Ernie Singleton shares his war stories of getting MTV to abandon their anti-rap policy, putting his artist on their music awards show, and thereby introducing hip-hop to the masses!
Ernie Singleton is one of the most influential people who built the foundation of black music in America. Every entrepreneur faces barriers, but Mr. Singleton had to push through racism, greed, and hate to fulfill his vision of giving black artists the success they were due. If you want to learn how to stay committed to a vision, Mr. Singleton will have the answers.
From very modest beginnings, he was born to a construction worker and housekeeper in New Orleans and raised alongside- ready? Ten brothers and two sisters. Wow.
Ernie studied accounting at Southern University while working as a DJ on New Orleans WBOK. Upon graduating, he couldn’t get a job in accounting & decided to return to his first love of music.
Ernie then moved from being a DJ to a record promoter for Fantasy Records, where he succeeded in promoting their artists. Mercury Records got wind of Ernie, hired him on the spot, and gave him an extensive roster of Gold and Platinum R&B artists to promote.
His reputation for success landed him a job with Casablanca Records in 1977, representing artists like Donna Summer, Cher, and the Village People at the height of the disco era. Love it.
1984, he was hired at MCA/Universal, where Ernie helped artists such as Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, and Mary J. Blige gain their foothold in fame. He also helped a young intern named Shawn Combs evolve into Puff Daddy and guided his career to become CEO of Bad Boy Records.
Ernie was lured away to Warner Brothers Records in 1987, where he worked with artists such as Prince and Madonna. There, he singlehandedly reactivated their Reprise Records label and made it so successful that Warner went from number seven in the industry to number one.
In 1990, MCA/Universal offered Ernie the coveted position of Head of their Urban Music Division. There, he helped bring Hip-Hop to a mainstream consumer audience.
Throughout his career, Ernie Singleton helped cultivate heavy-hitting acts such as Patti LaBelle, Prince, Gladys Knight, Quincy Jones, and many others. With over 150 Gold and Platinum records to his credit, it is no surprise that he is widely called ‘The man with the platinum touch!’
Today, he is the president and CEO of Singleton Entertainment, an entertainment consulting company, and has launched a podcast called ‘My Business Is Pleasure.
