Who is Larry Jackson? Former Apple Exec and Gamma Records CEO claims Drake is 'bigger than the '70s, '80s and '90s combined'

Gamma CEO Larry Jackson claimed that Drake’s commercial value is greater than that of the artists from the “'70s, '80s and '90s combined”, in his latest interview with Joe Budden. The former Apple executive made the shocking statement after Drizzy’s recent feud with Kendrick Lamar, where netizens seemingly declared that K. Dot won their battle.

In the latest Joe Budden Podcast episode, Larry Jackson discussed a variety of topics, including the current music scene. Much to fans' surprise, Jackson claimed that Drizzy had much more cultural value than one might think. Although he refused to discuss the Certified Lover Boy’s record deals to “display good cultural etiquette,” he opined that the Canadian singer was much more powerful in the music industry than one could imagine.

Larry Jackson said:

“The thing I will say to you about the artist you just mentioned [Drake], is that if you look at his music, he’s bigger than the '70s, '80s and '90s combined. I don’t mean like one artist from that era, I mean all of those eras combined.”

In the interview, the music executive also said:

“All the things that we achieved when I was at Apple, with the individual that you’re noting [Drake], imbued me with the confidence and the courage of my conviction to go out and do what we’re doing right now. Can you put a price tag on that? No, you can’t.”

For the uninitiated, Larry Jackson is the former Global Creative Director of Apple Music. In 2023, he launched Gamma, which boasts an impressive roster, including Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, and French Montana, among others.

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Larry Jackson’s Gamma is backed by media giants like A24

In March 2023, Larry Jackson launched Gamma, a multi-platform business that is also involved in producing music, fashion, movies, and merchandise. He co-founded the company alongside former Interscope CEO Ike Youssef.

Prior to this, he was the Global Creative Director of Apple Music, as mentioned above, and played a critical role in Apple Music striking a deal with Drake to stream his 2016 album, Views.

Gamma acquired $1 billion in financing initially and went on to become an essential in Black pop culture, whose roster now includes S*xyy Red, Naomi Campbell, Jaden, WILLOW, and Rich The Kid, among others.

Gamma received funding from Eldrige Industries and went on to have a “sibling-like relationship” with A24, as per Billboard.

Speaking about Larry Jackson’s genius, Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of Recording Academy, said to Billboard that Jackson:

“is going to disrupt how people do things. Creatives, we’re weird people, but he knows how to get the best out of us- that’s one of his superpowers. But then he can also do deals, structure agreements, really see trends and what is going to be next. He was built for this.”

Prior to becoming the leader of Gamma, he played a significant role in the release of albums by Frank Ocean, Kanye West, and Nicki Minaj, among others. He also played a key role in the rollout of Travis Scott’s Utopia album during his time at Apple Music.

Budden’s interview with Jackson comes after the former speculated that Drizzy owns a portion of Gamma. Budden previously claimed on the podcast that Drizzy was getting paid to publicly support and collaborate with S*xyy Red. However, it is worth noting that neither party involved had clarified the same at the time of writing this article.