EMPIRE Publishing, the publishing arm of independent powerhouse EMPIRE, has entered into a partnership with acclaimed Grammy Award-winning artist and record producer Hit-Boy’s Surf Club to develop the next generation of writers and producers as announced via press release today, January 26, 2023.
According to the press release, the partnership includes new signings Gary “G Dav” Davis, Jesse “Dr. Blum” Blum, and Randy “Bandz” Holmes, whose collective production credits include multi–platinum hits for Roddy Rich, Nipsey Hussle, Kehlani, Nas, Mike Posner, Twenty One Pilots, and many more. G Dav has worked across some of the most prominent hip-hop acts and won a Grammy Award for Nas’ King’s Disease. Dr. Blum is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, specializing in live music as the touring member of Twenty One Pilots, and crosses genres with credits ranging from Big Sean to Rage Against the Machine. Bandz delivers the signature West Coast sound having worked with YG, OhGheesy, Kamaiyah, and more.
It goes on to state, the deal is rooted in the longtime spirit of EMPIRE utilizing industry-leading technology to provide a level of transparency and ease that was previously unavailable in music publishing. The partnership will allow Hit-Boy and Surf Club to build a formidable publishing roster that has a clear understanding of their catalog’s analytics, financials, and royalties.
“Hit-Boy is a prolific record producer,” said Empire Publishing A&R Brett Sweeney. “His resume precedes him and his team is composed of innovative entrepreneurs. We are excited to be in business with Hit and the Surf Club team and empower their writers.”
“We want to build Surf Club up to be great, create outstanding pieces of work and music,” said Hit-Boy. “I’ve been looking for a publishing situation for years, and Empire really made it happen.”
Per the release, Surf Club is a collective of young artists, writers, and producers, with Hit-Boy at the helm. His team includes Nima Nasseri as managing partner, Jameel “Double” James as President, and James Bentley serving as Head of A&R. As one of the music industry’s most sought out multi–hyphenate artists, the California-bred Hit-Boy has more than earned his moniker. The 3x Grammy award-winning producer’s credits include everyone from Rihanna to Eminem. He is currently nominated for Album of the Year for Beyonce’s Renaissance. Last year, the hitmaker was nominated for Album of the Year for H.E.R.’s Back of My Mind, Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for Nas’ King Disease II and Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired album soundtrack. Before that, he took home Grammy awards for Nas’ King’s Disease and “Racks In The Middle,” respectively.
ABOUT EMPIRE:
Founded in 2010 by Bay Area native Ghazi, EMPIRE is currently leading through its innovative approach to the digital music era across its label, distribution, and publishing arms. With its focus on early-stage artist development, the San Francisco-based company has been instrumental in launching the careers of multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Yung Bleu, Fireboy DML, and Anderson .Paak.
