Kevin Liles didn’t co-found 300 Entertainment just to sell it. He created it, first and foremost, to fill a void he saw in the music industry — a lack of talent development. Ten years after starting the 300 record label, it’s safe to say Kevin and company filled that void. By developing culture-shifting artists like Gunna, Megan Thee Stallion, Young Thug, among others, 300 has become one of the hottest commodities in all of hip-hop. This led to WMG buying the formerly-independent label for $400 million at the start of the new year.
In WMG, Kevin believes he’s found a partner with the “mindset of an independent, but the muscle of a major.” As the one-time EVP of WMG, Kevin would know this first-hand. And even with an influx of $400 million, Kevin isn’t going to change the way he makes decisions. For Kevin, it’s always been about prioritizing the cultural incentives rather than the financial ones. This mindset has followed him from Def Jam intern to its President and now as CEO of 300 & Elektra Music Group.
In-between running the label, Kevin has also invested resources in creating a pipeline for future music and entertainment execs with diverse backgrounds. In particular, Kevin has tapped into HBCUs, helping set up a $250 million fundraising campaign for his alma mater, Morgan State, and connecting students directly with the FBI.
Kevin and I covered a lot of ground in this episode of the Trapital. Here are the show chapters:
[3:23] Behind 300 Entertainment’s Sale To Warner Music
[8:29] Gunna’s Meteoric Rise
[10:29] How Phrases Like Hot Girl Summer & Pushin P Became A Thing
[13:08] What Changes With WMG Partnership?
[15:58] New Def Jam Video Game In The Works?
[17:27] Launching 300 Studios
[20:17] Kevin Thinks The Best Is Yet To Come For Hip Hop
[22:10] Hip Hop’s International Opportunity
[24:23] Major Differences Between Running Def Jam vs. 300
[28:10] The Power Of Diverse Execs Making Cultural, Not Financial Decisions
[30:25] How Music Industry Has Handled Diversity Issues Since George Floyd
[31:00] Kevin’s Attempt To Create Diverse Talent Pipeline
[32:14] The Rise Of Hip-Hop Media Personalities
[40:35] Young Thug’s Role As Chief Innovation Officer
[43:49] Keeping Narrative On The Future, Not Past
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Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS
Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co
Guest: Kevin Liles, IG: @kevinlileskwl, Twitter: @KevinLiles1
Trapital is home for the business of hip-hop. Gain the latest insights from hip-hop’s biggest players by reading Trapital’s free weekly memo.
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TRANSCRIPTION
Kevin Liles 00:00
When you put diverse people at the head of the company, and you allow that person to make cultural decisions and not financial decisions on something that they don't know, so that young people run a company, they don't know they might go to a concert, but they don't know when a kid could come in, like I came in. And I saw Russell, I said, “Oh, he's the boss.” So you mean if you're the boss, you can move stuff that you want to people not only want to be an employee or work in music, no, they want to run companies. And until we as an industry, and really this is not just about the music industry, this is about the world. Until a CEO that looks like them,
