Interscope Records promotes Keinon Johnson to Senior Vice President of Urban Radio Promotions at the label. In his new role, Johnson will assume oversight of the label’s urban radio department from current head Larry Khan who has announced that he will retire in 2021.
Johnson’s department has been on a hot streak, recently posting a Number One record with DJ Mustard’s “Ballin” featuring Roddy Ricch, four consecutive Number One urban radio singles with DaBaby (“Suge,” “Babysitter,” “Bop” and “Vibes”) and multiple Top 5 hits for Summer Walker which helped drive her album debut to Platinum certification.
Other recent records overseen by Johnson include Moneybagg Yo’s “1 2 3” went Top 5 on the Urban chart and Lil Mosey’s “Blueberry Faygo,” a Platinum single that is currently Number 12 at the format and is trending towards Top 10. These successes and others have helped make IGA the Number 1 label at urban radio thus far in 2020. Mr. Johnson has been at Interscope for over a decade, joining the label as National Director of Urban Promotions in 2010.
He began his career in the 90s, as a street team rep for Loud Records, working his way up through the regional promotion systems at a variety of labels, including MCA and Priority Records. He is based in Interscope’s Santa Monica headquarters. “Keinon has been a vital part of the Interscope family for over a decade and proven to be a brilliant strategist who has earned the respect of his peers throughout the industry,” said Mr. Khan. “As I prepare for the next chapter of my life, I know that this department is in good hands with Keinon and I look forward to working with him closely on this transition.”
With a career spanning more than three decades, Mr. Khan joined Interscope seven years ago, building the urban radio department into a powerhouse operation that has launched multiple careers. Prior to that he was Executive Vice President at Jive Records. He began his career working for a record wholesaler, loading and unloading crates of vinyl at the company’s warehouse.
