SHORT TAKES : Rap Producer Starts Own Label
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NEW YORK — The producer of rap stars Public Enemy, L.L. Cool J, 3rd Bass and others has started his own record label.
“I worked at Def Jam and Columbia and I found myself running between the two companies all the time,” Hank Shocklee said. “I said if I am going to be doing all this, I should take care of my own situation, give artists the attention they need rather than going through a record company that has 17 other rap groups.”
The label is called SOUL (Sound of Urban Listeners) and was co-founded by former Def Jam promotions man Bill Stephney. Shocklee says they currently have four acts, including Alva Rogers and Son of Bazerk, and are negotiating with a fifth.
“You really have to have your ears and eyes on the street,” Shocklee said. “For example, you might find a crowd of guys hanging out and go up to them. Everybody that I’ve signed I’ve known for a while. I’ve been monitoring them, helping them along. I give them direction, insight and focus in the business.”
SOUL’s debut single, “Nobody Knows Kelli” by the Young Black Teenagers, was released Tuesday.
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