It’s hard to believe that Johnnie Cabbell, founder and CEO of HAH Enterprises started off a singer who was getting gypped on royalties and publishing. As one of the power negotiators to emerge from the busy Atlanta music scene, Cabbell exudes nothing but know-how and poise these days.
“I saw where the real money was so I started getting into the business side,” he says.
Getting his start managing breakthrough crunk group, Crime Mob, before moving on to handle the career of the group credited with to propelling the ringtone business to new heights, D4L, Cabbell’s sharp business instincts have served him well since he first got his big break in 2002. But his ascension has not come without some stumbling blocks.
“When D4L’s ‘Laffy Taffy’ hit ringtones were just starting to come into effect,” he says, mentioning that the group is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most ringtones sold in a week. “So as they were still trying to figure out how to pay out, I was trying to understand it. We missed out on a lot of money. There was over $12 million made off ‘Laffy Taffy’ and we probably only saw $1 million.”
It was a lesson that Cabbell soaked up and now actively applies to the artists he currently works with, including Shawty Lo, Fabo, Gucci Mane and O.J. the Juiceman. He has continued to make power moves with the recent launch of HAH TV Network.
“I went through a lot of trial and error, [and] jumped over hurdles,” he says of his journey. “I’ve always been the underdog and still am.”
–jh
