Ever since it became a worldwide sensation in the 1980’s, rap music has provided the opportunity for young kids with a talent for expressing their thoughts and emotions in inventive, musically vibrant ways to escape hard living conditions to make a better existence for themselves. Unfortunately, there are many so-called record labels in the market who make it a habit of promising the world to these artists but never delivering anything other than more money into their own coffers.
That’s why Now Entertainment, based out of Gordon, Georgia, is such a breath of fresh air. The company, founded by Tony M Fountain, aka “Precha”, has built an impressive roster of young stars whose raps are authentic to their backgrounds and bring some impressive credentials to the underground rap scene. But Now also focuses on all aspects of an artist’s budding career, while mixing in some cool offerings for those who might not have the talent for the rap game but still want to be a part of the culture. As a result, this is a company with its heart in the right place that seems ready to explode into a much more widespread sphere of influence in the rap community.
The Origins
You might not have heard of Gordon, Georgia, but it turns out that it possesses not only a vibrant rap scene but also some impressive sports connections as well. Bud Dupree, an All-American linebacker at the University of Kentucky and now a budding star with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, comes from the county that contains Gordon. In addition, Tony M Fountain is related to Kevin Brown, who was one of the finest starting pitchers in Major League Baseball throughout the 1990’s.
Fountain started the company back in 2011 to bring back some of the magic of rap’s Golden Era through artists with an ear to what’s happening in the here and now. But Fountain also envisioned Now as a kind of hyphenate company that tended to all aspects of entertainment, from music to marketing, even to apparel. He came up with the name Now for the company by forming an anagram from the phrase Never Off Work again.
While Fountain, as his rap alter ego “Precha”, had the opportunity to become a major label star, he decided instead he wanted to create something bigger than that. Hence, the creation of Now, which is dedicated to the power of underground rap music. And, as a budding mogul, he learned all the skills he would need to make his label thrive, from modern marketing techniques such as blogging and SEO, to state of the art music production.
What Now Does for Artists
The goal of Now is to create a roster of artists who feel empowered to speak to the truth of their lives. And while they seek out the kind of rappers who aren’t looking for the easy way to a big check, they do strive to find ways of making these talented young men and women earn money that is worthy of those talents.
That means that Fountain and company are always putting a new product out on the streets; their latest release, 478 Gang #2 highlights some of the incredible talent they have at their disposal. But it also means that the brain trust at the company do whatever they can to foster well-rounded artists, helping with everything from the marketing of the product to the branding on the cover of their mixtapes.
In addition, Now Entertainment also features apparel which is stylish and perfectly suited for the hip-hop lifestyle, and that’s something that everyone can enjoy. Fashion, marketing, music production, blogging, and on and on: That’s not a light workload for Fountain, a guy who is a single Dad raising a son and a daughter, ages nine and ten respectively.
But Fountain is driven to see Now Entertainment (check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube) transcend the status of underground rap label and become something that is nothing less than a full-scale entertainment conglomerate. Who knows? If Now can continue to rise at the pace it already has managed since its humble beginnings, Gordon, Georgia might be as important a pit stop as New York and Hollywood for budding stars to make.
