These 6 Black women are reshaping the music business in Atlanta and beyond
Several Black women music executives in Atlanta are taking the lead in helping companies restructure and reshape their operations to keep up with the future of the music business.
Some are turning their experiences from working inside of cushy offices at record labels into creative leadership positions at streaming and tech companies. Others are taking the entrepreneurial route, starting their own firms and agencies.
These ladies are turning their love for Atlanta and relationship building into new products, services and business opportunities for their clients. They’re leaving the business suits at home and, instead, bringing their authentic styles and personalities into the workplace.
Here are six Black women music executives making their mark in streaming, tech, record labels, law and artist management.
Aurielle Brooks
Partner, Arrington and Phillips
Aurielle Brooks wanted a career that helps artists protect their legal rights and creative output.
Brooks is the first nonfounding partner at Arrington and Phillips, where she practices entertainment, business, intellectual property and sports law. She’s also vice president and general counsel for Collective Gallery, a photography label and agency that has a joint venture with Atlantic Records.
The Chamblee native negotiated contracts and drafted policies for her alma mater, Valdosta State University, while she was a student in the early 2010s. She learned entertainment through internships with Street Execs and Def Jam while working with a slew of law firms.
Brooks has gone on to represent talents like comic DC Young Fly, rappers Lil Baby, Bow Wow and Sexyy Red. She said good attorneys are proactive and responsive to their clients.
“We’re a lifeline to their livelihood. It leaves the client or artist in a dark place when they don’t know what to do with other agreements, deals or dollars, so attention to detail is a top priority for me,” Brooks said.
Brooks said knowing artists on a personal level helps manage their careers.
“In order to sufficiently serve our clients, we have to guide them and know what their common complaints may be,” she said. “I’ll still try to forecast things, find new deals and opportunities for them.”
Phylicia Fant
Global Head of Music Industry and Culture Collaborations, Amazon Music
Phylicia Fant has turned her years as an artist-friendly record label executive into helping drive innovation and build community.
For three years, Fant has led music industry and culture collaborations at Amazon Music. Her role involves identifying cultural zeitgeist moments to build credibility with audiences, connecting the streamer with artists, industry events and historically Black colleges.
She’s an Atlanta native who graduated from Spelman College in 2000 and founded a lifestyle public relations firm, The Purple Agency, in 2008.
Fant — whose career included leadership roles at Universal Music Group, Columbia Records and Warner Music Group — pivoted into merging music and technology after paying attention to how social media introduces music to various audiences.
“I had to expand with the changing times. Artists are still the main components that make anything happen, but TikTok became a source of artist discovery that showed how technology and social media could drive culture,” Fant said.
These days, Fant is committed to developing and mentoring future Black executives.
“In order to have permanent jobs, you have to bring in and nurture talent,” she said. “I want to see the next generation of people of color get jobs in corporate America and be prepared for that.”
Amber Grimes
EVP/General Manager, Love Renaissance
Amber Grimes is the executive vice president, general manager of Love Renaissance Records and a partner in its management division, LVRN Management.
She oversees operations and marketing for acts like Summer Walker and 6LACK. She joined the brand three years ago to help grow it from an independent record label into a global company.
Growing up between Sandy Springs and Alpharetta, Grimes spent five years as an executive assistant to Abou “Bu” Thiam, a former Def Jam executive who managed Kanye West. She herself became an executive at Spotify and Capitol Records
Under Grimes’ leadership, Love Renaissance signed country artist Tanner Adell, launched its film and television division and expanded into real estate. She’s holding down the fort stateside while the company’s founders expand the artist roster in Nigeria and invested into Jerk X Jollof, a lifestyle event originally based in Detroit that combines African, Caribbean cuisine and nightlife.
“Nobody wants to be put in a box, and we’re taking advantage of the opportunity to show the things we’re really good at. Instead of going in trying to cherry pick artists or say what we like, we found people (in Africa) like us who develop artists the way that we do. We’re making sure that LVRN is something you can see, feel, hear and experience,” Grimes said.
Grimes hopes her trajectory will inspire Black women to start music labels. “It’s great to be part of a team, but I want us to learn, grow and believe that we can sit at the top in that seat,” she said.
Kei Henderson
Founder/CEO, Third and Hayden
Kei Henderson is an executive and artist manager who prides herself on discovering talent and turning them into superstars.
The former co-manager of Atlanta rapper 21 Savage is the founder and CEO of Third and Hayden, a boutique music label, publishing and management company that represents rapper Ben Reilly and folk singer Annahstasia. She negotiated an artist development partnership with Live Nation last year. The deal was the first its kind between the live events company and an Atlanta-based management firm.
Henderson, who grew up in Lawrenceville, got her start as a party promoter and intern at Atlanta-based independent label Big Cat Records. In 2009, she managed her first artist, Atlanta rapper Grip Plyaz.
Henderson, who identifies as a queer woman, said being resourceful is the key to being a successful. “I built up a Rolodex of people who could help us move the needle forward and made stuff happen with no money. I just show up as I am, leverage that I am different, and it always creates mutual respect and support from my collaborators and the team,” she said.
In 2018, Henderson cofounded SinceThe80s, a music label and management firm that represents artists Earthgang and J.I.D She left to start Third and Hayden in 2021.
“I wanted to work in other genres and artists that I think are dope,” she said. “We had the same ethos and work ethic (at SinceThe80s), but I wanted to do what I wanted to do and take matters into my own hands.”
Tamika Howard
Executive Vice President, QC Media Holdings
Tamika Howard uses her organizational skill to teach hip-hop stars about sustaining their careers.
As executive vice president of Quality Control Music, where Howard’s been since 2013, she oversees operations, administrative duties and label staff. She works with company owners Pierre “Pee” Thomas and Kevin “Coach K” Lee to take QC from being a music label and management company to entertainment conglomerate that encompasses sports, film and television development.
Howard’s biggest responsibility at the label — home to rap actsMigos, Lil Baby and Lil YachtyCity Girls — is educating artists on how to manage their finances. “You have to teach business acumen to these producers and artists to know it’s fun and a blessing, but telling them they have to file taxes when they get large sums of money,” she said.
Howard started as operations manager for Block Entertainment, an Atlanta-based record label founded by record executive Russell “Block” Spencer, before later becoming vice president of rapper Yung Joc’s imprint, Swagg Team Entertainment. During that time, she earned a reputation for her professionalism.
“I was dealing with people from the streets who wanted to book artists but not have any paperwork, so it was protecting my artists and myself,” she said. “I made promoters send emails over having verbal conversations so that everyone was on the same page.”
Rachel “Rachie” Jackson
Artist and Livestream Partnerships Manager, YouTube
For the past five years Rachel Jackson has been YouTube’s artist and livestream partnerships manager. She works closely with artists to monetize their visibility on the platform.
“I make sure when artists release their videos they’re releasing them correctly and understand how to leverage their promotional power on YouTube when they drop music, tell a story or release documentaries,” she said.
A Decatur native, Jackson graduated from Clark Atlanta University. She had internships with So Icey Entertainment and Disturbing tha Peace Records.
In 2018, Jackson went to work for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers — a performance rights organization — as a membership coordinator. Two years later, she became director of A&R for Roc Nation, the record label and management company founded by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.
She said her evolution into tech was about learning the office culture while still prioritizing the artists.
“I specialize in the hood and artists that come from places that are often overlooked. Tech isn’t as casual as the music business, because the words mean what they mean, and you have to speak the language. I try to keep things relatable, actionable and find ways to make the talent as visible as any other artists on the platform,” Jackson said.
Jackson wants to venture into sports and help more Black women find their niche in entertainment.
“I want to help athletes leverage, understand and monetize YouTube at a quicker pace. I want to help women connect, collaborate and thrive, because there is no success without service,” she said. “Any place there are women that need that blueprint or pat on the back, I want to show up there.”
About the Author
Christopher A. Daniel is a Black Culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is an Atlanta-based, award-winning journalist, cultural critic and ethnomusicologist. He previously taught courses at Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University.
