RECORD COMPANY ARTIST MANGEMENT MUSIC PRODUCTION CONCERT & COMEDY PROMOTION
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| John Jackson CEO of Quad 4 Entertainment |
[The Divine Spark]
" At that time radio stations had most DJ's that played in major clubs call in each week and report their top 10 records in the club. This was how the radio stations knew the records they should be playing. So if you were a radio reporting DJ which I was, you became valuable to the the record companies, because the record companies would ask you to report their songs to the radio station in your top 10 records and they would send you all the promotional copies before anyone else got them. Therefore you were their priority. Then the record company promotional people would call you each week to see how their records would be doing in your club. after awhile, I began to build a rapport with all the record company promoters and landed a few positions at some independent record labels. One of those labels was Specific Records. While at Specific Records I was part of the production team that scored a #1 worldwide rap song, which is a old school classic today titled ' What People Do For Money ' and that is how I got into the industry" - JJ
' What People Do For Money '
was ' the hit ' for: Divine Sounds, who represented Bed-Stuy, Brookyln; Specific Records; and John Jackson. Everybody respected the song, it had substance. But John Jackson was just getting his feet wet.
" There is no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation hard work, and learning from failure. " - Colin Powell
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| RUN-DMC Exhibit-A |
He also promoted Lisa Lisa & the Cult Jam and she had quite a few hits like: 'Take You Home' - 84', 'Can You Feel The Beat' - 85', ' Head To Toe ' - 87'; Evelyn Champagne King released her first album in 77 ' Smooth Talk ' which included the hit, ' Shame ', which was one of her biggest hits, she also had ' Love Come Down ' - 82', and others ; Robin S and her smash 'Show Me Love ' - 93' ; New Edition with ' Mr. Telephone Man ' - 84', ' If It Isn't Love ' - 88' an array of work ; he helped discover the R&B group Today, who ended up on Motown Records and that is just naming a few of the musical groups he has promoted, participated in production or managed.
B.M.: Who Introduced you to the game?
John Jackson: 'Stan Price' R.I.P. He was the SR Vice President at Delite Records. Home of Kool & the Gang.
B.M.: Did you have a mentor?
John Jackson: No I never had a mentor. I was always opening up my own opportunities. I paved my own way. Everybody that I knew would always say they were going to help me, but when the time came, they were no where to be found. Therefore I learned to be very independent.
B.M.: What did you come in as: dj, assistant mixer, musician, promoter...?
John Jackson: I came in the business as a DJ & Promoter. I use to promote parties, concerts and comedy shows at colleges, clubs & roller rinks.
B.M.: Who did you start with and were they a band, crew, production team?
John Jackson: I started with 'Divine Sounds' with their #1 hit "What People Do For Money" Then I discovered and managed a singing group from Englewood, NJ called ' The Gents '. They landed a production deal with ' Teddy Riley ' and got signed to Motown Records. Motown changed the name of the group to ' Today ' and their hit songs were " Him or Me ", " Why You Get Funky On Me " from the ' House Party ' movie and " Girl I Got My Eyes On You ". Then I managed and went on tour with the Platinum selling group ' Soul for Real ' who was produced by rapper ' Heavy D ' [R.I.P.]. Their hits songs were, the #1 song " Candy Rain ", " Every Little Thing I Do ", and " If You Want It "
B.M.: 84' Divine Sounds - " What People Do For Money ". Please spill a lil more information. Classic!
John Jackson : I was working for a record company called Specific Records when record promoter ' Jerry Bloodrock ' Who also had a rap group ' Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three ' They had a hit called " I'm On The Request Line ". Jerry brought us a demo on a cassette tape of " What People Do For Money " and that same night I took the tape home [which I still have the tape] and I listen to it about 100 times because the hook was so catchy. I started thinking to myself, ' Wow the lyrics will capture the imagination of the public and everyone can relate to this. This could be a major hit! ' keep in mind during this era, a lot of rap song had socially conscience lyrics like " The Message " from Grandmaster Flash & Public Enemy and many others. The next day I sat with the owner of the record label and played the song for him and told him we gotta sign this group. He agreed, then we both agreed that the song needed a major production overhaul. The following week we hired 3 professional background singers to come in the studio and sing the hook. And I remember it was snowing like crazy and we couldn't get home that night [until the morning]. We finished the song and the rest was history. A #1 hit record.
B.M.: In 85' you promoted RUN-DMC, " It's Like That " and " Sucka MCs ". How was that experience?
John Jackson: I was one of the first concert promoters to promote a ' RUNDMC ' concert when they released their first hits " It's like That " & " Sucka MCs ". Other artists on the bill was DJ Starsky, who had a hit out titled " You Gotta Believe " and a female by the name of ' Gigolette ' who also had a hit " Games Females Play ". Some of the other concerts I promoted back in the day, were ' Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam ', when the hit " I Wonder If I Can Take You Home " was out, Evelyn ' Champagne ' King ' when " I'm In Love " was a hit, ' New Edition ', ' Robin S ' " You Gotta Show Me Love " just to name a few.
He is not only a producer, musician, dj, promoter, manager and so on, in the music industry. John Jackson worked with the best comedians in the game.
Play2Win
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| Yes that is ' Soul for Real ' & others Exhibit-B |
To be the best you have to know the best, best the best, associate with the best, compete with/against the best: be managed by the best, be promoted by the best. What I am saying is that John Jackson has associated and worked with the best and they know they have to associate with, work with the best because money is on the line. Many of the acts that he aligned with were from the ground up. Are you listening? Bucephalus Media brings you one of the best, John Jackson. John Jackson's resume speaks volumes. Initially, Bucephalus Media was only going to write a blog on the artist Jali, which was introduced by John Jackson. But after researching, and findings, a more profitable angle struck my senses. I confronted Mr Jackson, we agreed then altered the angle. The blogs Bucephalus Media puts forth are the best we can give. Quality over Quanity! Bucephalus Media and John Jackson chops it up. We go into his past, we venture into his present day project and we go into the future, Let's Ride!
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| Quad 4 Entertainment |
John Jackson: 'Stan Price' R.I.P. He was the SR Vice President at Delite Records. Home of Kool & the Gang.
B.M.: Did you have a mentor?
John Jackson: No I never had a mentor. I was always opening up my own opportunities. I paved my own way. Everybody that I knew would always say they were going to help me, but when the time came, they were no where to be found. Therefore I learned to be very independent.
B.M.: What did you come in as: dj, assistant mixer, musician, promoter...?
John Jackson: I came in the business as a DJ & Promoter. I use to promote parties, concerts and comedy shows at colleges, clubs & roller rinks.
B.M.: Who did you start with and were they a band, crew, production team?
John Jackson: I started with 'Divine Sounds' with their #1 hit "What People Do For Money" Then I discovered and managed a singing group from Englewood, NJ called ' The Gents '. They landed a production deal with ' Teddy Riley ' and got signed to Motown Records. Motown changed the name of the group to ' Today ' and their hit songs were " Him or Me ", " Why You Get Funky On Me " from the ' House Party ' movie and " Girl I Got My Eyes On You ". Then I managed and went on tour with the Platinum selling group ' Soul for Real ' who was produced by rapper ' Heavy D ' [R.I.P.]. Their hits songs were, the #1 song " Candy Rain ", " Every Little Thing I Do ", and " If You Want It "
B.M.: 84' Divine Sounds - " What People Do For Money ". Please spill a lil more information. Classic!
John Jackson : I was working for a record company called Specific Records when record promoter ' Jerry Bloodrock ' Who also had a rap group ' Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three ' They had a hit called " I'm On The Request Line ". Jerry brought us a demo on a cassette tape of " What People Do For Money " and that same night I took the tape home [which I still have the tape] and I listen to it about 100 times because the hook was so catchy. I started thinking to myself, ' Wow the lyrics will capture the imagination of the public and everyone can relate to this. This could be a major hit! ' keep in mind during this era, a lot of rap song had socially conscience lyrics like " The Message " from Grandmaster Flash & Public Enemy and many others. The next day I sat with the owner of the record label and played the song for him and told him we gotta sign this group. He agreed, then we both agreed that the song needed a major production overhaul. The following week we hired 3 professional background singers to come in the studio and sing the hook. And I remember it was snowing like crazy and we couldn't get home that night [until the morning]. We finished the song and the rest was history. A #1 hit record.
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| Lisa LISA & Cult Jam Exhibit-C |
B.M.: In 85' you promoted RUN-DMC, " It's Like That " and " Sucka MCs ". How was that experience?
John Jackson: I was one of the first concert promoters to promote a ' RUNDMC ' concert when they released their first hits " It's like That " & " Sucka MCs ". Other artists on the bill was DJ Starsky, who had a hit out titled " You Gotta Believe " and a female by the name of ' Gigolette ' who also had a hit " Games Females Play ". Some of the other concerts I promoted back in the day, were ' Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam ', when the hit " I Wonder If I Can Take You Home " was out, Evelyn ' Champagne ' King ' when " I'm In Love " was a hit, ' New Edition ', ' Robin S ' " You Gotta Show Me Love " just to name a few.
He is not only a producer, musician, dj, promoter, manager and so on, in the music industry. John Jackson worked with the best comedians in the game.
"I have promoted many comedy shows featuring comedians as seen on the Bet's ' Comic View ', ' Def Comedy Jam ', P.Diddy's ' Bad Boys of Comedy ' and Martin Lawerence's ' First Amendment ' . I have worked with DL Hughley , Michael Blackson from the movie ' Next Friday ' and ' Repo Man ' Talent the former host for ' Showtime At The Apollo ', Tony Roberts who is now in a new TV sitcom called ' Mr. Box office ' on the CW Network, Roz G from NBC's ' Last Comic Standing ', Robert Stapleton 'who played Jay Z in the movie ' Death Of A Dynasty ', Kool Bubba Ice of ' Bet's Comic View ' and Def Jam, Capone from the ' Shaq Allstar Comedy Tour ', Smokey Swarez on ' The Mike Epps Tour" and More" JJ
Comedians: Hamburger, Capone, Kool Bubba Ice; and JJ
He started off as a musician became a DJ/Promoter, got into managing... And now he has his own record company,
John Jackson: Yes I am Always looking for new talent. I am looking for Young R&B & Rap artists with a different sound. Bottom line - Artists with good music.
B.M.: The floor is yours..
John Jackson: I would like to thank all of the people that has supported Me and Quad 4 Entertainment over the years without your support we would'nt have been able to last in this ever changing music business. In the near future you can look forward to more hit artists and great entertainment from us. For further info contact us at Quad4Promotions@aol.com.
