Today we’d like to introduce you to James Maddox.
James, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Griffin GA, to a single family home. Influenced by my older brother Kelvin, I began my music career at the age of ten years old. Though music was my first love, I have always been creative in the arts as well. At the age of 14 years old, I picked up a job airbrushing on clothes at a local boutique (Stan’s Fashions). Throughout my school life I was known for my music and drawing skills. It was on a 6th grade trip to Washington DC when I met Derrick Cleveland. Derrick and I had come to learn that we both had dreams of being rappers. It was through his older brothers that I was introduced to Victor Walker, who would be come my manager. Vic and his best friend Fletcher Batts had the idea of taking a group of local rappers from Griffin, GA and creating a compilation album. That effort lead to a group that I was a member and sole producer, the Red Clay Warriors.
As the group began to get a buzz, we began traveling to the surrounding counties doing shows and collaborating with other local artist throughout the south side of Atlanta. My 1st cousin David “Roosta” Fleming was an original member of the Attic Crew, A group of Atlanta rap artist with connections to the Dungeon Family. As I began to spend more time with my cousin, I began to see even more of the music industry. It was all motivation for me to continue to push even harder to accomplish my goals of being a rapper. Our, local group Red Clay Warriors signed a deal with an independent record company. This was the beginning of the end for the group. Being that we didn’t understand the breakdowns of the music business, the percentages created a wedge between myself and the group. They didn’t understand that as the producer was entitled to more percentage points. This lead me to go solo.
As a solo artist, I began to record and produce for different artists. This is when I started my own business. It started out as a recording studio. That was until the it was broken into multiple times. This began to make me feel pretty bad about the industry. As a result, I sampled the hit show “Gimme A Break”. The song was titled “Gimme A Break”. This was supposed to be the last song that I would ever record. After burning the song on a CD and giving it to Vic, it was the song that lead me to signing a record deal with Mr. Collkipark, and later to Asylum/Warner Music group. The 1st song that I recorded with major artists was “Halftime”, a collaboration with the Ying Yang Twins. from there it was DJ Khaled, and many other major recording artists. Over time the business of the music industry had shown its ugly head again and I decided to fall back from music.
Today, I have a very profitable business. Metro Southern Media is a Multimedia Services company. We handle all digital media services from audio/video services, photography, graphic design, web services, and user experience services.
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?
No, there were many obstacles. While having a major record deal, I was awarded joint physical custody of my oldest biological daughter. This made it very hard for me to focus on music and being a father. As a result I had a full-time job while I toured. I was caught in the housing scheme in the early 2000’s that lead me to lose my house, through foreclosure and a bankruptcy. I reached out to Mr. Collipark for help. When none was given. It created a bad relationship between me and the label. Vic stated a management company with Mr. Colliparks brother. This added to our relationship taking a nose dive. And, ultimately caused me to lose my drive and love for the business.
Metro Southern Media – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Metro Southern Media is a Multimedia Services company. We handle all digital media services from audio/video services, photography, graphic design, web services, and user experience services. What I’m most proud of as a company is knowing that every department is lead by professionals that live and breathe what they specialize in. This equals high quality services, creativity, and great customer service. We all were once at the highest levels of our fields, and being that we combine all of our experiences and efforts, this is what sets us apart from others in the industry.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe that what is meant to be will be. I believe every struggle that I’ve encountered has given me a gift that success could not. When you’ve gone from the bottom to the top and back to the bottom. It teaches you how to endure the challenges of life, and how to maintain success.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://metrosouthernmedia.com
- Phone: 404-201-9358
- Email: jmaddox@metrosouthernmedia.com
- Instagram: @metrosthrnmedia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/metrosouthernmedia
Image Credit:
Lamar T. Harvey
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