when Tunji Balogun took over Def Jam in January 2022 after a career working with stars like Kendrick Lamar at Interscope. Khalid, Bryson Tiller, HER and Wizkid on RCA. and Normani at his own Keep Cool imprint, says he found a label with “lots of question marks. There was a lot of volatility. It seemed like there were a lot of different perspectives.”
In the five years leading up to Balogun's tenure, Def Jam was in a state of near-constant turmoil. After Steve Bartels stepped down as CEO in 2018, manager of Eminem and co-founder of Shady Records Paul Rosenberg he got the job but only lasted two years. Geoffrey Harleston, executive vice president of business affairs/general counsel at the label's parent company, Universal Music Group (UMG), ran Def Jam on an interim basis — which coincided with the pandemic — until Balogun was hired. At the time, it had been almost a decade since someone with an A&R background had led the company.
Not surprisingly, Balogun inherited a label that was in dire need of reinvention. “I felt like there was too much reliance on the existing roster and not as much focus on what's next,” says the veteran A&R and former rapper. “The current roster was strong, especially at that time. You still had Kanye [West]and [Justin] Bieber was putting out a lot of music. Jhené [Aiko] he had a great album. But the reality is you always need that next wave of artists to keep turning the page, and I've been focused on that since day one.”
Balogun quickly set to work reshaping the roster, signing Muni Long, Coco Jones and Armani White while expanding into dancehall with Masicka and Afrobeats with Adekunle Gold and Odumodublvck, in partnership with Native Records. Some of it has paid off: Muni Long and Jones were nominated for Best New Artist at the 2023 and 2024 Grammy Awards, respectively, and each won Best R&B Performance in subsequent years, a first for any label in that the category.
The plaque for Childish Gambino's 'This Is America', which has gone double platinum, reminds Balogun of “one of the most unique and impressive records I've ever been lucky enough to play a small part in.”
DeSean McClinton-Holland
But the path forward, which Balogun says involves “being intentional about giving our artists resources and nurturing them,” has had its downsides. Def Jam's market share has declined over the past three years — a slump that began before Balogun's arrival — and stands at 0.65 percent at the end of 2023, according to Luminate. And the label that once released culture-shaping music from LL COOL J, Public Enemy, Jay-Z, West and Rihanna hasn't had a chart-topping album.
There was more turmoil as a result of restructuring and layoffs at UMG in the early months of the year, which led to Balogun reporting to Republic co-founder/CEO Monte Lipman and Def Jam's civilian promotions and public relations staff are moving to the new Republic Corps joint services division. “It's been tough for us, as I'm sure it's been tough for any other label to have to go through layoffs,” he says, adding, “I actually think we're more focused and more aligned and more poised for success. now.”
Despite these changes, Balogun's relaunch is gaining momentum and market share is on the rise. After Muni Long's “Hrs & Hrs” reached No. 16 on the 2022 Billboard Hot 100, her latest single, “Made for Me,” reached No. 20 on the chart on March 9, becoming her second No. 1 hit on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, where it has reigned for five weeks. This will lead to her upcoming debut album, part of a string of releases this year from Jones, Aiko, Vince Staples, Big Sean, Alessia Cara, Wale, LL COOL J and Chuck D, among others.
As Def Jam celebrates its 40-year history, Balogun says the label is once again driving forward. “I want to get to a place where nostalgia doesn't define us. where nostalgia is just part of the magic,” he says. “I think we're going there. But it's a heavy task.”
Balogun says the boombox is “a reminder of my musical roots and the magical time when Def Jam started changing the world.”
DeSean McClinton-Holland
Def Jam is 40 years old. What does this mean for you?
Def Jam, to me, has always been about progressive, cutting edge black music. And I'm careful to say “Black music” and not just “Black artists” because if you have something special like the Beastie Boys or eventually [Justin] Bieber, also belongs to the label. It was the first company that felt like [it had] an opinion. If you chart the label's trajectory over time, there have always been risk-taking signings that reflect where music is going. The goal is to continue this tradition and bring it into the future. My whole career, most of my hits have been a bit in the middle: riskier signings, artists who have their own point of view.
When you accepted the role, what was your strategy and how did it change when you got to Def Jam?
My plan was to look under the hood, meet each artist and worker, and have genuine, one-on-one conversations with them. I found that there was a lot of volatility. There was no focus on the new, which is all I saw when I was working Jimmy Iovine, John Janick, Peter Edge.
Did the label need a cultural reinvention?
Yes. I'm a walking reset button for Def Jam. That means no disrespect to anyone who was here before me. It was more to fetch [the label] in my world and the way I move. I try to be a reflection of what's going on in the creative community. That will always be my superpower: I get to work with producers and artists. Def Jam has always been the culture label, the most down-to-earth label, which feels like a reflection of the people. I want to restore these values.
How do you balance that with the need for hits?
I want more successes, but to get to this point, you have to plant many seeds and let them bloom. You can't just put [a song] on MTV and the radio and it was over. There must be 100 discovery points, a digital story, one [in real life] story, an artist suggestion, a song that stands out and all of that has to line up in one moment. When I started, I said Lucian [Grainge] that I'm a long-term guy and I'm willing to bide my time. I'm not pressured to chase numbers, chase the algorithm, chase the hot new thing of the week. I'll wait until I find something really special that makes my skin smell, and then I'll do it.
“My small but mighty jewelry collection”: his wedding band and half of the matching Cartier rings he and his wife wear. His mother gave him the charm chain and matching ring when Balogun was in Nigeria “reconnecting with my roots. She literally took the chain off her neck and put it around mine.” A few months later, she “hooked me up to complete the look” with the ring. She wears it to the left of the pink and the Cartier to the right.
DeSean McClinton-Holland
How has the UMG restructuring affected you and Def Jam?
The biggest changes are in radio promotion, where we now work with Republic's rhythm and pop crews. We have retained our urban team, which now serves the entire group. Since this is Def Jam, the vast majority of these records are going to start in that urban radio space, so actually, so far, it's been really seamless. The other major change is in the publicity space, where we now share resources with the Republic Corps team. From the inside looking out, it was pretty smooth, and there really wasn't too much of a drastic change. We are very much continuing on this path that we have been following since I got here.
What is an example of how the new structure worked?
A great example of synergy was the work we did with Muni Long's 'Made For Me' record, which our team started. We hit No. 1 at R&B and urban radio just as the transition was happening, then seamlessly transitioned to [Republic’s] Gary Spangler and his team, and they reached No. 1 in pace and are now building on [adult top 40] and top 40 radio. The creative, energy and ideas still come from Def Jam, but once we reach certain thresholds, we work with the bigger team. This song just keeps going from strength to strength. It would go down as one of the biggest R&B songs of the year and spawn the Muni album. It feels like we have more tools when it comes to artist development and now we can approach things from different angles depending on what the most effective strategy is.
One of the consequences of planting seeds, as you put it, is that Def Jam's market share is declining. Worried you won't have the time and space to watch those seeds grow?
No. It doesn't change the conversation I had with Lucian at the beginning. This is something that everyone I work with understands. I'm also not a dictator who thinks he knows everything. I am willing to learn and grow, and for me, that [restructuring] it's another opportunity for growth. There's stuff I'm excited to work with some of the other labels now that there's a chance we can do stuff together. I already move like this.
Def Jam has won Best New Artist Grammy nominations for the past two years. What does this mean for you?
We are making progress. But every single person I've talked to has been through it [experience] he said it will probably take three, possibly four or five years. We are at the beginning of the third year. My biggest fear was, “Will I be able to go in there and do new acts?” Now I know we can do it. Every time I bet on myself, I have found success. I'm sure of that, and I'm sure of my team and our artists. We're already on a roll so I don't see how this stops.
How do you want the next 40 years of Def Jam artists to define the label?
I want Def Jam to be the destination for the next generation of global black music. This is my mission statement. In many ways, it reflects what the label has always been, but brings all new scenes, sounds and strains of music — everything from British R&B, to Nigerian activism, amapiano from South Africa, to a truly unique country from Missouri, the next incredible lyricist from New York, or the next really special female MC from Atlanta. All these different worlds and sounds have to exist within this label. I truly believe that we are the only major label that is synonymous with moving black music forward.
This story originally appeared in the May 11, 2024 issue Advertising sign.
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