In this picture we are in Cupertino, California at Facebook’s headquarters. Lecrae, on the left, was launching a new album and we were going out there to raise media support. Andy Mineo was about to release a record too. So here we have Lecrae from Atlanta, Andy from New York, Sam from Nashville, and we’re in Cupertino, California. Lecrae is a recording artist who is the owner and cofounder of Reach Records, and Andy Mineo is an artist on Reach Records.
That day we went to the offices for Apple, Facebook, and Instagram and believe me when I say those campuses are huge. Facebook looks like a college campus, and Apple looks like a big tech center. We were there doing interviews with Lecrae and Andy. My company was managing them both at the same time. I started as a consultant to Reach Records and then Reach asked me to form a management company for their hip hop artists. This included Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, and Tedashi. I never thought I’d be in the hip-hop world. I started with Bill Gaither in Southern Gospel and went all the way to Lecrae, one of the biggest Christian rappers there is.
When I started in the industry I was in Bill Gaither’s warehouse. Gaither Music was more Contemporary Christian music and Southern Gospel. Then all of a sudden I find myself with a bunch of rappers and I meet 50 Cent. I start learning about magazines that I’d never heard of in the hip-hop world. I started accompanying artists to interviews on rap radio stations. It just opened my eyes. I love the rap culture and the special way they are able to craft music. I won’t say my age, but I am probably one of the few Caucasian guys my age that loves hip-hop now. I saw how much work these guys pour into their art and I love it.
