User:Nat10000/sandbox/NAT ROBINSON, FIRST PRIORITY MUSIC BIO 2015

A little bit of history….. Nat Robinson First Priority Music Founder (FPM) and CEO Nat Robinson brings a veritable wealth of experience as a corporate executive and independent entrepreneur utilizing skills, talents and nurturing qualities that make him more than eminently qualified to head up his highly successful multi-media entertainment company. The Brooklyn New York born Robinson entered the corporate world fresh out of college, spending the first seven years of his working life with the IBM Corporation in the area of sales and marketing, followed by a lengthy stint as Eastern Region A.V.P of RCAʼs computer marketing and sales division. Always intrigued by music, he began expressing interest through promoting local shows in New York City clubs. “Concert promotion was always like a side-line,” said Robinson, who adds he “lost his shirt” on the first couple of shows he promoted. “I happened to pick the night of one of the worst rainstorms New York had ever seen to promote a show with R&B legends Al Green, Isley Brothers and comedian Richard Pryor, learning in the process more about the inner workings of the entertainment business.” Robinson expanded his operations by deciding to get involved with the running of nightclubs in New York and picked a particularly fortuitous time to venture into the arena. Dance music was beginning to enjoy an unprecedented level of success as an underground phenomenon in major cities on the Eastern seaboard, with the Big Apple as a virtual Mecca: the word “Disco” had became part of New York City vernacular and Robinson was in the midst of what was happening musically. Alert to new trends, the enterprising Robinson went into partnership with three major restaurants and hotel chains which included Enhilco International, Reese Brothers /Pet Milk Corp and Restaurants Associates. He then began operating clubs at prestigious locations throughout the city. “We had Charlie Brownʼs, a club in then Pan Am building now MetLife building in midtown Manhattan, The Rainbow Room in the Empire State Building, the Sky Dive at the World Trade Center and the Tower Suites in the Time & Life Building,” said Robinson. “It was a way for restaurants to generate extra income after-hours and the clubs became the ʻinʼ places to go. We found a formula that worked and this was at a time when Disco really began to take hold as a music form.” As the decade ended, Robinson made a major move by leasing and renovating a building in the Tribeca area of Manhattan, north of the downtown Wall Street area. He installed a permanent sound system and launched a fully-fledged club known as “Tribeca.” The club became one of NYCʼs hottest nightspots, remaining an “underground” phenomenon until the movie “Saturday Night Fever” took Disco into the cultural mainstream. A whole slew of new clubs sprang up after the film took off and it became harder for smaller clubs to compete.

According to Robinson, thatʼs when they started booking “live” acts along with Russell Simmons act Kurtis Blow. Since “Tribeca” had also become a popular location for music industry personnel to gather at night, Robinson found himself checking into the feasibility of opening his own record company. “ I sat down with my son Kirk Robinson -aka- ʻMilk Dee’ who really wanted to get into the music business, but this was before the major labels had really started to see the size of the market for rap and hip hop. That’s when I decided I wanted to start my own company. The consensus from everybody was that creating an independent label, you just can’t do it,” said Robinson. Robinson’s pioneering spirit spurred him to action. “I realized that I had to start my own operation,” he said. Robinson bought studio equipment and installed it in the basement of his home. Milk began recording and came up with the song “Top Billin'” which through independent distribution sold over 300,000 units.

After that initial success, Atlantic Records approached Robinson seeking an international distribution situation for his newly formed First Priority Music Label. Atlantic Records negotiated a distribution pact with Robinson, marking (now Motown Records President and former Elektra Records CEO) Sylvia Rhoneʼs first signing. “Top Billin'” rapidly became one of 1987ʼs top-selling rap records (and the most sampled record of 1996-1997). Atlantic Records swiftly followed with “I Cram To Understand U” by female rapper MC Lyte, which also became a #1 record that year and led to the launch of one of rap musicʼs major stars. Subsequently, FPM and Lyte enjoyed single success with “Cha Cha Cha,” “Poor Georgie” and “Ruffneck.” The latter hit made her the first female rapper to earn Gold status. In addition, she achieved platinum with the singles “Keep On Keeping On” and “Cold Rock A Party,” both also garnering platinum in 10 international territories. Lyte went on to collaborate with ground- breaking artists including Beyonce, Sinead OʼConnor, New Kids On The Block, Janet Jackson, Sinbad, Brandy, Missy Elliot, Gerald Levert, Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill,Escape, Jamie Fox to name a few.

These artists have each emerged as major acts on both a domestic and international level in line with First Priority Musicʼs continuous expansion.

When Robinson was going to sign his Bum Rush/FPM imprint label to Virgin Records in 1991, he recommended that the labelʼs Jordan Harris and Gemma Corfield hire Star of (Star and Buckwild fame) to head up the urban division. Robinsonʼs Bum Rush division was the first hip-hop signing to the mostly rock/pop label (Virgin) as they sought to capitalize on the trend towards hip-hop music in the industry. In 1994, FPM joined forces with Rick Rubinʼs American Records to release super- producer Milk Deeʼs first solo album. On this record, Milk Dee collaborated with Ad-Rock/Beastie Boys on the underground classic hit “Spam.” Nat Robinson and Rick Rubin executive-produced the album. Robinson broadened his horizons during the 90ʼs to include film directors and actors. Young film writer /director Tony Cinciripiniʼs first movie “Hellʼs Kitchen” starred Mekhi Phifer, Angelina Jolie, Rosanna Arquette and William Forsythe, Robinson in collaboration with Peter Gabriel, provided the scoring and soundtrack for this 1998 film. FPM also signed actor/recording artist Mekhi Phifer, whose credits include “ER” (he is Dr. Gregory Pratt on this long-running TV drama), “8 Mile,” Soul Food” and Spike Leeʼs “Clockers.” Mekhi Phifer, the recording artist, displayed his rhyming skills in the hip hop opera Carmen, in which he co-starred with Beyonce. Robinson branched out to the UK in 2001 for the release of his next artist, country/ hip hop performer Jason Downs, whom he had signed to Zomba UK. Jasonʼs first single “White Boy With A Feather” was a huge summer hit (Top 10 on the UK Billboard Charts. He also performed on Top Of The Pops, CD:UK, MTV and The Big Breakfast. When it came time to release his newest artist Eamon, Nat Robinson was faced with a problem. He knew that this artistʼs song had the potential to be FPMʼs biggest hit, but every label turned it down because they were afraid of its profanity-laced chorus. He was repeatedly told that no radio station would ever play it, so he decided to treat it like he had FPMʼs first hit “Top Billinʼ” and get it on the radio himself. Robinson contacted DJ Star of Star & Buc wild show from Hot 97 to play the track, it became an instant hit and Zomba won the bid to distribute. The track, Eamonʼs hit, “F**K It (I Donʼt Want You Back),” became the #1 song in the world in 2004, selling 5 million singles and 1.5 million albums along with being included on every major compilation record that year. Eamon could be seen performing on every talk show from Jay Leno, Ryan Seacrest, Sharon Osbourne and Jimmy Kimmel. Robinsonʼs unending commitment to building and developing artists has also given First Priority Music and Entertainment Inc. longevity in the industry. “After twenty plus years in the business and using my background in marketing and sales I understand how to manage, market an act and run a company,” said Robinson. “ I know the ʻdoʼs and donʼtsʼ in regard to what it takes to be successful in this business. And I want to take full advantage of the continuing boom in sales in all areas of music and entertainment today. First Priority Music has grown from a small independent, exclusively hip-hop label that has had tremendous success (controlling and managing one of the most-sampled and covered music catalogues of 1996- to date) to a company that works with all genres of music successfully. They have brought their own magic management style to the mix. FPMʼs next venture: an international multi-media entertainment company. Robinson has put together a support team to achieve these future goals. He will be working alongside his son, Kirk Robinson (Milk Dee) who has taken a more executive role in the company.

Robinson is confident that the next phase of the entertainment business has become Intellectual Property Acquisitions and Financial Administration as defined by Wall Street, an exceptional way to financially stabilize a multi- media entertainment company. As the pursuit of Film/ TV show rights, Commercials, Music copyrights, Sync Licensing and Sports partnerships, which encompasses the global market. Robinson and First Priority Music has hit the ground running learning the in and outs of Intellectual Property Acquisition. For the past 3 years Robinson's company has also been involved as an independent broker to acquire Intellectual Property and Royalty Management for such companies as BMG Chrysalis, Inc. Universal Music Publishing, Evergreen, ICG and many others. This experience fused with the years developing intellectual property gives Robinson the edge to be able to deal in both worlds.

Robinson's personal passion will always be creating, finding and developing new music. He is also working on an EDM project with EDM DJ/Producer/Songwriter: "Pengwin". Robinson says " Pengwin will be a major player in the EDM world within the next year or two." Robinson's motto is a testament to his work ethic and success in all he attempts. “I believe in dedication, working hard, using my skills and abilities to get to the next level,” he said. The music/entertainment scene in the 21st century can only benefit from visionaries such as Robinson whose passion and hard work continue to keep the music alive. First Priority Music, The Brand