Today we’d like to introduce you to Delante Murphy.
Delante, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As far back as I can remember, I have always had a strong affinity for music. I was born and raised in the DMV area, and attended Suitland High School for the Performing Arts with a concentration in vocal music. During my time there I studied all forms of music from Opera to R&B. After graduation from high school, I attended Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. Since my goal was to be a Music Producer and Music Manager, I chose to major in Business Management. Learning the business side of the music industry was just a great addition to my existing base. While attending Hampton University I worked as an intern rep for Def Jam Records for two years. During my internship with Def Jam, I had the pleasure of helping to “break in” hip-hop artists like Redman and Onyx. Shortly after that, I set my eyes on working with music producer Teddy Riley, and was successful in achieving that goal. My hard work and determination landed me a job working in Teddy’s A&R department, where I was later promoted to manage his Marketing and Promotions departments. During my tenure with Teddy, I was blessed to have been able to work with artists and groups like Blackstreet, The Neptune’s, Bink Dawg, and Queen Pen during that time. Having that opportunity which exposed me to different aspects of the music business proved to be very beneficial. While I was still a student at Hampton University I decided to launch my own music company, Hung Lo Productions. My company eventually became one of the biggest music and event promotion companies the Hampton, VA area ever witnessed. Profits from that business enabled me to build my own studio and office where I began to develop talent. My business partner later moved on to produce a huge hit for R&B artist, Case, entitled “Happily Ever After”, as well as Jamie Foxx’s smash hit, “Blame It”. Upon graduation from college, I moved to NYC where I managed hit music producer ,Troy Taylor, and recording artist Trey Songz. While recording Trey Songz’s second album, “Trey Day”, I moved from NYC to Atlanta, GA. During that time, I served as one of the Executive Producers for Trey Songz’ breakout album, “Ready”. This was a remarkable turning point for me, because while working with Trey, he went on to sell millions of albums. While managing Trey Songz and Troy Taylor, I also had the opportunity to work with incredible artists ranging from Aretha Franklin to Chris Brown, to name a few. Atlanta was the perfect place musically for me. Years later, I managed K. Michelle when she was signed to Jive/RCA records, and I am proud to say that I was an active contributor of her first gold record entitled, “Can’t Raise A Man”. Shortly after my management deal with K. Michelle concluded I went to work for Atlantic Records’ A&R department where I collaborated with Trevor Jackson and contributed to the “Birth of A Nation” soundtrack. While at Atlantic, I met Ghazi Shami, the CEO of EMPIRE Records, who offered me a position with him at EMPIRE. I am currently an A&R with EMPIRE as well as the head of The Atlanta Office. Since working with EMPIRE, I have signed Lil Duval, That Girl Lay Lay and most recently, Afro B. That pretty much sums up my journey to date!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been nowhere near a smooth road…it’s called a journey for a reason. For me, my greatest challenges evolved around the fact that I have a big heart. Having a big heart puts you in a position to potentially face betrayal. This is a tough business and not for the weak. Fortunately, I have the fortitude to push through despite those disappointments. It’s a business of a million “no’s”, broken friendships, duplicity, etc. Ironically, disappointments are a necessary medicine. Once you have had a couple of spoonful’s, you get used to the taste and you learn to take better care of yourself; you work to avoid the disappointments. I have learned to always keep business about the music and music alone. One must be obsessed with music to stay in this industry. I love music more than I love the negatives of the business.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
The company I work for is EMPIRE. It’s a record company with a home base located in San Francisco, California. It’s an awesome company! The company’s founder, Ghazi, embraced streaming before the majors. EMPIRE is known for signing partnerships with talent early and providing them with a platform to actually make money from their music. We don’t do traditional record company type deals like the major labels. We allow the artist to own their master recordings and give them much better percentage shares compared with a major company. I am an A&R at the company, so my job is to identify talent, sign that talent and to deliver hit records. I would say I am known for picking “diamonds in the rough” stars and having the ability to develop them. One of my proudest moments at the company so far is signing Lil Duval by communicating with him via an Instagram post. I reached out to Lil Duval and informed him that he may have a potential hit record, but I need the recording files to format and edit it to make it a hit. He trusted me, and the rest is history! The song “Smile Bitch – Living My Best Life” quickly climbed to number one on the Urban Main Stream charts and stayed there for four consecutive weeks. It also charted on four different formats and, undoubtedly, was one of the most cultured songs of 2018. The record also went gold and is currently approaching platinum status. I also signed 11-year-old viral sensation, That Girl Lay Lay. Since her signing, she has had the lead song in the latest Lego movie, starred in a major car commercial, appeared on The Ellen show, and has an Old Navy commercial that is slated to air in August. She also has a hot song doing big numbers on YouTube entitled, “Mama.” Last but not least, I recently signed Afro B. He is one of the leaders in the Afro Wave Sound that is the talk around the world right now. He currently has a hit song, “Joanna”, and we are dropping his project later this summer. I am extremely proud of this particular signing because it’s an early commitment to a sound that will be at the forefront of music next year.
As I said before, what sets me apart from my counterparts is the fact that I’ve been blessed with the ability to spot the diamond in the rough early. I see the stars others don’t, and somehow, they become culturally important. I think I also have a gift to be able to read the general public’s emotions, which I think is imperative to long-term success in this business.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I surrounded myself with music and people who loved it as much as I did. I was in local rap groups and produced local artists that were in the Washington, DC area. I have worked since the age of 14, and I used almost every penny I earned to buy music equipment that I needed. I invested in myself. I grew up in a nuclear family household with my parents and my sister. I earned pretty good grades and stayed out of trouble. The music kept me busy. I would say I was a cool geek. I was somewhat of a ladies man as well, but still a cool geek.
Contact Info:
- Address: 710 Berkeley Ave., NW
Atlanta, GA 30318 - Website: www.EMPI.RE
- Phone: 9175540869
- Email: delante@empi.re
- Instagram: @Buttamurphy
- Facebook: Delante Murphy
- Twitter: @delante
Image Credit:
Delante Murphy
Editors Name:
Leonaye Oliver & Traci West
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