Leland Robinson, Sr.
Born to Joseph and Sylvia Robinson of Sugarhill Records, Leland Robinson, Sr. is the middle son to music moguls who made their mark as the founders of Hip-Hop. As the prince of Hip-Hop himself, Leland did not initially assume his position at the throne. Starting out as a young man who wanted to make a way for himself, the first job he ever had was at United Parcel Service delivering packages. After a few more odd jobs, such as working at a few BMW dealerships, Leland gravitated towards his musical roots by working in the A&R department at Motown Records.Read More
Born to Joseph and Sylvia Robinson of Sugarhill Records, Leland Robinson, Sr. is the middle son to music moguls who made their mark as the founders of Hip-Hop. As the prince of Hip-Hop himself, Leland did not initially assume his position at the throne. Starting out as a young man who wanted to make a way for himself, the first job he ever had was at United Parcel Service delivering packages. After a few more odd jobs, such as working at a few BMW dealerships, Leland gravitated towards his musical roots by working in the A&R department at Motown Records. While there, he worked on projects for artists such as Queen Pen, 3LW, and a budding R&B group called Sanity. Once he got the gist of working in-house for a label, Leland realized the value of working alongside his parents and brothers, so he threw in the towel at the label and went back to join his family at Sugarhill. One of the most important lessons Leland learned from his father was the power of music publishing, which is today one of the key components of Sugarhill's business. Leland is responsible for the royalties and music publishing whenever artists such as Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Wale and Justin Timberlake sample music from his family's catalogue. Leland now hopes to pass on the torch and encourage his children to push and pursue their own careers within the music business.
