Zach Randolph’s music career began in 2015 at an East Memphis car dealership.
Randolph was not at all enthusiastic about joining Hustle on the musical side. He was still in the midst of a highly successful Grit-and-Grind player career. GrizzliesAnd he’s seen his friends in the NBA lose money trying to start record labels and other businesses with the next hot young artist. But he was being pushed hard by his longtime friend Marcus “Head” Howell, who was working at the car dealership Randolph started at the time.
On Thanksgiving Day 2015, at the urging of a DJ begging to launch a record label, Howell went to a Memphis nightclub to check out a local rapper opening for Young Jeezy. The DJ even brought a local rapper to Howell’s office before a concert. “This kid is special,” DJ told Howell. “You have to check him out.”
“When I went to the concert, everyone was singing his song word for word,” recalls Howell. “So as I was leaving, I said to Z-Bo, ‘We need to sign this kid. I think this kid is special.'”
So the rapper later went to Randolph’s car dealership to sign Howell and Randolph and their new venture, N-less Entertainment. The first one he signed was Moneybagg Yo. He has since released four of his albums that debuted in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200, three of which were in the Top 5 and his 2021s. gangsta painFirst appearance 1st place.
It was crazy. The city is on fire and hot artists have come out of the city. Of his signing with Moneybagg in 2015, Randolph said: It was the perfect combination. ”
About his first encounter with Z-Bo, Moneybagg said: “He really believed in n—a. He always said he used to play my music in the locker room.”
After signing with Moneybagg, Randolph continued playing for Memphis through 2017 before spending one season in Sacramento. He officially announced his retirement in 2019, and the Grizzlies retired his jersey in December 2021.
Since the end of his basketball career, Randolph has devoted himself to NLless full time. After signing Bagg, Randolph and Howell XXL Cover of 2022’s Freshman Class and hitmaking producer Turn Me Up YC.
Randolph got his scouting talent in exchange for watching movies. He now spends a lot of time in Memphis and listening to new artists on tour. He continues to be “rooted in the streets” to find up-and-coming people who can sign to labels. As well as hip-hop, Randolph cites Afrobeat as another genre he’s looking for potential signers.
“I’ve always loved music,” says Randolph. “I think all athletes and rappers are the same. Rappers, their dream was to play basketball. Basketball players love rap.
There is beauty in Randolph’s second career, which began in the city of Memphis. After a tumultuous career that included a tumultuous start at Portland, the stout power his forward found a foothold in 2009 with the Grizzlies. Conference loaded.Grizz upsets top seed spurs Won the championship in 2011 and advanced to the conference final in 2013. Along the way, Randolph admired a city he says shares a blue-collar work ethic.
“Zach Randolph teeth Memphis,” says Bagg. “He means everything to this city. The whole city can vouch for him.”
“They love Zach here,” says Howell. “When I stopped the car and mentioned Zach, I was like, ‘Oh, he did this for my family. He did this for my school. He paid for my light. He has always done a lot for the city and the city has always embraced him.”
Randolph is still associated with Memphis. He works as an advisor to the Grizzlies. Morant His favorite player in the NBA. (He also says he believes Morant is his top three player in the NBA.) And he’s digging around town to turn NLess into the next big thing. Randolph wants to expand his business beyond music. He attended meetings on the production of the film. He wants to create a sports management department, taking into account the relationship with athletes. Now that he himself is represented by Roc Nation, Randolph arranges a meeting with Jay-Z to try to get his head around his business acumen.
To grow, Randolph continues to build bridges between Memphis and the larger entertainment world. NLess recently hired two of his senior vice presidents with Memphis ties, Kemario Brown and Breon Robinson. In addition to making hits, he also powers his Bagg, who is currently learning the ropes of the record industry.
Moneybagg said of teaming up with Randolph and Howell:
Wherever NLess goes, even if it’s not Randolph’s hometown, it starts in the city that Randolph has made himself synonymous with.
“There’s a lot of talent in this world,” says Randolph. “But especially in the city of Memphis.”