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Wikipedia

James Prince

January 01, 1970

"James L. Smith" redirects here. For the author of the 1881 slave narrative, see James Lindsay Smith.
For the Gospel Soca artiste and music producer from Trinidad and Tobago, see J Prince.

James Prince (born James L. Smith, also referred to as J. Prince, or Lil J.[1]) (born October 31, 1965) is an American music executive, promoter and manager. He is the CEO and co-founder of the Houston based record label Rap-A-Lot.

J. Prince
Born
James L. Smith

(1965-10-31) October 31, 1965 (age 58)
Houston, Texas
Other names
  • Lil J
Occupations
Years active1986–present
Musical career
Genres
Labels

Prince is known as one of the 'godfathers of the rap music industry',[2][3] and inspired other southern hip hop label executives including Birdman of Cash Money Records and Master P of No Limit Records. Artists that have had careers shaped by him included Scarface, Geto Boys and Bun B.[4]

Smith and his son Jas are also known for introducing Canadian rapper Drake to Lil Wayne and helping Drake sign to Young Money Entertainment in 2009. He has also managed prolific boxers such as Andre Ward, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Shakur Stevenson.

Early life edit

Prince was born to 16 year old mother Sharon Johnson with an older sister Zenia and younger half-brother Thelton. They grew up in Fifth Ward, Houston's 'Bloody Nickel' apartments which were known for cocaine use and poverty.[5] He played football and had an entrepreneurial spirit since a young age. From the age of 7 years old he would mow his neighbours yards in Shady Acres, play craps, sell stolen marijuana plants, and work on a welding truck for money.[3][6]

His sister died from getting hit by a train while walking home from school. Amongst other turbulence, friends and family were going to jail while Prince was rotating from school to school and between different homes. He graduated from Kashmere High School.[7]

Career edit

Prince was working as a bank teller in 1985 in the fault department, then getting laid off at the age of 20.[7][8] The initial goal prior to the label was to keep his younger stepbrother known as the rapper Sir Rap-A-Lot out of street life, as well as friends Raheem and Jukebox from skipping school. They would meet on the porch of his grandmothers house to perform and practice.[6] After purchasing an abandoned building, he turned the property into a used car dealership, known as Smith Auto Sales on the west side of Houston. At first he sold bucket cars,then moving on to exotic cars which athletes would come and purchase.[7] The same rundown two-story building that Prince owned, was where the artists then moved on to record into during 1986.[9]

Prince co-founded Rap-A-Lot Records with Cliff Blodget, a Seattleite,[9][10][11] in 1987. Bloget was a computer science major,[8] who was an electrical engineer by trade and acted as the label's in-house engineer and producer alongside fellow producer Carl Stephenson.[12][9] Prince used his last bit of funds to invest into the label. He was inspired by Russell Simmons and the label he co-founded Def Jam Recordings. He moved the company in 1988 to New York City with Blodget. Around this time Lyor Cohen would show Prince check books of Def Jam artists LL Cool J and Whodini which showed him the potential revenue to be made in the music industry enlightening him to continue his vision with the Geto Boys moving the whole label back to Houston.[7][6]

The first group he formed in the label was the Geto Boys. Prince found members Bushwick Bill when he was performing as a dancer at a club, Willie D through the recommendation of his barber,[1] and Scarface in the parking lot of a club he owned playing demos to a DJ who worked there. His brother was a member but then was replaced at Prince's discretion with Scarface. This was confirmed from a freestyle battle against each other where Scarface outperformed Sir Rap-A-Lot, with the younger brother then agreeing that was the better direction for the group also.[6] Using local radio stations like KTSU to spread the reach of the label's music,[13] his first deal came in 1989 via Rick Rubin working with the Geto Boys on their 2nd album Grip It! On That Other Level.[5]

Geffen Records who had been working with Rubin pulled the project a week before its release to the lyrical nature of the album, despite claims of racism and hypocrisy made by the Geto Boys and the fact that independently the album already had sold over 500,000 copies.[14] The controversy lead to Rubin splitting from Geffen and signing with Warner Records with the album being pushed there instead, it tripled the total sales of the project.

Prior to the success of Ice Ice Baby, Prince wanted to sign rapper Vanilla Ice after seeing him perform in 1990 at The Summit. He did not follow through as a result of his business partner Blodget feeling that the artist lacked talent.[15]

Prince signed a deal with Priority Records in 1991 for distribution,[5] releasing the Geto Boys third album We Can't Be Stopped.[10] By the mid-1990s co-founder Blodget had parted ways from Rap-A-Lot.[12] In 1995 Prince signed the next distribution deal with Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records.[10]

During the 1990s, two DEA agents placed a probe on Prince and his label, believing the label was a front for a major trafficking network. At this time a concept for a music distribution label that would have acted dually as a union for recording artists was being planned between Prince, Suge Knight, and Irv Gotti which was eventually cancelled. The two agents were later convicted of corrupt conduct.[16][17][18][19]

While the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was going on, Prince had suggested out of concern that The Notorious B.I.G. and manager Puff Daddy leave Los Angeles for their safety, weeks before the 1997 murder of the rapper.[20]

During Destiny's Child formative years in the early 1990s, Prince was approached by Mathew Knowles and one of their managers asking if he would join in, but he declined as their sound did not match his more hip-hop oriented label.[2] Decades later another opportunity came to his 19-year-old son Jas who had reached out to Lil Wayne and Bun B, alerting him of the singer Drake after finding him on Myspace,[21] suggesting they collaborate together which lead to a label deal with Lil Wayne and features with Bun B on the albums So Far Gone and Trill OG.[3][15] Jas and Prince Sr. were listed as executive producers or contributors for points on Drake's Thank Me Later, Nothing Was the Same, and other follow up projects as a result of the introduction, as well as entitlement to 33% of his earnings.[22]

On February 13, 2015, Prince uploaded a spoken word diss track entitled "Courtesy Call" as a response to Sean Combs for a conflict he had involving Young Money artist Drake.[23]

In 2018 Prince released his autobiography The Art & Science of Respect: A Memoir with a foreword written by Drake.[21] In the spring of 2018 after the release of The Story of Adidon, Prince advised Drake not to respond to Pusha T helping deescalate the issue between the two parties.[24]

In 2021 Prince helped revive Drake and Kanye West's relationship with the goal of all three coming together to help Larry Hoover by raising awareness on incarceration in the United States. They threw a benefit concert in December 2021 with support for judicial reform advocacy groups.[25] The concert was at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and produced by DONDA, ITC Entertainment, and PHNTM. It was played in select IMAX theatres, including Grauman's Chinese Theatre, while being streamed on Amazon's Music and Prime Video services.[26]

In March 2022 Prince boycotted the Grammy Awards over Kanye West having been banned from attending.[27]

In November 2022, after the death of rapper Takeoff in Houston, Prince issued condolences[28] and set up a memorial at the site of the incident.[29]

Boxing edit

Prince was an avid fan of boxing growing up, being an amateur fighter and a fan of promoter Don King.[6] He became a manager for boxers as a way to get into that industry. He opened a boxing gym in Fifth Ward, Houston around 1999 known as JPrince Boxing which later became part of the multi-million dollar Prince Boxing Complex,[3] under the umbrella of Prince Boxing Enterprises.[30] Prince had the intention of meeting Mike Tyson in Las Vegas to manage the boxer, he was instead approached by Floyd Mayweather Jr. who was also a fan of his label. After being ignored by Tyson, Prince decided to go with managing Mayweather.[4] They settled on a 20% deal which was 10% higher than the management deal he had with his father Floyd Mayweather Sr. supervising, as well as the potential opportunity to start a rap career over at his record label.[31] The management relationship ended in 2003 due to financial differences between the two.

Prince managed Andre Ward after the 2004 Summer Olympics, in 2002 Prince called Ward after hearing he was about to quit boxing due to the passing of his father but convinced him to continue his career. They split ways in 2008 due to financial issues also, with each filing a lawsuit with each other over the matter in 2008.[4]

Prince has supervised the careers of 15 other boxers, leading some of them to their biggest victories, including Winky Wright, Jared Anderson, Roy Jones Jr., Diego Corrales, Mark Johnson, Duke Ragan, Efe Ajagba and Hasim Rahman.[32][4][3]

Other ventures edit

In 2006 Prince founded condom company Strapped, after a close friend contracted HIV drastically going from 300 pounds to 75 pounds, passing away afterwards. He had the idea for the company since 2002. The company primarily served the Houston area, educating youth about HIV/AIDS prevention and hosting events set up to address the issue of AIDS in the Black community,[33] and has been represented by artists like Lil Wayne.[34]

For over two decades Prince has operated a 1200-acre ranch for raising black angus cattle and hay.[6][3]

In 2020 he launched Loyalty, a liquor and wine brand.[35][3]

Philanthropy edit

In January 2007, Houston Mayor Bill White and the City Council honored Prince for over 20 years of commitment and dedication to the city.[30] The result of the proclamation named an official James Prince Day in Houston. The recognition came after a recreation center Prince built in Houston's 5th Ward. The facility has since been used to host events relating to Christmas, Thanksgiving, and back to school events.[13]

In 2007 his condom company Strapped gave over 7,500 free HIV tests for people aged 18–24 at the Hip-Hop 4 HIV concert at Reliant Stadium.[33]

In December 2007 Prince donated $100,000 to Bread of Life's Meals that Heal program in Houston.[36]

Legacy edit

In June 2010, J Prince was honored alongside Master P, Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland, and Slick Rick at the VH1 7th annual Hip Hop Honors Awards for both his creative contributions and his philanthropic ventures.[37]

In 2011, a limited edition DVD box set was released by Rap-A-Lot with appearances from several rappers, including Rick Ross and Young Jeezy and industry execs such as Lyor Cohen, Russell Simmons among several others praising Prince.[38]

In 2019 Prince received an honorary doctorate degree in the form of a doctorate of humane letters from Texas Southern University. This was received in part to his commitment at the university giving guest lectures to students, offering Rap-A-Lot internships, and endowed scholarships to their students in need of financial assistance.[39][13]

Personal life edit

Prince has 7 children, including 3 sons, J Prince Jr., Jas, and Jay "Baby Jay" who also work in the music and boxing industries.[3][21] He has been married to his wife since the late 1980s.[30]

Prince Sr. is a practicing Christian.[20][13] Prince has an island in Belize known as the Prince Island.[6][7]

At the age of 23 he purchased a house for his mother and a 30 acre ranch.[3]

Discography edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Chadbourne, Eugene. "James "Lil. J." Smith Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  2. ^ a b Donahue, Ann (2018-12-05). "James Prince Opens Up About Drake and Beyonce". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Behind the scenes with Houston rap royalty, the Prince family". Dazed. 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  4. ^ a b c d Woodyard, Eric (2021-10-22). "How J. Prince helped bring Floyd Mayweather, Andre Ward and now Shakur Stevenson to boxing glory". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  5. ^ a b c "'It Was Like Flies To Honey': 25 Years Of Rap-A-Lot Records". NPR.org. 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Kenner, Rob (2011-12-04). "Interview: J. Prince Talks About The Rise Of Rap-A-Lot Records". Complex. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  7. ^ a b c d e Knapp, Gwendolyn (2018-10-22). "James Prince Has Made It". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  8. ^ a b "The Geto Boys, Beating the Murder Rap". Washington Post. 1991-12-15. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  9. ^ a b c "Pen & Pixel: The Graphic Design Duo That Helped Bling Hip-Hop". Red Bull Music Academy Daily. 2019-08-13. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  10. ^ a b c Patoski, Joe Nick (2013-01-21). "Money in the Making". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  11. ^ "Brewer's Ads Rapped". Washington Post. 1991-09-04. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  12. ^ a b Rowland, Hobart (1997-12-04). "Static". Houston Press. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  13. ^ a b c d "Texas Southern University - Texas Southern to recognize James Prince with Honorary Degree". Home. 2011-12-19. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  14. ^ Pareles, John (August 28, 1990). "Distributor Withdraws Rap Album Over Lyrics". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  15. ^ a b Miller, Jeff (2016-03-18). "Bun B Interviews Rap-A-Lot Records Founder James Prince at SXSW 2016 Keynote". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  16. ^ "Former DEA Special Agent Sentenced to Over 13 Years in Prison for Corruption-Related Charges". Department of Justice. 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  17. ^ McConnaughey, Janet (2021-08-12). "Former DEA agent sentenced to 13 years in corruption case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  18. ^ Lilah, Rose (2020-12-23). "J. Prince Details How DEA Targeted Him, Suge Knight & Irv Gotti Over Black-Owned Distribution Business". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  19. ^ Markman, Rob (2011-10-10). "Irv Gotti And Suge Knight Planned To Unionize Artists - News". MTV. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  20. ^ a b Payne, Ogden (2018-07-30). "Inside The Entrepreneurial Rise Of Rap-A-Lot Records CEO James Prince". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  21. ^ a b c Penrose, Nerisha (2018-06-07). "Read the Foreword Drake Penned For J. Prince's 'The Art & Science of Respect'". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  22. ^ Caldwell, Brandon (2015-02-17). "A Brief History of Houston Rap Executive J. Prince Defending Everyone from The Geto Boys to Drake". Vice. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  23. ^ Thompson, Paul (2015-02-12). "Rap-A-Lot CEO J. Prince Defends Drake, Disses Diddy in New Record". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  24. ^ Saponara, Michael (2018-10-18). "J. Prince on 'Rules' for the Drake & Pusha T Feud: 'You Would Want It to Be Some Rules'". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  25. ^ "Kanye West and Drake were sworn enemies. Then J. Prince stepped in". Los Angeles Times. 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  26. ^ "Kanye and Drake go big: How to watch their 'Free Larry Hoover' concert in L.A." Los Angeles Times. 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  27. ^ Fitzgerald, Trent (2022-03-22). "J Prince Calls on Kanye West, Drake, Nicki Minaj and Others to Hold Hip-Hop Show Same Night as the Grammys". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  28. ^ Price, Joe (2022-11-03). "J. Prince Offers Condolences and Addresses Takeoff's Death". Complex. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  29. ^ Blake, Cole (2022-11-13). "J. Prince Sets Up Memorial At Site Of Takeoff's Death". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  30. ^ a b c City Council Chamber, City Hall, Tuesday, January 30, 2007
  31. ^ "Mayweathers' Rift Beyond Help". Los Angeles Times. 2001-01-13. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  32. ^ Satterfield, Lem (2005-02-24). "Accomplished Prince to manage Rahman". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  33. ^ a b Serrano, Shea (2008-03-05). "Strapped-a-Lot". Houston Press. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  34. ^ Johnson, Nate (2008-03-01). "Strapped Condoms Taps Lil Wayne for Campaign AVN". AVN. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  35. ^ "Money, Power, Respect: Catching up with the multitalented J. Prince". New Pittsburgh Courier. 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  36. ^ "Rap-A-Lot Founder J Prince Donates $100,000 to Meals that Heal Program". XXL Mag. 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  37. ^ Newswire, PR (2010-05-10). "'2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South' To Premiere On VH1 Monday, June 7 at 9PM ET/PT --Actor/Comedian Craig Robinson ("The Office") Will Host --Taped from NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom And Featuring Honorees Jermaine Dupri, J Prince of Rap-A-Lot Records". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  38. ^ Kenner, Rob (2011-11-22). "J. Prince Speaks On Rap-A-Lot Anniversary and Doing The Drake Deal". Complex. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  39. ^ Young, Matt (2019-05-14). "TSU to give Rap-A-Lot founder J. Prince honorary doctorate degree". Chron. Retrieved 2022-11-07.

Further reading edit

  • James Prince; Jasmine D. Waters; Pilar Sanders (2018). The Art & Science of Respect: A Memoir by James Prince. N-The-Water Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9998-3701-6.

January 01, 1970
james, prince, james, smith, redirects, here, author, 1881, slave, narrative, james, lindsay, smith, gospel, soca, artiste, music, producer, from, trinidad, tobago, prince, born, james, smith, also, referred, prince, born, october, 1965, american, music, execu. James L Smith redirects here For the author of the 1881 slave narrative see James Lindsay Smith For the Gospel Soca artiste and music producer from Trinidad and Tobago see J Prince James Prince born James L Smith also referred to as J Prince or Lil J 1 born October 31 1965 is an American music executive promoter and manager He is the CEO and co founder of the Houston based record label Rap A Lot J PrinceBornJames L Smith 1965 10 31 October 31 1965 age 58 Houston TexasOther namesLil JOccupationsMusic executive music manager investor boxing manager entrepreneur A amp RYears active1986 presentMusical careerGenresHip hopLabelsRap A Lot Fontana Virgin Noo Trybe Asylum RED Prince is known as one of the godfathers of the rap music industry 2 3 and inspired other southern hip hop label executives including Birdman of Cash Money Records and Master P of No Limit Records Artists that have had careers shaped by him included Scarface Geto Boys and Bun B 4 Smith and his son Jas are also known for introducing Canadian rapper Drake to Lil Wayne and helping Drake sign to Young Money Entertainment in 2009 He has also managed prolific boxers such as Andre Ward Floyd Mayweather Jr and Shakur Stevenson Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Boxing 2 2 Other ventures 3 Philanthropy 4 Legacy 5 Personal life 6 Discography 7 References 8 Further readingEarly life editPrince was born to 16 year old mother Sharon Johnson with an older sister Zenia and younger half brother Thelton They grew up in Fifth Ward Houston s Bloody Nickel apartments which were known for cocaine use and poverty 5 He played football and had an entrepreneurial spirit since a young age From the age of 7 years old he would mow his neighbours yards in Shady Acres play craps sell stolen marijuana plants and work on a welding truck for money 3 6 His sister died from getting hit by a train while walking home from school Amongst other turbulence friends and family were going to jail while Prince was rotating from school to school and between different homes He graduated from Kashmere High School 7 Career editPrince was working as a bank teller in 1985 in the fault department then getting laid off at the age of 20 7 8 The initial goal prior to the label was to keep his younger stepbrother known as the rapper Sir Rap A Lot out of street life as well as friends Raheem and Jukebox from skipping school They would meet on the porch of his grandmothers house to perform and practice 6 After purchasing an abandoned building he turned the property into a used car dealership known as Smith Auto Sales on the west side of Houston At first he sold bucket cars then moving on to exotic cars which athletes would come and purchase 7 The same rundown two story building that Prince owned was where the artists then moved on to record into during 1986 9 Prince co founded Rap A Lot Records with Cliff Blodget a Seattleite 9 10 11 in 1987 Bloget was a computer science major 8 who was an electrical engineer by trade and acted as the label s in house engineer and producer alongside fellow producer Carl Stephenson 12 9 Prince used his last bit of funds to invest into the label He was inspired by Russell Simmons and the label he co founded Def Jam Recordings He moved the company in 1988 to New York City with Blodget Around this time Lyor Cohen would show Prince check books of Def Jam artists LL Cool J and Whodini which showed him the potential revenue to be made in the music industry enlightening him to continue his vision with the Geto Boys moving the whole label back to Houston 7 6 The first group he formed in the label was the Geto Boys Prince found members Bushwick Bill when he was performing as a dancer at a club Willie D through the recommendation of his barber 1 and Scarface in the parking lot of a club he owned playing demos to a DJ who worked there His brother was a member but then was replaced at Prince s discretion with Scarface This was confirmed from a freestyle battle against each other where Scarface outperformed Sir Rap A Lot with the younger brother then agreeing that was the better direction for the group also 6 Using local radio stations like KTSU to spread the reach of the label s music 13 his first deal came in 1989 via Rick Rubin working with the Geto Boys on their 2nd album Grip It On That Other Level 5 Geffen Records who had been working with Rubin pulled the project a week before its release to the lyrical nature of the album despite claims of racism and hypocrisy made by the Geto Boys and the fact that independently the album already had sold over 500 000 copies 14 The controversy lead to Rubin splitting from Geffen and signing with Warner Records with the album being pushed there instead it tripled the total sales of the project Prior to the success of Ice Ice Baby Prince wanted to sign rapper Vanilla Ice after seeing him perform in 1990 at The Summit He did not follow through as a result of his business partner Blodget feeling that the artist lacked talent 15 Prince signed a deal with Priority Records in 1991 for distribution 5 releasing the Geto Boys third album We Can t Be Stopped 10 By the mid 1990s co founder Blodget had parted ways from Rap A Lot 12 In 1995 Prince signed the next distribution deal with Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records 10 During the 1990s two DEA agents placed a probe on Prince and his label believing the label was a front for a major trafficking network At this time a concept for a music distribution label that would have acted dually as a union for recording artists was being planned between Prince Suge Knight and Irv Gotti which was eventually cancelled The two agents were later convicted of corrupt conduct 16 17 18 19 While the East Coast West Coast hip hop rivalry was going on Prince had suggested out of concern that The Notorious B I G and manager Puff Daddy leave Los Angeles for their safety weeks before the 1997 murder of the rapper 20 During Destiny s Child formative years in the early 1990s Prince was approached by Mathew Knowles and one of their managers asking if he would join in but he declined as their sound did not match his more hip hop oriented label 2 Decades later another opportunity came to his 19 year old son Jas who had reached out to Lil Wayne and Bun B alerting him of the singer Drake after finding him on Myspace 21 suggesting they collaborate together which lead to a label deal with Lil Wayne and features with Bun B on the albums So Far Gone and Trill OG 3 15 Jas and Prince Sr were listed as executive producers or contributors for points on Drake s Thank Me Later Nothing Was the Same and other follow up projects as a result of the introduction as well as entitlement to 33 of his earnings 22 On February 13 2015 Prince uploaded a spoken word diss track entitled Courtesy Call as a response to Sean Combs for a conflict he had involving Young Money artist Drake 23 In 2018 Prince released his autobiography The Art amp Science of Respect A Memoir with a foreword written by Drake 21 In the spring of 2018 after the release of The Story of Adidon Prince advised Drake not to respond to Pusha T helping deescalate the issue between the two parties 24 In 2021 Prince helped revive Drake and Kanye West s relationship with the goal of all three coming together to help Larry Hoover by raising awareness on incarceration in the United States They threw a benefit concert in December 2021 with support for judicial reform advocacy groups 25 The concert was at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and produced by DONDA ITC Entertainment and PHNTM It was played in select IMAX theatres including Grauman s Chinese Theatre while being streamed on Amazon s Music and Prime Video services 26 In March 2022 Prince boycotted the Grammy Awards over Kanye West having been banned from attending 27 In November 2022 after the death of rapper Takeoff in Houston Prince issued condolences 28 and set up a memorial at the site of the incident 29 Boxing edit Prince was an avid fan of boxing growing up being an amateur fighter and a fan of promoter Don King 6 He became a manager for boxers as a way to get into that industry He opened a boxing gym in Fifth Ward Houston around 1999 known as JPrince Boxing which later became part of the multi million dollar Prince Boxing Complex 3 under the umbrella of Prince Boxing Enterprises 30 Prince had the intention of meeting Mike Tyson in Las Vegas to manage the boxer he was instead approached by Floyd Mayweather Jr who was also a fan of his label After being ignored by Tyson Prince decided to go with managing Mayweather 4 They settled on a 20 deal which was 10 higher than the management deal he had with his father Floyd Mayweather Sr supervising as well as the potential opportunity to start a rap career over at his record label 31 The management relationship ended in 2003 due to financial differences between the two Prince managed Andre Ward after the 2004 Summer Olympics in 2002 Prince called Ward after hearing he was about to quit boxing due to the passing of his father but convinced him to continue his career They split ways in 2008 due to financial issues also with each filing a lawsuit with each other over the matter in 2008 4 Prince has supervised the careers of 15 other boxers leading some of them to their biggest victories including Winky Wright Jared Anderson Roy Jones Jr Diego Corrales Mark Johnson Duke Ragan Efe Ajagba and Hasim Rahman 32 4 3 Other ventures edit In 2006 Prince founded condom company Strapped after a close friend contracted HIV drastically going from 300 pounds to 75 pounds passing away afterwards He had the idea for the company since 2002 The company primarily served the Houston area educating youth about HIV AIDS prevention and hosting events set up to address the issue of AIDS in the Black community 33 and has been represented by artists like Lil Wayne 34 For over two decades Prince has operated a 1200 acre ranch for raising black angus cattle and hay 6 3 In 2020 he launched Loyalty a liquor and wine brand 35 3 Philanthropy editIn January 2007 Houston Mayor Bill White and the City Council honored Prince for over 20 years of commitment and dedication to the city 30 The result of the proclamation named an official James Prince Day in Houston The recognition came after a recreation center Prince built in Houston s 5th Ward The facility has since been used to host events relating to Christmas Thanksgiving and back to school events 13 In 2007 his condom company Strapped gave over 7 500 free HIV tests for people aged 18 24 at the Hip Hop 4 HIV concert at Reliant Stadium 33 In December 2007 Prince donated 100 000 to Bread of Life s Meals that Heal program in Houston 36 Legacy editIn June 2010 J Prince was honored alongside Master P Jermaine Dupri Timbaland and Slick Rick at the VH1 7th annual Hip Hop Honors Awards for both his creative contributions and his philanthropic ventures 37 In 2011 a limited edition DVD box set was released by Rap A Lot with appearances from several rappers including Rick Ross and Young Jeezy and industry execs such as Lyor Cohen Russell Simmons among several others praising Prince 38 In 2019 Prince received an honorary doctorate degree in the form of a doctorate of humane letters from Texas Southern University This was received in part to his commitment at the university giving guest lectures to students offering Rap A Lot internships and endowed scholarships to their students in need of financial assistance 39 13 Personal life editPrince has 7 children including 3 sons J Prince Jr Jas and Jay Baby Jay who also work in the music and boxing industries 3 21 He has been married to his wife since the late 1980s 30 Prince Sr is a practicing Christian 20 13 Prince has an island in Belize known as the Prince Island 6 7 At the age of 23 he purchased a house for his mother and a 30 acre ranch 3 Discography editJ Prince Presents R N D S 1999 References edit a b Chadbourne Eugene James Lil J Smith Songs Albums Reviews Bio amp More AllMusic Retrieved 2022 11 02 a b Donahue Ann 2018 12 05 James Prince Opens Up About Drake and Beyonce Entertainment Tonight Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b c d e f g h i Behind the scenes with Houston rap royalty the Prince family Dazed 2021 05 04 Retrieved 2022 11 02 a b c d Woodyard Eric 2021 10 22 How J Prince helped bring Floyd Mayweather Andre Ward and now Shakur Stevenson to boxing glory ESPN com Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b c It Was Like Flies To Honey 25 Years Of Rap A Lot Records NPR org 2012 02 10 Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b c d e f g Kenner Rob 2011 12 04 Interview J Prince Talks About The Rise Of Rap A Lot Records Complex Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b c d e Knapp Gwendolyn 2018 10 22 James Prince Has Made It Houstonia Magazine Retrieved 2022 11 02 a b The Geto Boys Beating the Murder Rap Washington Post 1991 12 15 Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b c Pen amp Pixel The Graphic Design Duo That Helped Bling Hip Hop Red Bull Music Academy Daily 2019 08 13 Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b c Patoski Joe Nick 2013 01 21 Money in the Making Texas Monthly Retrieved 2022 11 01 Brewer s Ads Rapped Washington Post 1991 09 04 Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b Rowland Hobart 1997 12 04 Static Houston Press Retrieved 2022 11 02 a b c d Texas Southern University Texas Southern to recognize James Prince with Honorary Degree Home 2011 12 19 Retrieved 2022 11 07 Pareles John August 28 1990 Distributor Withdraws Rap Album Over Lyrics The New York Times Retrieved 1 November 2022 a b Miller Jeff 2016 03 18 Bun B Interviews Rap A Lot Records Founder James Prince at SXSW 2016 Keynote Billboard Retrieved 2022 11 01 Former DEA Special Agent Sentenced to Over 13 Years in Prison for Corruption Related Charges Department of Justice 2021 08 12 Retrieved 2022 11 02 McConnaughey Janet 2021 08 12 Former DEA agent sentenced to 13 years in corruption case Los Angeles Times Retrieved 2022 11 02 Lilah Rose 2020 12 23 J Prince Details How DEA Targeted Him Suge Knight amp Irv Gotti Over Black Owned Distribution Business HotNewHipHop Retrieved 2022 11 01 Markman Rob 2011 10 10 Irv Gotti And Suge Knight Planned To Unionize Artists News MTV Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b Payne Ogden 2018 07 30 Inside The Entrepreneurial Rise Of Rap A Lot Records CEO James Prince Forbes Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b c Penrose Nerisha 2018 06 07 Read the Foreword Drake Penned For J Prince s The Art amp Science of Respect Billboard Retrieved 2022 11 01 Caldwell Brandon 2015 02 17 A Brief History of Houston Rap Executive J Prince Defending Everyone from The Geto Boys to Drake Vice Retrieved 2022 11 01 Thompson Paul 2015 02 12 Rap A Lot CEO J Prince Defends Drake Disses Diddy in New Record XXL Mag Retrieved 2022 11 01 Saponara Michael 2018 10 18 J Prince on Rules for the Drake amp Pusha T Feud You Would Want It to Be Some Rules Billboard Retrieved 2022 11 01 Kanye West and Drake were sworn enemies Then J Prince stepped in Los Angeles Times 2021 12 09 Retrieved 2022 11 01 Kanye and Drake go big How to watch their Free Larry Hoover concert in L A Los Angeles Times 2021 12 09 Retrieved 2022 11 03 Fitzgerald Trent 2022 03 22 J Prince Calls on Kanye West Drake Nicki Minaj and Others to Hold Hip Hop Show Same Night as the Grammys XXL Mag Retrieved 2022 11 01 Price Joe 2022 11 03 J Prince Offers Condolences and Addresses Takeoff s Death Complex Retrieved 2022 11 15 Blake Cole 2022 11 13 J Prince Sets Up Memorial At Site Of Takeoff s Death HotNewHipHop Retrieved 2022 11 15 a b c City Council Chamber City Hall Tuesday January 30 2007 Mayweathers Rift Beyond Help Los Angeles Times 2001 01 13 Retrieved 2022 11 01 Satterfield Lem 2005 02 24 Accomplished Prince to manage Rahman Baltimore Sun Retrieved 2022 11 01 a b Serrano Shea 2008 03 05 Strapped a Lot Houston Press Retrieved 2022 11 01 Johnson Nate 2008 03 01 Strapped Condoms Taps Lil Wayne for Campaign AVN AVN Retrieved 2022 11 01 Money Power Respect Catching up with the multitalented J Prince New Pittsburgh Courier 2020 12 16 Retrieved 2022 11 02 Rap A Lot Founder J Prince Donates 100 000 to Meals that Heal Program XXL Mag 2007 12 18 Retrieved 2022 11 01 Newswire PR 2010 05 10 2010 VH1 Hip Hop Honors The Dirty South To Premiere On VH1 Monday June 7 at 9PM ET PT Actor Comedian Craig Robinson The Office Will Host Taped from NYC s Hammerstein Ballroom And Featuring Honorees Jermaine Dupri J Prince of Rap A Lot Records CNBC Retrieved 2022 11 03 Kenner Rob 2011 11 22 J Prince Speaks On Rap A Lot Anniversary and Doing The Drake Deal Complex Retrieved 2022 11 01 Young Matt 2019 05 14 TSU to give Rap A Lot founder J Prince honorary doctorate degree Chron Retrieved 2022 11 07 Further reading editJames Prince Jasmine D Waters Pilar Sanders 2018 The Art amp Science of Respect A Memoir by James Prince N The Water Publishing ISBN 978 0 9998 3701 6 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title James Prince amp oldid 1218178790, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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