Kim Chanel doesn’t mind playing the background and it’s helped her discover some of hottest young new talent. She grew up in Philadelphia, where her love for rap and music was born. She started her career interning at Def Jam and Epic Records where she first started implementing her marketing and digital media strategies, and now along with managing Atlanta’s Billacheck and Sniper Gang’s Lil Crix, she also does consultations for Monarch record label. Did I forget to mention she was the one who found OT7 Quanny? Kim Chanel dropped by the rolling out office to take A Seat At The Table, and talk to us a little bit about the management side of music.
Why did you choose to get into management?
It was something that I always kind of like inspired to be in since I was a little girl, just seeing like the executives that were moving and shaking back in like, you know, the 90s and 2000s and stuff like that, because I used to watch a lot of, like, music documentaries and things like that, like Behind the Music, and also, like, just seeing how the internal side of things, how labels operate and things like that.
Kim Chanel knows a star when she sees one
How can you tell when an artist is a star?
It’s easy. It’s an energy they embody. It’s just like a main-character energy that you have to embody, I swear. When I met OT7 Quanny, like I met him, he had 15,000 followers, and he was also amongst his friends that were also rapping and everything. So, they’re all very talented too, but yeah, with Quanny, he DM’d me, and he was asking me questions and stuff. So it’s just an energy that he embodies. When you see an artist they have aura, an aura that carries. It’s a personality that just seeps into who they are as an artist. That personality will always shine through, and you can always see it by the attitude that they carry.
Lil Uzi Vert or Meek Mill?
Damn, I like both. I ain’t gonna lie but Meek is a legend because I grew up on Meek. And even my favorite project to this day is still Dream Chasers 2. So, yeah, I’m gonna have to say Meek. Meek has classics, and he’ll always be a legend in the city.
You manage two artists right now, Billacheck and Lil Crix. Why those two artists?
Billacheck is so fire. He’s from Atlanta, and I think he just reminds me of a mixture of that modern day, 2019 18. 18, like, era. He’s so good at rapping, his ear for beats is crazy. And I just love the way he utilizes his voice. And he’s just so talented. And he’s just, a good person to work with. He has amazing energy, and he’s very coachable, and at the end of the day, he wants to make this work, and he wants to work. And I love working with him. Same for Lil Crix Like, Crix is amazing. He has great energy, and I know he’s hungry, he just wants to drop music consistently, and everything like that. We are ready to gear up for 2025, both of the artists.
