Stanley “Citi” Atwater Talks Steve Rifkind, Musically Past, & What’s Next For The New Loud Music Group

Atlanta’s Stanley “Citi” Atwater is the former Marketing and Promotions executive at Block Entertainment and new Executive at the newly revised legendary record label, Loud Music Group. Atwater comes in to help revive, restructure and renew Loud Record to its vintage greatness in the new era. Today, we speak with Citi on resurrecting Loud, fondest memories in music and who is the next big thing coming out of Loud Records. Read the complete interview below.

[Thisis50]: It’s said that you approached Steve Rifkind about the revival of Loud Records. How did you prove that a revival of the legendary label was necessary for an unprecedented landscape?

[Citi]: Simply because I believe that the digital era mirrors the 90s era of hip hop where you have all these emerging acts that are self-sufficient and independent. Like WuTang, they were their own self- contained entity. Now you have groups like the Suicide Boys who have their own entity. So it’s a bigger opportunity than ever to give these acts their own platform to be able to put their music out independently and build a fanbase brick by brick through digital means.

What are some new and unique approaches, digitally, you will take with the releases of Loud Records recording artists?

With platforms like Tik Tok, YouTube and Soundcloud it gives the fan the ability to discover and download which provides more of a grassroots approach for them to gain a cult-like following and receive updates from their favorite artists instantly.
What is your fondest Loud Record memory?

Mobb Deep, the first time I heard “Shook Ones”. The first time I heard the line, “Aint no such thing as halfway crooks” That sounds, the sonics and lyrics from Prodigy and Havoc was so infectious it literally in sighted a riot inside my musical palate.

A past Loud Record release you wish you could have been apart of?
Enter To 36 Chambers by Wu-Tang Clan. It’s the greatest collective hip-hop album ever. Everyone was really a solo act but came together to be one. Today you’ve got artists like J-Cole looking to recreate the same thing with Earth Gang.