Rob Jua | Music & Media Executive

ELEVATING ICONS: TOO $HORT (Part 1) @tooshort is hip-hop history. Before the world knew Oakland had a sound, Short was already outside selling tapes, building his own name, and turning real Bay Area game into a movement. No major machine in the beginning. No blueprint handed to him. Just hustle, consistency, and a voice that couldn’t be duplicated. From the cassette grind to platinum albums, Too $hort became one of the first artists to show what independent power could look like in hip-hop. He helped put Oakland on the map, influenced generations of artists, and stayed relevant in a game where most people don’t last five years. Short didn’t just make records. He helped build the West Coast foundation. Some of the wins: • Started selling tapes independently in Oakland in the early 80s • Helped make the Bay Area sound national • Born to Mack broke through independently before Jive Records picked it up • Life Is… Too Short went double platinum • Dropped classic records like “The Ghetto,” “Blow the Whistle,” and “Gettin’ It” • Worked with legends from Tupac, Biggie, Jay-Z, E-40, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Lil Jon, and more • Part of Mount Westmore with Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and E-40 • Honored by Oakland with his own day and “Too $hort Way” • 40+ years in the game and still active Real pioneer. Real longevity. Real Bay Area legend. This is Elevating Icons! Where the people who moved the culture tell the story themselves. 🔌@senorwavy

Linked up with a real one✊🏽 @ohgeesy speaks about how he got on, and his first big check on @elevatingicons We gon continue to give yall the blueprint on how to get on! Following IG & Subscribe on YouTube @elevatingicons S/O my dawg @bankrollgotit.jb 🙌 #music #rap #ohgeesy #elevatingicons #podcast

Trusted God and my intuition and this happened🙏🏾. @ijayamusic thanks for trusting me and the process✊🏽. @anr_eddie Thanks for being a man of your word💯. I was home one night in LA and didn’t feel like going out. Something told me to get out of my comfort zone and go to a party that I wasn’t on the list for. When I got there, they weren’t trying to let me in. I did some New York shit and got in. The party was kind of dry, so I decided to leave early. I bumped into Eddie on my way out. We linked a day or two later. I told him about Jaya, sent some records after… and he hit me back within 30 minutes saying Jaya is 🔥. I was shopping around prior to that, but Eddie was persistent and excited! He understood the talent and the team. All you ever want is to work with people who excite you just as much as you excite them. Thank you @mattbuseresq for always riding for ya dawg Luv and appreciate you @kedarmassenburg , the realest‼️ @ted.ture my dawg!!!! You built for this Thanks my brother @dtopesalami 🇳🇬 This is only the beginning and look forward to everything. No matter what you going through, stay faithful and believe in God, the universe, yourself… and appreciate all your love ones who stand by your side❤️💙. @disruptivelabel x @rxsongs 🇳🇬🌍⭐️ New chunes OTW 🤫🤫🤫

My book “RICH AGAIN” won the LA TRIBUNE “Critically Acclaimed Best Seller” Recognition🥳 Writing this book was one of the most vulnerable things I’ve ever done! I overthought it for over seven years before I finally had the courage to put it out. But deep down, I knew the message God gave me was bigger than me. I was just selected to share it ⭐️ Funny but real story on how they even got the book… I gave a copy to my homegirl @_unlished_ , who works there. A few months went by, and honestly, I forgot I even gave it to her. She finally got a chance to read it and loved it so much that she submitted it without even telling me. She said she was just inspired to do it. The team at The LA Tribune read it, reviewed it, and gave it almost a perfect score. Then Alicia called me with the surprise news….and I couldn’t believe it. Sometimes God is working behind the scenes before you even know what’s happening. Thank you to @losangelestribune for the recognition. Especially knowing this book was up against authors with massive followings, celebrity status, major success, and more…..and still, Rich Again stood out. I don’t take that lightly. Thank you to all my friends who stood by me through every change. Thank you to my kids. And thank you God for every lesson and every blessing. Next book will be coming out through a MAJOR book Publishing partnership🤝 I’m not here to force you to buy a book. But if you need to find it, the link is in my bio. I love y’all💪🏾 #book #manifest #author #mindset explore

ELEVATING ICONS: On The Rise @2kbaby (Part 1) Some artists don’t just make songs. They make pain sound melodic. They make struggle sound real. They make the streets, the scars, and the growth all live in the same record. 2KBABY is one of those artists. Coming out of Louisville, Kentucky, 2KBABY built his name with emotion, melody, and honesty that cuts through. From the breakout of “Old Streets” to becoming the first artist signed to Masked Records through Warner, he came in with a sound that felt different from the start. His rise is real: • Louisville native with a story in the music • Broke out with “Old Streets” • Dropped his debut EP Pregame Rituals • Showed range with records like “Like This” featuring Marshmello What makes 2KBABY stand out is the feeling. The vulnerability. The pain in the melody. The fact that he can make records that sound street, personal, and big at the same time. He’s not just making music. He’s telling survival stories in a way people can feel. This is what it looks like when real emotion meets real talent. 🎥 @ted.ture #ElevatingIcons #2KBABY #music #explore #fyp

Come down to Jim Ellis Chevrolet. These cars are going fast 😎🏎️💨 Go to any Jim Ellis and tell them Block sent you🤝

Check me out in the new @volvocarsmog @volvocarsofmarietta commercial. Produced & Directed by @andbeynd , Myself, and @ted.ture 🎥 Exec Produced by @bigblockesc @jimellisauto Go to Any Jim Ellis Store and tell them “ Block sent you” 🤝

I got a chance to check out the @laclippers Arena and speak with my guy @kurtlanders_ about @elevatingiconsnetwork . The stadium was incredible @intuitdome S/O @senorwavy 🔌

FOR LAGOS…SOON 🙏🏿 #Share

ELEVATING ICONS: @arnoldltaylor (Part 3) This one is about artist development…..the part of the game a lot of people talk about, but not everybody really understands. Arnold breaks down why developing artists still matters, why you can’t just chase what’s already hot, and why his mission is to keep finding and breaking new talent every year. For Arnold, it’s bigger than one artist, one record, or one run. It’s about making sure @southcoastmusicgroup keeps contributing to the culture and keeps putting new energy into the industry. As we speak, @DaBaby ’s “POP DAT THANG” is sitting at #1 on Urban Radio, #30 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on Rap Airplay, #2 on Hot Rap Songs, and still moving across multiple charts🚀🚀🚀 Now the remix produced by @the.wizardz is out featuring GloRilla, Yung Miami, and YKNIECE — taking the record into a whole new space🔥🔥🔥 Arnold Taylor isn’t just talking about artist development. He’s still proving it in real time. This is Elevating Icons. Real conversations with the people building the culture from behind the scenes. 🎥 @ted.ture #music

Thanks for the luv @rawtvradio , you a real one! Thank you to every guest on the platform, we do it for the culture! @elevatingiconsnetwork to the 🌍 S/O the my guys the 🔌 @hrhkingfame @arabtvmg

We back at it!! @dababy “POP DAT THANG” remix produced by @the.wizardz 🚀🚀🚀🚀 #1 at Urban and growing globally🤝 A.T. for the win @arnoldltaylor