ISO Supremacy (an acronym for In Search Of Supremacy), is an American creative agency. Founded by singer Brent Faiyaz and childhood friend Darren Xu in 2023, it specializes in music, visual and sonic art.
History
2015–2023: Background and launch
In 2015, Faiyaz and his manager, Ty Baisden, founded the label Lost Kids, under which he released his debut and sophomore album, Sonder Son (2017) and Wasteland (2022).[1] In Faiyaz's June 2024 interview with Billboard, he elaborated on why he wanted to stay independent throughout his career:[2]
It kills me when labels sign an artist knowing who that artist is creatively, but then they try to dictate their music and other things. Nothing is going to stifle your creativity more than having to say yes to some lame shit that you don’t want to do or being told no to some really cool shit that you want to do. It's really no deeper than that for me. So I went with my gut.
In May 2023, it was announced that ISO Supremacy would be a partnership with UnitedMasters and Steve Stoute in a deal valued at approximately $50 million.[3] Stoute stated that "It’s been inspiring to watch [Faiyaz's] journey as an artist over the years, and with this partnership we look to further amplify his creative vision and support his entrepreneurial ambitions".[3] The company was officially founded on August 16, 2023, alongside the release of the music video for "Jackie Brown", the first release under the company.[4] In the announcement, it was stated that the company is not only a record label and was described as "a creative network with the mission of executing visual and sonic art".[4] On August 21, 2023, it was revealed that the company signed a joint venture music deal with Josh Abraham's Pulse Records—a publishing subsidiary of Concord Music Group—and that Tommy Richman would be the label's first signee.[5][6][7] In a press release, Faiyaz spoke on the deal:[6]
My partnership with PULSE Music Group since Day 1 has been transformative. In launching my new label ISO Supremacy and partnering with PULSE Records, we’ve created this platform to give artists like Tommy Richman a creative home with the ability to scale global impact and a team that is accessible who keeps creativity at the forefront. We’re going to continue to make history.
On October 27, 2023, Faiyaz released his solo mixtape, Larger than Life as the first official release under the company and label.[8][9]
2024–present: Breakthrough
Throughout the first and second quarters of 2024, Faiyaz released several music videos from his aforementioned mixtape, Larger than Life, accompanied by several singles from Richman. On April 26, 2024, Richman released his break-through single, "Million Dollar Baby" which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and atop the Billboard Global 200.[10]
On June 6, 2024, during Faiyaz's cover interview with Billboard, he revealed that alongside working on his clothing brand NUWO (an acronym for Not Unless We Own), he's in the development stages for several projects including films, commercials, and signing more artists.[2]
