What’s your actual title at Atlantic Records? I’m the Senior Director of Urban Promotions for Atlantic, but I also have a dual role. Along with the Chairman of Atlantic, Craig Kallman, I’m going to be running Atlantic Latino, which will cater to Latin hip-hop and reggaetone. What was your career path to get into the music industry? I went to college originally because I wanted to be a film director, but then I realized there aren’t a lot of Puerto Rican film directors who are into hip-hop. I figured it was something that would take me a long time to achieve, and I was eager to get to work. I opted to get involved with music instead. I got a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, and while I was in college I started working at a warehouse for a company called Imported Records. They were the ones that funded Relativity Records, so that was my first exposure to an independent hip-hop label. That’s where I first met Fat Joe, believe it or not. This was probably like, 1991. From there, I ended up meeting a lot of the people who did urban promotions at Relativity. I made a lot of friends, and I got into that circle before I knew it and landed a job at Tommy Boy. My first job there was retail marketing, and that’s what got me involved in promotions. Who were some of the acts you worked with at Tommy Boy? Coolio, Naughty by Nature, Everlast and House of Pain, Coo Coo Cal, and Above the Law. Tommy Boy had a deal with Warner Bros, but they got bought out and eventually they folded. I had made so many relationships that Rob Love from Def Jam called me the week Tommy Boy folded. I didn’t skip a beat. I put in my three years at Def Jam, I worked with everybody from Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek to Capone and Noreaga. I was also one of the people that was real instrumental in breaking Joe Buddens on a national level. At Def Jam, were you basically the liaison between the label and the DJs? That’s basically why they brought me in, cause I already knew a few DJs from my days at Tommy Boy. I’d never really done full-on radio promotions, but I knew the key players. My last gig at Tommy Boy was lifestyle marketing, which is another way of saying I ran the street teams nationally. Through that, I started meeting DJs across the country, so that’s what really put me on Def Jam’s radar. When I hooked up with Rob Love, he realized that I knew a lot of the people he needed to pop off his records. I met with Rob and Kevin Liles and they hired me on the spot. What’s the key to building relationships and networking with DJs? It’s real simple. You’ve gotta make a lasting impression; a good impression. I never take any DJ for granted, whether it’s a club DJ, a mixtape DJ, or a radio DJ. I try to be really careful not to favor one over the other, because they’re all instrumental in breaking records in different forms. When I talk to people I try to remember their names and I try to make sure they have all my contact info. I’m a promoter, so I’m always supposed to be accessible. It’s a formula that’s worked for me. A lot of people will pass my number around and say, “Sam will help you get that Redman record,” or, “Sam will help you get that Ludacris record.” I just caught a reputation for being accessible. It sounds really simple, but it works for me. I ended up building a lot of good relationships and that’s what
people shouldn’t be insecure. If you’re good at what you do, you shouldn’t be worried if your ass is on the line. If they don’t embrace me, somebody else will. That’s my attitude. When Lyor offered me the job [at Atlantic], Def Jam did make attempts to keep me and convince me to stay. I still love the company, though. My attitude is good. I wish them much success. Def Jam is such a strong brand. If they win, if Lyor wins, it’s all good for hip-hop. I’m really happy with the decision I made, though. I love Atlantic and I love the artists. Who are some of the artists you’re working with at Atlantic? T.I., Trick Daddy, and Fat Joe, who happens to be a personal friend of mine. There’s a lot of new artists too, like Bump J. I have no ill feelings towards Def Jam, though. They’ve still got a good squad.
Sam Crespo Atlantic Records got me the job over at Atlantic. At Atlantic, are you also the liaison between the label and the DJs? Even though I have a higher position at Atlantic than I did at Def Jam, I think that’s one thing Atlantic definitely needed as a company; that link to the DJs, now that they’ve become so aggressive on the urban side. Even though there’s two people under me handling mixshow – Rick Betemit and Damon Gales – you’ll still see me at the DJ conferences. I’m taking them under my wing, so a couple years from now they could take my spot. I think that’s what keeps this business alive; people like myself who want to train others to eventually fill my shoes. I don’t wanna be doing this forever. It’s all about growth. Were you shocked when Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles left Def Jam? Yes and no. It was always my dream to work at Def Jam. It was always my dream to know Lyor Cohen and work with Kevin Liles, so when it happened, I was ecstatic. I didn’t know that my impression on them was that strong that they’d say, “Hey, we gotta have that guy back.” When they made that call [to hire me at Atlantic] I realized that I see myself in that executive circle. They’re my mentors, basically, so when they came calling it was easy to say yes. That’s my crew and I gotta roll with them wherever they go. After they left Def Jam and people started getting laid off, was there tension within the company? Yeah, I felt that. There were comments about the company being called “Deflantic.” But,
“That’s what keeps this business alive; people like myself who want to train others to eventually fill my shoes. I don’t wanna do this forever. It’s all about growth.”
The other day when we spoke, you said that Lil Wayne was signed with Atlantic, but I just heard that he renewed his contract with Cash Money/Universal today. What’s going on with that situation? I thought he was signing with us, so I have no idea. They were pumping it over here [at Atlantic] like he was already signed to us, so I’m just as confused as everybody else. How long have you been at Atlantic? I’ve been working at Atlantic since the end of December 2004, so it’s been about two months now. With your position on the Latin/reggaetone side, what do you plan to do? The same way that Craig [Kallman] helped to take reggae and dancehall to the next level at Atlantic, I wanna take reggaetone to the next level. Who are some of the reggae and dancehall artists on Atlantic? Kevin Lyttle, Sean Paul. VP Records is under Atlantic. Who are some Latin and reggaetone artists you’d like to sign? Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderon. I think those two would be incredible additions to our roster. What makes you qualified to lead the reggaetone movement at Atlantic? It’s something that I personally love, and I’ve been watching it for a couple years. I have love and respect for the music, and I’ve already been working with people in the movment. Plus, the fact that I’m Puerto Rican and I love hip-hop. I understand how to combine reggaetone and hip-hop without it sounding corny. You mentioned Fat Joe; are there any other artists you’ve developed personal friendships with? Me and Nore are tight, and me and Joe Buddens are still tight. I’m also friends with a lot of other record promoters at other labels. You would think we’re competitors, but we’re actually good friends. We all respect each other, and we all hang out. Do you have any advice for up-and-coming executives in the music business? People who wanna make it in this business have got to know how to network. You’ve got to keep your word and build relationships, because it all comes back around. Photo and interview by Julia Beverly, jb@ozonemag.com OZONE MAR 2005
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