Courtney Stewart
Courtney Stewart is the founder of Right Hand Music Group and Right Hand Foundation and co-founder of Keep Cool Records. He is an artist manager known for his work with multi-platinum global superstar Khalid, and is a record label executive, tech investor, real estate developer, and humanitarian.
Early Life and Career
Born 16 December 1981 in Atlanta, Stewart attended North Atlanta High School and Alabama State University.[1] An early friendship with fellow musician Bobby Wilson (now known as Bobby V) led him to become Bobby's manager when the latter's music career took off.[2] Later he ran Ludacris’ publishing company and managed hip-hop producers.[3]
2015–2019
Stewart discovered Khalid[4] in 2015-16 when the artist was still a teenager,[3] and went on to mentor and manage him beginning in 2016.[5] Following Khalid's breakout success, Stewart was included in Billboard's "40 Under 40: Music's Top Young Power Players" in 2017.[6]
In 2018, with Tunji Balogun (now CEO of Def Jam Recordings)[7] and two others, Stewart co-founded Keep Cool Records,[8] a joint venture with RCA Records.[9] Keep Cool's first signing was Normani of Fifth Harmony.[10] Its roster also includes Lucky Daye, VanJess, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, UMI, and Marzz.
In October 2018 Billboard included Stewart in its "21 Under 21" list.[11] Variety named him a Hitmaker in both 2018[12] and 2019.[13] Stewart and Khalid delivered the keynote Q&A at the 2019 Pollstar Live! conference.[14]
2020-Present
Stewart was a founding member and serves on the executive committee[2] of the Black Music Action Coalition, a nonprofit formed in 2020 to combat systemic racism in the music industry.[15] In 2020 Billboard included him on both its 2020 Power List[16] and its R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list, recognizing him for activism.[17]
Also in 2020, his Right Hand Music Group partnered with Techstars Music, an accelerator program for music-related startups. Right Hand became Techstars' first member company owned by a person of color.[18]
His management clients include Sinéad Harnett,[19] Wynne, Marzz, and South African R&B artist Elaine[20] in addition to Khalid.
Philanthropy
Stewart began supporting local Atlanta shelters in 2015,[21] buying and delivering Christmas gifts to local homeless shelters housed in hotels.[22] Inspired by this experience, in 2019 he founded the Right Hand Foundation, which provides free housing and educational programs to single mothers and their children in Atlanta.[23] The nonprofit launched its first "Right Hand Haven" housing in October 2019.[24]
Stewart also assisted Khalid in setting up the Great Khalid Foundation. He worked with Great Khalid when it donated $500,000 to the El Paso Community Foundation in El Paso, Texas in 2019[25] to aid children and grandchildren of victims of the 3 August 2019 mass murder at Walmart.
In 2020 the National Museum of African American Music appointed Stewart to its Board of Directors' first Music Industry Relations Committee,[26] and his Right Hand Foundation partnered with St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church-East Point to help support struggling families during the holiday season.[27]
In 2021 Billboard honored him as a Change Agent for helping the music community survive the COVID-19 pandemic and confront racial inequality.[28]
He is also committed to the advancement of HBCUs and was honored in October 2021 with an Alabama State University 50 Under 50 alumni award.
References
- Jewél Jackson (17 October 2018). "Courtney Stewart on success in the music industry: "Don't follow the dream. Set the dream."". Syracuse University. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Sarah Pittman (13 August 2020). "Voices Of Live: Courtney Stewart On Finding His Place In The Music Biz – 'This Is My Calling'". Pollstar. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Eric Renner Brown (15 April 2019). "'We Just Dream Big And Go After It': How Khalid & Manager Courtney Stewart Built A Streaming-Age Juggernaut". Pollstar. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "Khalid Is The Shooting Star Of The Playlist Era". NPR. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- "Khalid (Right Hand Music Group)". Hits Daily Double. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "40 Under 40: Music's Top Young Power Players Revealed". Billboard. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Motolani Alake (10 August 2021). "Tunji Balogun to become the new CEO of Def Jam". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Rhian Jones (9 April 2018). "RCA Announces Joint Venture With Keep Cool And CoFounder Tunji Balogun". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Ogden Payne (9 April 2018). "RCA Announces Joint Venture With Keep Cool And CoFounder Tunji Balogun". Forbes. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Gail Mitchell (9 April 2018). "Records: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Rob LeDonne (12 October 2018). "21 Under 21: How Managers for Billie Eilish, Khalid and Bhad Bhabie Keep Their Clients on the Right Path". Billboard. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "Variety's 2018 Hitmakers Revealed". Variety. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "The Hitmakers and Hitbreakers Who Defined the Sound of 2019". Variety. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Eric Renner Brown (15 February 2019). "Khalid, Manager Courtney Stewart Discuss Musician's Meteoric Rise In Pollstar Live! Keynote". Pollstar. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- Samantha Hissong (22 June 2020). "Meet the Music Industry's New Black Music Action Coalition". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "The 2020 Billboard Power List Revealed". Billboard. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "Revealed: Billboard's 2020 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players — In A Year of Activism". Billboard. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Bob Moczydlowsky (23 November 2020). "We Gotta Start Somewhere: Techstars Music Will Fund a More Equitable Music Business". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Sarah Jae Leiver (9 December 2020). "Sinéad Harnett & EARTHGANG Release 'Take Me Away' Video". Broadway World. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "Elaine (Columbia)". Hits Daily Double. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- Collin Kelley (30 October 2019). "Nonprofit Right Hand Foundation aims to revitalize homes for families in need". Reporter Newspaper & Atlanta Intown. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- CJ Johnson (11 October 2019). "Music Industry Vet Gives 'Right Hand' To Atlanta Single Moms". AtlantaFI. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Sean Richard Keenan (3 October 2019). "Atlanta music manager's nonprofit is linking single mothers with rent-free housing, education programs". Curbed. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "A Lil' Positivity: Right Hand Foundation Celebrates Launch Of First Haven For Single Mothers In Atlanta". Bossip. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Aaron Montes (14 September 2019). "Great Khalid Foundation opens office in El Paso with $500,000 donation for education". El Paso Times. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "National Museum of African American Music Announces the Appointment of Its Music Industry Relations Committee". Charleston Chronicle. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "SSMBC Partnership with Courtney Stewart Right Hand Foundation". YouTube. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- "Billboard Change Agents: Leaders Stepping Up In A Year of Turmoil". Billboard. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2022.