Dancehall artist Popcaan has declared himself an independent act saying, “you know say Unruly Boss independent now.” He made the comments on Unruly Tash’s YouTube live on which he was the special guest on Saturday. The deejay however professed his loyalty to Drake’s OVO outfit while making his way to Canada over the weekend saying, “You done know a OVO Unruly same way fi life.”
Popcaan signed to Drake’s OVO label in a deal with Warner Music. He has since set the gold standard for dancehall while hinting at future independence from his label last year. In a Crack Magazine article following the release of his Popcaan expressed frustrations with the label system, saying, “The label can be weird sometimes. I love the label but I don’t like them.” He adds, “But I’ll be independent soon.”
Under the OVO/Warner deal Popcaan released two full-length albums under Drake’s OVO Sound label; Fixtape (2020), which has sold more than 100,000 units in the U.S. since its release according to Luminate. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and reaching No. 94 on the Billboard 200. His final alum under the deal Great Is He opened at No. 3 on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart.
Popcaan’s brother Quidell is a A&R at Atlantic Records UK, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Fellow dancehall singer Teejay is still signed to Warner.
Incoming CEO of Atlantic Music Group (AMG), Elliot Grainge, is set to take up his new post October 1, and he has announced his new leadership team. Craig Kallman, Atlantic Records’ long-time CEO, will serve as AMG’s chief music officer, while Zach Friedman and Tony Talamo, former executives of 10K Projects, are named COO and general manager, respectively. Other key appointments include Erica Bellarosa as general counsel and Dave Rocco as president of creative.
Atlantic Records became the first international label to sign a dancehall artist when they signed Lt. Stitchie in 1988, releasing the album Governor, which featured the single “Dressed to Impress.” It is also the label that spearheaded the successful 2003 signing of global superstar Sean Paul under Kallman. Kraniun signed a 360 deal with Atlantic Records in 2015 and released 2 albums under the deal: Rumors (2015) and Midnight Sparks (2019). Last year March, the Gyal Policy deejay announced that he was finally free from the label on Twitter.
Now, at Atlantic Records, Lanre Gaba becomes president of hip-hop, R&B, and global music, with Lu Mota heading A&R and Marsha St. Hubert leading marketing for these genres. Meanwhile, Kevin Weaver remains president of the West Coast, with Brandon Davis and Jeff Levin as co-heads of A&R for pop and rock, and Marisa Aron leading marketing for these genres.
Rayna Bass and Selim Bouab continue as co-presidents of 300 Entertainment, while Nicholas Ziangas and Molly McLachlan are promoted to co-presidents of 10K Projects. Elektra’s leadership is yet to be fully announced. The reorganization follows recent layoffs of 150-175 employees at Atlantic, 300, and Elektra. AMG will be streamlined and continue with 10K as a standalone label, while Elektra, Fueled By Ramen, and Roadrunner operate as imprints. Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl praised Grainge’s new team for their experience and creativity.
