Steve Stoute

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title: "Steve Stoute" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-record-producers", "american-music-industry-executives", "talent-managers", "african-american-record-producers", "living-people", "american-advertising-executives", "1970-births", "21st-century-african-american-people", "20th-century-african-american-businesspeople", "20th-century-american-businesspeople", "american-people-of-trinidad-and-tobago-descent"] description: "American businessman (born 1970)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Stoute" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American businessman (born 1970) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Steve Stoute
alias	The Commissioner
image	Steve Stoute 13636-0306.jpg
caption	Stoute in 2014
birth_date
birth_place	New York City, U.S.
occupation
website
::

| name = Steve Stoute | alias = The Commissioner | image = Steve Stoute 13636-0306.jpg | image_size = | caption = Stoute in 2014 | birth_date = | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | occupation = | website =

Steve Stoute (born June 26, 1970) is an American record executive who concurrently was Executive Vice President of Interscope Geffen A&M Records and President of Urban Music at Sony Music from 1999 to 2009. In 2017, he founded the music distribution platform UnitedMasters, for which he is chief executive officer (CEO). He also founded Translation, a music marketing agency, in 2004.

With singer Mary J. Blige, he co-founded the non-profit, Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN) in 2008. In 2011, he released a book, The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy.

Career

Music

From 1990 to 1999, Stoute was an executive at several labels in the music industry. At Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Stoute was President of the Urban Music division and executive vice president. Prior to joining Interscope, Stoute was president of Urban Music for Sony Music Entertainment, where he played a role in launching the music career of Will Smith. Stoute is the former manager of Nas, Trackmasters and Mary J. Blige.

In April 1999, rapper Sean Combs assaulted Stoute in his office with a champagne bottle over Combs' demand to not air a Nas video he appeared in. In June 1999, Stoute sued, resulting in a $500,000 out-of-court settlement from Combs.

Advertising

In 2003, Stoute was part of an unsuccessful pitch to convince LeBron James to sign a $10 million contract with Reebok. That same year, Stoute recruited rapper Pusha T to write I'm Lovin' It (song) for McDonald's.

In 2009, Stoute was inducted into the American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Achievement, an award for outstanding advertising professionals age 40 and under. In 2010, Stoute was recognized as "Innovator of the Year" by the ADCOLOR Industry Coalition, an initiative to promote increased diversity in the advertising, marketing, and media industries. In 2013, Stoute was named "Executive of the Year" by Ad Age, a leading publication for the advertising and marketing industries.

Management

In 2005, Stoute became the managing director and CEO of Carol's Daughter, a multi-cultural beauty brand. He brought together a board of investors including Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Jimmy Iovine, Tommy Mottola, and Thalía. Spokeswomen for the line have included Mary J. Blige, Solange Knowles, Cassie Ventura, Selita Ebanks, Kim Fields, and Jada Pinkett Smith. The company grew and sought partnerships with Disney's The Princess and the Frog via a collection of hair and body products for children and with HSN via an exclusive fragrance launch with Mary J. Blige. He has appeared in the HBO series The Black List Project that features interviews and portraits with leading African American figures on being Black in America.

Books

Stoute released his first book, The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy, in 2011 through Gotham Books. In the book, Stoute draws from his background in the music industry and brand marketing to chronicle how hip-hop came to define urban culture as the new embodiment of cool.

In February 2014, the book was made into a four-part VH1 documentary, "The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip-Hop." In April 2014, the book was released as an audiobook narrated by Kerry Washington.

Stoute has been a keynote or featured speaker at many events including the International Consumer Electronics Show, the Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest (SXSW), Fast Company Innovation Uncensored, and AAF's ADMERICA. He appeared on the main stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with Sean Combs in 2013, and again with Kanye West and Venture Capitalist Ben Horowitz in 2014.

References

References

1. Williams, Jay. (2022-07-15). "Translation CEO Steve Stoute on vision in advertising and music The Limits with Jay Williams NPR".
2. "Can Steve Stoute's UnitedMasters Produce Another Music Business Success?".
3. Wolfe, Roman. (October 2009). "Mary J. Blige's Center for Women Opens in Yonkers". All Hip Hop.
4. "Meet the mogul behind the rise of Mariah Carey, Will Smith and Nas". [[NPR]].
5. "Genius Appoints Translation Founder Steve Stoute to Board of Directors".
6. Leeds, Jeff. (September 22, 2004). "Bridging Hip-Hop Consumers and Suits". The New York Times.
7. "Meet Steve Stoute, The Go-To Adman For Lady Gaga And Jay-Z". Business Insider.
8. (September 8, 1999). "Puff Daddy Pleads Guilty To Reduced Charge In 'Hate Me Now' Case". Sonicnet.
9. (June 17, 1999). "Puffy Settles with Battered Record Exec". E! Online.
10. Kathleen, Elkins. (July 24, 2017). "Why LeBron James turned down $10 million when he was 18 and still living in the projects".
11. (March 6, 2024). "Shannon Sharpe At New York City Projects w/ Steve Stoute, FaceTimes Nas & Untold Kobe+LeBron Stories".
12. (December 10, 2008). "Steve Stoute Advertising Hall of Achievement Induction Video". AAFChannel Youtube.
13. (November 12, 2010). "ADCOLOR Honors Steve Stoute, Queen Latifah". Atlanta Post.
14. (August 24, 2006). "Mary J. Representing Carol's Daughter – Brown Sista". Brown Sista.
15. [https://money.cnn.com/2005/05/18/news/newsmakers/cosmetics/Will Smith]{{dead link. (March 2017)
16. (May 2005}}{{Dead link). "Will Smith, Jay-Z back beauty line". CNN Money.
17. Naughton, Julie. (August 2009). "Carol's Daughter Inks Disney Deal". WWD.
18. (August 2010). "Mary J. Blige Breaks Record at HSN with 'My Life' Perfume". H Listed.
19. "HBO Black List Project". HBO.
20. "About the Book". Tanning of America website.
21. Spitz, Marc. (September 13, 2011). "Q&A: Steve Stoute on Kanye West, Justin Bieber, and Music as "Culture's Trojan Horse"".
22. "The Tanning of America". VH1.
23. (April 16, 2014). "Kerry Washington to narrate audiobook for Steve Stoute's 'The Tanning of America'".
24. "Diversity, Tech and Leadership".
25. "The Making of The Tanning of America".
26. "SXSW Interview: Nas and Steve Stoute".
27. (April 3, 2013). "Fast Company Innovation Uncensored – "Something New From The Sandbox" – New York – April 23, 2013".
28. (June 2011). "Steve Stoute to Discuss State Farm Campaign at AAF in San Diego".
29. "Steve Stoute and Sean 'Diddy' Combs".
30. Kaz. "Kanye West, Steve Stoute and Ben Horowitz at Cannes Lions [VIDEO]".

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