperates with the firm as one of Drake's business managers.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, July 26, 2009 Home Edition Sunday Calendar Part D Page 2 Calendar Desk 2 inches; 92 words Type of Material: Correction
Drake: An article last Sunday about Toronto rapper Drake said the heads of management firm Hip Hop Since 1978, Gee Robertson, Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua and Al Branch, are also credited with raising the stature of artists Jill Scott and the Roots. Hip Hop Since 1978 does not work with those two artists. It was another individual, Shawn Gee, who had a hand in boosting the careers of all three; Gee is not a part of Hip Hop Since 1978, but he cooperates with the firm as one of Drake's business managers.
After a subsequent mix-tape (as such al gratis digitally downloadable music compilations are known) brought the rapper to the attention of Lil Wayne, everything changed. The rap superstar, whose "Tha Carter III" was the bestselling album of last year, contributed a scorching guest verse on Drake's September underground banger "Ransom," effectively vouching for the newcomer's legitimacy. More important, their "collabo" compelled Bryant to sign on as Drake's manager.
"Here's a guy who's not an established artist, and lyrically he's close to or on the same level as Lil Wayne," Bryant exclaimed.
From there, Bryant entered into a managerial tandem with the heavyweight firm Hip Hop Since 1978, whose marketing prowess has resulted in two of the biggest rap releases of the decade: Kanye West's "Graduation" and "Tha Carter III," both of which sold around 1 million copies in their first week of release. The firm's principles -- Gee Roberson, Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua and Al Branch -- earned their stripes working at Roc-A-Fella Records, the influential label established by rap rainmaker Jay-Z in the '90s.
They are credited with raising the stature of such artists as Jill Scott and the Roots by grooming them into lucrative touring acts. The firm's greatest renown comes from transitioning West away from his reputation earlier in this decade as a beat-maker for hire into a superstar rapper-singer.
The plan, going forward, was to build Drake's "brand" in much the same way they had built up West's. According to Roberson, the key would be "old-fashioned artist development -- the kind that doesn't exist anymore.
