Steve Stoute
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Steve "The Commissioner" Stoute is an American record executive, most famous for being rapper Nas's off-and-on manager since 1995.
Nas first hired Stoute after the absence of commercial success from his first album, Illmatic. Stoute helped the rapper develop a new, Mafioso-based image, and the re-invented "Nas Escobar" released It Was Written, which was a double-platinum success. Stoute also helped Nas form a supergroup called The Firm with Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega, who was fired by Stoute and replaced with Nas' friend Nature before The Firm's only album, Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album, was released.
In 1999, Nas released "Hate Me Now", the second single from his third album, I Am.... The "Hate Me Now" video featured Nas and guest artist Puff Daddy being crucified like Jesus Christ. Puff Daddy had requested his crucifixion scene be cut from the final release version, but the original edit premiered on MTV's TRL on April 15, 1999. Following the "Hate Me Now" incident, Nas dropped Stoute as his manager, and signed with Violator Management in 2001. After leaving Violator shortly after joining the management company, Nas resigned with Stoute and released the God's Son album in 2002.
Stoute is also the founder of Translation, a company that matches pop-star spokespersons with corporations that want to promote their brands. He has worked to pair Gwen Stefani with Hewlett-Packard, Justin Timberlake with McDonald's, Beyonce Knowles with Tommy Hilfiger, and Jay-Z with Reebok.
[edit] External links
Steve Stoute slide show: http://thesurfacenews.blogspot.com
