Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Warner launches JV label with hip hop website Masked Gorilla

By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 13 September 2019

Warner Music in the US has launched a new joint venture record label with Roger Gengo, the man behind hip hop website Masked Gorilla and its spin-off concert series Unmasked. The first signing to what will be known as Masked Records is 2kbaby.

“We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Roger to launch Masked Records”, says the boss of Warner Records US Aaron Bay-Schuck. “What he’s done as a young entrepreneur over the past decade has been nothing short of amazing – literally redefining the hip hop landscape, time and time again identifying ground-breaking artists while they were still way under the radar. And that’s what real A&R is all about – great ears, impeccable taste, and the discovery and nurturing of original talent”.

With all that in mind, Bay-Schuck adds that his team is “looking forward to giving Roger and Masked the platform and resources to grow organically and create culture-shifting music”.

For his part, Gengo says: “For the past ten years I’ve dedicated my life to discovering and sharing new artists through Masked Gorilla and Unmasked. Over the years I’ve been able to establish incredible relationships with artists by not asking how I could benefit, but instead asking how I could be of service. As my insight grew, my drive to help and influence artists’ careers in a more major way grew as well”.

On the label venture, he goes on: “It’s always been my dream to not only service these artists in a more major way with a record label, but to do it in partnership with a company that has the vision, integrity, and progressive environment to best serve the artists who have trusted us with their music”. And that company, by the way, Bengo reckons, is Warner Records. “They truly believe in me as much as I believe in these artists, and I can’t wait to get started”.