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Audible Treats will be hosting an official panel at SXSW titled, “The Hip-Hop Bubble That Popped Culture” featuring industry titans Ghazi of EMPIRE, Tariq Cherif of Rolling Loud, and Rebecca Ijeoma of IJEOMA Agency. The panel will be moderated by AT’s co-founder & president, Michelle McDevitt.

Mark your calendars and and please join us!

 

Date: March 14, 2019
Time: 3:30 – 4:30pm
Venue: Hilton Austin Downtown
Room: Salon B
Panelists: Ghazi Shami (EMPIRE), Tariq Cherif (Rolling Loud), Dimpelz (IJEOMA Agency), Michelle McDevitt (Audible Treats)
RSVP: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2019/events/PP90414
Pre-submit Questions for the panel: https://goo.gl/forms/Jmm6hOiQu07fdxhJ3


About The Panel:

In 2018, hip-hop was the most dominant genre in music, both economically and culturally. Rap streams ruled the charts and hip-hop moments dominated pop culture. In our panel of leading hip-hop music industry experts, we will dissect the genre and the strategies that have propelled this phenomenon. Between execs from label and distribution disruptors EMPIRE, Rolling Loud Festival founders, and Audible Treats, the leading indie PR firm serving hip-hop; an open discussion will take place examining hip-hop artists, the audience, and how to make power moves that are impactful in the genre. Each panelist has had legendary careers, worked with the biggest names in hip-hop and created moments that have defined the present day landscape.


Panelists:

Tariq Cherif is the co-founder of Rolling Loud, hip-hop’s largest music festival. Always a fan first, Cherif’s music career began in 2009 as an artist, producer, and intern at a recording studio. It took a year for him to realize that being a creative was not his destiny. While in college figuring out his next move, he saw promoters booking EDM shows, but none of his favorite rappers were getting booked. So in October 2010, Cherif co-founded Dope Entertainment with partner Matt Zingler and grew it to become Florida’s leading hip-hop concert promotions company. After 5 years of establishing the company as well-respected promoters, Cherif and Zingler co-founded Rolling Loud in 2015. He is now focused on expanding the brand nationally and internationally, diversifying ancillaries including merchandising and media, and artist management. Cherif is a husband and father, with a seven year old son and one year old daughter.

Rebecca Ijeoma, professionally and formally known as Dimplez is a self-proclaimed Digital Architect, and the founder of IJEOMA Agency, a multidisciplinary firm with specialties in digital, marketing, and management For over a decade, Dimplez has built a digital marketing career working with artists, agencies and record labels to create unique opportunities in the social and experiential space to grow and develop their respective brands and audiences.

Ghazi: From Kendrick Lamar to Anderson. Paak, Tyga and XXXTentacion, EMPIRE has been at the center of the vibrant independent music scene since its creation in 2010. By putting artists at the center of its strategy, CEO & Founder Ghazi has built a music company that is tailor-made for today’s entertainment industry. EMPIRE’s unique take on label, publishing and distribution services, coupled with a fierce entrepreneurial and tech-savvy spirit, has allowed it to anticipate and fully embrace the future of the industry and today’s marketplace.

Michelle McDevitt is the co-founder and president of New York-based entertainment marketing and PR firm Audible Treats. She also teaches the course “Publicity and Promotions in the Music Industry” to NYU‘s Music Business program’s graduate students. Her research interests include the changing landscape of media, social media best practices, branding, entrepreneurialism, and emerging markets in the music industry. Michelle is a frequent panelist at music and digital media conferences and has been interviewed by Billboard, MTV, Hypebot, VICE, and more. Audible Treats is a premier boutique firm that specializes in promoting music and lifestyle brands. Founded in 2004 by Michelle McDevitt and fellow NYU Music Business student Gavin Rhodes during their final year of the graduate program, the company is known as a thought leader and has spearheaded creative and strategic campaigns for artists, companies, and brands such as Action Bronson, Young Dolph, Lil Durk, Flip Dinero, Bhad Bhabie, E-40, Fat Joe, T-Pain, Rolling Loud Festival, EMPIRE, Alamo Records, Interscope, Columbia Records, Epic Records, Universal Records, RCA, Warner Bros., ESPN, NPR, Ubisoft, KandyPens, and more.