If you spent a week in Atlanta, you’d suddenly be cruising in your Caddy to some Future, Gucci Mane or Goodie Mob too! Ok so maybe not a Caddy, but if you’re not a native, I’m sure A3C would have you feeling as if you were an ATLien for sure. For 5 days, Atlanta welcomed all with southern hospitality for their A3C (All 3 Coasts) Hip Hop Festival and Music Conference.
Throughout the week A3C focused on the progression of music, technology and culture with numerous panels, workshops and meetups for enthusiasts to indulge in. One of the discussions during the conference was a conversation with the Freebandz executive team “The Future of Music.” Being a prominent rapper takes more than swag and going bar for bar in between cadences of a catchy beat. Managers of Future, Anthony Saleh and Stephanie “Ms. J” Jester, Future’s mom, are a prime example of having a hard working team behind the scenes that will elevate you to the next level in the music industry. When discussing her role in the dirty sprite rapper’s success and the record label as not simply a mom-ager, but a business woman Ms. J stated,
“When I look at Freebandz, when I look at working for him, when I look at being a business manager, I don’t just look at it as, hey this is my son. I look at it as I’m building a team, we’re building a brand, we’re building an empire.”
Here features a portion of the interview by Complex Magazine’s Jinx, with the Freebandz executive team.
During the weekend A3C festival grounds were filled with exuberant fans, as each day they anticipated live performances from some of hip hop’s most legendary and talented artists. They kicked off the festival Friday with BET Music, which included a tribute to Atlanta’s own Shawty Lo along with MMG rappers Stalley and Rick Ross, who rocked the stage. Mass Appeal presented the “Sounds of ‘96” on Saturday, which featured some artists who you may be more familiar with from the 90’s such as Bone Thugs N’ Harmony, Too $hort and Redman with Def Squad’s Erick Sermon and Keith Murray. Sunday ended the festival with “No Limit Boys and Friends.”
– Submitted by Civonne Ray, Music Design