kyambo joshua - soul on ice
Urban Dept. President, Columbia Records
Over the past decade, Kyambo “Hip-Hop” Joshua has been responsible for introducing the world to some of the most exciting hip-hop music. The former Roc-A-Fella Records executive and current urban department president for Columbia Records and manager for Kanye West and Just Blaze, has watched the art form evolve over the years, but still feels that there is room for improvement.
“Back in the day, we got into hip-hop because it had a voice and it spoke to us. It was a voice that we felt we needed as young black men, as young black people in the ‘hood,” he explains. “We had somebody speaking for us who was passionate about it. Now everybody is trying to make a buck. They put out these little goofy ass records and they sell, people like to dance and it’s fun, but there’s no balance. Everybody is doing the dances, but you don’t have people that are actually articulating great lyrics and stepping [up] to that challenge.”
While he patiently awaits the day when today’s artists retrace their hip-hop roots, Joshua is confident that providing a solid foundation for others to follow will help bring rap music back to its glory days.
“Our responsibility is to stay true to ourselves. I think that we always validate ourselves on what mainstream media thinks and that’s not why we’re in this,“ he says. “We’re doing this so that we can have a voice, because mainstream media doesn’t speak for us.” –jason thompson
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