Entertainment Executive Derrick Thompson Redefines the Comeback (Watch Video)

Reel Urban News Exclusive

By Dave Devereaux

“After graduating from Columbia University in 1985, I watched many of my classmates move into jobs and chosen professions with seamless ease. I, on the other hand, was not so sure what my next move would be.

“No doubt, however, my moves took me to professional heights that even I had not imagined. As well, I experienced lows that were sometimes unfathomable over the next decades.”

Derrick Thompson admits that he planned on a career in Urban Planning, but could not find a job in that field at that time. He tried odd jobs around New York City and eventually ended up at WPIX, a broadcasting company that today is an owned-and-operated station of the CW network.

Derrick worked as an advertising assistant, making a very small salary. Soon, he got bored with this and friends encouraged him to send out his resume. He recalls getting rejection after rejection until a small nondescript rap label by the name of Sleeping Bag Records responded. 

He was offered a meager salary of $17,500 annually, a salary that is laughable by today’s standards, especially in New York City. Their offices were located in a brownstone near Lincoln Center. They signed artists like Mantronix, Just-Ice, Nice & Smooth, T La Rock. Their biggest and most successful artists at the time was EPMD, an acronym for Erick and Parish Making Dollars, referring to Eric Sermon and Parrish Smith. 

Today, EPMD is still recognized as one of the most prominent acts in Rap. EPMD gave Sleeping Bag Records real credibility in the rap industry. Sleeping Bags Records operated from 1981 to 1992.

Derrick’s job at Sleeping Bag Records as National Marketing Director honed his skills for organizing and tracking record sales and instilled in him the need for commercial accuracy. Ultimately, this would lead to artists demanding accountability for the sales of their records.

The reward for many store owners was a coveted jacket that Sleeping Bag issued for positive sales results. Everyone wanted one of those jackets. All the while, Derrick’s focus was shifting to the A&R game, which had become his dream position. 

After leaving Sleeping Bag Records, he moved to Def Jam Records, the Russell Simmons-owned label distributed by Columbia Records. At Def Jam, he was able to broaden his professional opportunities. He was given the title of National Marketing Director again, but with this label came more money and more responsibility. 

He recalls: “When I got to Def Jam, which was more established, they paid me more and gave me an expense account. It was here that I really got my feet wet. People knew me and how I handled pitching rap acts.” 

Lindsey Williams, son of famous restaurant owner Sylvia Woods of Sylvia’s Soul Food in Harlem, was with Chrysalis Records and had reached out to Derrick about coming over to that label. He soon left Def Jam and went to work for Chrysalis. “By this time, my name was circulating and people knew me. I no longer had to hand out resumes.” 

Derrick was involved with groups like Gangstar and Arrested Development. He signed singer Wendy Moten, who most recently appeared on Season 21 of The Voice, coming in second overall. 

Chrysalis wooed Wendy lavishly at that time. They felt that she was the next big act. Derrick was experiencing a whole different level of exposure within the music game. Eventually, Chrysalis merged into EMI/SBK and the rap department was absorbed with that change. By that time, Derrick had become an executive with EMI.

But, what goes up must come down. According to Derrick, “I was fired due to that downsizing.” He felt that EMI never prioritized black music. “I was shocked, but continued to pursue my desire to do A&R.” 

While attending a party at a friend’s home, he overheard a conversation about BMG wanting to start a publishing arm. They needed a tape room organizer. It was low level, but a way in. He harassed Clyde Lieberman, one of the senior execs at BMG until he got an interview. “I had nine interviews. This was done to determine if I was a good fit for the company.” 

He got the job and remained with BMG for 14 years, from 1993-2007. He credits Clyde Lieberman for his sustained and successful career in music publishing because of that opportunity. 

The publishing arm of BMG had always been in Los Angeles and he moved West in 2002. As a Senior Vice President, he was exposed to the high-stakes publishing business which was quite lucrative financially, not to mention powerful. 

He remembers that everything was first class at that time for about four years. He wore two hats within BMG, one on the publishing side and one in A&R, which he always wanted to do. He signed big artists like Nelly and Keisha Cole, no easy feat since much of that requires you to finesse personal relationships as well as bring the money. 

BMG had the money and the label wanted to be more competitive. Above all, artists want to be paid for their creative efforts whether it’s the talent of singing or behind the scenes, such as writing. Industry heavyweights all knew his name and he had become a member of that elite club of music execs that were respected and revered for their contacts, ability to make things happen and power. So much so that he appeared as one of the alternating judges on the television show The Cut, hosted by TLC member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, a music competition reality show that presented unsigned talent. 

During this time, however, a perfect storm was brewing. He states. “My life was spiraling out of control and my personal relationship had fallen apart.” The music industry was changing and the old art of label involvement and representation was not like it once was. 

“Two dynamics were playing out, my personal relationship ended and the idea that I was going to be with BMG forever, was apparently lost.” “I was hell-bent on getting out of Los Angeles and should have considered that there was already a Sr. Vice President for BMG, just like me in NYC and they did not need two upon my return there. 

“Yet, my actions were based on those personal factors, and perhaps, under the right situation, I could have been bi-coastal.” Instead, he moved back to NYC, but having signed a four-year contract deal with BMG there were more disappointments to come. 

“I was out of a job technically, but I was still spending money like it was going to last forever. I was just living out this contract.” Derrick states that he had bought a condo in Brooklyn that he eventually had to sell. He moved to Harlem. He couch-surfed for some time at different friends’ places. But by now the money was gone and he had hit rock bottom. “My ego was bruised, severely.”

A good friend of his offered him a place to stay and encouraged him to put his pride aside. He took temp jobs, all the while dreading that people who knew him in the music world would recognize him doing these odd jobs and wonder what was going on. They did, and he had to face them on occasion. The stress of that became overwhelming and he is the first to admit that he suffered from a level of depression at that time, yet he never got a formal diagnosis for it. He stated, “I felt like a failure.”

“That same feeling of failure however led me to writing a sitcom.” He used his personal experiences to guide his subject matter, which includes an uncle and his niece. The storyline of hitting rock bottom and where one goes from there is the premise of his writing. 

Now in its 100th draft, developed over seven years, he is seeing the fruits of his television writing career come to fruition. He attended, most recently, an intensive scriptwriting workshop, where he says he learned so much more about working and dwelling in those spaces. He is doing all the work to make his efforts credible within the industry. “Having a familiar and connected celebrity on board is also making this more real every day.” He plans to present the project with a full cast in 2023.

Derrick is keeping busy involving himself in other projects like the documentary short on which he most recently consulted. He is co-manager of 1802 Management, which currently has only a few clients: two producers and one music artist. Derrick had made a vow to step away from the music business completely, but his business partner, Rodney Glasgow, dragged him back into this management endeavor and he’s glad he did. He is now doing things his way. 

With his vast expertise in the music business, he notes that black artists always shined in the reality arena because labels focus on artist development to groom them for the business, but this is giving way to the TikTok era.

Artists are discovered on the web and no more grooming is done. When asked about older artists selling their music catalogs to music and entertainment corporations, he states it is about “the money. Plain and simple. Sell your rights and get a huge check.” 

He feels that TikTok along with the internet has transformed the music business today. “Labels have lost their power and consumers are now in control of the music they hear and how they hear it.” Derrick shares his experience by advising anyone in the business to be careful about giving too much of yourself. “Don’t let the industry define you. Always see yourself as bigger than the job. Don’t be willing to die for that logo on a business card.” 

We should all keep our ears and eyes open, because if perseverance is a moniker one can wear, Derrick Thompson might be the next industry heavyweight wearing it. He did it once and I’m betting on this comeback. 

But the facts are, he never really left. His rise to music exec; to losing it all; to the present, is a testament of true grit amidst the judgment and innuendo of others. Derrick Thompson’s story has not been completely told as he endeavors to find that place within his writing talents. The start of his new ventures will surely prove to be successful as he has an unmatched ability for making things happen.