A&R Rel Carter Sits Down To Discuss Role at Roc Nation and More!
Jarrel Carter hailing from Brooklyn, NY was always a go-getter. He went to school for Business Administration and started his own Management Company. Now he is A&R at Roc Nation after starting off as an intern. He also became a brand ambassador for his Uncle Jay Z’s popular Dusse brand in 2015. Rel sat down with us to discuss his inspirational story, current projects and advice for artists.
Royal: Tell me about your journey on becoming an A&R of Roc Nation and how you achieve this role.
Rel Carter: When I graduated college I tried to figure out what I was passionate about, because I don’t believe in doing anything unless you’re passionate about it. Everything just kept coming back to music. So I called my best friend Lanel and was like “Yo, let’s start a management company”, and you know he’s one of those people that’s like “whatever you wanna do i’m gonna do” whether he knows what he’s doing or not. So we looked it up, we got an LLC and at that point we’re like, “Ok, what do we do next?” because we’re both going into this blind. So then I came here, and got an internship at roc nation. But remember I started a management company so i wanted to do management.
They put me in the A&R department as an intern. So my whole thing was take what I learned from here, and bring it back. So when I did that…i’m like okay well I just got an apartment too so I need a job, forget about the internship. So I hit Jay Brown, and i’m like, “Yo, I need a job,”. He’s the founder of Roc Nation, and the CEO. He’s like, “Let me think about it,”. Two months go by, and i’m thinking about how i’m going to pay my rent. I had just gotten out of college, and the first thing I did was intern here.
Royal: The apartment was in New York?
Rel Carter: Jersey. I went to get the nice apartment that was expensive so I definitely needed a job ASAP. Jay Brown called me like two months later, and he told me I could start working as an A&R.
Royal: What are your day to day responsibilities here at Roc Nation?
Rel Carter: Aside from finding new talent I have projects that I am [overseeing as an A&R]. So I have artists that have projects that i’m putting together. So it’s just making sure that we’re making deadlines, as far as getting them in the studio. If we’re putting out a song next week we need to make sure everything is sent by this deadline, and all the other behind the scenes stuff that goes into putting a song out.
Royal: Tell me about the Rel Carter Culture Tour.
Rel Carter: It came about because this kid Devin from DC had invited me to come judge his showcase out in DC. After the event he calls me like, “Yo, I have a better idea,” So he’s telling me about it and after thinking about it I realized it was a good idea.
People are always inviting me to the showcases but I also realized that the people who are inviting you [that are] putting on these showcases don’t care about the artists or the music period. They just care about the money they are going to make off of the artists. Then it’s also like they don’t really care about the artistry because they just take whoever.
We as A&R’s go to these showcases, and the talent is horrible. Not only do we want to help you, but we also want to do our job and find dope talent. But if you don’t care about the talent, we leave with nothing. So we had this idea like let’s go serve untapped markets. There’s nobody in Minnesota trying to find out what talent Minnesota has. We just came back from DR this week. So we just took the tour from city to city, and just gave upcoming artists the opportunity.
Royal: How long have you been doing this tour?
Rel Carter: Since October 2017. We started in LA, New York, Toronto, and Atlanta which are the key markets. Then from there we went to Philly, Miami, Orlando,New Orleans [and more].
Royal: How do you select the talent?
Rel Carter: You go to our website, register, and say what city you’re registering for. The best part for me is the workshop we do. Not only do we do the performance, we also do a workshop to where we have this young lady who comes in, and teaches them the business behind the music industry. A lot of these upcoming artists only know how to record a song, and put it out. They don’t know that if you don’t have a producer agreement or any paperwork you don’t own your song. So the publishing company doesn’t even know how to pay.
If I put out a song, and it streams 10 million streams, the money that’s collected, where does it go? They don’t even know that they need to register they music. They don’t know what distribution deals are, or what 360 deals are. It’s just teaching them the basics that they don’t know so that they don’t get into bad situations. So besides performing, what they learn is more vital than anything.
Royal: I heard that you have a compilation album called ‘No Handouts’. Tell me a little more about that.
Rel Carter: It goes back to the tour. When we started October 2017 we did like 15 cities between October, and April. We found some really dope artists. I knew that we could not sign all of the artists, so I came up with a list of who I felt was the best throughout those 15 cities. So we went to Atlanta for a weekend, and we recorded the project. We just released the first single “In My Bag” on the 23rd of November. It’s available on all streaming platforms.
Royal: I know you are also apart of the Demos & Dusse private listening sessions. Can you tell me about that and what artists can gain from that experience?
Rel Carter: I think the Demos & Dusse [presented by Thorough Consulting] is dope for artists just because you have the actual interaction and One on One time. You know it’s hard to get in front of an A&R. Of course you get the cup of Dusse which is always amazing. It takes the edge off because a lot of people are nervous. If you just drink, and build with them they feel more comfortable. It’s dope. I think we are on our 4th or 5th one, and all of them have been some really good talent.
Royal: Can you tell me what you expect from artists when they try to submit their music to you?
Rel Carter: I don’t really have any expectations but i know what I don’t like. I hate the over seller. The person that’s like “Yo, ima make you a million dollars if you sign me”. Just let the music speak for itself. You don’t have to oversell. I’d rather the guy that’s just simply asking me to check out their music.
Royal: How imperative is it for artists to have their music available on Tidal? What are the benefits, and how can they gain more streams?
Rel Carter: I feel like as a new artist it’s imperative to have your music on all platforms. There’s over a hundred platforms worldwide. Of course it should be on Tidal, but the people that have Spotify don’t have Tidal. Even though they’re the competition, as a new artist i’m gonna keep it real and tell you that you should have your music everywhere. Not just on Tidal. Tidal pays out the most but if you’re not streaming on Tidal you’re not getting paid anything. The benefit is that you can gain more money if you promote yourself properly. The benefit for career wise is that you need to be everywhere.
Royal: What is your advice for anyone that wants to be in the music industry? For any music industry job or an artist?
Rel Carter: You have to be passionate about it, and know that this is something that you want. A lot of people see it as “You can listen to music all day”. That’s cool, and all, but the hard work that’s done behind the scenes is stressful because you are dealing with other people. First of all if you are in the music industry period, a lot of your success is based on working with other people. So if you’re working with people that B*****t all the time, it’s hard. Even when you want to quit, if you’re passionate about it the passion will keep you going.
Listen to the first single “In My Bag” off of Rel Carter’s ‘No Handouts’ compilation album, available on all streaming sites and follow Rel for more information on his Culture Tour and more by visiting his website https://relcarterculturetour.com.
Music Links:
https://rocnation.lnk.to/OQ2IYIN
Entrepreneur
Award Winning Entrepreneur Mama Sue Taylor Talks Being A Cannabis Pioneer & Resource For The Elderly Community
Sue Taylor “Mama Sue”, is a pioneer in the space of wellness and cannabis. Breaking barriers as the first black woman to open and operate a dispensary in Berkeley, California, she has been featured in Forbes, CNN, ABC7, Black Enterprise, MSN and several other publications sharing her incredible journey through cannabis. As she is one of the most influential women in cannabis she continues to utilize her platform to debunk any negativity surrounding the healing plant. As a mother, grandmother, entrepreneur, and advocate, Sue Taylor has made it her mission to be a resource to the elderly community through her Mama Sue Wellness tinctures and series of educational events.
I had the pleasure and honor of speaking with Sue after she was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award from Grammy Award Winning singer Erykah Badu at the 2024 Women in Cannabis Awards. Check it out below.
Sue Taylor Interview
What does it mean to you being a cannabis advocate and how did you get your start in the cannabis industry?
Sue Taylor: If someone had told me 17 years ago that I would be working in the cannabis industry I would have never believed them. I did not choose this, it chose me. My son lured me into the business by convincing me that this is a way for me to have my spiritual wellness center that I have always wanted and that intrigued me. I saw that it was needed because of how I took care of my body when I began to age and I knew the pharmaceutical approach wasn’t working way back then. As I said yes to work with Cannabis, I was actually scared and frightened by it due to the movie Reefer Madness. People in my generation were always told weed was a drug and it was always black people or hispanics and the weed devil and a lot of craziness.
This deterred my generation from cannabis because we simply do not break rules and it was deemed federally illegal. As an African American woman you know there is a stigma around us. I am already judged for being a black woman and I don’t want to be judged again! Being black I am judged everyday even still to this day, so to be taking on something that is extremely stigmatized was scary. But when my son told me I could have my Sue Taylor Wellness facility, I said okay let’s give it a try. Even though I was scared, I knew it was something I had to do to improve the quality of my life. If your dream doesn’t scare you a little bit your dream is not big enough. I was so scared but I was not willing to give up, which has allowed me to live my dream in real time.
Not only are you a cannabis advocate but you are also a pioneer. Can you share with me your vision for your Farmacy dispensary as you are the first and only black woman to own and operate a dispensary in Berkeley?
ST: The journey to opening Farmacy Berkeley was not an easy one. It took us 17 years to get things going. However, I was granted a permit to open Farmacy Berkeley because I had a special niche. Mine was geared to the needs of seniors. I also did my own lobbying to the city council and the mayor. I did it because we really didn’t have the money to do it and we are not equity people. We used our family’s money to get things accomplished. I had another key component Brittany that I want to share. When I went in, they could see that I genuinely cared for humankind. It wasn’t about me. And it really wasn’t just about cannabis. I just saw cannabis as one tool to help people. My pioneer work has helped with the stigma that surrounds cannabis. Recently I received the Lifetime Achievement at the Women in Cannabis Awards for my advocacy work and have also received an advocacy award from Oaksterdam University.
I have been very successful at helping to eliminate the stigma because I don’t fit the mold. I’m a former Catholic school principal. I am also a commissioner on aging. I was the commissioner on aging for Alameda County, where Farmacy Berkeley is located. On top of that, I am certified by the state of California to teach the cannabis program to nurses and help them obtain credits toward the yearly certifications that they need. I’ve had that certification for five years or more. It’s amazing to do that. It has been quite a journey for me. I have also been successful simply because I genuinely care.
When we opened up Farmacy Berkeley, we were open for one month, then the pandemic stopped everything. They sent all seniors home because people were afraid I was going to get covid. So we went away from it and then came back. But before I really got into business, I was teaching seniors. I had a community room where I would educate seniors free of charge, just come in and talk. I even did meditation classes. I did a lot of things there as well. Then that all stopped because of the pandemic. But I want you to be clear on this, we were opened up after we got the license.
How did Cannabis change your life?
ST: When I saw the way cannabis was positively impacting the lives of everyone around me that I was working with, that’s when I became open to cannabis. When I started off, I would not touch it, I was simply just doing the work. But after time, people kept coming to me saying that they were no longer using canes, wheelchairs or medication anymore. Seeing the progress in those people, I began to change my mind and became open to cannabis to help with pain or to help me sleep.
I started to think “maybe my son was right this whole time”. I thought he was on drugs, but when I found out what he was doing things changed. He was attending Oaksterdam University learning the entrepreneur side of cannabis. 17 years ago, there were only dispensaries for medical patients and only three in the Berkeley area making the rules a lot stricter. Its incredible how much growth there has been in the industry and the opportunities it’s presenting in helping others, especially seniors. I continued to do the work, myself along with the many hardworking individuals in the cannabis industry see the benefits of being in the business.
What is your mission for helping the elderly connect to cannabis as you have your Mama Sue Wellness products that are specifically geared toward seniors?
ST: Those products were made with love for a group of people that most people have forgotten about. This means everything to me to be able to have wellness products that cater to my demographic.
Seniors mostly come to cannabis for two reasons, because they can’t sleep or they’re in pain. Thats what each tincture was crafted to help with, we have a sleep tincture made with high CBN and CBD and an extra strength tincture which is high-CBD to help with aches and pain. And we have more products coming very soon. These were made with seniors in mind, but I think I might have more young people using the Mama Sue products for sleep and anxiety because the relief tincture, you could use that during the day and still function. They won’t get you high.
What has it been like working with Glass House Brands?
ST: I’ve been a part of Glass House, for a little over 4 years. What many people don’t know is that in the process of building Farmacy Berkeley, we ran out of money. That is when Kyle, Graham and the Glass House team came in, we became partners and they put up the remainder of the money to help build out the dispensary to my specifications. Glass House also helped me develop my tincture products that I’ve always wanted, Mama Sue Wellness. They aligned with my values and are doing things right, that’s why I chose them.
I’m grateful to be part of the Glass House team, they really support my mission in helping change the stigma around cannabis. As a Brand Ambassador we work together to put together these educational events, I travel to our different dispensaries where I get to speak and answer questions for local seniors one on one.
You mentioned your Mama Sue products and how they’re kind of more so geared toward the senior community. What do you feel like is the most important thing about wellness when it comes to cannabis and debunking these misconceptions?
ST: To begin, it depends on the group of people you are talking to. For instance, when me and my fellow cannabis advocates needed to get something done as a cannabis group going up against the city and state, they would always suggest sending me to speak on the group’s behalf. They thought it was like some magic or something, but let me tell you what it was, Brittany. I looked at the cannabis industry and I looked at most of the people who were in that industry at that time. They looked like stoners. I did not. And I was not. And I made a conscious decision that every time I was representing cannabis, I would look like a lawyer. And that’s who they met. They said, oh, you are in the wrong place, lady. I said, no, I’m here for cannabis. I didn’t fit the mold. Brittany, when they looked at me, I didn’t fit their perception of what people who used cannabis look like. Does that make sense?
I know that recently you and Dreka Gates got a chance to connect, can you share the synergy and connection you two ladies share?
ST: It was amazing. It was one of my most amazing ‘Plants Over Pills’ interviews because we connected on so many levels, so many levels. I’ve never met a young person like that, that’s spiritually evolved like her, because she’s young, you know she’s young, she’s only 37. And we just talked like we knew each other. Wait till you see the interview, it’s on the Glass House YouTube channel. I’ve never conducted an interview like that before. The camera crew was saying, oh my God, they were amazed at how easily we connected, and we just kept talking and talking. We connected on such a high level, we’re both spiritual people, we’ve been through a lot, we believe in plant medicine for healing, and she’s now even opening her first dispensary in Mississippi. Dreka talks about all the challenges she went through to secure the permit. We had trouble in California and we’re the most progressive state there is, I can’t imagine Mississippi. We bonded over all of that, opening our first dispensary and our vision to expanding that into our wellness facilities.
What has been your experience with pills versus plants for healing?
ST: They tried to give me a pill during the pandemic. I’m a spiritual person, and I had anxiety and was having difficult nights of sleep, had so much fear, all that kind of stuff. So, I went to my doctor and she prescribed me pills. I said, you know, I’m not a pill taker. But for some reason she insisted that I just take it. So I took the pills home, I looked it up and researched them before I popped anything. You know what it said on the bottle, they were to help with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia! I called her immediately and relayed my findings to her. You know what her response to me was? Why are you questioning me? You are not a doctor. She said, I give that to all my patients that have anxiety. You know what my response to her was? “I am not all your patients, and I don’t take a pill for anything. You know that I don’t take a pill to manage my health so why would you give me something for schizophrenics? I am not schizophrenic.” So that was it. I had to start looking out for my own health, and wellbeing.
I always make this disclaimer, pills have their place. Pharmaceuticals are not bad. They are not bad for people who need them. Pharmaceutical drugs were made for temporary use. If you get into a car accident or going into operation for eight hours, yes pills are helpful. But most people are using pharmaceuticals just to manage their day to day lives. Like with high blood pressure, with high cholesterol, with even anxiety.You start taking pills for an operation, then you have high blood pressure, then 10, 15 years later, you’re still on those same pills and more. That’s not okay. We have to stay educated about our health and thankfully, our younger generation are getting better at understanding that. The younger generation just doesn’t take what people tell them. You guys research everything. I have three sons so I’m surrounded by all the young people all the time and they keep me sharp.
I just met another guy, he’s gonna open up a wellness facility because everybody is seeing the light, popping a pill is not going to get you healthy. If anything, it’s gonna deteriorate your body because it’s all about the money. Pharmaceutical approach to healthcare. They give politicians money so they continue to push pills on us. We have to look beyond. We have to think for ourselves and find more natural ways to heal and care for bodies, mind and spirit.
Brittany, as I look at your beautiful face today, with that beautiful skin, that beautiful complexion, you have to go within and do what’s best for Brittany. I don’t care what the doctors try to tell you. Trust yourself first, always.
To learn more about Mama Sue Taylor and her journey through cannabis, follow her on Instagram at @suetaylorwellness.
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