The Fearless Leader Fearless the Paul 196
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TWO RAINMAKERS PAUL THE FEARLESS LEADER 196 ven back then, I was taking on far too many jobs,” Def Jam Chairman Paul Rosenberg recalls of his early career. As the longtime man- Eager of Eminem, Rosenberg has been a substantial player in the unfolding of the ‘‘ modern era and the dominance of hip-hop in the last two decades. His work in that capacity naturally positioned him to seize the reins at the major label that brought rap to the mainstream. Before he began managing the best- selling rapper of all time, Rosenberg was an attorney, hustling in Detroit and New York but always intimately connected with the Detroit rap scene. Later on, he was a boutique-label owner, film producer and, finally, major-label boss. The success he’s had thus far required savvy and finesse, no question. But it’s been Rosenberg’s fearlessness and commitment to breaking barriers that have secured him this high perch. (And given his imposing height, Rosenberg’s perch is higher than average.) “PAUL HAS Legendary exec and Interscope co-found- er Jimmy Iovine summed up Rosenberg’s INCREDIBLE unique qualifications while simultaneously INSTINCTS assessing the State of the Biz: “Bringing AND A REAL Paul in as an entrepreneur is a good idea, COMMITMENT and they should bring in more—because TO ARTISTRY. in order to get the record business really HE’S SEEN healthy, it’s going to take risks and it’s going to take thinking outside of the box,” he FIRSTHAND told us. “At its height, the business was run THE UNBELIEV- primarily by entrepreneurs who either sold ABLE RESULTS their businesses or stayed—Ahmet Ertegun, THAT COME David Geffen, Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert FROM ALLOW- were all entrepreneurs.” ING ARTISTS He grew up in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills, surrounded on all sides TO BE THEM- by music and the arts. His attorney father SELVES—BUT was a jazz hobbyist, and his mother (who ALSO ACTS AS had a theater background) taught music at A SOUNDING their synagogue. Young Paul first heard hip- BOARD WHEN hop thanks to his older brother; he credits NEEDED, AND two seminal cuts, The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” and “The Message” by A STRONG Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, for VOICE WHEN kickstarting his hip-hop obsession. NECESSARY.” PAUL Medical school seemed to be a practical —JOHN JANICK THE FEARLESS LEADER ROSENBERG 196 197 next step, though Rosenberg intended and taking calls from other lawyers, Enter Em to pursue his own rap career simulta- Rosenberg felt certain his passion hile attending an neously. The latter goal was no lark; for music and rap expertise qualified open-mic night at he landed a deal with a label owned him for a role in the biz; management Hip Hop Shop—a by Pistons Bad Boy John Salley. He appeared to be the ideal path. clothing store that started off pre-med at Michigan State, While studying at University would turn into a but he struggled with chemistry. After of Detroit’s Mercy School of Law, Wfreestyle battleground after hours— some initial resistance to following Rosenberg spent his summers interning Rosenberg was asked to check out a in his family’s footsteps, he made the at BMG and PolyGram and founded rising underground MC by acquain- decision to ditch medicine and pursue an entertainment law society. “Paul tance Proof, who thought the aspiring entertainment law. really wanted every bit of knowledge artist might need a lawyer. During his Spartan years, his rap and information about the music In this intimate Detroit venue in group collaborated with labelmates Slum industry he could get his hands on, 1996, alongside a dozen or so other Village, and Rosenberg—known as “Paul and he worked hard at it,” UD law people, Rosenberg witnessed his first- Bunyan” on the Detroit scene, owing to professor Howard Abrams explained ever Eminem performance. Marshall his stature—found himself working with to the Detroit Free Press. “One of the Mathers described the evening to now-legendary producer J Dilla. nice things about his success is seeing Billboard: “I had stopped rapping for Despite his reservations about that this kind of hard work can pay probably six, seven months. It just felt devoting his life to drafting contracts off—that it’s not just a crapshoot.” like it wasn’t really going anywhere. We EMINEM “ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LOVE AND THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY ABOUT PAUL IS THAT HE NEVER EVER STOPS WHEN IT COMES TO DOING WHAT IS RIGHT FOR EMINEM.”—STEVE BERMAN 198 Clockwise from top left: Marshall and Paul with Christian Clancy, Tyler, The Creator and Earl Sweatshirt at 2014’s Shady XV roundtable; two guys from Detroit; with former NBA star Chris Bosh; with Shade 45 DJs Lord Sear and Sway were living in the attic at Kim’s mom’s self as a rapper. His first interaction with unreleased material. “I was really blown house. I hadn’t heard from Proof in, Mathers was buying his newly released away,” he recalled of the tape he got after like, three months. Proof called me and cassette, Infinite, a few months later. As calling the rapper directly and requesting he was like, ‘Yo, write something, come Eminem continued to develop his craft, it. “I realized that he had found his voice; here tomorrow and say it, and if you Rosenberg completed law school and he stopped being so self-aware and self- don’t like it, you don’t ever have to do it moved to New York to study for the bar, conscious…and just sounded like some- again.’ It was like 10 or 15 people.” while maintaining his close connection body, for lack of a better description, who Rosenberg knew he was in the pres- to the Detroit rap scene. didn’t give a fuck.” ence of serious talent, but also under- Not long thereafter, a Detroit friend Rosenberg called Eminem and asked stood that the kid was still finding him- urged him to check out Eminem’s latest if he could represent him. Em said yes, 198 199 Two label heads (left); with 50 Cent “BRINGING PAUL IN AS AN ENTREPRENEUR IS A GOOD IDEA, AND THEY SHOULD BRING IN MORE—BECAUSE IN ORDER TO GET THE RECORD BUSINESS REALLY HEALTHY, IT’S GOING TO TAKE RISKS AND IT’S GOING TO TAKE THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX.” —JIMMY IOVINE beginning a partnership of 21 years and ommendation of an intern, Iovine picked Lewis Group. “When I first met him, counting. “I was excited to have anybody Eminem’s tape from the pile. Soon there- he was a young, up-and-coming man- listen to me and take me seriously,” the after, Jimmy and Dre flew Rosenberg’s cli- ager/attorney with a new client named rapper told Complex. “Especially with ent to Interscope’s Santa Monica HQ. Eminem. He was well-versed, well-spoken Paul being based in New York—anything Rosenberg explains the attraction to and at the same time a massive hip-hop was a lead, anything was a ray of hope.” the iconic West Coast label to Complex: head who truly knew and loved the music Added Rosenberg of Em’s frequent trips “We knew what [Em] was doing was and understood the culture.” from Detroit to NYC: “That’s how the going to be met with some controversy. “I didn’t become Em’s manager until friendship started to grow. Neither of us The place that had Dre and Snoop and after I made the transition [to Sedlmayr’s had any money, so he would literally sleep Tupac and Marilyn Manson—it was a office] and had enough time to take on the on my couch, and we just figured it out.” good match.” role,” Rosenberg explained to HITS. For While finalizing Eminem’s deal with a time he did double-duty as both lawyer eanwhile, on the West Aftermath/Interscope, Rosenberg looked and manager to the rapper, but it was Coast, legendary hip- to experienced biz lawyer Theo Sedlmayr short-lived. “I handed Em over to Theo hop producer Dr. Dre for guidance. Sedlmayr not only mentored when things got too crazy,” he added. “I was attempting a career Rosenberg but would later rent office moved upstairs and opened my manage- renaissance after splitting space to the aspiring macher, who was ment company in 1999.” Along with flag- Macrimoniously from Death Row Records. now out of his day job at a personal- ship act Eminem, Goliath Artists has guid- With Jimmy Iovine’s guidance, Dre inevi- injury firm and newly flush from his ed the careers of rappers Action Bronson tably found what he was looking for. As Interscope deal. and Danny Brown (both of whom have legend has it, Iovine would play him cas- “Paul has always been a no nonsense, since become fixtures on TV). settes from his garage, scouring for talent straightforward businessman,” says As Eminem’s debut album, The Slim to help resurrect Dre’s career. On the rec- Eminem’s agent, Cara Lewis of the Cara Shady LP, arrived, Rosenberg’s team con- 200 sisted of Sedlmayr and the one-two punch executive Steve Berman were immortal- LP was sent into overdrive with Em’s of Iovine, one of the greatest creative ized in rap history as the suits fed up with feature on Dr. Dre’s single, “Forgot About executives in the record business, and Dre, the rapper’s antics. Dre,” for his long-awaited (Chronic) 2001 the perennial genius of hip-hop producers.