Jonny Shipes

Jonny Shipes is an American music entrepreneur and producer. Credited with discovering Nipsey Hussle, Joey Bada$$, Sean Kingston, Big K.R.I.T. and Smoke DZA. He is the founder and CEO of Cinematic Music Group, an independent record label, artist management, merchandise and music publishing company.

Shipes is also the co-founder of Smokers Club, a cannabis lifestyle brand and semi-annual music festival and tour, a partner in FELT, a streetwear line, and a donut shop in the Hamptons.

Early life and education

Shipes was born and raised in New York City. He heard hip-hop and rap for the first time when he was six, while attending a summer basketball camp, and "fell in love with the genre from the start." His taste extended beyond hip hop and rap, and in addition to the Geto Boys, Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Jay Z, OutKast, Nas, Scarface, and Snoop Dogg, he grew up listening to Guns N' Roses, Dido, Portishead, and Bjork.

Shipes was expelled from the military high school he attended during his sophomore year and moved to East Hampton, where his mother, Linda Shapiro, then lived. A star basketball player, he graduated from East Hampton High in 1998.

Career

DJ, promoter, manager

After he graduated, Shipes—who had DJed in high school—supported himself by DJing and cleaning pools. In 2000 he began to promote parties such as "One Shot," a Thursday night event at a club in Wainscott that drew 1000 people every week. At around the same time, he met Puff Daddy at a pick up basketball game; when the location of a retreat for Combs' Bad Boy Records staff fell through at the last minute, the company's head of marketing, Jameel Spencer, asked Shipes to help find an alternative site. He secured a new location for the retreat, and shortly thereafter Spencer hired Shipes as the first employee of Blue Flame, Combs' marketing company. At the same time, he was an A&R intern for Combs.

Shipes returned to New York City, and in addition to DJing, working his marketing gig at Blue Flame, and interning for Puffy, he produced and engineered recording sessions. He also managed DJs including DJ Felli Fel, DJ Spinbad and DJ Kay Slay, and at 22 became an artist manager, representing Foxy Brown and Nappy Roots, among others. He discovered and signed Smoke DZA in 2002. Over the next several years, Shipes managed artists including T-Pain, Brown, Nappy Roots, Big K.R.I.T., Joey BAdass, Cam’ron, and Sean Kingston.

Cinematic Music Group, Nipsey Hussle, Big K.R.I.T, Joey Bada$$, Flipp Dinero

In 2007, with Smoke DZA, Shipes founded Cinematic Music Group (CMG), named to reflect an artist's ability to convey visuals with music.

Sean Kingston's debut album was among Cinematic's first releases. Released in conjunction with Epic and JR Rotem's Beluga Heights, the album contained four hit singles, including " Beautiful Girls", a #1 hit on the Hot 100.

In 2008, Shipes met Nipsey Hussle, whose music was recommended by Felly Fel, a DJ an Shipes managed at the time. Shipes heard two of Hussle's songs on MySpace, and "instantly fell in love with the rawness, the message and his hard deliveries with sing-song hooks about the life he was living. He was painting pictures with every single word he spoke." A day later, Shipes was en route to L.A to meet Hussle. After several weeks of negotiations, Shipes signed Hustle to Cinematic. Both a management and recording deal. Shipes worked on ''Bullets Ain’t Got No Name'' ''Vol 1'', ''Vol. 2'' and ''Vol 3'', producing "Strapped", "I dont give a fucc" & "Hussle in the House". He remained close to Hussle until his death in March 2019.

Shipes met and signed Big K.R.I.T in 2010, and discovered Joey Bada$$ in 2012. Shipes signed Bada$$ and Pro Era, named for his Brooklyn crew, shortly after they met. Cinematic released his mixtape ''1999'' in June 2012. Bada$$ released his debut album, '' B4.Da.$$'' in 2015. It entered the ''Billboard'' charts at #5.

Shipes signed Flipp Dinero in 2016, and in 2017 Cinematic released his debut tape '' The Guala Way''. In 2018 Dinero had a multi-platinum single, “Leave Me Alone." Luh Kel, Abby Jasmine, Mick Jenkins, Slayter, Yungeen Ace, and Jaydayoungan also signed with Shipes during the latter part of the 2010s. He co-produced Luh Kel's platinum single "Wrong," as well as his gold single "Pull Up."

Smokers Club, FELT, NYC Together, ''Munchies''

In 2009 Shipes, Smoke DZA and Shiest Bubz founded the Smokers Club, a cannabis lifestyle company, and Smokers Club Records. Merging their love for music with their love for cannabis, the first Smokers Club show took place in Austin Texas during SXSW at the Fire Engine House. DZA, Devin the Dude, Big K.R.I.T., Wiz Khalifa, Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar performed. In 2010, Shipes, his business partner Steve-O Brown, Smoke DZA and Shiest Bubz subsequently launched the Smokers Club Tour. Shipes personally financed the first ''Smoker's Club'' tour.

Shipes is a partner in FELT, a New York-centric streetwear line.

A "pro stoner and amateur cook," Shipes has appeared on the ''Vice'' series ''Munchies''. He has attempted to make food including donuts, shrimp and grits, and pizza rolls in "Recipe for Disaster" segments, and hosted several episodes of ''Drunk Eats.''

Shipes raised money in partnership with NYC Together during the early part of the Coronavirus pandemic by offering a singles contract to unsigned artists and charging a $20 submission fee for each entry. The submission fees were used to pay for learning devices and home tutors for kids in Brooklyn who were quarantined.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipes, Jonny
1980 births
American hip hop record producers
Record producers from New York (state)
Businesspeople from New York City
21st-century American businesspeople
African-American company founders
Businesspeople in the cannabis industry
American restaurateurs
American fashion businesspeople
People from East Hampton (town), New York
American hip hop DJs
American music managers
Living people
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people