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High quality Management Music cofounders Pierre “P” Thomas and Kevin “Coach Ok” Lee have spent 10 years shaping their file label into a significant impartial pressure within the music trade. Now, they’ve the cash, energy and respect after signing a $320 million world partnership deal.
Interview: C. Vernon Coleman II
Editor’s Be aware: This story seems within the Winter 2023 concern of XXL Journal, on stands in December.
High quality Management Music has been within the star-making enterprise for the previous decade. The large bang occurred in 2013, when cofounders Pierre “P” Thomas and Kevin “Coach Ok” Lee created a file label primarily based on the old-school ideas of artist improvement and guerilla-style advertising and marketing. P was an entrepreneur and studio proprietor, and Coach Ok was an Atlanta music trade stalwart who managed Gucci Mane, Rocko and Jeezy throughout Da Snowman’s rise to mainstream prominence within the mid-2000s. P and Coach struck gold in 2013, with their first signees, the Migos, who would go on to be a decade-defining act.
Since signing a three way partnership with Capitol Music Group and Motown in 2015, QC has additionally cultivated the platinum profession of Lil Yachty, helped flip Lil Child from a lure star to one in all rap’s most distinguished artists and developed the Metropolis Ladies into multihyphenate celebrities. On the similar time, Coach and P have broadened the corporate’s portfolio into music administration, sports activities administration and movie.
This previous February, Hybe America acquired High quality Management Holdings in a deal reported to be value $320 million in a worldwide partnership facilitated by music trade veteran Scooter Braun. P and Coach preserve management of the label within the deal. On the heels of the affiliation, growth is within the works. QC is constructing a big compound in Atlanta to deal with its label, advertising and marketing, branding, A&R, sports activities administration and movie divisions below one roof. An enterprise akin to what billionaire movie mogul Tyler Perry has executed in ATL. The movement doesn’t cease.
P and Coach are all enterprise on a sunny September afternoon within the label’s discreet High quality Management Studio northwest of downtown Atlanta. P, late for the interview because of a previous engagement, juggles calls from three cell telephones. Coach is calm and picked up, however reducing it very near catching an upcoming flight. Amid the calling trade and in honor of QC’s tenth anniversary, they focus on how they’ve remained related for a decade, producing a number of the largest names within the recreation, the lack of Takeoff, the label’s future after securing a significant bag and extra.
XXL: You’ve each spent a decade as one of many premier rap labels in hip-hop. How have you ever been in a position to preserve the relevance?
Coach Ok: I believe we preserve our relevance as a result of I believe we by no means gave up artist improvement. We constructed High quality Management on the again of artist improvement. I believe that’s what’s nonetheless lacking that should come again to the sport. It’s tremendous oversaturated.
Clearly, you guys make an amazing duo. Coach, what would you say is P’s largest asset to the corporate?
Coach Ok: First, he’s loyal. And when he believes, he goes. Me, I’m a bit bit extra passive. I like to check a bit bit. That’s what makes us.
The yin and the yang.
Coach Ok: The yin and the yang, man. He’s like, “Come on, Coach. We gotta transfer on this.” And I’ll sit again and kinda watch the entire thing from the again.
P: [Coach K’s] largest asset [is] his eye for expertise. Coach know the best way to determine expertise. He a genius at that. He noticed it in Lil Child earlier than I did. He stated Child must be an artist again in 2013, once we first began the label. Child used to only come round and grasp on the studio.
What did you all see in him?
Coach Ok: One in all my abilities was taking road artists and having the ability to inform their tales. I used to be simply actual with him. Child was in all probability 17, 18. Rattling close to serving the entire metropolis weed. All of the artists. And he’s revered by all of the OGs. He transfer like a OG and on the whole. I used to be like, “They telling your story, actually. Them boys within the studio proper now telling your story. They simply speaking. They ain’t doing it.”
Ten years in the past, was your plan to make the most popular label out? Or did it evolve into that?
Coach Ok: Oh, most positively. I believe we simply getting began, too. When me and P began the label, that was our aim. However, you realize, there have been some artists that laid down the trail that we watched and studied. When somebody does one thing earlier than you, you will have the chance to check their wins and their losses. You examine the wins, however, plenty of occasions, me,
I examine the losses.
Some individuals assume you get a number of dope artists and have a profitable label. However clearly, there’s much more to it than that. What does it take to run a profitable label in 2023?
Coach Ok: In 2023, it’s totally different from once we began in 2013 as a result of now, A&R is basically closely watching the stats. Ten years in the past, you possibly can identify the rappers that was out. Ten years later, 2023, I don’t know if I’m unsuitable once I say this, however I believe each Friday on the flip of a retailer, the DSPs, it’s one thing like 200,000, 300,000 songs come out. It’s loads. So, you gotta be capable to actually strategize to chop by the noise.
Takeoff of the Migos was killed a couple of 12 months in the past. How has his dying affected the label?
P: [Migos] was our first act. Takeoff been with us for the reason that starting. That positively was the most important loss that we ever took, personally. Takeoff was like a bit brother to us. He wasn’t simply our artist. He was like household. Particularly again in these days. We constructed it on a household construction. So, Takeoff was household to us. Rattling close to had us in a way the place we was like, this the final straw… No one deserves to get killed. However out of all individuals, this was one of the…
Coach Ok: Humble youngsters ever, man.
P: Humble and unproblematic those who you’ll ever meet in your life. That proper there, no person seen that coming.
Coach Ok: It affected us in a significant manner. It nonetheless impacts us. It’s one thing we in all probability received’t ever recover from.
What do you assume Takeoff’s legacy is?
P: I believe his legacy is gon’ be being part of one of many best hip-hop teams of all time, Migos. They positively one of the impactful hip-hop teams of the 50 years of hip-hop. They gon’ ceaselessly be remembered for one of many teams that introduced this model and had a tradition shock to what was happening. It’s actually unhappy how all that ended.
The Migos’ Offset and Quavo had been at odds since earlier than Takeoff’s passing. They reunited throughout the 2023 BET Awards’ Takeoff tribute in June of this 12 months. How did that make you guys really feel?
P: That was nice. It was an amazing second. However we shouldn’t have to come back collectively in dying. It was an enormous second. I used to be glad they did it.
Offset was additionally at odds with you guys at one level and had a lawsuit towards you over possession of music. He dropped that lawsuit as you all got here to an settlement this previous August, however earlier than that, it acquired a bit ugly. What are your emotions on in-house conditions like that going public?
P: I simply really feel like no matter go on in the home ought to keep in the home. I’m glad that scenario is resolved. I want him nicely. I hope he reach every thing he does. Whether or not we’ve disagreements or no matter, I nonetheless recognize his contributions to what he helped us construct over right here. I’m fairly positive he appreciates our contributions to the affect that we had serving to him get to the place he at in life.
What has it been like seeing Lil Yachty’s evolution?
P: Yachty is a kind of artists that doesn’t have any boundaries. He went over there and did the rock-alternative album. He’s not scared to step outdoors that field. He at all times been like that. I really feel like he’s about to go on a large run if we do it proper, collectively.
Is there any reality to this rumored Drake and Lil Child album?
P: Ain’t no reality to that. Not that I heard of. [Lil Baby] ain’t point out it. Drake ain’t point out it. Simply rumors that any person made up.
Again in February, you signed a large new take care of Hybe America. What extra are you able to say about that?
Coach Ok: It’s a worldwide partnership. From once we began 10 years in the past has actually modified, globally. Being in enterprise with some people’ fast-forward pondering, fast-forward shifting to the place of the place expertise goes and the place the enterprise goes. Quite a lot of the main labels, they nonetheless shifting in form of an outdated manner. They shifting ahead, however it’s as a result of how large and the way they’ve to maneuver they will’t actually transfer swift. It’s very troublesome.
Has something modified so far as operations of the label?
P: No, we nonetheless function how we been working. Now, I really feel like we’ve extra assets and extra funding than we ever had in our complete time of doing this, which goes to create higher alternatives for us to offer extra alternatives for the artists. We blissful to have any person that imagine in us and wanna double down. We was in a position to take a deal that was structured that I by no means seen structured within the music enterprise. We ain’t gon’ give the small print, however we ain’t doing no dumb offers. It’s a wise deal that’s going to empower us to be nice executives. Empower us to empower different artists.
How do you assume issues are going to this point?
P: Ain’t nothing modified but.
Coach Ok: We simply getting began.
P: Offers of those magnitudes, it take time as a result of it’s two techniques that coming collectively. So, they studying our system. We studying their system. They giving us the help we want. We acquired an enormous headquarters. It’s gonna be the label, the administration firm, the A&R division. Not only a studio. I really feel like, particularly for the South, the entrepreneurs within the South, I really feel like we needed to hustle totally different. All people needed to go to N.Y. or out to L.A. to do enterprise. However all of the expertise was popping out the South.
Coach Ok: We kinda turned QC into an enterprise. We acquired movie. We acquired sports activities. We acquired administration. We acquired the label. S**t, we gon’ have a advertising and marketing firm. We gon’ have a branding firm. All that’s gon’ sit inside our home. So, hey, that ain’t been actually executed.
When it’s all stated and executed, what would you like QC’s legacy to be remembered as?
P: That we was a Black firm that got here on this enterprise with plenty of doorways closed on us. And we overcame plenty of adversity and developed a number of the largest superstars of our time.
Do you continue to have the identical starvation that you just did in 2013?
P: In fact.
Even with all of the success?
P: In fact. I’ma be trustworthy. Individuals inform me on a regular basis, “Y’all did a lot.” If you in it, you don’t actually really feel it. I’m blessed and lucky sufficient to know that we executed did some issues. However, while you get round and also you see a number of the issues that these different firms executed achieved and what they’re doing. Typically, I be taking a look at us like we ain’t even did nothing. Take a look at this firm over right here. This firm value $50 billion. We ain’t did nothing but.
How has the connection between the 2 of you modified through the years, if in any respect?
Coach Ok: It ain’t change, man. You recognize, you study. We actually simply realized the best way to actually run a profitable enterprise. On this enterprise, it is best to at all times be studying. You by no means can say, I do know all of it. Me and P, we two guys that basically, actually examine the sport.
What’s the plan for the following 10 years?
P: To go even tougher. The previous 10 years, the enterprise executed modified in so some ways. We gon’ create some extra stars. We gon’ preserve the celebrities that we’ve now. We gon’ preserve their stardom to go to the following stage. We at all times difficult what we have already got. It’s at all times extra you are able to do. So, we gon’ proceed to problem them to grow to be larger and higher than they ever been. We gon’ preserve creating and preserve being motivated to at all times do extra. It don’t cease for us.
Learn High quality Management Music’s Coach Ok and P focus on 10 years into the label’s development within the Winter 2023 concern of XXL Journal, on newsstands now. The brand new concern additionally consists of the cowl story with Latto and conversations with Killer Mike, Flo Milli, DD Osama, Maiya The Don, Monaleo, Mello Buckzz, Sexyy Crimson, BigXthaPlug, Scar Lip, plus extra. Moreover, there’s an unique interview with Fetty Wap, and in-depth tales on the recognition of sampling in hip-hop in 2023, the state of hip-hop touring and one of the best moments of hip-hop’s year-long fiftieth anniversary celebration.
See Pictures From Latto’s XXL Journal Winter 2023 Cowl Story
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