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| Amar’e Stoudemire and T.I. photos by Steed Media Service |
NBA
All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire has started his own record company,
Apacolypto Records, and in a savvy business move, merged it with one of
the biggest labels in the rap game today, T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records.
Why did you decide to sign Amar’e Stoudemire to Grand Hustle?
T.I.:
You’ll see Grand Hustle collaborate with a few different people and
genres … Amar’e was just the most significant in his area that we
were able to collaborate with. I have to be able to work with people
that I have a mutual respect for. I got to feel like they’re on their
hustle like I’m on mine.
How did the merger between hip-hop and sports come about?
Stoudemire:
For me, swagger comes from sports and entertainment. So when you
[combine] them, you can’t lose. So right now, me and Tip are trying to
really set an example and get it cracking.
How did this friendship evolve into a business relationship?
T.I.:
We just pretty much connected and jelled well … we have an
ability to relate to one another. We’re both entrepreneurs … and we
enjoy creating deals and turning nothing into something. We have a
passion of creating opportunities for other up-and-coming artists in
our arenas – his being sports and mine being hip-hop.
The merger of record companies and professions may open doors for other aspiring
artists, so look for more collaborations from the music and sports worlds in the not so distant future.-–noah conroy
