WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET INTO MUSIC ? My earliest music experience was in 1992 , when my parents took me to the MTV Sports Festival inBelmar . But Ireally developed adeeper understanding of the art form around 1995-1996 . Iwas ahuge Bone Thugs-N-Harmony fan growing up .
WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WANTED TO BE MORE THAN AFAN ? In 2008 , during my senior year of high school . My basketball coach ’ s wife was Kanye West ’ s lawyer , and they took me to his Glow in the Dark Tour concert at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden . It was an all-access experience that introduced me to the business side of the entertainment industry . I saw how much fun everyone was having backstage and decided that music was the career path for me .
HOW DID WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY HELP ? Much respect to Willy P ’ s mass communication department . I was a public relations major , and most of my professors were adjunct . They were active in the field and taught me so much about the profession . Also , Lorra Brown was an awesome mentor to us . I think William Paterson ’ s communication department is one of the best , especially if you ’ re a PR major .
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GET TO KNOW RODNEY COURSEY @ rodneygshh
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@ gardenstatehiphop
gardenstatehiphop . com
Age : 31 Education : William Paterson University Currently resides in : The Jersey Shore
Recognitions & Awards : Considered a pioneer of the new generation of New Jersey hip-hop by NJ . com ( 2012 ), featured on djbooth . net ( 2017 ), Billboard Magazine ( 2019 ), Hot 97 ’ s Who ’ s Next ( 2019 )
Favorite follows : djbooth . net , hiphopdx . com , and trapital . co
Future Aspirations : Plans to own a fullservice creative and live event space .
WHEN AND WHY DID YOU START GARDENSTATEHIPHOP . COM ? Garden State Hip-Hop launched in January 2010 . I created the website to give exposure to New Jersey-based rappers , DJs , and producers who weren ’ t being covered by popular hip-hop music blogs during that era . It also helped me develop skills and improved my resume , which eventually led to internship opportunities in the music business .
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HOW DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP PROMOTE ARTISTS AND EVENTS ? At the height of Garden State Hip-Hop ’ s popularity , I didn ’ t rely too heavily on social media to promote anything . I just blogged relentlessly and tried to be very consistent with events and other creative endeavors that pushed the culture forward . That strategy has changed in recent times , especially with the rebrand of Garden State Hip-Hop as a boutique agency for PR , consulting , and artist management . You ’ ll see some fresher content in 2021 .
WHO ARE SOME OF THE ARTISTS YOUHAVEWORKEDWITH ? WHICH ARTISTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK WITH IN THE FUTURE ? Aton . RiFF RAFF , Phresher , Andy Mineo , Silentó , and PNL , toname afew . I ’ dlike to connect with Fetty Wap , Redman , Naughty By Nature , and Queen Latifah . They QUEEN LATIFAH put New Jersey hip-hop on the map , but their stories have not been told the appropriate way . There are so many other emerging artists throughout the state I ’ ve been in contact with , too , for new projects I ’ m working on .
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NICHOLAS HUNT / GETTY IMAGES FOR TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL |
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10 HOLIDAY 2020 WAYNE MAGAZINE |