Omar Grant (US)
As Head of A&R, SVP Roc Nation Records, Omar Grant consistently amplifies talent, fosters creativity, and enables GRAMMY® Award-winning multi-platinum superstars to markedly exceed their potential and ascend to unparalleled heights. Throughout his illustrious career, the venerable executive has spearheaded seminal records for everyone from Rihanna to Kylie Minogue and signed the likes of DJ Mustard. Achieving single and album sales in excess of 100 million worldwide as well as multiple GRAMMY® victories and nods, his approach relies on a classic instinctual sensibility.
“I pride myself on being a record maker first and foremost,” he exclaims. “For me, it’s about getting into the studio alongside the talent, digging in really deeply, and making a definitive album. I’m there to empower artists to be their most creative.”
In many ways, growing up in The Bronx groomed him for an eventual career in A&R. In high school, he went from DJ-ing local neighborhood parties to identifying his path. He admits, “A&R reps seemed like the cool guys when I was seventeen, so I researched and studied Steve Stoute, Chris Lighty, and a bunch of other people.”
While interning at Columbia Records, he caught the attention of Matthew Knowles. Impressed by Grant’s work ethic, Knowles invited him to act as assistant tour manager for Beyoncé’s historic Dangerously In Love Tour. Among many duties, he walked JAY-Z to the stage nightly and started to develop a rapport with the Roc Nation founder and legend.
Following the tour, he spent three years at EMI Publishing, signing everyone from Solange Knowles to STREETRUNNER and Rico Love. After a stint at Epic Records, he joined Roc Nation as Director of A&R in 2011.
Amongny accomplishments, he oversaw Kelly Rowla Here I Am, including the double-platinum smash “Motivation” [feat. Lil Wayne]. He handled A&R for Rihanna’s Unapologetic, which not only became her first #1 debut on the Billboard Top 200, but it also sold four million copies and earned a 2014 GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Urban Contemporary Album.” Continuing this successful collaborative partnership, he spearheaded the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for Home featuring Rihanna and the superstar’s second consecutive #1, ANTI, which boasted the six-times platinum “Work” [feat. Drake]. Not to mention, he guided Big Sean to his second straight #1 on 2017’s platinum I Decided.
2013 saw Grant sign powerhouse producer and artist DJ Mustard and A&R both 10 Summers [2015] and Cold Summer [2016]. Mustard notably made history as “the only person to win both BMI Producer and Songwriter of the Year” at the 2015 BMI Awards. Additionally, he earned another smash with the gold-certified 2018 hit “Want Her” [feat. YG & Quavo]. Along the way,
he A&R-ed key releases for Kylie Minogue, Justine Skye, and more in addition to signing Latin Hit maker Tainy, Dutch DJ’s Yellow Claw and the legendary Buju Banton. Splitting his time between New York and Los Angeles, he became Head of A&R, SVP Roc Nation Records in 2016.
In the end, Grant only just begun making records that influence and impact the culture on a grand scale.
“I want to help artists make music that lasts,” he leaves off. “I still listen to everything I grew up on. I’d love to give listeners a timestamp for their lives with these albums.”