James Prince

James Prince (born James L. Smith, also referred to as J. Prince, or Lil J. ) (born October 31, 1965) is an American music executive, promoter and manager.

He is the CEO and co-founder of the Houston based record label Rap-A-Lot.

Prince is known as one of the 'godfathers of the rap music industry', and inspired other southern hip hop label executives including Birdman of Cash Money Records and Master P of No Limit Records.

Artists that have had careers shaped by him included Scarface, Geto Boys and Bun B.

Prince was working as a bank teller in 1985 in the fault department, then getting laid off at the age of 20.

The initial goal prior to the label was to keep his younger stepbrother known as the rapper Sir Rap-A-Lot out of street life, as well as friends Raheem and Jukebox from skipping school.

They would meet on the porch of his grandmothers house to perform and practice.

After purchasing an abandoned building, he turned the property into on a used car dealership, known as Smith Auto Sales on the west side of Houston.

At first he sold bucket cars then moving on to exotic cars which athletes would come and purchase.

The same rundown 2 storey building that Prince owned, was where the artists then moved on to record into during 1986.

Prince co-founded Rap-A-Lot Records with Cliff Blodget, a Seattleite, in 1987.

Bloget was a computer science major, who was an electrical engineer by trade and acted as the label's in-house engineer and producer alongside fellow producer Carl Stephenson.

Prince used his last bit of funds to invest into the label.

He was inspired by Russell Simmons and the label he co-founded Def Jam Recordings.

He moved the company in 1988 to New York City with Blodget.

Around this time Lyor Cohen would show Prince check books of Def Jam artists LL Cool J and Whodini which showed him the potential revenue to be made in the music industry enlightening him to continue his vision with the Geto Boys moving the whole label back to Houston.

The first group he formed in the label was the Geto Boys.

Prince found members Bushwick Bill when he was performing as a dancer at a club, Willie D through the recommendation of his barber, and Scarface in the parking lot of a club he owned playing demos to a DJ who worked there.

His brother was a member but then was replaced at Prince's discretion with Scarface.

This was confirmed from a freestyle battle against each other where Scarface outperformed Sir Rap-A-Lot, with the younger brother then agreeing that was the better direction for the group also.

Using local radio stations like KTSU to spread the reach of the label's music, his first deal came in 1989 via Rick Rubin working with the Geto Boys on their 2nd album Grip It! On That Other Level.

Geffen Records who had been working with Rubin pulled the project a week before its release to the lyrical nature of the album, despite claims of racism and hypocrisy made by the Geto Boys and the fact that independently the album already had sold over 500,000 copies.

The controversy lead to Rubin splitting from Geffen and signing with Warner Records with the album being pushed there instead, it tripled the total sales of the project.

Prior to the success of Ice Ice Baby, Prince wanted to sign rapper Vanilla Ice after seeing him perform in 1990 at The Summit.

He did not follow through as a result of his business partner Blodget feeling that the artist lacked talent.

By the mid-1990s co-founder Blodget had parted ways from Rap-A-Lot.

During the 1990s, two DEA agents placed a probe on Prince and his label, believing the label was a front for a major trafficking network.

At this time a concept for a music distribution label that would have acted dually as a union for recording artists was being planned between Prince, Suge Knight, and Irv Gotti which was eventually cancelled.

The two agents were later convicted of corrupt conduct.

Prince signed a deal with Priority Records in 1991 for distribution, releasing the Geto Boys third album We Can't Be Stopped.

In 1995 Prince signed the next distribution deal with Noo Trybe Records and Virgin Records.

Smith and his son Jas are also known for introducing Canadian rapper Drake to Lil Wayne and helping Drake sign to Young Money Entertainment in 2009.

He has also managed prolific boxers such as Andre Ward, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Shakur Stevenson.

Prince was born to 16 year old mother Sharon Johnson with an older sister Zenia and younger half-brother Thelton.

They grew up in Fifth Ward, Houston's 'Bloody Nickel' apartments which were known for cocaine use and poverty.

He played football and had an entrepreneurial spirit since a young age.

From the age of 7 years old he would mow his neighbours yards in Shady Acres, play craps, sell stolen marijuana plants, and work on a welding truck for money.

His sister died from getting hit by a train while walking home from school.

Amongst other turbulence, friends and family were going to jail while Prince was rotating from school to school and between different homes.

He graduated from Kashmere High School.