Today we’d like to introduce you to Delante Murphy.
Delante, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
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 majoring in voice. During my time there, I studied all forms of music from Opera to R&B. After graduation, I attended Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. Knowing full well that my goal was to be a Music Producer and Music Manager, I chose to major in Business Management. Learning the business side of things was just a great addition following an intense four years of focusing on music in high school. While attending Hampton, I served as the intern rep for Def Jam Records for two years. I had the pleasure of helping to break-in hip-hop artist like Redman and Onyx.
Shortly after that, I set my eyes on working with music producer Teddy Riley and was successful in making that happen. My hard work and determination landed me a job working in his A&R department, where later I was transferred to run his Marketing and Promotions departments. I worked with artists and groups like Blackstreet, The Neptune’s, Bink Dawg, and Queen Pen during that time. Having that opportunity and being exposure turned useful when I started my own music company, Hung Lo Productions, while I was still a student at Hampton University. My company eventually became one of the biggest event party promoters that area ever witnessed. The funds from that business allowed me to build my own studio and office to develop talent. My business partner later moved on to produce a huge hit for R&B artist Case entitled “Happy Ever After”, as well as Jamie Foxx’s smash hit, “Blame It.”
Upon graduation, I moved to NYC where managed music producer Troy Taylor and recording artist Trey Songz. While recording Trey Songz’s second album, “Trey Day”, I moved to South West Atlanta. There, I served as one of the Executive Producers for his breakout album “Ready”. This was a remarkable turning point for me because while working with Trey, he sold millions of albums. While managing him and Troy Taylor, I also had the opportunity to work with incredible artist from Aretha Franklin to Chris Brown just to name a few. Atlanta was the perfect place musically for me.
I later managed K. Michelle when she was signed to Jive/RCA records, and I am proud to say that I was a part of her first gold record entitled, “Can’t Raise A Man.” Soon after that, I went to work for Atlantic Records’ A&R department where I worked 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. Since working with EMPIRE, I have signed Lil Duval, That Girl Lay Lay and recently Afro B. Currently, I am an A&R there and the head of The Atlanta Office… that sums up my journey so far.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been nowhere near a smooth road… it’s called a journey for a reason. For me, my greatest challenges were surrounded 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, and fortunately, I have the fortitude to push through despite those disappointments. It’s a business of a million “no’s”, broken friendships, duplicity. Ironically, it’s necessary medicine. Once you have had a couple of spoonfuls, you get used to the taste and you will learn to take better care of yourself and work to avoid it. I have learned to always keep it about music and music alone. One must be obsessed with music to stay in it. I love music more than I love the negatives of the business.
Please tell us about EMPIRE – what should we know?
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 built in San Francisco. The company and its 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 major record company type deals. We allow the artist to own their master recordings and give them way better percentage shares compared to a major company. I am an A&R at the company, my job is to identify talent, sign that talent and 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 from an Instagram post. I reached out to him 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” went to number one on the Urban Main Stream charts and stayed there for four weeks. It also charted on four different formats and undoubtedly was one of the most cultural songs of 2018. The record also went gold and is 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 airing in August. She also has a hot song doing big numbers on YouTube entitled, “Mama.” Last but not least, I 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, “Joanna”, and we are dropping his project later this summer. I am extremely proud of this signing because it’s an early commitment to a sound that will be at the forefront of music next year. What sets me apart is the fact that I can 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 read the general public emotions which I think is imperative to long-term success in this business.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
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 artist that was in the DC area. I have worked since the age of 14, and I used almost every penny I earned to buy equipment I needed for music and 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 a ladies man as well but still a cool geek.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.EMPI.RE
- Instagram: Buttamurphy
- Twitter: @delante
Image Credit:
Delante Murphy
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