Industry 101
Words by Julia Beverly Photo by Diwang Valdez
JAS PRINCE
THE SON OF SOUTHERN RAP PIONEER AND RAP-A-LOT founder J PRINCE, JAS PRINCE IS BOTH CONTINUING THE FAMILY LEGACY AND STAKING HIS OWN CLAIM TO FAME AS A YOUNG CEO WITH A SHARP EAR FOR FRESH TALENT. JUST ASK DRAKE AND LIL WAYNE. Lately, you’ve been on the road with the Lil Wayne and Young Money tour. Me and [Lil Wayne’s manager] Tezz are business partners. If Tezz isn’t there and they need anything, they call on me and I can make it happen. I’m Young CEO. Wherever I can fit in and make things happen, I play that role. Your father established quite a legacy in the game as the CEO and Founder of Rap-A-Lot and pioneer of this whole Southern movement. Of course the name recognition is positive but there’s probably a lot of pressure on you also to live up to those expectations. What are the pros and cons of having a famous father? I believe it’s more negative, because people always wanna point the finger at [my father] and say, “You’re only doing this because of your dad.” Some of that is true, but at the same time, I’m my own man. My father lets me do things how I wanna do them, but he always let me know that he’s there if I need him. Of course he’s gonna let me fall and hit my head sometimes, but at the same time, I learn from my mistakes. I don’t mind doing that. I like to do stuff on my own and if I have a question or whatever, I can call on my dad because I know he’s done it before and he can tell me how to fix it or how to move on. From an early age, was it always your dream to follow in his footsteps? Oh yeah. Even when I was young he’d make sure I had a summer job at Rap-A-Lot. He’d have me sweeping the floor, or in the shipping room learning how to ship stuff. As I started growing older, I got interested in marketing. I didn’t take it as seriously as I should’ve. I believe that if I had been more focused at a younger age, I’d be at a different level than I am right now. But still, I’ve been around it and I’ve learned the game from my old man. He’s the best in the game. The game has changed a lot since the early days of Rap-A-Lot. Would you say it’s harder or easier to build a record label these days? It’s harder now because you have to worry about bootlegs and all that. But artists like Wayne and Drake have their set fan base and they just promote themselves as artists. Some artists just have hot singles but they don’t have a hot classic album. I mean, I don’t normally just buy albums. But if it’s a hot classic album, I buy it. Trey Songz’ album just came out. I love that album; I bought that album. It’s different nowadays from back then. I believe back then [artists] were more in the streets. It was more about being seen. Nowadays I think a lot of people just lay back and let the album do what it do. But the streets are what
sells this Hip Hop music. If the streets and the hood are backing you, you’re gonna make it. That’s how a lot of dance songs get on the radio, because the DJs make it hot in the clubs first. Do you think the fact that Wayne and Drake put out so many mixtapes and free music is helping them sell albums? It helps. I believe all artists should do mixtapes. Wayne just gives them away because he wants everybody to hear his music. That’s one hardworking dude, man. I have never seen anybody that stays in the studio as much as Wayne does. He’s in the studio every night. The night after he won his fourth Grammy, everybody [else] was talking about going out [to the afterparties] and he was on the bus recording, talking about, “This is for my next album.” We were like, “Whoa.” But that’s what hard work is about. If you love your craft like Wayne does, you know you’ve gotta perfect it and let the people know you love it. They’ll see it in your work. And it’s the same thing with Drake. Drake won’t just get on anybody’s song. He doesn’t care who you are. He loves the music so much that when he raps about something, you can feel it. It’s kinda like Z-Ro. I think if Z-Ro had a [better] work ethic, he could be the next ‘Pac or Scarface. You feel his pain when he raps. The artist has gotta want it. You can push an artist as much as you want from the record label standpoint, but the artist has gotta want it. They’ve gotta have that hunger, like a pitbull after blood. Wayne’s got it already and he still acts like he wants it. Like Wayne says, “They print a lot of money, but there’s not one dollar that says Dwayne Carter can’t have it.” What was your involvement with Drake? I found Drake on Myspace. I believe Myspace is the easiest way to find hot artists in every region. I was going through a bunch of artists and did a worldwide blast to find out who had the most hits. I came across Drake’s page; yellow boy from Canada. The first song I clicked on was “Replacement Girl” with Trey Songz, and I was like, “Damn, this nigga can rap!” I wondered if he was signed. He’s got a video, a song with Trey Songz.. no label? I sent him a message and introduced myself. A couple days later I got a response back. “No, I’m not signed.” He gave me his number and we talked for a while. In my mind, I’m like, “This boy is a star. He raps, sings, and acts.” So I’m pushing it to everybody, like, “I got this artist named Drake, and I’m gonna sign him.” I hit Wayne like, “Yo, bro.
I got this artist I want you to hear.” Wayne kept pushing it back, like, “Yeah, yeah. Alright.” Two years ago I did a concert [in Houston] on New Year’s Eve with Wayne. The next day, after the concert, we were chillin’ at the hotel and Wayne asked me to take him to the jewelry store. He jumped in my truck. All the time, I’m thinking about business, so I put in this Drake CD. He was feeling it, bobbing his head. Drake said some slick line, and Wayne was like, “Yo, who is this, man? This boy nice!” I said, “That’s the nigga Drake I been telling you about.” Then I played “Brand New,” a song where Drake is singing. Wayne was like, “Man, who is this?” I said, “That’s Drake!” He’s like, “Bro, he sings too? Man, call him right now. Get him on the next flight to Houston.” I called Drake, and he was at the barbershop. He’s like, “Yo, this Drizzy,” and Wayne was like, “Yo, it’s Weezy.” He was kinda shocked. Wayne said, “Get on the next flight to Houston. I’ma holla at you when you get here.” Drake called me back like, “Was that Wayne for real?” He flew out the next morning and we went to the studio that night. The next day we got on the bus and rode from Houston to Atlanta. We had a long ride and got to talk over some things. That night we went to the studio, and that’s when he recorded “Forever” and “Stunt Hard.” From then on, it’s history. What new projects are you working on now? I’m still a part of the Drake movement. They’re trying to do a reality show on me. I’ve got a clothing line coming out called Young Heartthrob. I’ve got a lot of stuff on the table right now, I’m just structuring it right so I can make the right moves. I’m still involved on the Rap-ALot side too; that’s my family, always. Rap-A-Lot for life. Cash Money and Rap-A-Lot are about to do some big things together. We’re gonna keep it all in the family. Cash Money, Young Money, Rap-A-Lot, and my label, Young Empire. Is there one piece of advice your father/mentor has given you that sticks out over the years? My dad always told me, “Wait broke the wagon.” Meaning, keep going. Don’t wait on anything. Just keep moving. Stay persistent. In the music business, persistence means you’re hungry. That’s what I’ve learned all my life as I’ve worked on albums, like Bun’s album and everything that Rap-A-lot was involved with. Persistence, persistence. This young dude is persistent. You might bug somebody, but they know that you’re on your business. // OZONE OZONEMAG MAG////59 59