From the first time I met Samantha in Vegas at an Usher event I was extremely impressed with her personality and abiltity to connect. I’ve never seen or knew anyone in the industry with that level of connective expertise and ive never seen it that way. I have no doubt we will hear from her again in an even bigger way. Thanks for all you so Sam – Kevin Ross
Dear Radio Partners,
As many of you may know, I have decided to take my talents to South Beach, and I am leaving RCA Records. Today is my last official day at RCA. In the wake of my departure, I leave a very capable, albeit slightly overwhelmed but amazing VP or Urban Promotion, Norjon Hedman. Not to mention, I am departing with a BANG! CHRIS BROWN ANYONE… I MEAN, ‘FALLIN’ IS IN YOUR INBOX TODAY, ALBUM NEXT WEEK, TOUR END OF JUNE! *mic drop*
Please be sure to lend much support to Norjon because this new chapter for him will not be easy. It will be plagued with challenges, so please be patient and empathetic as he finds his rhythm to meet all the demands of our partners.
For the past 21 years at Jive/Zomba/SonyBMG/SONY Music/RCA Records, I have built an amazing kinship and an even more amazing career with many of you. You have supported me from the intern at WEAA-88.9 at Morgan State, to 92Q, to A.I.R. then to Jive! Some of you have watched me grow, while others have grown with me. From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you for all the love, support, banter, and overall deep appreciation for keeping the culture moving and pushing the culture forward.
I enjoyed sharing some amazing wins with you. My wish now is that you continue to find your passion in music, and fight for the genre we all know is an outlet for many creatives. I urge you all to continue to push for Hip-Hop and R&B in all spaces. Our music will never die if there is someone out there willing to press play, and our culture will never be curated from a corner office so go live this!
AND I wouldn’t be SAM The Hypebeast if I didn’t leave you with: Chris Brown “Fallin” is a smash, TEMS “What You Need” is a #1, Victoria Monet “Let Me” is the R&B song you didn’t know you needed, Isaia Huron “Side Slide” is a summer toe-tapper from breakthrough artist, Latto “GOMF” proves you can drop babies and hits. The RCA Clique is still thick like Luke Dancers, so you have nothing to worry about.
In closing, thank you for helping me end my tenure on a career high and as always, a heartfelt thank you to the team that I started with: Brad, Randy, Glo, AJ Savage, Akil, Charita, Puerto Rico Rob, Sharrise and Micky. A special thank you to Geo Bivins for helping me succeed when it was my turn to shine.
#RADIOMARAUDERGANG For Life