Music exec and talent manager Troy Carter has acquired the catalog of early hip-hop pioneer label Pop Art Records.
Founded in Philadelphia in the early 1980s by Lawrence Goodman, Pop Art is credited with putting that city on the hip-hop map. Its catalog includes debut releases from iconic hip-hop artists like Salt-n-Pepa, Roxanne Shanté, and MC Shan.
“I’m proud to be a steward of some of the most important pieces of music in hip-hop history,” Carter said in a statement on Thursday (January 8).
“These are songs and artists who shaped my childhood and inspired me to pursue a career in music. I’m looking forward to seeing a new generation discover these gems.”
Carter didn’t disclose the deal’s value.
Pop Art’s catalog includes The Showstoppa, the first-ever release from Salt-n-Pepa, originally released under the name Super Nature. It also includes Roxanne Shanté’s 1984 debut Roxanne’s Revenge, the track that ignited the notorious “Roxanne Wars” hip-hop rivalries that gave rise to some of the genre’s earliest diss tracks. The press release noted that the track is “widely considered the first diss track in hip-hop history”.
Also in the catalog is MC Shan’s classic 1986 The Bridge, which sparked the “Bridge Wars” with KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions.
“These are songs and artists who shaped my childhood and inspired me to pursue a career in music.”
Carter’s career in the music industry began in 1990 when he dropped out of high school to join a hip-hop group that was briefly signed to Will Smith and James Lassiter’s WilJam Records. After interning at Bad Boy Records, Carter landed a gig managing rap legend Eve, and went on to manage such artists as Nelly, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Priyanka Chopra, and Meghan Trainor, among others.
Carter founded Coalition Media Group in 2007 and its talent arm Atom Factory in 2010. He co-foundedQ&A Media with Suzy Ryoo in 2019, and currently serves as the company’s CEO. His other startups include music and tech platform Venice Music (also with Suzy Ryoo) and social media startup The Backplane.
He has also served as Global Head of Creator Services at Spotify, and has been appointed to the Board of Directors of SoundCloud.
In a 2020 interview with MBW, Carter noted the rise of independent artists and artists’ increasing leverage in record label contracts.
“The music industry has to change the business model; it’s as simple as that. New artists are becoming smarter and smarter, and we can’t be greedy,” he said.Music Business Worldwide
