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Part 4: Sickamore on Being YG's A&R During Drakeo the Ruler Beef
Part 2: Sickamore & Saigon on Almost Getting Shot by Prodigy's Crew During an Argument
Part 1: Sickamore on How He Became an A&R, Starting a Record Label with Just Blaze
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In this clip, Sickamore talks to Saigon and Havoc about his experience working as an A&R during the early part of his career before giving the co-hosts a detailed description of what the job entails and the sacrifices that sometimes have to be made, musically and street-wise. He also explains why the best A&R managers have to be in tune with the hottest trends and current events. From there, he explains his rise up the ranks as an A&R rep and the pitfalls he encountered regarding earnings. Moving along, he talks about getting artists signed to major record labels and the impact of his mentor -- a man nicknamed "Hip Hop" -- before detailing being offered the position of Director of A&R by Craig Cowman.
Later, Sickamore spoke with Saigon and Havoc about his time at Atlantic Records and why the major label grind proved not to be what he was looking for long term. He talked about being grateful for the artists he was able to work with but said overall, the experience was frustrating. This prompted Sickamore to venture out on his own and launch an artist development company. The A&R discussed the launch of his artist development company, “The Famous Firm,” and how he managed Nicki Minaj during that time. As a result of wearing far too many hats, Sickamore detailed how his working relationship with Nicki went south, and the two eventually parted ways just before she blew into a megastar.
