About

Like most of the greatest business minds in the entertainment industry, Jason M. Brown’s original draw to the world of music was artistic in nature. A member of the first generation raised on Hip-Hop, Brown has been a fan of the genre since the early Beastie Boys/Run-DMC era. Surrounded by friends who created and performed music, Brown first envisioned a career as a DJ. After purchasing his first set of turntables, he found a willing tutor in DJ Bobby Black. The two developed a symbiotic relationship that lead to Brown revolutionizing Bobby Black’s approach to the then-vibrant mixtape game. Not only did Brown teach his friend how to record and produce a mixtape via computer; he also spearheaded an aggressive marketing and distribution strategy that made DJ Bobby Black a prominent figure in Atlanta and surrounding markets. In the process, Brown established himself as an emerging talent and business manager, and accepted his calling as such. His first client would soon introduce him to his second: Birmingham, Alabama rapper Attitude. A friendship between the two turned to business when Brown negotiated Attitude’s release from an unfavorable production deal. From that point on, Brown utilized his knowledge of the internet and the mixtape game to spotlight Attitude as both buzzworthy artist and in-demand songwriter. While developing his new management partnership – Hard Knox Management – Brown launched AtlantaUrbanMix.com. In addition to combining two of his greatest interests – music and the web – the site would serve as one of Southern Hip-Hop’s first and most reliable portals into the online realm. Featuring news, interviews, album and mixtape reviews, and spotlights on prominent Southern DJs, the site also served as Brown’s industry selling point. A year after the launch of AtlantaUrbanMix.com, Brown discovered just how impactful an impression he had made on the DJ community. Following the departure of DJ Bobby Black as a client, Brown was approached by DJ Drama, who was in the process of assembling a support staff for his collective, The Aphilliates. For the next two years, Brown would play an integral roll in The Aphilliates front office, handling mixtape distributions and marketing for DJ Drama, Don Cannon, DJ Sense, DJ Jamad, DJ Jaycee and Ox Banga. He was also responsible for bringing their movement online, launching TheAphilliates.com and GangstaGrillz.com. He also assisted with production duties on The Aphilliates’ weekly Sirius Satellite Radio show “Streetz Iz Watchin’.” Shortly following the infamous 2007 raid on The Aphilliates’ Atlanta office, which forever changed the way mixtape DJs everywhere conducted business, Brown was back to entrepreneurship. In addition to re-launching AtlantaUrbanMix.com as a blog focusing on Atlanta’s wealth of talent, Brown worked as an independent contractor handling marketing and distribution services for DJ Holiday, DJ Infamous, and DJ Scream to name a few. He also refocused on Attitude’s career, making the most of the successes they had enjoyed in 2006, during which Attitude penned Nelly Furtado’s #1 hit single “Promiscuous,” earning a Billboard Music Award, and ASCAP Pop Award and a Grammy Award nomination. Brown would parlay those successes into a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records and a publishing deal with Universal Records. Attitude rapidly proved his mettle, penning Timbaland’s #1 single “Give It To Me,” featuring Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, the following year. As Brown continued to guide and nurture Attitude’s career, he was recruited by entrepreneur Shannon Houchins, CEO of the newly founded AVJ Records. Houchins had been aware of Brown’s business acumen since he had negotiated the end of Houchins’ production deal with Attitude.

Brown now serves as AVJs’ Vice President of Urban Music, overseeing the department’s day-to-day operations. While completing his first project at AVJs – the third solo release by D12 member Bizarre – he also continues supervising the completion of Attitude’s solo debut. Both projects are proof positive of Jason Brown’s ability to grasp the artistic and create the infrastructure to make goals realistic.



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