Where Sound Meets Legacy: J Rich on Engineering the Future of Music

What We Cover in This Episode

J Rich’s Origin Story

• Growing up influenced by his father’s time at Motown
• Interning under the best
• How serving others opened the door into engineering
• Going from rapper → engineer → entrepreneur
• The moment he engineered Gucci Mane without knowing how to engineer (and how it changed everything)

The Craft of Engineering: Hits, Credit, & Value

• Why being an artist first helped him become a better engineer
• How credit = currency in the music industry
• The concept of “Cash or Credit” and why engineers must understand it
• The turning point of working with Lil Yachty from apartment closets to global stardom
• Why undervaluation is rampant and the uncomfortable truth about payment conversations

The Business of Music (What Most People Don’t Know)

• Why engineers often miss out on royalties
• How the Music Modernization Act changed the game
• The truth about publishing splits, LODs, and non-featured artist funds
• Why ad-libs = background vocals (and why most artists are leaving money on the table)
• The dreaded black box and billions of dollars artists unknowingly lose

Venture Capital, Events & Legacy Building

• J Rich’s role as VP of Strategic Partnerships for Pop Star Ventures
• How the fund supports founders in sports and entertainment
• Guiding talent into investing + equity
• The joy of hosting high-level, curated connection events (including ours!)
• Why generational wealth planning is the real end game

Artists J Rich Has Worked With

Including (but not limited to):

• Offset
• Cardi B
• Lil Baby
• Yeat (first manager)
• Lil Yachty (first engineer)
• JT
• Trippie Redd
• Pure Cocaine era
• Plus more…

And yes — his Grammy nomination came from “Clout” by Offset ft. Cardi B”.

Big Ask

When asked what would move the needle for him right now:
“Join the Elevate community.”
We love a twin who understands alignment.

Bonus: His Dream Artist to Work With

• Drake (and specifically 40)
• The Bobby Althoff–Drake interview lives rent-free in our minds
• Drake’s song “Elevate” remains a foundational inspiration for The Elevate Collection

Key Terms Mentioned (Listener Dictionary)

To deepen industry understanding, we recommend listeners explore:

• PRO (ASCAP/BMI)
• SoundExchange
• Non-Featured Artist Fund
• LOD (Letter of Direction)
• Black Box royalties
• Pre-release compliance
• Factoring
• Metadata
• Publishing splits

Connect with J Rich

IG

LinkedIn