Mixed and Mastered

Steve Rifkind on Inventing the Street Team, Signing Big Pun Blind, and Breaking Akon

Steve Rifkind invented the modern street team, built Loud Records into the home of Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Big Pun, then broke Akon at SRC. He tells Jeffrey Sledge h

Jonathan Shecter on The Source, Street Beat, and Underground Poker

Jonathan Shecter cofounded The Source out of a Harvard dorm room with a mailing list and about $200. He joins Jeffrey Sledge to talk growing up on Philly radio, borrowing

Bryan-Michael Cox on Jermaine Dupri, Usher's Confessions, and Be Without You

Bryan-Michael Cox wrote the soundtrack to a generation. Jagged Edge, Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige. He joins Jeffrey Sledge to talk about cutting his first demos on

Tracey Waples on Def Jam, Discovering Wu-Tang, and Signing Method Man

Tracey Waples heard Wu-Tang on a tour bus and was in RZA's basement the same day. The Def Jam A&R who signed Method Man sits down with Jeffrey Sledge to talk Andre H

Chris Atlas: The Executive Who Went From Tommy Boy Intern to Fat Beats President

Chris Atlas has worked every side of the record. Promotion, A&R, marketing, distribution. Tommy Boy, Cornerstone, Def Jam, Warner, and now Fat Beats. He sits down with hi

Mike Ross on Wild Thing, Bust a Move, and Dilla

Mike Ross co-founded Delicious Vinyl with a business card from a sandwich shop and found his first artist by cold calling a stranger's cousin. That cousin was Tone L

Matty C on The Source, Discovering Biggie, and the Real Wu-Tang Story

Matty C put Biggie, DMX, Mobb Deep, and Common in The Source's Unsigned Hype column before the world caught on, then ran A&R at Loud Records. He joins Jeffrey Sledge

Fuzzy West on Compton, Power 106, and the New Death Row

Jeffrey Sledge sits down with William "Fuzzy" West, the West Coast connector who went from Compton sound booths to Power 106 mornings to the front office at the new Death

Adrian Miller on the Rap Chart, Wu-Tang, and Anderson .Paak

Music executive Adrian Miller takes us from St. Louis's Pruitt-Igoe to Tulsa radio, building the rap chart at Hits, Wu-Tang's first 12-inch at SRC, the Immortal

Jacob York on Lil' Kim's Real Beef, Gucci Mane's Betrayal, and Inventing the Influencer

Part 2 of 2. Jacob York returns to break down the real story behind Lil' Kim's verse on Biggie's "Another," discovering Gucci Mane at Strokers, the Deb Ant

Jacob York on the Streaming Coup, NYC Nightlife, and Making Lil' Kim's Hardcore

Part 1 of 2. Jacob York, Founder of Electric Republic, joins Jeffrey Sledge to break down his journey from Bushwick to becoming one of the music industry's most infl

Denise J. Brown on Buffalo, Big Deals, and Black Music

Dr. Denise J. Brown joins Jeffrey Sledge on Mixed and Mastered to share her journey from classically trained pianist in Buffalo to entertainment attorney and dealmaker. D

Scoop Jackson on Chicago Roots, Slam Magazine, and the Birth of XXL

Today's guest is Scoop Jackson — writer, cultural critic, and one of the most distinctive voices at the intersection of hip-hop, basketball, and Black identity. Fro

Mike B. on Bad Boy, The Jersey Era, and The Birth of Bogard

Today’s guest is Mike B — a stylist, designer, and cultural force who helped define the look of one of hip-hop’s most iconic eras. From Westchester to Bad Boy Entertainm

Byron Kirkland on Building Artists, Breaking Culture, and Betting on Yourself

Today on Mixed and Mastered, we sit down with Byron Kirkland — entrepreneur, marketer, and founder of Stealth Worldwide Group, a force behind some of the biggest names in

Julia Beverly on Before the South Won, Ozone, and Pimp C

Before the South ran hip-hop, Julia Beverly was documenting it. In this episode of Mixed and Mastered, Julia Beverly, founder of Ozone Magazine, shares how she helped amp

Wendy Day on Ownership, Leverage & Building Empires

This week on Mixed and Mastered, Jeffrey Sledge sits down with Wendy Day — a legendary music industry advocate, dealmaker, and founder of the Rap Coalition who helped sha

Rodney Shealey on Tour Life, Def Jam Era, and Record Breaking

This week on Mixed and Mastered, Jeffrey Sledge sits down with veteran music executive Rodney Shealey — a Brooklyn-born industry leader whose career spans the rise of mod

Max Gousse on Building Artists, Breaking Records, and Playing the Long Game

This week on Mixed and Mastered, Jeffrey Sledge sits down with Grammy-winning music executive, producer, and A&R Max Gousse — a Brooklyn-born music industry powerhouse wh

Ian Burke on Mount Vernon Roots, The Dungeon Era, and Building Atlanta’s Music Legacy

Ian Burke — known throughout hip-hop and R&B as the DreamWeaver — is one of the quiet architects behind Atlanta’s rise as a global music capital. Born in Mount Vernon, N