Courtney Stewart

For other uses, see Courtney Stewart (disambiguation).

Courtney Stewart is the founder of Right Hand Music Group and Right Hand Foundation and co-founder of Keep Cool Records. He is an artist manager known for his work with multi-platinum global superstar Khalid, and is a record label executive, tech investor, real estate developer, and humanitarian.

Early life and education

Stewart attended North Atlanta High School and Alabama State University.[1]

Career

An early friendship with fellow musician Bobby V led Stewart to become his manager when his musical career took off.[2] Later he ran Ludacris’ publishing company and managed hip-hop producers.[3]

2015–2019

Stewart discovered Khalid[4] in 2015-16 when the artist was still a teenager,[3] and went on to mentor and manage him beginning in 2016.[5] Following Khalid's breakout success, Stewart was included in Billboard's "40 Under 40: Music's Top Young Power Players" in 2017.[6]

In 2018, with Tunji Balogun (the future CEO of Def Jam Recordings)[7] and two others, Stewart co-founded Keep Cool Records,[8] a joint venture with RCA Records.[9] Keep Cool's first signing was Normani of Fifth Harmony.[10] Its roster also includes Lucky Daye, VanJess, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, UMI, and Marzz.

In October 2018 Billboard included Stewart in its "21 Under 21" list.[11] Variety named him a Hitmaker in both 2018[12] and 2019.[13] Stewart and Khalid delivered the keynote Q&A at the 2019 Pollstar Live! conference.[14]

2020–present

Stewart was a founding member and serves on the executive committee[2] of the Black Music Action Coalition, a nonprofit formed in 2020 to combat systemic racism in the music industry.[15] In 2020 Billboard included him on both its 2020 Power List[16] and its R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list, recognizing him for activism.[17]

Also in 2020, his Right Hand Music Group partnered with Techstars Music, an accelerator program for music-related startups. Right Hand became Techstars' first member company owned by a person of color.[18]

His management clients include Sinéad Harnett,[19] Wynne, Marzz, and South African R&B artist Elaine[20] in addition to Khalid.

Philanthropy

Stewart began supporting local Atlanta shelters in 2015,[21] buying and delivering Christmas gifts to local homeless shelters housed in hotels.[22] Inspired by this experience, in 2019 he founded the Right Hand Foundation, which provides free housing and educational programs to single mothers and their children in Atlanta.[23] The nonprofit launched its first "Right Hand Haven" housing in October 2019.[24]

Stewart also assisted Khalid in setting up the Great Khalid Foundation. He worked with Great Khalid when it donated $500,000 to the El Paso Community Foundation in El Paso, Texas in 2019[25] to aid children and grandchildren of victims of the 3 August 2019 mass murder at Walmart.

In 2020 the National Museum of African American Music appointed Stewart to its board of directors' first Music Industry Relations Committee,[26] and his Right Hand Foundation partnered with St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church-East Point to help support struggling families during the holiday season.[27]

In 2021 Billboard honored him as a Change Agent for helping the music community survive the COVID-19 pandemic and confront racial inequality.[28]

He is also committed to the advancement of HBCUs and was honored in October 2021 with an Alabama State University (ASU) 50 Under 50 alumni award. In October 2022 he announced a $100,000 donation to ASU to create scholarships for communication students and enhance the university's communication department.[29]

References

  1. ^ Jewél Jackson (October 17, 2018). "Courtney Stewart on success in the music industry: "Don't follow the dream. Set the dream."". Syracuse University. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Sarah Pittman (August 13, 2020). "Voices Of Live: Courtney Stewart On Finding His Place In The Music Biz – 'This Is My Calling'". Pollstar. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Eric Renner Brown (April 15, 2019). "'We Just Dream Big And Go After It': How Khalid & Manager Courtney Stewart Built A Streaming-Age Juggernaut". Pollstar. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  4. ^ "Khalid Is The Shooting Star Of The Playlist Era". NPR. July 23, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Khalid (Right Hand Music Group)". Hits Daily Double. November 13, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "40 Under 40: Music's Top Young Power Players Revealed". Billboard. October 6, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  7. ^ Motolani Alake (August 10, 2021). "Tunji Balogun to become the new CEO of Def Jam". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Rhian Jones (April 9, 2018). "RCA Announces Joint Venture With Keep Cool And CoFounder Tunji Balogun". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  9. ^ Ogden Payne (April 9, 2018). "RCA Announces Joint Venture With Keep Cool And CoFounder Tunji Balogun". Forbes. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  10. ^ Gail Mitchell (April 9, 2018). "Records: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Rob LeDonne (October 12, 2018). "21 Under 21: How Managers for Billie Eilish, Khalid and Bhad Bhabie Keep Their Clients on the Right Path". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  12. ^ "Variety's 2018 Hitmakers Revealed". Variety. November 29, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  13. ^ "The Hitmakers and Hitbreakers Who Defined the Sound of 2019". Variety. December 5, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  14. ^ Eric Renner Brown (February 15, 2019). "Khalid, Manager Courtney Stewart Discuss Musician's Meteoric Rise In Pollstar Live! Keynote". Pollstar. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  15. ^ Samantha Hissong (June 22, 2020). "Meet the Music Industry's New Black Music Action Coalition". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "The 2020 Billboard Power List Revealed". Billboard. January 23, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  17. ^ "Revealed: Billboard's 2020 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players — In A Year of Activism". Billboard. November 12, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  18. ^ Bob Moczydlowsky (November 23, 2020). "We Gotta Start Somewhere: Techstars Music Will Fund a More Equitable Music Business". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  19. ^ Sarah Jae Leiver (December 9, 2020). "Sinéad Harnett & EARTHGANG Release 'Take Me Away' Video". Broadway World. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  20. ^ "Elaine (Columbia)". Hits Daily Double. February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  21. ^ Collin Kelley (October 30, 2019). "Nonprofit Right Hand Foundation aims to revitalize homes for families in need". Reporter Newspaper & Atlanta Intown. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  22. ^ CJ Johnson (October 11, 2019). "Music Industry Vet Gives 'Right Hand' To Atlanta Single Moms". AtlantaFI. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  23. ^ Sean Richard Keenan (October 3, 2019). "Atlanta music manager's nonprofit is linking single mothers with rent-free housing, education programs". Curbed. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  24. ^ "A Lil' Positivity: Right Hand Foundation Celebrates Launch Of First Haven For Single Mothers In Atlanta". Bossip. October 25, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  25. ^ Aaron Montes (September 14, 2019). "Great Khalid Foundation opens office in El Paso with $500,000 donation for education". El Paso Times. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  26. ^ "National Museum of African American Music Announces the Appointment of Its Music Industry Relations Committee". Charleston Chronicle. July 15, 2020. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  27. ^ "SSMBC Partnership with Courtney Stewart Right Hand Foundation". YouTube. December 21, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  28. ^ "Billboard Change Agents: Leaders Stepping Up In A Year of Turmoil". Billboard. January 28, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  29. ^ "Music Executive, Entrepreneur, and Humanitarian Courtney Stewart to Donate $100,000 to ASU During Homecoming Game". Alabama State University. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.