For some college students, four years can seem like a lifetime. For Mickey “MeMpHiTz” Wright, four years kinda is.

That’s how long it took Wright to go from a struggling rap fan with big dreams to shot-caller at one of the world’s leading record companies. More specifically, MeMpHiTz rose from the intern ranks at now defunct Arista to the VP of A&R at Jive Records. Along the way he has boosted the careers of artists like the Youngbloodz, UGK, J-Kwon, T-Pain, and most recently, Huey. Now, bred for rulership by industry vets Jermaine Dupri, Diddy, and Mark Pitts, the HiTz Committee CEO is on the verge of writing the second chapter in his book of success.

This time DX's Industry 101 is taken to school by a man who’s come a long way, and managed to bring his hood with him. In this candid interview Memph drops knowledge about making hits the hard way, real A&R salaries, and his time with fallen rap legend, Pimp C.

DX: This industry has a lot of rags-to-riches stories. What do you think is different about yours?
MeMpHiTz: I don’t think it’s too much different, a lot of people; especially driven people, they have something in their mind, a goal in mind that nobody else can understand how bad they want it. And they do what they gotta do to get to it. I feel like I’m one of those people. And I’m doing it through the avenue of music. Coming from Memphis, I never really thought about working at a record label, 'cause we really didn’t have those. It was really just a point of survival. Most entertainers usually have to go to big cities where people are doing the same things that they want to do, to even have a chance. So I put myself in that realm and I felt like I wanted it more than anyone else around. That’s how I always move. Nobody else wants this more than I do. That’s what keeps my story going, where I came from.

DX: Is there a secret to making hits?
M: People say that I’m a producer, but I’m not a hands-on producer. I’m not like a producer that actually puts my fingers to the pad. I’m more of an idea guy, I hear something in my head and I give the idea to one of my producers and they kinda add on to the idea that I’m trying to give them, to bring it to life. I just kinda put my ideas out there. My company HiTz Committee, is like a committee of people that I kinda… [even though the last word is mine]... it’s a couple of peoples’ opinions that I value. Sometimes I throw stuff out there, and they don’t like it but I go with it anyway. Sometimes they do [agree], and we’re all in agreement but at the end of the day, I have the final decision. I don’t think it’s really a secret to making them, some people just have the gift; I think it’s more of a gift than a secret.

DX: Hip hop catches hell for being too commercial. As the A&R, that’s pretty much your job; to make the music sell. Does that make you the bad guy?
M: People look at us like bad guys, I think, because their music is not working or not selling. Even people who feel like they are putting out music with a message; that’s cool, because I enjoy that type of music too. But at the end of the day, my job is based on me bringing music to the forefront that’s going to result in sales…or I’m out of a job. So I really don’t pay those people too much mind. They be like, “Yo, all he does it put out commercials and ringtones…” I mean, what do they want me to do? What do they want A&R’s to do? This is what we do. We have a gift of hearing certain types of music. It’s not like we going out looking for…I don’t know if other A&R’s do, but I don’t go out looking for certain types of songs. I just hear something that I love. I’m more of a radio head. Growing up, I just stayed on the radio. I always listened to the radio. I kinda got an ear for…even like Country music to Pop to Alternative, anything just anything. When I hear something, I immediately know if I feel like that song sounds like something I would hear on the radio. That’s how I listen to music. When I get the album, I put depth into it, I’m really not so much into just putting out only hit music, I’m also about signing hit artists too. Sometimes it’s a double–edged sword. Sometimes the first single is so big that people don’t really want to know about the second one, or don’t really want to hear about the artist’s life. Nowadays, people just go to the computer, to iTunes to see what’s new and hot, and click and they’re good. So it’s my job to kinda keep pushing at people, keep pushing this artist down people’s throats, keep coming with new music, new videos new ways to make people so-to-speak, like this person. So at the end of the day, it’s not all easy and gravy. I actually have the crazy job of trying to make people [along with my label] like these artists, and not only just look at them as a ringtone or a hot song. That’s a hard job at the end of the day. And a stressful job.

DX: Are most A&R’s compensated on a salary situation, or is it based on commission system?
M: It’s about how the company came at that particular A&R. I think everybody’s deal is different. I get a salary and points on things that I sign. As far as my own company goes, I have an imprint deal with HiTz Committee. I got my own artists now, so a larger portion of the funds come to me. It’s all different types of things that go on, every A&R probably has a different type of deal going on. Some of them are consultants…etc. Continued on page 2 »