Chuck Adams thought he’d made it. After penning a hit Ludacris song in 2008, the attention that followed got him signed to Jay- Z’s Roc Nation. By 2011, he was rubbing shoulders with Ne-Yo, Beyoncé and Rihanna. Then he got dropped. “I was just hurt,” admits the rapper, formerly known as Range. “I took it personally, because these are people I was hugging every day.” So hurt was Adams that he didn’t even allow the label to explain their reasoning for letting him go.
Instead, he moved from New York to Nashville and reinvented himself. The dark R&B that came out was nothing like his previous sound. Counter-intuitively, it’s getting dropped, he says, that turned him into a true artist.
A friend introduced his music to another friend, who in turn took it to 300 Entertainment. The independent label’s head of A&R, Pete Giberga, witnessed his performance at local venue The Basement and expressed interest. Adams, in turn, suggested Giberga contact his attorney. The deal became official in 2015. The business-oriented performer’s familiarity with the label’s history and executives reassured him. Though he’d have happily remained independent, Adams recognizes the advantage to having a strong support system.
As someone who’d stopped seeking a label, Adams acknowledges there’s no single path to finding a partner. Getting signed remains a personal journey. “Just roll the dice,” he instructs, “because you never know.”
Although not by design, Adams knows his story makes great copy, which likely attracted the label. It also helps that his tattoos and hip-hop appearance play counter to audience expectations. “They’re noticing me in a way that they wouldn’t have if I wasn’t me,” he remarks.
The official video for Adams’ introductory single, “Take Me As I Am,” arrives soon.
Date Signed: January 2015
Label: 300 Entertainment
Type of Music: R&B
Management: Dirk Hemsath - The Working Group Artist Management, [email protected]
Booking: Bruce Solar - APA, [email protected]
Legal: N/A
Publicity: [email protected], 310-248-6171
Web: imchuckadams.com
A&R: Pete Giberga - 300 Entertainment
