Thug Life Army

Hip Hop Since 1978 (HHS78), the production and management home to Grammy-winning rap hip-hop superstar Kanye West and production house for boardsmith Just Blaze, has extended its label deal with Atlantic Records. At the same time, HHS78 principals G. Roberson and Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua have been upped to Senior Vice Presidents of Urban A&R, overseeing A&R responsibilities for various Atlantic artists, including those signed through their Hip Hop Since 1978 imprint.

Chief among the duo's upcoming priorities is new signing rap artist Saigon, who comes to Atlantic in association with producer Just Blaze's Fort Knocks Entertainment. Saigon's forthcoming Atlantic debut, "THE GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD," was recently ranked among XXL magazine's ten most-anticipated albums of ''05. Also under the HHS78 umbrella is Shawn Mack, a 19-year-old Philadelphia native who has been working steadily under Hip Hop and G.'s tutelage. The HHS78 staff includes Roc-A-Fella's former General Manager, Al Branch, and Director of Marketing Dara McIntosh.

G. and Hip Hop were involved in the daily operations of Roc-A-Fella Records since the label's inception in the early ''90s. Having originally signed Kanye to their production company in 1998, and negotiating his signing to Roc-A-Fella, Hip Hop Since 1978's first official project was West's critically acclaimed, chart-topping, and now Grammy-winning album, "The College Dropout."