From a Music State of Mind
Some people enjoy music. Other people dissect artists from newbie to notoriety. Tobin "TC" Costen fits into the latter category.
While Costen was in college, he met Percy "Master P" Miller during the beginning stages of independent music label No Limit Records. Costen left his distribution job at a publishing company, and moved on to becoming the Vice President and General Manager of the record label. His duties at No Limit Records included finding and signing artists, and global promotions.
With an undergraduate degree in Communications and Marketing from Gonzaga University and an M.B.A. from Holy Names University, Costen put his education to work to become part of a generation of young record producers who helped create independent hip-hop accomplishments.
Some of his biggest music accomplishments include production projects for Master P, TRU, West Coast Bad Boys and the Down South Hustlers. With Billboard chart-topping gold and platinum projects, Costen showed he was capable of developing talent and getting significant results.
Costen is also featured in Dan Charnas’ book The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop (New American Library/Penguin). The Big Payback is the epic, 40-year narrative of the executives, entrepreneurs, hustlers and handlers who turned rap music into the world’s predominant pop culture. The 2010 book is a collaboration of over 300 interviews with top industry figures and artists and nearly a decade of research.
In 1998, Costen created his own label Me & Mine Entertainment and signed Short Stop label owner and artist Lil’ Troy. The label gained instant success with the hit record “Wanna Be a Baller” from the platinum album "Sitting Fat Down South" (ranked number 13 on Billboard's top 200 albums). Costen followed up with two independent albums from the original TRU member King George, whose song peaked at number 80 on the Billboard R&B charts. In the early 2000s, Costen partnered with former MCA President, Ken Wilson, to produce the independent film "Reverend Do Wrong Ain't Right" starring BET Comic View’s Lester “Memphis Red” Bibbs.
Some people enjoy music. Other people dissect artists from newbie to notoriety. Tobin "TC" Costen fits into the latter category.
While Costen was in college, he met Percy "Master P" Miller during the beginning stages of independent music label No Limit Records. Costen left his distribution job at a publishing company, and moved on to becoming the Vice President and General Manager of the record label. His duties at No Limit Records included finding and signing artists, and global promotions.
With an undergraduate degree in Communications and Marketing from Gonzaga University and an M.B.A. from Holy Names University, Costen put his education to work to become part of a generation of young record producers who helped create independent hip-hop accomplishments.
Some of his biggest music accomplishments include production projects for Master P, TRU, West Coast Bad Boys and the Down South Hustlers. With Billboard chart-topping gold and platinum projects, Costen showed he was capable of developing talent and getting significant results.
Costen is also featured in Dan Charnas’ book The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop (New American Library/Penguin). The Big Payback is the epic, 40-year narrative of the executives, entrepreneurs, hustlers and handlers who turned rap music into the world’s predominant pop culture. The 2010 book is a collaboration of over 300 interviews with top industry figures and artists and nearly a decade of research.
In 1998, Costen created his own label Me & Mine Entertainment and signed Short Stop label owner and artist Lil’ Troy. The label gained instant success with the hit record “Wanna Be a Baller” from the platinum album "Sitting Fat Down South" (ranked number 13 on Billboard's top 200 albums). Costen followed up with two independent albums from the original TRU member King George, whose song peaked at number 80 on the Billboard R&B charts. In the early 2000s, Costen partnered with former MCA President, Ken Wilson, to produce the independent film "Reverend Do Wrong Ain't Right" starring BET Comic View’s Lester “Memphis Red” Bibbs.
