My Global Hustle » Archive » YG Chats w/ Sickamore

YG Chats w/ Sickamore

This young man has been getting a lot of press for the past couple of weeks. I won’t front I threw a few softball questions @ him. I’ll do a follow up interview with him in a few weeks. I still have a lot of unanswered questions. Shout out 2 Joe Colli… -!YG

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YG: Hey Sickamore! Thx for taking the time out of your schedule 2 meet with me. I know that your phone & bberry must be ringing off the hook, since your announcement. What has the feedback been like? And are your surprise @ how many people took notice?

Sickamore: I’m shocked at the level of response, actually. The feedback has been mostly positive. There must’ve been over 500 passionate e-mails regarding the resigning blog. I think people are just as frustrated as I am with the current state of things. There needs to be a change.

YG: I have known (and still know) many A & Rs who just take the check & rape the budget with no regard for the artists or “the game”. How hard of a decision was it 2 walk away?

Sickamore: Not as hard as you think. What’s the worst that could happen? People would think I got fired? Who cares what people think. I’d be jobless? It was my first job! I know how to make money without a position. Those 2 reasons aren’t worth losing my soul.

YG: Now everyone and their mama knows that the current business model in music is f’ed up. Why are execs. sitting on their hands & not working on ways 2 reform the model?

Sickamore: They make a lot of money. I’m talking millions a year in salary, bonuses etc. It’s a sinking ship, but instead of trying to save the boat, they’re just looting it. Stuffing all their bags with the money and giving all their employees buckets.

YG: You mentioned that you will take more of a consultant role with Atlantic & Columbia. What kind of impact do you think you can have as a consultant working in the same f’ed up biz model?

Sickamore: A lot more freedom. They don’t have anything over me this way. they’re hiring The Firm to make a change. They know it’s a f’ed up model and they want to make some kind of effort. But it’ll never do a complete 180 without new people.

YG: I’m sure that you read the WIRED MAG article featuring the “old head” Doug Morris (click here 2 read ) . He really showed how out of touch he is with the current marketplace. What do you think it will take to create a paradigm shift in the biz?

Sickamore: What happens when an old government doesn’t work anymore? It’s taken over by the people in a hostile manner. A new CEO is appointed, he fires the older staff. A new head coach is hired, he brings in his own assistant coaches. You can’t do new things with old people.

YG: The Famous Firm! Can you tell us a little more about this venture?

Sickamore: The Famous Firm develops, brands and represents fresh, young talent . Our success comes not just through our representation of athletes and entertainers, but through non-traditional talent, as well such as graphic designers, stylists and photographers. The Firm represents progress. The average age for the 10 Firm team members is 22. We’re young, smart, driven, focused and want to win! Our slogan is “Life’s Better When You’re FAMOUS.” Shout out to Sade, Eli, Nina, Michael, Sterling, Mike, Dan, Pesos and Jay.

YG:Â Do you believe developing talent via your firm will position your artists 2 have staying power in the current climate of the music biz?

Sickamore: Yep. Because they’ll be coming from a solid foundation. More things are accomplished when coming from a solid foundation.

YG: How do you plan to take advantage of the plethora of channels available 2 get visibility for you artist?

Sickamore: The main platforms we focus on is mobile and digital marketing. We study every aspect of Web 2.0 and partner with other forward thinking companies. We do deals with our talent so we’ll be making money until we are old and gray. We want almost anyone to be able to work with The Firm and get services. We’re working it to be a long tail business.

YG: Now that you a free agent… What can we expect from Sickamore in 2008

Sickamore: I’m not a free agent, I work for The Famous Firm. That’s all you should be expecting for 2008