Founder & CEO
Hakeem Stevens
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Hakeem Stevens has thirty years of music industry experience in various disciplines from marketing, promotion and A&R to PR, event and talent management. Starting his career as a club and pirate radio DJ, Hakeem has worked in various roles in the music business, including positions as Senior Urban A&R / Promotions Manager for Warner Music UK; European Marketing & Promotions Manager at VP Records; New Media & Special Projects Co-Ordinator at Choice FM; Promotions & Marketing Manager for Trace magazine. Hakeem also spent 3 1/2 years as a music journalist writing for various publications in the UK & US, including XXL Magazine, Vibe, Hip Hop Connection, Trace, Rap Sheet & more. In 2004 he launched a 360 music company USM Media Group covering marketing, promotions, A&R and event management consultancy, and talent management. USM has worked with high profile clients such as Universal Music, Warner Music, Ministry of Sound, BlackBerry, BFI and Choice FM. Alongside talent such as Kano, Lethal B, Estelle, Big Narstie, BBC 1Xtra's Ace, Pitbull, Lil’ Jon, Spragga Benz, Alison Hinds and Grammy award-winning producer Salaam Remi to name a few. He has been responsible for marketing and promoting almost twenty five Gold and Platinum-certified albums and over fifty national top 40 hit singles throughout his career. He recently passed his MA in Music Business Management & CMI in Strategic Management at the University of West London with a Distinction and is a BA Music Business Lecturer at UWL and the founder of Access All Areas.