Barry Hankerson, the record executive and uncle of the late Aaliyah, is reviving Blackground Records, his old record label, rebranded as Blackground Records 2.0. The label is being revived after almost twelve years since its last release, and the head honcho of the label has already found its first lady, artist and singer Autumn Marini. According to The Shade Room, multiple streets in Atlanta were shut down on Saturday as the artist’s first music video was shot ahead of the label’s relaunch.
Hankerson told TSR that Autumn Marini is an artist that can’t be compared to anyone else in the game. He also shared that Blackground was moved to Atlanta, where he has been taking meetings with multiple artists who need the right platform to get their music out. This is ultimately what inspired Hankerson to bring back Blackground Records, in order to carry out the mission of pushing young artists. He said it is an especially good time to promote young talent.
Background Records has previously been responsible for discovering other artists like Tank and JoJo. Hankerson has past experience in managing big artists like Toni Braxton and the late Aaliyah, though it hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing for the 73-year-old executive. Both Braxton and JoJo have filed lawsuits against Hankerson in the past for issues in how they were managed under him, both of which came to settlements. The Instagram comments of The Shade Room post are also primarily calling for Hankerson to put his late niece’s music onto streaming platforms, as the majority of it has been largely unavailable in recent years.
Check out some behind the scenes footage of the music video shoot below. What do you think about the revival of Blackground Records?