Blackground Records founder Barry Hankerson has appointed Jasmine “Jay” Love as president and Tuere “Tu” Love as head of publicity for his label reboot, Blackground Records 2.0.
The appointments follow the Oct. 8 reissue of two posthumous Aaliyah compilations: I Care 4 U and Ultimate Aaliyah. These albums are the final offerings from Blackground’s original catalog that finally became available to streaming services this summer via the label’s distribution partnership with EMPIRE.
In a press release announcing Blackground Records 2.0’s executive appointments, Hankerson said, “I wanted someone that understood my vision and these two young sisters get it.”
The Love siblings are co-partners in Atlanta-based public relations firm The Meme Agency. The agency was brought on board to assist with the summer rollout of the Blackground catalog that also included albums from Timbaland and Tank.
Calling her appointment an opportunity to empower other women executives, Jasmine tells Billboard that her and Hankerson’s shared goal “is to continue Blackground’s legacy by creating more iconic stars, putting out timeless music and building our roster with the best artists of all genres.”
The first chapter in that vision will begin on Nov. 12 with Blackground 2.0’s release of its first single “Drive” from new signee Autumn Marini. Also joining the R&B singer on the relaunched label’s roster is fellow singer Elijah Connor. Additional signings are in the works.
In the meantime, Blackground Records 2.0 is currently working on the final Aaliyah project, Unstoppable. The long-anticipated album, featuring Snoop Dogg, Drake, Future, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown and others, is slated for release next year.
