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Founder of Right Hand Music Group and Co-Founder of Keep Cool Records Courtney Stewart joins the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast to discuss representing Grammy-winning artists and popular R&B trends. Stewart joins host Carol Morgan on the Around Atlanta segment and shares the inspiration behind Right Hand Foundation.
An Atlanta native, Stewart shared how proud he is to see “Hotlanta” grow through the years and expand into the thriving metro center it is today. With fond memories centered around the 1996 Olympics, Georgia Tech and Coca-Cola, Atlanta has grown into a unique city filled with diversity and economic growth in Stewart’s eyes.
“[Atlanta] has this flourishing sense of community going back to the Civil Rights Movement,” Stewart said. “The deep culture and roots that Atlanta has had made it such an incredible city. I’m proud to call Atlanta home.”
Always a creative kid, Stewart attended North Atlanta High and participated in the performing arts program. Exposed to the early Atlanta music scene powered by Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Organized Noize, he was inspired by the early development of the Atlanta music community.
This allowed Stewart to be a fly on the wall around groups such as OutKast, TLC and Goodie Mob, all under the banner of Organized Noize. Encouraged by the idea of having a platform to sign and develop artists that bring a left-of-center approach to the table, Stewart founded Right Hand Music Group in 2005 and currently represents Grammy-winning artist Khalid.
Stewart shared that he has represented Khalid from day one, watching him directly connect with Gen Z through his powerful songs and relatable lyrics.
“My experience being in the business for 15-plus years and his youthfulness and just God-given talent is a perfect combination to be able to balance one another,” Stewart said.
On the Right Hand Music Group side, Stewart also represents London-born Sinead Harnett and Marco McKinnis, among others. Stewart and his team place great importance on discovering an artist early to put the necessary time and development behind their craft. In partnership with RCA Records, Keep Cool Records represents Normani, recent Grammy-winner Lucky Daye and many other flourishing artists.
Taking the world by storm, TikTok is lighting a fire behind many popular R&B trends, acting as the epicenter of how artists and people connect, reconnect and stay in touch. What’s hot from a trend standpoint is more than likely going to become popular on TikTok and follow a domino effect, influencing other social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
“The more popular genres – pop music, rap music, R&B music – a lot of that is really coming from TikTok because those are the popular genres that a lot of the youth are listening to,” Stewart said.
Launched on Stewart’s birthday in 2015, Right Hand Foundation began when he organically connected with Stephanie Ford as she was assisting motels and extended stay hotels that were dealing with increased crime and drug activity. Stewart volunteered with Ford for a few months and was deeply affected by the people and stories he came across. Inspired, Stewart founded Right Hand Foundation to provide resources to aid individuals trying to get back on their feet.
The foundation offers free housing for single mothers with children for one year in turnkey single-family units. The first Right Hand Foundation property is in historic College Park near Woodward Academy, supplying a sense of community and opportunity for adaptability to residents. While there, all individuals must participate in the program, taking advantage of counseling that touches on mental health, literacy, financial independence and more.
“We prepare them for independent sustainability,” Stewart said.
Right Hand Foundation maintains relationships with apartment complexes and housing developments, utilizing its connections to place program participants in permanent housing and encourage self-sustainable lifestyles.
Tune in to the full interview above for additional details about Right Hand Music Group and Keep Cool Records. To learn more about the Right Hand Foundation, visit www.RightHandFDN.org.
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Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. New American Funding, Right Hand Music Group, Keep Cool Records and Right Hand Foundation are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: (800) 450-2010. (June/2022)
New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 216,000+ loans for $56.8 billion, 171 branches and about 4,500+ employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America seven times. For more information, call 678-898-3540 or visit https://branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta.
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