The artist Micah Johnson came on the pod to talk about his rise in the art world. On February 21, he introduced the world to Aku: The Moon God, his fictional character that was born from a question, “Can astronauts be Black?” Aku was released as an NFT that resulted in $1 million worth of sales in 1 minute and $2 million total in 28 hours! On the podcast, we talk about how Micah got support for Aku’s launch, why NFTs are powerful for his work, his future plans for Aku, and more. Micah was also a former Major League Baseball player, so we talked about his transition from MLB to fine art. If you’ve been hearing a lot about NFTs and want to hear how it works from an artist themself, this is the podcast for you! Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Micah Johnson, @Micah_Johnson3, linktr.ee/Micahart Links: Aku | Micah Johnson’s character to inspire kids to dream without limits Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

The multi-hyphenate entrepreneur Mick Batyske (aka DJ MICK) came on the pod to share how he started his career as a DJ (Mick Boogie) for the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting parties for LeBron James and Jay Z. He rebranded as “Mick” to expand his reach in multiple areas, build for the long-term, and leverage his best skillsets.His most important skill is building relationships and gathering audience insights. That mindset equates to how founders think, how marketers sell products, and invests in startups.If you’re interested in how a modern creator operates in today’s landscape, this is the pod for you.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Mick, @mick, mick.co Links:The Mick Show podcast - on The MICK Show, he offers a behind-the-scenes look at the lives + businesses of today’s most prominent creatives.With interviews from a variety of musicians, actors, athletes, and CEOs, Mick brings listeners behind the curtain to learn from some of the world’s top culture creators, movers + shakers, and risk-takers.Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

Dan shares thoughts on Jay Z selling 50% of Armand de Brignac to LVMH, Cristal, and how it all ties together. After that, Dan gives an audio version of the Trapital essay, How More TikTok Stars Can Succeed in the Music Industry.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coLinks: Jay Z Puts a Cap on Cristal (2006) New York Times Jay Z and LVMH Pop the Cork in Champagne Tie-Up Wall Street Journal How More TikTok Stars Can Succeed in the Music Industry TrapitalHip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co/newsletter

Slip-N-Slide Records founder and CEO Ted Lucas came on the podcast to talk about his influential record label. Slip-N-Slide was home to Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross, Plies, and many more. We talk about the early days when Ted had to pay major record labels for distribution! We also talk about why his label stayed independent, why his artists had major deals with other labels, and R&B’s role in modern music. We also talk about SuperFest, the music festival he runs in Miami, and his rising artists Sebastian Mikael and Teenear. Lastly, we talk about Miami--it’s role in hip-hop and its role in tech, and all the VCs and tech folks moving to his city. If you’re interested in how an indie record label can make moves in the music industry, this is the podcast for you. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Ted Lucas, @slipnsliderec, slipnsliderecords.com Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

Human Re-Sources founder J. Erving came on the podcast to talk about why he recently sold the rising indie distributor to Sony Music, where he’s now EVP of Creative Development and an EVP at The Orchard, where Human Re-Sources now sits. We also talked about his experience managing artists like Jeremih, why record labels and indie distributors partner with each other, how to evaluate and develop talent in today’s era, and more.If you’re interested in the “role of a record label” in today’s landscape, this is the podcast for you.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: J. Erving, @human.re.sources, human-re-sources.comHip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

A webinar recording of "The Best Hip-Hop Album Rollouts of All-Time," a conversation on the best album rollouts in hip-hop since the year 2000. I’m joined by Ernest Wilkins of Office Hours.We break down the marketing tactics that make a good album release and each shared our top five list of albums rollouts. Our lists include some big releases by Kanye West, Dreamville, Beyonce, and many more!Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Ernest Wilkins, @ernestwilkins, officehoursnewsletter.comHip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

A webinar recording of "Def Jam's Past, Present, and Future," a conversation on the past decade of business decisions made by one of hip-hop's most storied record labels.Gary and I discuss the highlights, the lowlights, and who should lead the label next.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSGary Suarez ( @noyokono ) runs a hip-hop newsletter called Cabbages. He's a music journalist with bylines in Vulture, Entertainment Weekly, NPR and VICE.To learn more about his work, sign up for his newsletter at https://cabbages.substack.com/Dan Runcie is the founder of Trapital, a media company that covers the business of hip-hop.Learn more at: https://trapital.co 

Music executive Binta Brown talked about why she left a successful career as an attorney to enter the music industry. We talk about the opportunities she saw and how the industry differs from other forms of media. We also talked about her work leading the Black Music Action Coalition, an advocacy organization formed to address systemic racism in the music industry. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS Host: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Guest: Binta Brown, @batnib Link: Black Music Action Coalition Hip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

The mogul and hip-hop legend Percy Miller (!!) came on to talk about why he and ex-NBA star Baron Davis want to acquire Reebok. We also talked about his new Master P Reviews channel on YouTube, supporting Black businesses, how his strategy differs from Jay Z and Kanye West, and lessons learned from studying the late Reginald Lewis, the Wall Street banker who started the first Black-owned billion dollar company.If you want to learn it straight from the No Limit Records legend himself, this is the episode for you.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuest: Master P, @masterpLink: “Why Do White Guys Have All The Fun” - Reginald Lewis “What Hip-Hop Gets Wrong About Master P and No Limit” - TrapitalHip-hop’s influence continues to grow. Learn how it impacts your business. Join the execs, CEOs, and moguls who read Trapital: trapital.co

A recording of the Why Artists Are Selling Their Music Catalogs webinar from December 19. We broke down the reasons why so many artists sold their catalogs in 2020, the companies that want them, and where this trend is heading.Karl Fowlkes is an entertainment attorney whose clients include artists, musicians, athletes, producers and creative companies that have amassed millions of streams, RIAA certifications. He's also a music industry professor at Rowan University and Drexel University.To learn more about his work, visit: https://www.fowlkesfirm.com/Dan Runcie is the founder of Trapital, a media company that covers the business of hip-hop. Learn more at: https://trapital.co