Unglossy: Decoding Brand in Culture
Welcome to "Unglossy: Decoding Brand in Culture," where we delve into the essence of branding beyond the surface sheen. A brand is more than just a logo or a slogan; it's a reflection of identity, values, and reputation that resonates within our cultural landscape. Enjoy as we peel back the layers to uncover the raw, authentic stories behind the people and products that shape our world.
This isn't your average corporate podcast. Join Tom Frank, partner and chief creative officer at Merrick Creative, Mickey Factz, Hip Hop Artist and Founder and CEO of Pendulum Ink, and Jeffrey Sledge, a seasoned music industry veteran, for "Unglossy" as they get to the heart of what truly drives individual and organizational brand . In a world where where image is carefully curated and narratives meticulously crafted, we're here to explore the moments of vulnerability, pivotal decisions, and creative sparks that fuel the relationship between brand and culture.
Get ready for a thought-provoking journey into the heart and soul of branding – the unscripted, unfiltered, and truly Unglossy truth. Tune in to "Unglossy: Decoding Brand in Culture" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you catch your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @UnglossyPod and join the conversation.
Unglossy is produced and distributed by Merrick Studios. Let your story take the mic. Learn more at https://merrick-studios.com
Unglossy: Decoding Brand in Culture
Chris Atlas: Part 2 - Crafting Iconic Music Brands
Ever wonder how marketing magic happens in the music industry? Join us as we sit down for Part 2 of our conversation with the legendary Chris Atlas, the mastermind behind iconic campaigns like Kanye West's "Through the Wire" and Boost Mobile's Rock Corps. Discover the secrets to his innovative strategies, the vibrant atmosphere at Cornerstone, and unforgettable moments like Mickey Factz first encounter with Lupe Fiasco. Chris offers a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes stories and insights, culminating in his influential role at Def Jam. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone curious about the alchemy of brand and culture in hip hop.
Additionally, we dive into the legacy and future of Fat Beats. Hear about Chris' vision to grow its influence in the digital age while staying true to its vinyl roots. From celebrating its 30th anniversary to exploring strategic pop-ups that capture the essence of the original Fat Beats store, we're excited to share a glimpse into the future. Plus, we highlight the importance of relationships in hip-hop and how these bonds led to Chris' work on the critically acclaimed new album with Pete Rock and Common. Tune in for an episode brimming with industry insights and heartfelt stories.
"Unglossy: Decoding Brand in Culture," is produced and distributed by Merrick Creative and hosted by Merrick Chief Creative Officer, Tom Frank, hip hop artist and founder of Pendulum Ink, Mickey Factz, and music industry veteran, Jeffrey Sledge. Tune in to hear this thought-provoking discussion on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you catch your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @UnglossyPod to join the conversation and support the show at https://unglossypod.buzzsprout.com/.
Welcome to the "All About M.E. Podcast ," the podcast where music meets the...
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on this episode of Unglossy.
Speaker 2:Def Jam. Was that brand like? In terms of everything you thought Def Jam was, it was. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:From the top. Yeah, I'm Tom Frank.
Speaker 3:I'm Mickey Fax.
Speaker 4:And I'm Jeffrey Sledge.
Speaker 1:Welcome to Unglossy, to coning brand and culture. I'm Tom Frank, partner and chief creative officer at Merit Creative. This is Mickey Fax, hip-hop artist and founder and CEO of Pendulum Inc. And that is Jeffrey Sledge, a seasoned music industry veteran who has worked with some of the biggest artists in the business. We're here to explore the moments of vulnerability, pivotal decisions and creative sparks that fuel the relationship between brand and culture. Get ready for a thought-provoking journey into the heart and soul of branding the unscripted, unfiltered and truly unglossy truth. And now part two of our conversation with Chris Atlas what are some of the craziest cool projects that you did work on that you're most proud of from those days?
Speaker 2:On the music side, right on any side. Well, I mean, it was a lot. I mean, I think we actually on the Cornerstone side, we were one of the original companies that helped to start the Through the Wire campaign for Kanye. You know, and you know, we all know, what that record you know did for him in terms of just kind of starting. You know, and you know, we all know, what that record you know did for him in terms of just kind of kind of starting. You know what was and has been an incredible career for him.
Speaker 2:We did a great campaign with Boost Mobile called Rock Corpse, which was a give back, community based program where kids were invited to volunteer time for community service. And you know, uh receive, uh boost mobile phones. You know, and um, which you know at the time, you know it was all about the chirp. You know what I'm saying. So uh, boost mobile was, uh was a great project at that time. We also worked on Sprite and the Sprite Remix, where the idea with Sprite was they remixed their flavor. So they had, for that short period of time, sprite Remix, which was a variant, if you will, of the Sprite formula, and we did a whole campaign with creating custom remix vinyl utilizing certain artists at that time DJs just to kind of merge the remix concept with actual vinyl and artists. And also, you know, at that time Cornerstone was one of the companies that Microsoft actually hired to do seating and marketing for the Xbox, and this is when Xbox first came out. So you know, yeah, getting one of those Xboxes was like coveted. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Wow, I didn't realize Cornerstone had its hands into so many things. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And again, I feel like at that time, you know, Cornerstone was definitely one of those groundbreaking strategic marketing companies where it was new. At that time, you know Cornerstone was definitely one of those groundbreaking strategic, you know, marketing companies where it was new territory in a world where it's very common, you know, and part of just marketing across the board.
Speaker 4:It was early with the branding. It was early with the brand marketing, you know.
Speaker 2:Yep Very nice.
Speaker 3:Rob Stone, obviously, and you know I met Lu nice Best of peace, Rob Stone, obviously. And you know I met Lupe Fiasco. First time I met him was at Cornerstone.
Speaker 4:Yep, oh is that right.
Speaker 3:Yes, that was my first time going to Cornerstone. Cornerstone was known for their in-office party.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the parties was lit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Carvanhas. Yeah, great one. Yeah, great one. The Cornerstone mixtape Don't forget the Cornerstone mixtape.
Speaker 3:I was lucky enough to be on that, but Lupe was doing his the Cool listening at Cornerstone and I was representing Laced Magazine at the time Because you know Steve and Quaz, they owned the magazine and I was the editor. So they was like yo go down to Cornerstone and, you know, meet with Lupe. Because it was a media event for Lupe and the cool and I'll never forget. First of all, this is my first time seeing because I didn't meet Chris that day. All this is my first time seeing because I didn't meet Chris that day, but that was my first time seeing Chris Atlas and that was my first time meeting Lupe and I'll never forget the conversation I had with him.
Speaker 3:This was 2007, and I was like one day we're going to work with each other I don't know when. One day we're going to work with each other. And a year and a half later we were. The first time we worked together was in japan. We did a show together in japan and you know that would not have happened right, and I'm I'm pretty sure you helped or probably put that together for him. That particular event, uh, that happened because it was basically playing the album before I came out. Um, so that was like, and obviously like. A couple months later I was in the fader. That was my first magazine press that I ever got was the fader. Yeah, fader was big man.
Speaker 4:Wait. So how did you transition from there to Def Jam?
Speaker 2:And again, I think, from Tommy Boy to Cornerstone, cornerstone allowed me to expand beyond promotion and that's when I actually started to make the shift from promotion to marketing Right.
Speaker 2:And then, um, uh, part of part of making that shift was, um, when the Def Jam opportunity available, it was for a SVP, head of marketing role at Def Jam and this was 2008. And again, I think that the knowledge from Def Jam, understanding radio promotion, a&r, to the knowledge that I acquired at Cornerstone with marketing, strategic marketing, brand marketing, kind of put me on the longer trajectory to continue in marketing, which again up the the opportunity for me to work at Def Jam and um, uh, grace Harry at the time at Def Jam, you know Grace, yeah, we worked together a job, um, yeah, she yep, she, uh, she was the head of creative uh at Def Jam at the time and um, creative at Def Jam at the time and she kind of, you know, recruited me, you know, based on this position and you know, knowing me and knowing my work and you know kind of went in and you know working at Def Jam was a completely different experience.
Speaker 1:That had to be wild. To be wild to be the head of marketing at Def Jam at that time too. Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean, and you know, at that time I got there in 2008. La Reid and that regime had been there since 2004. So there was a lot of success. There was a lot of success. There was a lot of egos. There was a lot of success, there was a lot of success. There was a lot of egos. Um, there was a lot of talent, right, and, um, you know, def jam was that brand like, in terms of everything you thought def jam was, it was.
Speaker 2:You know what I Relative to just the level of, I guess, fire and competitiveness and fierceness, and just you know that made it, you know, as great. Not going to lie, like my first, my first, you know, couple of months there. It took me a minute to to get acclimated and realign. You know what I mean and it wasn't necessarily because I wasn't good or I wasn't, um, uh, competitive or uh, instinctual. It was just a different company, in a different way of being and working right. And it's like you know how, when you go to a new team, you know what I mean and you used to be in coach, you used to be in coach one way, and then you go to another team and you have to understand. Like all right, you're good, right, but this is how I coach. You know what I mean and this is how I want my players to play. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:So once I did that, you know what I mean. Then I was rocking. You know what I'm saying. I was rocking, you know what I'm saying and you know again, like just some of the incredible artists that were there that I worked on Kanye being one of them, rick Ross, ludacris, jeezy, jadakiss, jeremiah, the dream, like I mean. The list goes on and on and who's who's list?
Speaker 2:yeah yeah, and and it kind of extends to, you know, the evolution of the roster which you had, the newer artists that came in, whether it's a logic or an alessia cara, um, you know, um, but again, I think that there was just this commitment to the artistry, the dedication, dedication to great music, the dedication to just doing, you know, beyond the norm, you know, and the level of competitiveness, you know, that was just super present at that at that label and I feel like, you know, I think I might have had like one of the longest runs in that position as head of marketing, because I was there from 2008 to 2017. So that's almost 10 years. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:So that's a great run at Def Jam and you know just the level of competitiveness and expectations at that company, you know. But it was a great team. That was a great team of executives Pecos Bartles, gabby Peluso.
Speaker 4:Gabe, gabe and Felicity, oh man.
Speaker 2:Gabe yes, gabe, you know Rodney Sheely Like there was an amazing list of executives you know at that company and you know again, I feel like that's one of the things that I will attribute to you know, just success is like the team, the team that you have with you, that works with you, that you know, you can lock arms with, that you could, you know, share that same vision and goal. In Cornerstone we had a great team, you know Tommy Boy, we had a great team. Def Jam, we had a great team, you know. So that's to me that's always an important factor who you work with.
Speaker 4:So to me that's always an important factor who you work with just as much as who you're working on the artist side. So were you there when Hov was?
Speaker 2:there? No, because Hov left like 2007. Oh, so you just missed him. Beginning of 2008,. You know what I mean. And then they will still hold records you know what I mean, but like in terms of, like you know him being, uh, the president, you know, like he started to. He started to transition out when I, when I you know when I got there, I can't forget nas, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Um, so yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, okay so now, je Jeffrey, am I allowed to dive in on fat beats at this point? Because I'm diving into it?
Speaker 4:You're asking me or asking Chris? You said Jeffrey.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know you're guiding the ship here, so I need to know. Yeah, I mean yeah, why not you know?
Speaker 4:I mean no, no, no, you're skipping Warner Brothers though.
Speaker 2:I am skipping Warner Brothers, so let's hit Warner Brothers. But I want to know how you end up at Fat, the company, which at that time was very rock focused, legacy focused, you know, and wanted to make a run into the frontline, contemporary, you know, mainstream space on both the rock side but the urban side. So, you know, I was, you know, recruited to come in and help revamp the urban side of Warner, right, and in that period we had, I had to move to LA, which I'm a New York guy Everybody that knows me knows I love New York, I don't mind traveling but I love being in New York. So I had to move to LA for that position, which was cool, and I think at that time there was definitely, I think, a migration of a lot of New Yorkers that were going to LA because the industry and labels were shifting out there. So it was almost like a rite of passage, right. So during that run at Warner was part of again revitalizing the urban side and we had some great successes. Little Pump was at Warner at that time and he's one of those SoundCloud phenoms that was huge. Anything. This guy put out gold platinum Right, a very, you know, gold album, double platinum single, sweetie, who everyone is, you know, knows who. Sweetie is where, you know, she's still having success and she's had a number of great hits, you know, shorty, shorty, freddie Gibbs, like, again, just a number of you know really compelling urban acts, right, um.
Speaker 2:So I was at Warner for about five years, right and uh, in being there, still in LA at the time, in being there, um, fortunate, unfortunately, I had, you know, a traumatic, uh, personal, um, I had, you know, a traumatic, uh, personal, um, uh, situation that happened and it required me to kind of leave LA and come back to the East coast, based on, just, you know, supporting my family, taking care of my family, doing what I had to do. And in coming back to New York, it kind of just changed the nature of what I needed to do at Warner, right, so I left Warner in twenty, twenty three and for for a brief period, I, you know, was doing my own thing, you know, with my own company, I wasn't within a label and this was, like, I think, the first time in 20, some odd years that I was not at a company. So, and I, you know, I want to talk about this because I think it's an important, you know, an important, not only time for me, but an important growth opportunity and something that I think people could take value in. But that period of not being at a label where most of my career had either been at a label or a major company to having to figure out what am I going to do was Right, was very eyeopening, um, and humbling at the same time, and I'm someone that always I always consider myself a humble person. But to go through that and have to either figure out what my own self-worth is and my own self-value is and reposition myself and start anew, right, I never thought that I would be at that point.
Speaker 2:So the last year was an opportunity of growth and hustle and just real enlightenment in terms of all right, what am I doing next? Right, and you know, fortunately, through the relationships and my reputation, um, and the, the success that I've had, who was a former boss and mentor when I was at Def Jam, I worked on Jeezy's album, which he dropped independently, that he had left Def Jam, which again came from me working with Jeezy. You know when I was at Def Jam and you know there's several other projects. So I say that to say right, you know, and it was rewarding because it gave me confirmation of who I was as a person. How I carried myself as an executive resonated to the point where I wasn't at a company. I was still who I am and I was still able to work on these projects and have success.
Speaker 1:People were still calling you, I mean it's all about relationships.
Speaker 2:Right, it's all yeah, it's, it's, yes, it's all about relationships and it's all about what you do and how you do it and your integrity and you know how you, how you treat people right. And that uh led to um me having a conversation with uh benji over at rostrum, which you know. Rostrum recently acquired Fat Beats in, I want to say, december of last year, november, december of last year.
Speaker 2:Right at the end of hop space, you know, with, you know, acts like Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa, and, and he's, he's I have a tremendous respect for Benji because I think he's just a really great entrepreneur in person and you know what he is looking to do. You know, with fat beats, um, was, was perfectly aligned with my skillset, but also, I think, a full circle moment, you know, kind of working at a company like fat beats is takes me back to those feelings that I had when I worked at Tommy boy, you know. And the purity of hip hop, um, uh, as we know, vinyl and physical product is, you know, um, still at an all time high, you know, relative to commerce. Um, so excited to continue to expand on that rich legacy of fat beats which, you know, um quick side note is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
Speaker 2:The first Fat Beats store opened June, excuse me, july 14th, 1994. So we're doing, you know, several things to kind of commemorate the anniversary of Fat Beats, but move Fat Beats and continue to move it into the future, right, which is continuing to be in a position to support the catalog and the legacy artists that is synonymous with fat beats, that, whether they have catalog material or new material. There's a home for them, you know, and a place you know for them, um, and find the new classics of fat beats right, where I think that there's a new generation and there's a new era of artists that you know fit the fat beats, you know, uh uh mantra, if you will, and kind of creating opportunities for those artists where you know we can support them on the physical and digital side. It's exciting to me.
Speaker 1:So that that's an interesting transition, because, I mean, fat beats is renowned for its iconic record stores, right, and so part of what you're doing is, I guess, the future. And how does that store go into the digital world? Or tell me more about, like, what's the vision? How is that moving? How are you moving that forward?
Speaker 2:Well, the physical side of Fat Beats, you know, shut down in around 2013, 2014,. Give or take Right, and again, that was reflective of just the physical marketplace diminishing and uh, so, while the physical stores went away, the digital and physical distribution continued to thrive. And you know there's hundreds of labels that are clients of Fat Beats that we offer an opportunity for them to put their product out. And you know some labels we distribute and it's a minimum of a hundred pieces. Some are a thousand pieces, you know.
Speaker 2:So the thing that I think is great about Fat Beats is the nimbleness as to the scale of how they can support and how we can support an artist on the physical side, and you know the goal is to grow that on the digital side, where, again, I think that we're in a state where a lot of artists choose and want to be independent, and it's really about having the services and the team that can help execute, based on the direction and the vision of the artist, which is something I know fully well about right. So how I can expand it on the digital side and bring in more projects to actually put through on the digital side, while maintaining the physical side is a key opportunity. But also, as you said, Fappies has an extremely reputable brand, so part of the goal is to expand that with the relevant strategic opportunities to put that brand on a global scale.
Speaker 1:Would you ever consider almost bringing some of those stores back?
Speaker 3:I just feel like today.
Speaker 1:There's an opportunity here, I think, as things start to. I don't know what are your thoughts on that.
Speaker 2:I mean, you know, one of the goals we definitely have is to, you know, do some strategic pop-ups, you know, because, you know, again, I do feel like there is a, there's a customer out there that is, you know, wanting to kind of go and experience that, you know. So it's kind of relative to how can we do it in a creative and clever way. Right, that's reflective of today's times, you know, and it might not necessarily be having a, you know, a permanent brick and mortar store, but as we talk about it, if we can evolve that into a way that it's really all encompassing, you know, of what the lifestyle and hip hop experience of today is, then that's the opportunity.
Speaker 1:Ooh, I got lots of ideas for you. I love it. We got to talk it aside. Yeah, we will definitely be doing that. All right, Jeffrey, I'll throw it back to you now.
Speaker 4:I just want to say before we wrap up you got to talk about Pete and Common, bro, come on.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, man, I mean, listen again, it goes back to relationships, man, and just um full circle moments. And you know, Pete is someone that uh, you know, uh, I think I first met Pete when I was at Cornerstone, and then Common. You know, I first met Common in 1995, 96 with De La Soul, right, so the fact that you know, most recently I started working with Pete and the guys were working on this album, you know it all came together, you know, at the just almost, like, you know, miraculously, and you know, I think the success that those guys are having, the quality of that album is just, you know, amazing. You know, and they're getting the accolades. You know, I think the success that those guys are having, the quality of that album is just, you know, amazing. You know, and they're getting the accolades. You know that they deserve.
Speaker 2:And you know, I think you know particularly Pete. You know, I mean, common is someone that you know he's a world renowned, you know, performer, actor, you know he's, he's the ego, right, I don't think he has the t yet in that, but um, pete, you know, and what he's done for hip-hop, you know, on the production side, you know, is uh, it's, it's just groundbreaking what he's done, so it's great to see him and and and common getting their flowers on this album and and kind of working on that and supporting them on the marketing side and you know, moving them around Again.
Speaker 2:It's just you know, another just great, you know milestone in. You know what was a true renaissance year.
Speaker 3:Now it says Volume 1. So was Volume two delivered to you guys already no, no, we don't have volume two yet okay, just yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we don't have volume two.
Speaker 1:Okay, just check oh I thought we were gonna get some, some breaking news right there, yeah, no, no, no, that's, that's that's gonna be on them. They gotta they gotta say they gotta do that, but then they'll be, they gotta do that.
Speaker 2:They gotta do that that is.
Speaker 1:I didn't realize that you were that involved in that project, Cause I've been watching it. I think all four of us have worked with Pete rock at one point. So it's interesting guy and I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm kind of excited to see all the what he's getting, these accolades now which is well-deserved through September.
Speaker 2:So coming to a city near you and again, I feel like I'm loving the period of music right now, particularly for our OG artists, and I feel like I don't know man. It just seems like there's a motivation and they're putting out great music. You know, the Beat Miners put out a great album. Rakim just put out an album. After what? 15?
Speaker 3:years or so.
Speaker 2:You got the Common and Pete album. Ghostface is still putting out albums. I know MC Lyte, you know, is gearing up for a new project.
Speaker 4:LL LL's coming. You know, quick Q-tip LL's on the way, ll's coming.
Speaker 2:You know LL's coming in, he's putting his project out and again, you know, as a as a older statesman in hip hop, at this point I love to see it, man. I just I think, you know, it's just kind of reflective of the, the evolution that's going to continue to happen, you know, you know, for for hip hop and hiphop culture, and I'm excited, I'm excited to see how these albums continue to come out and I'm excited to see what's going to be that next wave in hip-hop.
Speaker 3:My question here I mean as much as you've done in the marketing space and in the promotion space. I'm pretty sure there's been tons and tons of accolades and achievements that you've been able to achieve within your career. Is there a bucket list placement that you're looking for? Right Song in the Olympics? You know EGOT, you know your song involved with EGOT.
Speaker 2:Oh man, you know your song involved with EGOT, you know that's a really good question, you know, and I tend not to look at it like that, right, but if I had to, based on the moment, it would be, you know, pete Rock and Common, you know, winning a Grammy for this album.
Speaker 4:Which is possible.
Speaker 2:Which is definitely possible. But I think it's warranted, I think it's deserving, I think their flowers are due. So if I had to say it right now, it would be that Awesome.
Speaker 1:Wouldn't that be something, yeah, yeah, all right, let's we gotta end with this. You got any. What's? What's going on right now? What's some exciting projects right on the horizon? What can you tell us?
Speaker 2:oh, man, on the fat beat side, um, excited about a few things we have coming up. We got a new project with Talib Kweli and J Rawls that sounded great. We're getting ready to gear that up. Also, we have Arsonist from the Heatmakers and he's doing an instrumental project with Fat Beats that we're kind of gearing up for that. And again, I think, relative to what we talked about before in terms of just providing new opportunities, arsene is someone that you know, definitely you know successful producer, but this is his first instrumental project. So for you know me to bring that to Fab Beats and get to work with him, and you know put that, you know put that on deck. I'm excited about that and you know, again, excited, you know, to continue to create these. You know new opportunities to you know put new project out, new projects out from you know some of these, some of these great acts.
Speaker 1:I love. It Awesome, Chris. Thank you. I feel like I my brain's bigger just in talking to you. I appreciate it. I can't wait to see what comes next with Fat Beats. It's going to be fun to watch.
Speaker 2:Hey, I need all your addresses, so I'll definitely make sure you all get Fat Beats t-shirts. I'm wearing it. Yo, we don't give out chains, we give out t-shirts.
Speaker 3:T-shirts last longer, that's right, we can send mine to Jeff, since we're in the same crib.
Speaker 4:yeah, we next door, next door to each other. Yeah, I slipped under the door. I slipped under the door yeah, it's one address.
Speaker 2:I only gotta send it to one address I got us from there.
Speaker 4:You know, cool, man cool.
Speaker 2:It was a good interview, alright thank you, thank you guys, alright, folks that's.
Speaker 1:It was a good interview, all right, thank you. Thank you, guys. All right, folks, that's our show. Tune in to Unglossy, the coding brand and culture, on Apple Podcasts, spotify or YouTube, and follow us on Instagram, at UnglossyPod, to join the conversation. Until next time, I'm Tom Frank.
Speaker 4:I'm Jeffrey Sledge.
Speaker 3:Smicky, that was good.
