Campus to Charts: HBCU Alum Shaping Black Music 

Designated by President Jimmy Carter, Black Music Month is a time to celebrate the contributions African Americans have made to American history and culture. Through singing, composition, and songwriting, Black artists have had their hand in shaping numerous genres. On the business side, it’s also important to highlight the individuals that are making things happen behind the scenes, all while putting on for the culture and our people. Here are a few HBCU alum who have paved the way for artists to be heard and accepted. 

Tina Davis

Hailing from the Bay area, Tina Davis is a proud alumna of Grambling State University. She was the first woman to lead the A&R department at Def Jam and worked closely with artists like Jay-Z and DMX during that time. After her departure from Def Jam, she was approached by Chris Brown to be his manager; of course she took on the role. With this endeavor, she created her own management company titled Phase Too in 2008. She joined Empire Records in 2018 and served as the Senior VP of A&R where she developed the independent label to a powerhouse. Tina currently holds the position of President at Empire. 

Tim Glover 

Timothy Glover is an alum of Howard University. He initially got his start in the music business by being a college rep for Universal Music Group (UMG) and eventually landed an entry level marketing position at Def Jam. From there, he joined Interscope Records in 2014. Glover was eventually promoted to Senior VP of A&R in 2019 and then Executive VP of A&R in 2022. During his time at Interscope, he oversaw the label’s partnership with Dreamville, working with artists like J.Cole and Ari Lennox. Glover also oversaw A&R for Love Renaissance (LVRN), who developed artists such as Summer Walker and 6lack.  Recently, he was appointed President of A&R of Pulse Records and is now responsible for signing and developing artists for the label. 

Amir Windom

Amir Windom was destined to excel in music. His dad created the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and his mom was a singer. While attending Florida A&M, he got his first internship with Bad Boy Records. From there, he worked at Def Jam with Artist Relations and Marketing. His longest tenure would be at Atlantic Records as an A&R and Marketing Exec, where he had his hand in developing artists like Bruno Mars, Kanye West, and Trey Songz and the chance to work on numerous Grammy-winning albums. He eventually pivoted to film and television and became a music supervisor for various movies and shows, like Insecure and Being Mary Jane. This past school year, Amir partnered with Johnson C. Smith University to provide support for faculty development, student engagement and alumni connectivity. He also held a master class series on entertainment for students. 

Phylicia Fant 

When Phylicia Fant attended Spelman College, she had no idea what she wanted to do as an English major. Throughout her matriculation, she interned with different PR firms and Atlanta radio stations before moving to New York to be a temp for a publicist that worked for Essence and eventually a UMG executive. From there, she eventually landed a PR position at Motown and was assigned newcomer at the time, Kid Cudi. Fant later joined Asylum Records out in LA as the Head of Urban PR. After working with artists like Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka, she then found herself at Columbia Records working closely with their newcomer Lil Nas X. However, Phylicia didn’t stop there. She started her own independent PR firm called The Purple Agency and represented producers like Swizz Beatz and Sean Garret. Now she is the Head of Music Industry and Culture Collaborations at Amazon and focuses on partnerships with people that move the culture; a role created at the company just for her. 

Cortez Bryant 

If you ever heard Drake mention a guy named Tez in his older songs, you might be surprised to know that he was talking about his manager, Jackson State University alum, Cortez Bryant. Before he worked with Drake and even Nicki Minaj, Tez was actually Lil Wayne’s right-hand man. Growing up in New Orleans together, Bryant assumed the role of his manager from the beginning, even throughout his journey at JSU. After graduating, he took on the role full time and eventually launched Young Money Entertainment. Tez also started The Blueprint Group, a talent management and distribution house, with other music industry moguls like Al Branch and Shawn Gee. After making waves in the industry for years, Bryant decided to give back and pour into the next generation of Black music execs. He started teaching a music business course at his alma mater, and opened The Culture Lab; a space where Atlanta creatives can come to record podcasts or music.