Trapital

Rapper, producer, and entrepreneur Flawless Real Talk joined to talk about how he manages his rap career. He was the runner up on Netflix’s hip-hop competition show Rhythm & Flow, which boosted his career trajectory. But despite all the industry attention, Flawless is still an independent artist. He talks about that decision, the tradeoffs he’s had to make, and what his goals are as an artist. He...

CreateSafe co-founder and CEO Daouda Leonard came through to break down his company’s goals in the music industry. In 2020, CreateSafe launched the record deal simulator to empower artists to better manage their careers. Daouda has used these tools to manage Grimes and other artists. It’s planning to launch a publishing simulator and a suite of other products. The goal is to make the music industr...

Cameo CEO and co-founder Steven Galanis came on the pod to talk about his company’s marketplace for personalized celebrity video shoutouts. We broke down Cameo’s growth in the pandemic, finding product-market fit with people who are more famous than they are rich, and tapping into the long tail. We also break down Cameo’s success with hip-hop artists and Black culture, and the future products that...

Dave Macli is the co-founder and CEO of Audiomack, a music streaming provider built for artists. We discuss how Audiomack got started, its business model, and why it’s artist-first approach is so important. It landed early projects by J. Cole, Chance The Rapper, and Jennifer Lopez. Dave is also co-founder of DJBooth, which has had an ongoing partnership with Audiomack. In 2020, Audiomack has stren...

This is a recording of our webinar discussion on the latest music strategies from big tech companies! We broke down the latest and greatest from Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Tencent, and more. Cherie Hu is an award-winning music journalist and founder of Water & Music where she unpacks the fine print of innovation in the music business. Her work has been featured in Billboard, Forbes,...

Al D is founder of Move Forward Music, a New York-based live events production company. His company built a reputation for putting on the first NY shows for big name artists like Kendrick Lamar, DaBaby, Noname, and others. But like many companies, Move Forward was forced to pivot in 2020. Al partnered with Twitch for a new live streaming channel. Oct 17-18 is the Move Forward Fest with Just Blaze,...

An audio version of the Trapital essay: Netflix's Black Content Strategy, Explained. The global entertainment company has grown stronger since it leveled up and focused on its influential customers. Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the people taking hip-hop to the level at trapital.co. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube...

This is the audio from the webinar with Marcus Collins, a marketing professor at the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. We broke down the top five hip-hop marketing campaigns of all time (and a few honorable mentions). We also talked about Marcus’ favorite ad campaigns from his days as an advertising exec at Translation, Doner, and other agencies. At the end, we broke down Travis Sco...

Heavy Sound Labs founder and CEO Jason Geter came on the Trapital Podcast to break down his rise in the music industry. He started as an intern when he was in high school! He eventually started Grand Hustle with T.I. and helped build his career. Jason adapted the playbook to help build Travis Scott’s career. Jason recently launched Heavy Sound Labs, a music incubator that redefines what it means t...

Tenderfoot TV cofounder and President Donald Albright came on the Trapital Podcast to talk about how his company has amassed 500 million podcast downloads. Tenderfoot is behind this hit shows Up and Vanished, Atlanta Monster, To Live and Die in LA, and more. The company has partnered with HBO, iHeartMedia, HBO, and others. Before Tenderfoot, Donald was a music exec in Atlanta where he managed LaFa...

An audio version of the Trapital essay: Why Hip-Hop’s Indie Economy Has Taken Off. An ecosystem of rappers and businesses have shaped the path and future for independent artists. Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the people taking hip-hop to the level at trapital.co. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Ho...

An audio version of the Trapital essay: How Tyler, The Creator Built a Cult-Like Following. Tyler's greatest creation is the loyal fanbase that's been riding with him for over a decade. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Links: How Tyler The Creator Built A Cult-Like Following - Trapital Tyler, The Creator's...

Mass Appeal CEO Peter Bittenbender came on the Trapital Podcast to talk about the company’s content strategy, the 2020 climate, holding partners accountable, international expansion, and Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Peter Bittenbender, @bittenbender, massappeal.com Li...

Office Hours’ Ernest Wilkins came through to talk about challenger brands in hip-hop, why they exist, our respective articles on No Limit and Quality Control Music, and what we expect for the future. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Ernest Wilkins, @ernestwilkins, officehours.substack.com Link:  How...

Comedian, actor, writer, and producer Roy Wood Jr. came through to talk about how the pandemic and uprisings, all the “lost tapes” from 2020, how comics have shifted, why he partnered with Comedy Central, and why his home state of Alabama means so much to him. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Roy Wo...

An audio version of the Trapital essay: Why Kanye West’s Gap Deal is a Risk to Yeezy. Yeezy’s new partnership with the struggling apparel company is a threat to the brand that Kanye West built. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Link:    Why Kanye West’s Gap Deal is a Risk to Yeezy - Trapital Kanye describes...

Cinematic Music Group’s President, Hovain Hylton and Head of Creative, Busy Rivera came through the Trapital Podcast to talk about leading the independent record label and management company, doing more with less than the major record labels, and managing the Cinematic brand like it’s one of their artists. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Da...

Another solo episode in light of recent events, and an audio version of this week’s Trapital article, “Why Ownership Matters More in Hip-Hop.” The system hasn’t always had hip-hop’s best interest at heart, so its artists are more likely to take control. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Link:  Why Ownership...

This Trapital Podcast is a solo episode in light of this week’s events, the music industry’s actions in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and this week’s Trapital article, “How Hip-Hop Pushed Companies to Fight for Racial Justice.” Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Link:  Spreadsheet: Hip Hop Statements -...

Round 3! Here are the most pressing questions from Trapitalists: Do smaller indie acts fare better during the pandemic? Is Tekashi 6ix9ine worthy of a marketing case study? What’s next for Travis Scott + Fortnite? And a whole lot more. Tune in! Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Link:  How Hip-Hop Producers...

Entertainment lawyer Tiffany Ballard came on the Trapital Podcast to talk about how she rose in the music industry. She spoke about using Myspace to find career opportunities and discover artists like Nicki Minaj. We also spoke about bad record deals and why they still happen. Tiffany also revisited her brief time on the reality TV show Money Power, & Respect!  Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | S...

Since Kanye West is now a billionaire, let's revisit the podcast I recorded in September with Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Senior Editor of Media & Entertainment at Forbes. We talked about Forbes’ annual Hip-Hop Cash List, why artists like Cardi B and Meek Mill who question the results, the integrity challenges with self-reported data, and the amount of work that goes into reporting a single number. H...

Dreamville co-founder and President, and J. Cole’s manager Ibrahim "Ib" Hamad came on the Trapital Podcast to talk about how him and J. Cole started Dreamville and how it became what it is today. Ib also broke down what changed for Dreamville in 2014, the impact that the Dollar & a Dream tour had on J. Cole’s career, establishing the Dreamville brand beyond J. Cole, and why the Dreamville Fest has...

Music and marketing executive Shawn Prez came on the Trapital Podcast to talk about his days as Bad Boy’s VP of Marketing, what set Bad Boy’s Street Team apart, breaking hit records, the Ciroc Boyz, his work at Power Moves Inc., and why he decided to launch an award shows to recognize DJs. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | YouTube | Overcast | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @Runcie...

The hilarious comedian Hannibal Buress came on the Trapital Podcast to talk about how he’s adjusted to quarantine life, how he prioritizes his multiple business interests (touring, comedy specials, acting, investing), Netflix’s impact on comedy specials, planning a music festival on three weeks notice (!!!), why he wishes he got into the toilet paper business, and what’s in store for 2020. Listen:...