Shari Bryant, co-president of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, recognized a chance for success in the music industry and seized it. Bryant was raised in the same apartment complex as Cam’ron and Damon Dash in East Harlem, New York.
In 1999, at the age of 16, she openly expressed her desire to work as an intern for Dash at Roc-A-Fella Records. Dash accepted her promise and welcomed her to the studio’s offices.
Bryant told Fortune about her first day at the company: “Nobody knew I was there and no one was expecting me.” They were like, “Who are you?” He finally comes in about an hour later and says, “Oh, yes, this is Shari.” “She’s from my building, so make sure she understands everything that’s going on.”
Bryant balanced her education at John Jay College with her internship. Almost thirty years later, Bryant has gone from studying from Dash to managing Roc Nation. “When I stepped into that company in 1999, I never looked back because I could see ladies who looked like me, which gave me a sense of belonging. I saw my mother and aunt. “Not literally, but that’s what the representations meant to me at the time,” she explained.
Bryant, 39, formerly worked at Warner Bros. Records, Atlantic Records, and Alamo Records before returning to Roc Nation.
Today, the businesswoman shares the title of co-president with Omar Grant, whom she has worked with since 2019.He served as an intern for Beyoncé’s longtime publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, and has a proven track record of advancement. Through this connection, he met Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father and former manager, and eventually became the assistant tour manager for her album “Dangerously in Love.”
As Roc Nation’s leaders, Grant and Bryant use their abilities to assist musicians and foster the next phase of “legacy artists”. Bryant attributes her success in the music industry to three factors. “I believe in leadership via empathy, passion, and purpose. “I attribute everything to empathy, passion, and purpose because I apply them all to my work,” she told Essence.