Trapital Podcast

Hip-hop's heavy hitters explore their best ideas so you can level up your game.

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Start with the most popular episodes:

Master P on Reebok, Ownership, Generational Wealth, and Lessons Learned from Reginald Lewis

Phylicia Fant on Developing Superstar Artists, Rising in the Music Industry, and Navigating 2020

Jason Geter on Heavy Sound Labs, Launching Grand Hustle, Signing T.I. and Travis Scott, and Redefining the Modern Record Label

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Latest episodes

Steve Rifkind on Loud Records, Spring Sound, Wu-Tang Clan, and the Family Business

July 30, 2021

Detavio Samuels on REVOLT, Digital and Cable Strategy, The Crew League, Black-owned Media, and Working with Diddy

July 23, 2021

Jamal Henderson on Space Jam, Structuring SpringHill, LeBron James, and the Creator Economy

July 16, 2021

MixedByAli on EngineEars, TDE’s Legacy, and Mixing for Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre

July 9, 2021

Call Me Ace on his Indie Rap Career, Building His Brand, and Still Working Full-Time

July 2, 2021

Benjy Grinberg on Rostrum Records, Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller, and Mental Health

June 25, 2021

Leron Rogers on Helping Artists Become Moguls, Entertainment Law, and Representing Rick Ross

June 18, 2021

Jonnyshipes on Cinematic Music Group, Indie Hip-Hop, and Building the Supreme for Music

June 4, 2021

Tracy Chan on Twitch Music, Helping Artists Monetize, and the Creator Economy

May 21, 2021

James Lindsay on Rap Snacks, BossUp Bank, Why Distribution Matters, and Managing Meek Mill

May 14, 2021

Brandon Pankey on Launching the APEX Video Network, Live Music’s Return, and Educating the Next Generation

April 30, 2021

BrandMan Sean on Music Marketing, Common Mistakes Artists Make, and Working with 24KGoldn

April 16, 2021

Brian “Z” Zisook on DJBooth’s Run, Major Record Labels, Indie Artists, and Audiomack’s Partnerships

April 2, 2021

Dame Ritter on When Ownership Goes Too Far, Myths about Streaming and Touring, and Managing Comedians

March 25, 2021

Micah Johnson on Selling $1M Worth of NFTs in 1 Minute, Transitioning from MLB to Fine Art, and Getting More Black Collectors Involved

March 11, 2021

Mick Batyske on How His DJ Career Led to Brand Deals, Angel Investing, and Startup Advising

March 4, 2021

Ted Lucas on Slip-N-Slide Records, Miami Hip-Hop, and R&B’s Comeback

February 18, 2021

J. Erving on Human Re-Sources, Sony Music’s Acquisition, and How to Evaluate Talent

February 11, 2021

The Best Hip-Hop Album Rollouts of All-Time with Ernest Wilkins

February 5, 2021

Def Jam’s Past, Present, and Future with Gary Suarez

January 28, 2021

Binta Brown on the State of the Music Industry, omalilly projects, and Black Music Action Coalition

January 21, 2021

Master P on Reebok, Ownership, Generational Wealth, and Lessons Learned from Reginald Lewis

January 13, 2021

Why Artists Are Selling Their Music Catalogs (with Karl Fowlkes)

January 4, 2021

Phylicia Fant on Developing Superstar Artists, Rising in the Music Industry, and Navigating 2020

December 14, 2020

Flawless Real Talk on Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow, Life as an Indie Artist, and Building His Fanbase

December 7, 2020

Daouda Leonard on CreateSafe, the Record Deal Simulator, and Empowering Artists to Manage Their Careers

November 30, 2020

Steven Galanis on Cameo’s Growing Marketplace and Closing the Gap Between Fame and Monetization

November 23, 2020

Dave Macli on Audiomack’s Role in Music Streaming, Partnership with DJBooth, and Global Expansion

November 16, 2020

Big Tech’s Big Plans in the Music Industry w/ Cherie Hu

October 21, 2020

Alex “Al D” Damashek on a New Partnership With Twitch, Move Forward Music, and the Future of Live Music

October 12, 2020

The Best Hip-Hop Marketing Campaigns of All-Time with Marcus Collins

September 28, 2020

Jason Geter on Heavy Sound Labs, Launching Grand Hustle, Signing T.I. and Travis Scott, and Redefining the Modern Record Label

September 11, 2020

Donald Albright on Building a Podcast Network, Hip-Hop Marketing Tactics, and Tenderfoot TV’s Future

September 2, 2020

Peter Bittenbender on Mass Appeal’s Rise, Holding Brand Partners Accountable, and International Expansion

July 21, 2020

How Hip-Hop Challenger Brands Cornered the Market (with Ernest Wilkins)

July 14, 2020

Roy Wood Jr. on How 2020 Changed Comedy, His Comedy Central Partnership, and Why Alabama Means So Much to Him

July 7, 2020

Hovain Hylton and Busy Rivera on Cinematic Music Group’s Rise, and Turning the Brand into a Lifestyle

June 30, 2020

Build Your Table

June 14, 2020

Hip-Hop’s Role in the Fight for Justice

June 5, 2020

Trapital Mailbag #3: How Hip-Hop Makes Money in a Pandemic, Superproducers in the Streaming Era, What’s Next for Fortnite + Travis Scott, and more!

May 12, 2020

Tiffany Ballard on Music Business Law, How She Made Connections on Myspace, and Why Bad Deals Still Happen, and Her Time on Reality TV

May 5, 2020

Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad on Building Dreamville, Managing J. Cole, the Dollar & a Dream Tour, and Starting Dreamville Fest

April 14, 2020

Shawn Prez on the Bad Boy Street Team, Grassroots Marketing in Hip-Hop, and Starting the Global Spin Awards

April 7, 2020

Hannibal Buress on How Netflix Changed Comedy, His Investing Strategy, and Why Isola Fest is One of His Favorite Career Moments

March 31, 2020

Trapital Mailbag #2! D-Smoke’s Potential, Lovers & Friends Fest, Jay Z the Wartime Leader, The Cost of Album Bundles, and Def Jam…oh Def Jam

March 3, 2020

Lynzie Riebling on Gen Hip Hop, Quantifying the Power of the Hip-Hop Audience, and REVOLT’s Role in the Culture

February 25, 2020

Karl Fowlkes on Music Business Law, Combat Jack’s Influence, and Why He Hopes There are Less Lawyers in 20 Years

February 18, 2020

Jesse Kirshbaum on Nue Agency’s Brand Marketing, #CRWN Interview Series, and the Future of Award Shows

February 11, 2020

Tarik Brooks on Combs Enterprises, Diddy’s Investment Strategy, and Managing a Portfolio of Brands

February 4, 2020

Steve Stoute on UnitedMasters, a New Deal with Apple Music, Ownership in Hip-Hop, and Why Brands Value Indie Artists

January 28, 2020

Fantasy Record Labels? We’re Skeptical. (a Trapital – Water & Music Collaboration with Cherie Hu)

January 21, 2020

Milana Lewis on Stem’s Artist-First Strategy, How it Evolves in the Streaming Era, How it Makes Tough Decisions

December 16, 2019

Trapital Mailbag Special: Grammy Awards Woes, Young Rappers Most Likely to Become Moguls, and Thoughts on a Rappers Union

November 26, 2019

Why Netflix’s ‘Rhythm + Flow’ Was a Hit

November 19, 2019

Mike Weissman on SoundCloud’s Creator Strategy, How it Compares to a Startup Accelerator, and What it Means to be a SoundCloud Rapper

November 11, 2019

Shea Serrano on the Economics of Book Publishing, ‘Movies (And Other Things),’ and How DJ Screw Inspired his Promotional Tactics

November 4, 2019

DJ Semtex on UK Hip-Hop’s Moment, Stormzy and Skepta Becoming Stars, Brexit’s Impact on the Culture, and Why Radio Still Matters

October 28, 2019

Akin Aliu on Life as a CAA Agent, Representing Ciara, and the “Rich Paul Rule”

October 21, 2019

James Supreme on Being the A&R Behind Lil’ Nas X “Panini”, G-Eazy’s Management Team, and why Mental Health Matters in the Industry

October 11, 2019

Dame Ritter on Kanye West’s Sunday Services, Launching Music Entrepreneur Club, and How He Almost Signed Russ to a Deal

October 8, 2019

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