How Benny Pough Launched Hip-Hop’s Biggest Stars

Music executive Benny Pough has shaped the hip-hip industry in a career that’s spanned from Motown Records to Def Jam to Roc Nation and now his own entrepreneurial pursuits. Benny joined me on Trapital to discuss his 30-year journey and where it’s heading next.

Perhaps the defining feature of Benny has been his ability to spot and develop musical talent. He’s responsible for signing the likes of Future, Jeremih, and Yo Gotti, among others. That skill was initially forged from having an ear for what would catch on the radio, but has evolved in the streaming era. Despite this radical shift in music consumption, Benny says “stars will always be stars.”

After working at seven different record labels, Benny left the corporate world in 2019 and dove full-time into entrepreneurialism. He runs two separate companies — DVERSE Media and Kandiid. The former is a global music distributor and publisher, while the latter is a mobile app for creators to monetize their content. Benny also manages a diversified real estate portfolio.

Like Benny’s own career, our conversation covers a lot of ground. Here’s our talking points:

0:52 How Benny Developed His Eye & Ear For Talent
3:49 Differences Between Hit-Makers & Superstars
5:44 How Has Streaming Changed Superstar Development?
9:45 Record Label’s Role In Talent Development
11:50 Inside Def Jam’s Business Turnaround During Mid-00s
15:00 Aligning Business & Art At Def Jam
17:13 Teairra Marie & Rihanna Coming Up At Def Jam
20:26 Balancing Short-Term & Long-Term Business Goals
23:58 How Did Benny Adapt To Working At Different Labels?
26:43 Why Benny Became A Full-Time Entrepreneur
28:30 How Does Benny Split Time Across His Business Ventures?
31:02 DVERSE Media’s Pitch To Artists
32:58 TikTok’s Role In Talent Development Today
35:13 Monetizing Content On Kandiid
36:35 How Benny Got Into Real Estate
39:48 Benny’s Upcoming Book

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