Trapital - all the drama

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all the drama

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Hey! Each time I see Diddy and Mase take shots at each other, I get exhausted. These two have been going back and forth for years now. Years.

Ironically, there are fewer and fewer rap feud between artists who had issues back in the day. Puffy and Snoop Dogg are fine. Jay Z and Nas are good. It’s the partners who worked together for years who are more likely to put each other on blast years later. You hate to see it.

Speaking of hip-hop drama, today’s memo is about the interview I did with the creator of Love & Hip Hop, Mona Scott-Young. On our Trapital Podcast episode, her and I talked about the show’s lasting influence, how it has evolved in the streaming era, the criticism it gets, and her history in hip-hop brand deals. I really enjoyed this one, so let’s jump in.

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it’s bigger than love & hip hop

Mona Scott-Young is best known for producing the Love & Hip Hop reality TV series on VH1. The franchise debuted in 2011 and has remained a TV fixture today through industry-wide changes with TV and around 30 different seasons aired. It’s Young’s ability to permeate hip-hop culture into the mainstream that’s been the true calling card.

Before Love & Hip Hop, Mona managed talent in music. She was a co-founder for Violator with the late Chris Lighty and was behind memorable brand partnerships such as Busta Rhymes and Courvoisier, Missy Elliott with Reebok and Adidas, and the landmark 50 Cent-Vitamin Water deal, among many others back then, such deals were harder to cut than they are now.

This was when Mona was introduced to the fascinating lives of hip-hop wives, which led to Love & Hip-Hop’s creation. But Mona, who also founded and runs Monami Productions, has more stories to tell about the hip-hop industry. She’s teaming up with another well-known hip-hop TV producer, 50 Cent, on “Hip-Hop Homicides,” which debuts later this year.

Mona’s influence on the world of hip-hop reaches further than most realize. Here are a few highlights from our conversation.

adapting in different eras

The enduring success of Love & Hip Hop is impressive. It’s been on air for over a decade. It’s been spun off into multiple different iterations. And it still commands an audience on a cable channel, at a time when streaming and social media diverted attention away from cable.

Mona attributes the show’s longevity to the series’ overarching concept and its talent:

The show has evolved too. The shooting style has become more free-flowing and less soap opera-y says Mona. That’s a direct response to social media, which can play out the stories of the show’s talent months before an episode is released. That’s a challenge facing the entire reality genre, whether on cable or a streamer.

opening the doors for other creators

Success stories among former Love & Hip Hop cast members are not hard to find. Cardi B is the easiest example, but the show is ripe with talent, like Karlie Redd, K Michelle, Rasheeda, and more. They used the show’s platform to build successful careers in music and entrepreneurship. Mona said this business success byproduct was by design.

Love & Hip Hop didn’t just provide a platform to its cast members, but to the world of hip-hop as a whole. Mona believes her docu-follow series style, which was the first of its kind for hip-hop when it debuted, influenced TV hits such Empire, Power, and Rap Sh!t.

brand deals then and now

Violator was ahead of the curve on brand partnerships with its roster of talents. But what’s most impressive about Mona’s run at Violator is the timing of those deals.

In the late 90s and early 00s, hip-hop and corporate culture were far apart. Mona mentioned that brands didn’t always want to use artists front and center in their campaigns. They only wanted their music and clothing style. It was on Mona and her team to educate brands on hip-hop culture.

Hip-hop brand deals have done a complete 180 since then in part to the foundation Violator helped create. In a full-circle moment, many of Mona’s Love & Hip Hop cast members are now coveted by major brands. So much that Mona and VH1 have to be careful about over-integrating these brands into the show.

Listen to our full conversation here:

money moves

• Jay Z’s Marcy Venture Partners leads $16.5M Series A in Stellar Pizza robot pizza startup
• ​Atwater Capital raises $100M+ to fund emerging sector trends in media and entertainment
• How artists are going viral on TikTok in 2022
• ​97% of Coolio’s streams since 2019 were “Gangsta’s Paradise”
• ​Blake Shelton sells catalog in JV with Influence Media

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coming soon from Trapital

Podcast: Rap Capital - An Atlanta Story. I interviewed New York Times culture reporter Joe Coscarelli who wrote Rap Capital, which comes out Oct 18. We talked about his new book, music, and more. Drops next Thursday!