HU STL IN’
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CLAY EVANS
By Wendy Day
lay Evans is the Vice President of Management at Grand Hustle. On a day to day basis he focuses on management and artist development at Grand Hustle, a label owned by T.I. and Jason Geter. Clay has his hands full managing Young Dro and road managing T.I.P., but still makes time to talk about his hustle.
Clay got into the industry years ago as a writer with Bobby Brown, and then proceeded to learn the industry through the school of hard knocks (trial and error). It was a great training ground for Clay, and many successful people came out of that Bosstown camp. In fact, it eventually led Clay to where he is today at Grand Hustle, and educating the young people in this industry so they would never have to go through what he did. Grand Hustle has a family mentality and treats everyone as family. No strangers to adversity, when TIP was incarcerated just after the release of his first Atlantic recording, P$C had to step up and keep the Grand Hustle brand alive. They went out on the road and kept the buzz going for the label. Of course, it was hard having the biggest artist incarcerated at the height of his career. Clay reminisces about the struggle, “Big Kuntry and P$C had to really step up. TIP and J Geter had laid such a foundation that they were able to lay a blessed foundation.” Geter and Clay went into the small markets themselves and promoted their own shows waiting for the day when TIP got out of jail. “Because we all pulled together as a family during the rough times, that is why we are able to stay together as a family now,” Clay believes. “Because TIP went to jail, it forced others to step up and grind instead of waiting for him to experience remarkable fame and then live off of it. Everyone in the camp stepped up. We have the ultimate team players — everyone plays their own position. This increased their opportunities,” Clay informs me, thinking about his favorite football player. “I’m inspired by Deion Sanders. He played the corner position and locked his whole side down. This gave others more opportunities to excel. They look like superstars because they played their own position and they became great at those positions. It enable each player to get more shine and negotiate bigger contracts. Grand Hustle did the same thing: while other labels have laid in the cut and waited for the main artist to blow up, the rest of our guys were forced into positions that they created for themselves, without knowing they created them. This system was built by each individual in the system. Each person has licked stamps, promoted on the streets, hung posters, pressed up CDs, etc. Every member of Grand Hustle knows what it means to grind.” “TIP is a label owner but knows to play his position as the artist. Everyone else is in position to play off TIP’s quarterback position. That’s why it’s a successful situation over here,” Clay tells me. Grand Hustle does seem to be one of the most successful label in Atlanta. “Not only does everyone play their positions, but we all started at the bottom and worked our way through every position. Jason Geter started as an intern at Patchwerk; we all met at Patchwerk. I worked with BJ at Patchwerk — I was head of A&R (Bob Witfield started Patchwerk Records),” Clay recalls. In early 2000, BJ and Clay left Patchwerk and started Rubicon Entertainment. “We started doing events around town like Sippin’ On Sundays (an industry event that attracted the local tastemakers). Then, Jason Geter left Ghettovision/Arista and started Grand Hustle with TIP. I came aboard right away. I’ve been down since Day One planting seeds,” Clay says, as he’s in it to build something, not to take credit. “This is TIP’s and Jason’s vision and they invited me into their vision.” This is an industry of building stars. “We create a demand by building the stage presence, how the artist conducts himself in interviews, developing the artist and building image and swagger. We believe in the grind. Big Kuntry has been getting paid shows yet has barely had a record on the radio. He has a solid base and foundation. The artists can provide for their families,” Clay mentions as we discuss the importance of artists understanding the business. “We help them learn the business side, which is the side that keeps them in the game. We help them select their attorneys and allow them to grind so the can provide a strong revenue from being on the road,” Clay says. Most artists want to perform and care little about anything else. That is where Monday nights at Crucial come in…
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(left): Clay and Young Dro rock the crowd at a T.I. vs. T.I.P. release party in Atlanta
Before I moved to Atlanta, I heard about Monday nights at Crucial. I ask Clay about how it started. He tells me,“I started a club night back in the day over by Strokers, called Lyrical Gym. It was set up to help artists get their weight up. It wasn’t for financial gain, it was to help artists hone their skills. Artists would come to showcases long before they got signed, so I always knew Hustle & Flow Mondays would have need and blow up.” “Crucial is T.I.P.’s club and it’s in Bankhead. First of all, it tells people: Hey! Look, we did it, so you can do it too! We expose artists to the key industry folks they’d normally walk by, like a retailer, an attorney - the business side, so the next generation is informed properly. It changes the system and advances the artists. They can become label owners, they find out how to deal with retailers and learn why to do an in-store. They learn to own their own masters. Hustle and Flow Mondays exposes them to other things beyond just the performance aspect. It’s a contest where the winners get to come on tour with us and open for TIP. They stay in same hotels as I do, eat the same food I eat. This is how they learn,” Clay informs me with excitement. “I put them in with signed acts, new acts — show them that everyone is still hustling, no matter what level they are at. It’s so much more than ‘Hey! I rap and make songs.’ I show them why songs should be between 3 and 4 minutes long. I show them why one person in the group has to be in charge of the CD, rather than it just being a bunch of artists who step on stage. It’s not that it’s just a competition, it’s a networking system for them to commune with each other. Learn who can help you get to the next level and who can supply the piece to the puzzle you may be missing. All of this is done in a showcase environment since that’s their most comfortable environment. We helped break Shop Boyz, Unk, and B.O.B!” As he talks about Monday nights the passion exudes from him and his words speed up to match his level of intensity. “Malachai is a perfect example of Hustle and Flow Mondays. He did so well one week that we had him back the next week. He’s even gone on to promote his own Thursday night showcase. He created his own all-around package to stand out. I’m not soliciting you to Grand Hustle, I’m soliciting you to your own hustle. It’s my obligation. Luda, Jeezy, everyone has graced that stage. It’s about the community.” Clay has even brought the next generation of management into Hustle and Flow Mondays. Snake runs Czar South for Jimmy Henchmen (Czar manages the careers of Game, Guerilla Black, BloodRaw, Trillville, and others). Snake is a partner in Hustle and Flow Mondays. Clay talks about Snake with much animation as if he’s passing the baton to the next generation. “I put him on the road with Dro — he’s now Dro’s road manager. You see all angles of the business as a road manager. Snake stands out because he wants to know all angles of the music industry. He refuses to miss anything.” So what’s next for Clay as Hustle and Flow Mondays refuses to end? In fact, they just enlarged the club recently to allow for the increase of folks who fill the club on a weekly basis. “I do the same thing on Tuesday nights for comedians — Trippin’ On Tuesdays, where I give the young comedians a place to hone their skills and learn that industry inside and out. It’s just as challenging as the music industry, if not more…” Clay informs me. As Clay continues his goal of teaching the next generation, he preaches “Emulate what the heroes of this generation are doing, so the next generation can follow. Meanwhile, I’ll keep managing the next generation with Lil Duval, Straight Drop, and Alley Boy.” //