Thug Life Army

One of urban music's most prominent executives, Step Johnson; has been named President of Urban Music at Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA).

Step Johnson has been with Interscope since 1992, most recently co-heading its urban music staff. Recent successes for Johnson include such artists as rapper 50 Cent and the G-Unit hip-hop family of MC’s, rap artist Eminem, super songstress Mary J. Blige, The Game, Avant, and Keyshia Cole have joined earlier promotion triumphs he has enjoyed at the label, including legends in hip-hop and rap music Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac (2Pac), and Teddy Riley's BLACKstreet.

Said Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M, a unit of Universal Music Group, "Step Johnson has been an enormous part of Interscope's success from the beginning. His hard work has helped make IGA the top urban music label in the business. An achievement like that comes not only from incredible artists but also the dedication of a talented executive like Step."

Johnson commented: "Urban music has become a huge part of Interscope Geffen A&M. That's because of the leadership of Jimmy Iovine and the team he has built at IGA. I''m proud to be part of a company that always looks to the future."

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Fla., Johnson graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a B.A. in marketing in the early ''70s. His first music business job was in regional promotion for ABC Records in New Orleans. In 1981, he moved to A&M in Los Angeles as Sr. VP of Urban Promotion. In the mid-''80s he was appointed Sr. VP and General Manager of Urban Music at Capitol Records, where he remained until Interscope came calling.

*Editors note – Now maybe Step Johnson can get Interscopes’ online representatives in line. That is one area that needs addressing at Interscope.

As the internet becomes an important part of the news and information community, Interscopes online representatives need to be revamped so that there is an equal playing field and a constant source of information offered.

Interscopes online reps are about the worst in the business, at least from our experience. They seem to forget their job is to get the information out to those who can distribute it and not to act like they have a secret that they don’t want to tell anyone. That would be a good place for Mr. Johnson to start and show his leadership skills. We wish him much further success.