Rolling Stone
Lena Waithe Launches New Record Label to Develop Underrepresented Artists
Hillman Grad Records is a joint venture partnership with Def Jam Recordings
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Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Writer, producer and actor Lena Waithe is launching a new record label, Hillman Grad Records. A joint venture partnership with Def Jam Recordings, the label looks to develop a new generation of underrepresented artists.
“Music and storytelling have always gone hand in hand. And I think that’s because musicians are the storytellers we love the most,” Waithe, who won an Emmy in 2017 for a
Master of None episode she wrote, said in a statement. “They can take complex emotions and simplify it in four minutes, the same artist can sing about the revolution and falling in love. Music is a part of us. It’s so often connected to our fondest and sometimes our darkest memories. Musicians tell our story.”