Epic Records CEO L.A. Reid Announces Label’s Music Fest Expansion, Possible Music Biopic
“The first year is always a run-through, this year we have a bigger stage, more production … but the curation and the heart stayed the same,” said president of Epic Records Sylvia Rhone describing Saturday’s second annual EpicFest in Los Angeles, which featured musical artists Future, DJ Khaled, KONGOS, Yo Gotti, French Montana, Jidenna, Kat Dahlia, Timeflies and Lil Jon.
The invite-only concert at Sony Studios, nestled right in the midst of a musical BET weekend, included a surprise performance from Busta Rhymes during DJ Khaled’s set, and new music from Jidenna. Famous faces in the celebrity-filled crowd included Randy Jackson, Michael Strahan, Big Boi, Kelly Rowland, Cassie, Lorne Michaels, André 3000 and Holly Robinson-Peete.
According to Epic Records chairman and CEO L.A. Reid, the exclusive festival is expanding to an annual event for the public. “The growth from one year to only our second year is a great thing, maybe next year [the festival] is in an arena,” Reid shared.
On the carpet, the CEO also spoke about foraying into film with his musical career following the box office success of “Straight Outta Compton” and the highly anticipated Tupac Shakur biopic “All Eyez On Me.” After the February release of his tell-all memoir, “Sing To Me” — which name-dropped details about various stars, including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Jay Z — Reid said that he is interested in a film adaptation.
“I wrote the book, [but] it’s up to someone else to tell the story on film,” Reid said about finding the film’s director. “I mean, me make a movie on me? I would never do that,” he laughs.
Future ended the night with a colorful bang, performing radio hits “Where Ya At” and “Jumpman.” In collaboration with Epic Records, the event was presented by Coca-Cola and Concern Worldwide.
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