Steve Rifkind-The father of the Street Team ! Edit

Steve Rifkind (born in New York, March 2, 1962) is a hip-hop pioneer who founded the legendary rap label Loud Records, home of the Wu-Tang Clan, and coined the term “The Street Team” (which he holds the patent on) for his innovative grass-roots marketing approach to breaking records (and movies, clothes, cell phones, sneakers, etc.). The concept of creating a regional buzz that mushrooms into a national, even worldwide, story has now increased virally with the digital age, proof of Rifkind’s foresight.

During his quarter-century in the music business, the 44-year-old exec and fan has always had one foot firmly planted in the street and the other in the boardroom of corporate America.

Rifkind was introduced to rap when he hit the road to promote seminal records like the Fatback Band’s “King Tim III” and early Russell Simmons client Jimmy Spicer’s “Dollar Bill Y’All” for his father Jules Rifkind’s R&B label, Spring Records, in the early ‘80s.

Traveling to local colleges to spread the word about his acts, Rifkind developed the revolutionary guerilla marketing concept he’d launch almost 10 years later as The Street Team under the banner of the Steve Rifkind Company, creating comprehensive campaigns for clients like HBO, T-Mobile (Sidekick), MGM Pictures, Nike, DreamWorks and Quiksilver.

Rifkind founded Loud Records in 1992, launching such acts as the Wu-Tang Clan, Big Pun, Mobb Deep, Raekwon and Xzibit. Branching into other areas, he made deals with a film studio (Dimension/Miramax) and a talent agency (Mosaic Media Group) to further the Loud, SRC and Street Team brands. During his younger days he was a good friend of another hip hop pioneer Russell Simmons, Simmons was a great fan of Rifkind helping him establish the reputation he enjoys as being one of the most powerful music executives in the industry. Rifkind started Loud Records in 1992 as the first bicoastal hip-hop label, bringing in brother Jonathan and childhood friend Rich Isaacson to help run it. The label’s impact was immediate, with Wu-Tang Clan and Big Pun leading the way.

Rifkind started up Street Records Corporation (SRC) label at Universal Records in 2002. His very first release, David Banners Mississippi: The Album, went on to sell one million worldwide. Akon’s second album Konvicted (the first was entitled Trouble) sold three million world-wide and Rifkind promises his second album will easily top that. His latest find, Remy Ma, has just come out with her debut, “There’s Something About Remy: Based on a True Story”, which Rifkind predicts will be the biggest solo female rap album of all time (The album fell off the Billboard 200 in just three weeks and has even been removed from some stores because of its disappointing sales).

Rifkind has just started another label, now dubbed SRC2, though he’d like to call it Soul Kitchen, through a production and distribution deal with Universal. Artists on the new label will be marketed aggressively through the brand associations and retail relationships generated his partner, Jordan Zimmerman, who has also taken over the day-to-day operations of Z Magic, the latest incarnation of Rifkind’s Street Team concept, which includes former Laker great Earvin Magic Johnson. “The record business might not be selling product like it did in the mid-to-late 90s,” says Rifkind. “But to be independent like we are, and partnering up with the right brand, you can still make money. Music is special. Its appeal will never go away.”

Rifkind’s passion for music and how to market it has never been stronger. He’s already inked two more talents to follow in the footsteps of Wu-Tang, David Banner and Akon in a Chicago youngster named Magic Massey, whom he describes as Ron Isley meets Marvin Gaye and a young diva named Melissa. “These arent rappers,” explains Rifkind. “They’re crossover pop-soul records. You have never heard voices like these. I haven’t been this excited since I was a kid.” For Steve Rifkind, whose accomplishments at such a young age are impressive enough,[citation needed] that’s not really saying anything at all.

Since Loud was absorbed into Sony Music, Rifkind formed the Street Records Corporation (SRC) with Universal Records in March, 2003, and has had three breakout acts in his first three years with David Banner, Akon and female rapper Remy Ma.

His latest project is Kids Block, a 22-episode “educational puppet show” that he describes as “Sesame Street and Schoolhouse Rock on steroids,” an Urban take on children’s programming developed by noted music producers the Trackmasters. Among his partners is Jordan Zimmerman, head of the Omnicom Group company Zimmerman Advertising, the 17th largest agency in the U.S., with clients like Office Depot, Wickes Furniture, Musicland and the Vitamin Shoppe. Zimmerman and former Laker great Earvin “Magic” Johnson are also Rifkind’s partners in the marketing company Z Magic, the latest incarnation of The Street Team.

Steve Rifkind has always had his finger on the pulse of youth culture, able to anticipate the trends and develop business strategies to take good advantage of that. Find out what’s coming next from this creative entrepreneur, who is equally at home finding new talent and marketing it for success.

steve and Universal Music Group have recently acquired Loud Records back from SonyBMG and will be relaunching the label as steve’s prime hiphop label.