Issa Rae owns her own media company, Hoorae Media, and the audio division, Raedio, now has a new home. Def Jam Recordings and Raedio have partnered up for the long-term, with a multi-year deal in the works. This includes everything from publishing to podcasts to digital content and music distribution. Also, Issa Rae and Raedio can now sign and market Def Jam artists. This adds to the potential influence Rae has in hip-hop culture.
She was the brilliant mind behind the HBO series Rap Sh!t, a 2022 comedy in which two Miami high school friends reunite to form a female rap group. Their hope is to come together after being estranged to make it big in the music industry. Innovative ideas like that -- as well as collaborations with artists -- are exactly why Def Jam struck a deal with Hoorae Media and Raedio.
Issa Rae's Raedio & Def Jam Recordings: A Perfect Pair
Raedio previously had a contract with Atlantic Records that started in 2019. This new deal effectively ends that contract. Speaking about the deal, Raedio president Benoni Tagoe said, "Our mission at Raedio is to continually evolve how and where people discover music and the opportunities for artists behind it. Def Jam is the perfect partner with a storied legacy to align with Raedio’s mission and vision of disrupting the music industry as we know it." Def Jam chairman and CEO Tunji Balogun also was ecstatic about the deal, saying, "Def Jam is thrilled to partner with Issa and the incredible team at Raedio on this new venture, and we look forward to telling more amazing stories together."
This has been Issa Rae's year. In 2023 alone, she starred in both Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as Spider-Woman (voice acting) and Barbie as President Barbie. The latter comes out next week. Add to that a multi-year contract for her media company, and there's nothing Issa Rae can't do in pop culture.
[Via]
