Hope Music Group (sometimes known plainly by the initials as, HMG) is a

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

ian

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

that mainly produces hip hop,

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

. It is distributed by

The Orchard The Orchard may refer to: * The Orchard (company), American music and entertainment company * The Orchard (band), Canadian country music duo * ''The Orchard'' (Lizz Wright album), 2008 * ''The Orchard'' (Ra Ra Riot album), 2010 * The Orchard (t ...

, a subsidiary of

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

. The label produces and distributes various artists as Locko, J-Rio, Fanicko, Dynastie le tigre, Michael Kiessou, Featurist, Duc-Z and record labels as White House Music, Tiger Production, MKO Music.
Hope Music Group was founded by Philippe Nkouaya in 2012. The label's first release was a mixtape by his music producer Philjohn.

History

2011 - 2014 : DeadZone Recordz to Hope Music

The company was founded in February

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

by Philippe Nkouaya and Anthony Gorby in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Ai ...

. But before the era, the premisces of the label was based on a previous label founded by Philippe and associates, DeadZone Recordz which was shutdown in 2011. Active independent label in

, the company developed many activities in order to offer a formula as

360 deal In the music industry, a 360 deal (from 360° deal) is a business relationship between an artist and a music industry company. The company agrees to provide financial and other support for the artist, including direct advances as well as support i ...

s (

music recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording te ...

, visual content production, development,

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

and

music publishing A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers started to play a role in the management of the intellect ...

). HMG signed independent artists as Michael Kiessou, Yvich and gained partnerships with

MTN Cameroon MTN Group Limited, formerly M-Cell, is a South African multinational mobile telecommunications company, operating in many African and Asian countries. Its head office is in Johannesburg. , MTN recorded 280 million subscribers, making it the ...

(AIM),

Putumayo World Music Putumayo World Music is a New Orleans-based record label that specializes in compilations of world music, jazz and blues. History Dan Storper founded Putumayo in 1975 as a retail store in New York City featuring handicrafts from around the wo ...

(Content connect Africa) .

2014 - 2016 : Sony Music/The Orchard Partnership

In April 2015, HMG entered an exclusive distributed deal with

's main distribution service company

The Orchard (company) The Orchard is an American music and entertainment company, specializing in media distribution, marketing, and sales. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music, based in New York City. In 2019, the company sold off its film and television division, whic ...

for a 4-year deal. HMG energized the breakthrough of Cameroonian urban music by managing artists and developing urban music styles in

and abroad.
The label catalog is rather modern, Pop,

Contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...

, world music,

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and hip-hop. The label released several projects such as Partage EP of Michael Kiessou, La loi de la nature of Dynastie le tigre and Parti De Rien of Georges Breezy.

2016 - present : Philjohn Investment Holding and restructuring

In November 2016, HMG had new shareholders such as HTD & Penthold, which bought the respective shares of Armel Nango and Philippe Nkouaya. HMG becomes a subsidiary of Henthold and joins the conglomerate with sister companies Hope Music Publishing, Hope Management & Consulting (HOMCO), YASHA Corp., Hope Clothing, Philjohn Technologies & Hope Entertainment Pictures (HentPix). In February 2017, an edition service is coupled with those of the label via the sister company Hope Music Publishing which has a catalog of more than 700 songs and added to that of HMG, brings back a catalog of more than 1000 songs. In November 2017 hope music group signs a distribution deal with a Gabonese label the node music through Kiss levray.

List of Hope Music Group labels & artists

In January 2017, the label subdivided its large catalog into 3 under separate labels, Binam Nation, Easy Hits Recordz & Bakwaaba Muzik. Each catalog has specific services and specializes in specific areas.

Artistes

;PRESENT * Andy Jemea * Dynastie le tigre * Featurist * Ghix * J-Rio * Kôba Building * Michael Kiessou * Sonia Kay * Vicky * Zyon Stylei * Peka (artiste) ;PRIOR ARTISTS * Fanicko, for

Trace TV Trace Urban (formerly MCM Africa then Trace TV) is a French pay-TV music video television channel owned by TPG Capital. It is the parent channel of the various Trace music channels. It is the third most distributed French television channel in t ...

* Kayla Lys * Locko, for

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

* Nelly Moukoko * Obeytheking * Tenor, for

* Valeri Williams, for Keyzit * Yvich

Publishing

;Artists * DJ Kessy * DJ Kriss * LMTY * Ovadoz * Philjohn * Tris ;Distributed Labels * King Kurtis Entertainment * Clovis Music * Tatco Group * LJ Music

Discography

2013 - 2016

*No More Stranger vol.1 – Philjohn * Jemea - Andy Jemea *

Partage Partage, from the French word "partager" meaning "to share," was a system put in place to divide up ownership of excavated artifacts during the early part of the 20th century. This system was mostly notably employed in Egypt, Iraq, Cyprus, Syria, ...

– Michael Kiessou * La Loi de la nature – Dynastie le tigre *Parti de rien – Georges Breezy * Partage Deluxe – Michael Kiessou *No More Stranger vol.2 – Philjohn * La loi de la nature (Deluxe Edition) – Dynastie le tigre

2017

* Mon Elan - Serum * Homog3ne – Dynastie le tigre * Kayfriends - Sonia Kay * Jabea (EP) - Yvich * Nomtema - Michael Kiessou

2018

* The Bridge - Locko * Blvck Roses – Kôba Building * Heros - J-Rio * Comme Une Etoile - Zyon Stylei * No Luv - LeHess * Point G - Ghix * Arrete Nous Si Tu Peux - Featurist * V3rsatile - Seoud Drums

Awards and recognition

References

{{Authority control Record labels established in 2012 Cameroonian independent record labels Mass media in Cameroon Culture in Douala Companies based in Douala