Today, Sylvia Rhone was named the President of Epic Records by the label's Chairman & CEO, L.A. Reid.
Rhone is an music industry veteran who was previously the chairwoman and CEO of the Elektra Entertainment Group in 1994 and named president of Motown Records and executive vice president of Universal Records in 2004. She remained the president of Universal Motown Records until 2011. At Universal, she worked with Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Akon, Erykah Badu, Nelly, Melanie Fiona, and Stevie Wonder. And at Elektra she worked with artists like Missy Elliott, Metallica, Busta Rhymes, En Vogue, Third Eye Blind, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Fabolous.
Rhone also started a joint venture with Epic Records, Vested In Culture, last year. The imprint will remain a part of the label. Its roster includes Quadron, Cassey Veggies, and Kat Dahlia.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to expand my relationship with the talented team and the amazing artists at Epic,” said Rhone, in a press release. “What makes this opportunity different from any other is my partnership with renowned music executive L.A. Reid. I’m looking forward to what I think will be the finest chapter in my career.”
Even if you're not familiar with the business side of music, you might recognize Rhone's name. Nicki Minaj once rapped about Rhone on the song "Still I Rise" saying, "Cause if Nicki win, then all of ya'll getting meetings/Ask L.A. Reid, ask Jay/Then hit up Universal, see what Sylvia Rhone say."
However, her Young Money counterpart Drake wasn't as nice. On "Say What's Real" he spit, "I've always been something that these labels can't buy/Especially if they trying to take a piece of my soul/And Sylvia be tellin' Tez 'Damn, Drake fly'/And he just be like, 'Silly motherfucker, I know'/That was your bad, how could you pass up on 'em?"
After calling out Rhone in both that song and in an interview with The FADER, Drake later apologized to Sylvia for his disparaging comments calling them "emotionally charged" and "very brazen."
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