L.A. Reid's new publishing company, Hitco, has officially picked up its first client.
Big Boi, formerly of Outkast fame, has been announced as the first artist to sign with Hitco. According to Variety, the deal is in regards to Big Boi's song, "All Night," which was recently featured in an Apple commercial promoting the iPhone X's new "Animoji" feature. Hitco would be responsible for pushing the song into getting more airplay on the radio.
Big Boi's signing with L.A. Reid is unsurprising, but controversial. The two have a lengthy history together; L.A. was the one who originally signed Outkast to a deal to his imprint, LaFace Records, back when they were just leaving high school. Outkast stayed with Reid throughout their entire run as a duo, releasing timeless classics such as Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. So it's safe to say that Big Boi knows L.A. well enough to trust him pushing his music.
However, reports of sexual harrassment at Sony led to L.A.'s swift exit as president of Epic Records last year. Hitco is his first venture since those allegations came to light, and it's unclear whether or not the industry is ready to accept him back. With the #MeToo movement still going strong, it could be seen as disappointing to some of Big Boi's fans that he's choosing to align himself with someone like L.A.
Whatever the case, Big Boi is likely doing whatever he thinks is best for his career. We'll just have to wait and see if L.A. can redeem himself.