Disgraced former Epic Records CEO LA Reid has signed a familiar face as the first artist to his new Hitco endeavor. Outkast’s Big Boi has become Hitco’s first artist, bringing the pair full circle.
It was LA Reid who first signed Outkast to Arista in the 1990s, and Reid reunited with Big Boi as a solo artist when he signed him to Def Jam over a decade later. At Epic, Big Boi released a collaborative album with electronic duo Phantogram under the Big Grams moniker in 2015. It makes sense for Big Boi to be the artist willing to give Reid a second chance. He already defended LA Reid after the initial news broke of the former CEO’s ouster from Epic.
However, that loyalty — whether or not its warranted — may not extend to other artists in the wake of the #MeToo movement and Reid’s ignominious departure from Epic. The longtime music business impresario was accused by multiple employees of sexual harassment and the company faced several rounds of firings and investigations for allegedly covering up Reid’s behavior.
Now Reid is trying to make a comeback after receiving funding for his new label, Hitco. Hitco has a distribution deal with Empire and is currently working the radio campaign for Big Boi’s 2017 single “All Night,” which appeared in an iPhone X commercial.
