Hip-Hop’s Most Impactful Black Music Executives: Record Label Leaders
Kyambo “Hip-Hop” Joshua & Gee Roberson
Kyambo “Hip-Hop” Joshua and Gee Roberson are as responsible for the sounds that have dominated the rap airwaves over the past quarter century as anyone. Joshua, a native of Harlem, NY and the brother of Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder, Kareem “Biggs” Burke, was thrust into the music industry as a late teen. He became Roc-A-Fella’s first A&R in 1995 and put his imprint on early projects from the label, most notably Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt and Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life, Memphis Bleek’s Coming of Age, and Beanie Sigel’s The Truth.
In 1998, Joshua would link up with Roberson, who had worked his way up from an intern to an A&R role at the Roc. They formed their own management and production company, Rock the World, which would ultimately be known as Hip-Hop Since 1978.
The duo quickly filled the roster with then up-and-coming producers Kanye West and Just Blaze, both of whom would shape the label’s sound and score massive hits for the label, and other artists in Hip-Hop and R&B. With mounting success, in 2002, Joshua and Roberson were recruited by Atlantic Records to become head A&Rs of its urban division, where they oversaw projects from T.I., Lil’ Kim, and Twista. However, the pair helped broker Kanye West’s (their first management client) recording deal with Roc-A-Fella, resulting in the release of his multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning debut The College Dropout in 2004. Now Senior Vice Presidents of A&R at Atlantic, Joshua and Roberson continued to expand their HHS1978 roster, with Roberson partnering with Cortez Bryant to handle the career of rap star Lil Wayne, who achieved one of the most successful runs for a rap act in music history with his mixtapes and Tha Carter album series.
After leaving Atlantic in 2006, Joshua was named president of Columbia’s urban department the following year, while Roberson would sign future rap megastar Drake to Hip-Hop Since 1978 during the latter half of the decade. Helping build the foundation of the Canadian’s career, Roberson’s groundwork resulted in Drake’s deal with Lil Wayne and Young Money, which is regarded as one of the premier artists acquisitions in modern history. Named Chairman of Geffen Records in 2011, Roberson’s focus gradually shifted to Blueprint Group, which he co-founded with Bryant and has represented everyone from Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Lil Nas X, G-Eazy, and Belly to Madonna, U2, and Paul McCartney. In 2021, the music arm of Blueprint Group inked a partnership with Warner Records, while Maverick, his company with Live Nation, has become a giant in the world of touring and live events.
Joshua has also flourished post over the past decade, landing a role as executive vice president and co-head of A&R at Def Jam alongside legendary music producer No ID in 2014. He has since joined Seneca Village Recordings as Manager in 2018, before becoming owner of the label in 2019, and is co-owner of Agency 78 which he also launched in 2019.
