The popular saying that goes ‘Jack of all trades’ usually ends with the phrase ‘master of none’. This analogy does not apply in the case of Itamomoh Momoh, a music business executive par excellence. For Itamomoh, learning the ropes of different aspects of the music business has propelled him from being a social media intern at Loopy Records; an independent Nigerian record label, to becoming the Lead of Marketing and PR at Universal Music Group; one of the biggest record labels in the world.
In a career that spans a decade, Itamomoh has cut his teeth in different sectors of the music business; from artiste management to marketing and promotions, and A&R; becoming a true maverick of the music industry. In this interview with TTC, Itamomoh Momoh chronicles his rise, explains the need for versatility as a music executive, and shares his thoughts on the globalization of Afrobeats.
TTC: Who is Itamomoh Momoh?
ITAMOMOH: Itamomoh is a young boy from Edo State. I grew up in Warri, Delta State in a small town called Ovwian Aladja. He attended both Primary and Secondary School in Delta State and for university, moved to Lagos State in 2008. I finished my university in 2013, and ventured into the music business, shortly after.
In a decade, I have become a multi-dimensional music business consultant, having held roles in different sectors from promotions to marketing to talent management to A&R.
TTC: You studied Electrical/Electronic Engineering at the University of Lagos. So it's kind of surprising that you ventured into the music industry. How did that switch come about?
ITAMOMOH: It's when you start your life that you really know what you want to do and the opportunity to go into the music industry presented itself when I finished university and I took it so here I am.
TTC: So music is something that you always had a passion for?
ITAMOMOH: Yeah, when I was in secondary school I was in the Socials team, not that I was a Social Prefect but I was just in the team. We usually did some miming and I always had a flair for that. I was a big fan of Micheal Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent, and that's what I listened to growing up. With a bit of Usher and Chris Brown because I was big on dance, so this really drew me into the music and entertainment space, so when the opportunity to do music by being behind the scenes came, I took it.
TTC: That's very interesting. You made a distinction between doing music and entering the music business. For a lot of people, the first call is always to do music themselves, was that the case for you? Did make music first or did you know from the beginning that you wanted to become an executive?
ITAMOMOH: I knew I needed a job not even in music, so it all started as a necessity and then turned into a passion. I was leaving school at the time and I knew my dad wasn't going to answer my calls again for allowance so I was like let me do something I had a flair for and it was music. M.I Abaga at that time needed someone for a job, and I applied and got the job so that is how it all started for me.
TTC: Take us through your journey as a music executive over the years, and how you have climbed different ladders to become the best version of yourself.
ITAMOMOH: I started as a social media intern at M.I Abaga's company (Loopy Records) and after my NYSC, he became the CEO of Chocolate City. He called me into a meeting and promoted me to social media personnel at Chocolate City.
A few months later, the guy in charge of promotions, basically everything involving marketing in Chocolate City resigned and his job was split into 3. I took over one (radio and TV promo) and that's how I started at Chocolate City. In 2018 I left Chocolate City for BukiHQ, which is one of the biggest PR entertainment companies in Africa, as they handle some of the biggest artistes like Burna Boy, and one time worked with Naomi Campbell. I learnt a lot at BukiHQ, particularly skills like branding, communication, event management, and all that.
After BukiHQ, I went on my freelance journey. I was a freelancer in 2019 after leaving BukiHQ, and after 8-9 months, I got called by someone at Universal who wanted me to handle promo I started as the promo guy after my first interview. I actually started the next day.
I have been with Universal for 4 years, and now I handle International Marketing and PR. So in this whole time, I have been able to cover marketing, PR, promotions, and social media. I've also been able to pick up A&Ring and talent management along the way.
TTC: That's very interesting. So how easy has it been for you to bring all your skills and experience together?
ITAMOMOH: In Nigeria, you either evolve or get left behind. So if you really want to earn good money, you have to evolve and for you to evolve you have to have the passion for it, and lucky for me, I already had that passion for it. I had a friend called Okiemute but we call him Mut4y (Legendury Beatz). In Unilag, Mut4y will be producing a beat and I will just sit down and listen to him. From there, I just knew that I didn't want to be a producer or do music. Instead, I wanted to understand how to manage that process from the music creation stage to the release stage. For me, that was one of the early exposures, because at that time I hadn't even figured out what I was going to do.
When I started working at Chocolate City, M.I Abaga put me on a very strict learning process. I had to learn quickly and in the space of 6 months, I had to execute a lot of things with little or no budget. It was really tough but we were able to record successes for Koker and Dice Ailes, as well as Ckay, as at the time I was leaving. This was one of the things that formed me in the early stages. That was a time when I knew what it meant to work at the pinnacle of the Nigerian entertainment industry and luckily for me, in the space of 7 months, I got a call from Universal. So, I will say I am lucky and I put work into it because I have already gained those relationships before I could get that opportunity.
TTC: Away from the business side of things, what will you say has been the catalyst for this global wave that Afrobeats is on currently?
ITAMOMOH: I’ll say it’s streaming and Social media. Streaming and Social media platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube, Instagram and Twitter/X) have helped spread the message about Afrobeats, but for the message to be spread it needed a prophet and that prophet is Wizkid. Wizkid is the one who didn't allow BET to disrespect Nigerian music by giving them awards backstage, he is the one who supported Headies everywhere. So big shout out to Wizkid.
TTC: Big shout out to Wizkid. So in your time at Universal, what are some of the major projects you have worked on?
ITAMOMOH: It is quite a lot and I do not know if I can cover everything in this interview, but I have worked on projects with Drake, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo. In the UK, Stormzy, Arrdee, and Sam Smith. For Nigerians that are signed to big labels outside, Adekunle Gold, and Nonso Amadi. I am currently working on something with JujuBoy and a new guy named JayO. Adekunle Gold has been one of the biggest projects from Nigeria that I have worked on. I was part of the release of his last album ('Tequila Ever After'), and we worked on everything down to the event he had in Nigeria. I worked on 'Afropop Vol. 1' with Adekunle Gold too.
Drake’s album is dropping soon and I'm definitely going to be a part of that. I was also part of Tiwa Savage's '49-99' song, and her 'Water & Garri' EP, her previous album. Then I worked on Tekno'a 'Skeletun', even Arrdee’s 'Come & Go' as well which was a smash in Nigeria, and. As it comes, we just handle it. It's just that these things there is definitely a need for confidentiality, so I don't really talk about most of these things. It's just the job and you just have to keep a level of professionalism.
TTC: You have been in the industry for about a decade, what will you say are some things that have evolved in the business side of the industry and how differently we are doing things now?
ITAMOMOH: The industry has improved in terms of streaming, and how well people consume music. Before people consumed music by going to blogsites to download them because there were no streaming platforms on mobile phones. As such, artistes usually made money off performances but now artistes make money directly from streaming in addition to performances. During the pandemic, some artistes were performing via live streaming and people were paying online to watch it. So the way music is consumed today has evolved, there’s even short-form music from apps like TikTok. The landscape of music has changed, and Nigeria had to follow and catch up to be part of the global change.
TTC: Thank you for your time. What advice do you have for young professionals going into the music business?
ITAMOMOH: Yes. I just want to tell people who want to go into music administration or the music business, that you have to learn what you are doing and get very good at it, or you will be left behind and you won't make a career out of it. Also, if you do not have a passion for it, you will only focus on the money and you will eventually be seen as a mercenary instead of being a professional. You will specialize on one side of it and not be good at the other side of it and will never really become a proper executive because when called to give some certain conversation you won't know what to say. So, it's best to grow yourself over time and know as much as you can about everything so you can grow as a professional in the music business. The fact that you are an A&R doesn't mean you shouldn't know anything about marketing and vice versa. Basically, you should have an idea of everything regarding music. Even if it takes a long time, you will get there eventually.
TTC: Thank you.