Orlando Wharton, executive vice president at Capitol Music Group and president of Priority Records, has a keen eye for talent. The list of rappers he’s put on during his time as an A&R and record executive is impressive and includes Kodak Black, PnB Rock, XXXTentacion and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, among others. The list continues to grow. On this episode of XXL‘s Inside Track podcast, he discusses working with some of those artists, the effect that recent rappers’ deaths have had on the landscape of hip-hop, how he eyes new talent and more.
Wharton has the ability of knowing a hitmaker when he hears one. He is responsible for discovering Fetty Wap for 300 Entertainment during his time as an intern at the label from 2012-2014. During his stint as the director of A&R at Atlantic Records and later the senior vice president from 2014-2022, he recruited Kodak Black, PnB Rock and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie to the label. Wharton also worked closely with YoungBoy Never Broke Again and XXXTentacion.
“These kids are like family to me,” Wharton says about grooming the late PnB Rock and XXXTentacion before their utragic deaths. “I’ve known them since they were young and I was really running around with them. I was just an A&R when I met them. It was more like a friendship with them. It was f**ked up.”
Wharton believes the deaths in hip-hop over the past several years have altered the rap landscape.
“Now, in this new era, with all these young kids that get killed now,” Wharton adds. “They don’t even get to grow in their artistry. You don’t know who they would have become. You missing out on a lot of kids that would have made it. That would have made a big difference. Jail and death is really f**king the music business up.”
In addition to his eagle eye for talent, Wharton knows how to cater to a younger audience. He opens up about his process of testing records and listening to the youth before the masses get a hold of what he’s cooking up.
“We’ll get in the studio here in New York,” he says of his process of finding new talent. “And put people in there and everybody goes in there and listens to the music and we see what’s hot and not hot. We got young kids in there, old kids. All types of people in there. Just listening to stuff and seeing what’s hot and what’s not. Why do y’all young kids think this is hot? Or why y’all think it’s not. We just compare and talk sh*t all day. That’s the best way to do it.”
XXL is back with another episode of Inside Track, a biweekly podcast that spends time with some of hip-hop’s most influential industry executives, entrepreneurs and more. Hosted by XXL Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Satten and music executive Courtney “Courtney CL” Lowery, each episode will continue to explore hip-hop through the eyes of people who have lived and breathed the culture.
Watch or listen to the fourth episode of XXL‘s Inside Track podcast below. The podcast can be found on xxlmag.com, XXL’s YouTube page and on most podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and XXL Live.