By Chris Richburg
Naughty by Nature member Kay Gee is ushering in a new era for his record label Divine Mill with his latest business venture.
Under a joint venture with Merovingian Music (MRV), Kay Gee will utilize Divine Mill to focus on artist equity participation and a proper and controlled marketing approach, while working with Caroline/EMI to distribute Divine Mill projects worldwide under the new venture.
"For me, this deal with EMI and MRV was a no-brainer," stated Kay Gee, who is looking forward to furthering the Divine Mill brand.
"My passion has always been finding and developing new talent, and this new joint venture will enable me to do that and more,” Kay Gee said. “I am looking forward to furthering the Divine Mill brand."
The MRV alliance is the latest in a series of achievements for the producer, who has crafted tracks for artists like Luther Vandross, Mary J Blige, Aaliyah, Yolanda Adams and Michael Jackson as well as albums from Queen Latifah, Notorious B.I.G, Eazy-E, Will Smith, Brooke Hogan and up and coming artist Noel Gourdin.
According to MRV CEO Jack Ponti, Kay Gee’s track record as a producer and label head makes for a good fit with his company.
"The music created by Kay Gee is part of the fabric of our lives. He’s an enormous talent with a special eye on spotting and nurturing new talent," Ponti said in a statement. "The current climate of the music industry is a perfect time for growth of new and exciting models, one of which the incredible Divine Mill brand fits into."
With Divine Mill, Kay Gee has encountered platinum plus success from albums featuring label artists Jaheim, Next and Zhane.