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Inside the Playbook: Nick Raphael on How He Beat Every Major Label to Sign Jay-Z
Before the billion-dollar empire, Jay-Z was just an overlooked artist with a brilliant album, and no U.S. label willing to take the risk.
In this episode, Nick Raphael, former President of Capitol Records UK, shares the inside story of how he and Christian Tattersfield signed Jay-Z in 1996 from a small office in London. It’s a raw look at what it means to trust your instinct and bet big when everyone else says no.
Nick walks us through the unconventional journey: cold-calling Damon Dash, researching Jay’s buzz through record shops, and watching an artist turn early rejection into generational…
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