NO, NOT THAT CHRIS BLACKWELL
Republic has upped Chris Blackwell—no, not that Chris Blackwell—to EVP of A&R and Content Strategy. The move was announced by label prexy Wendy Goldstein, to whom he reports.
The announcement marks Republic's 3,423rd promotion this month.
Having been brought aboard by label boss Monte Lipman, Blackwell (this one) most recently served as SVP of Creative Content & Development and worked closely on developing the career of artist Coi Leray, as well as collaborating with KA$HDAMI, Lil Wayne, BENEE and Kash Doll, among others. In his work with Republic-affiliated Federal Films, he played a role in the documentary feature CONTACT HIGH: A Visual History of Hip-Hop, among other projects.
“Chris is a 360-degree creative thinker and strategist,” reads a quote from Goldstein. “He’s made incredible inroads for our artists to reach critical mass by venturing off the beaten path and treading new territory. He’s a proven visionary whose dynamic personality will be key to our expansion. Strangely, he has no anecdotes about smoking weed with Bob Marley.”
"I refer to what I do as A&R-plus," goes the quote from Blackwell. "More than ever, artists are multihyphenates, content creators and brand builders. I’m honored to be their liaison when it comes to creative projects. Monte and Avery have built the perfect space for entrepreneurs to flourish. They’ve entrusted me with an innovative role, which speaks to their willingness to break ground in order to break artists. My goal is to continue improving this ecosystem for the next generation of diverse artists, executives and employees. I just wish people would stop asking me how I look so young.”
Prior to his work at Republic, Blackwell (not that one) spent four years at All Def Media, becoming CEO in 2019. He created significant buzz there as the creator/producer of several short-form series, notably Arts & Raps.
News of his promotion has given great hope to such industry strivers as No Budget Records Assistant Director of Publicity Clive Davis and freelance copywriter Ahmet Ertegun.
