Hip-Hop mogul Steve
Rifkind and multi-billionaire and Florida Panthers owner Jordan Zimmerman are
merging companies to create a new business that will focus on music and other
business ventures.
While neither Zimmerman
nor Rifkind could reveal details because of the pending deal, Zimmerman said
the two moguls were thinking forward.
"This is way out of
the box thinking and is going to become the norm in the industry,” Zimmerman
told AllHipHop.com of the merging businesses.
“They are joining
forces and merging their respective companies to create a fully integrated music
and business alliance,” another source close to the deal told AllHipHop.com.
Rifkind launched the Steven
Rifkind Company in 1989 as a consulting firm that did “street team”
work (a term Rifkind trademarked) for such companies as Nike, Pepsi, HBO, Rolling
Stone and Levis.
With the success of SRC,
Rifkind launched Loud Records in 1992 by signing legendary Hip-Hop groups, Wu-Tang
Clan and Tha Liks.
The company went on to achieve
success with such fabled Hip-Hop acts as Big Pun, The Beatnuts, MOP, Three 6
Mafia, Xzibit, Funkmaster Flex and others.
After closing Loud, Rifkind
launched Street Records Corporation (SRC) in March 2003 with Universal.
Most notably, the label
signed marquee artists David Banner and released his critically acclaimed albums
Mississippi: The Album and his follow-up, Certified.
SRC recently signed Harlem,
New York rapper Jae Millz and his Wanna Blow imprint and already counts Remy
Ma and platinum selling singer Akon as artists on the label.
Zimmerman is the CEO of
famed advertising agency Zimmerman Partners, which was founded in 1984. The
billionaire owner of Zimmerman Partners owns the Florida Panthers and the Bank
of Atlantic Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Zimmerman Partners also
operates 22 offices in 10 states and has worked with a variety of clients, including
the Florida Panthers, the Miami Dolphins, Musicland, and Office Depot.
The company’s
philosophy centers on "brandtailing," which merges branding strategies
with to promote products and services that build brand identity.
