As one of the founding architects behind LVRN’s genre-shaping rise, Justice Baiden has helped turn the Atlanta-based label and creative agency into a vital nerve center for modern Black music. From Summer Walker’s emotionally resonant ballads to breakout signings like country newcomer Tanner Adell, Afropop star to watch Odeal, and Afrobeats superstar Davido, LVRN’s roster reflects a wide-ranging, global vision—one that Baiden continues to shape as Head of A&R. But his approach goes far beyond music—it’s about building legacy and making space for a new generation of visionaries who look and think like him.
“Smart people have had terrible branding for a long time,” Baiden told EBONY. “And the ones that are smart that have good presentation just never care to express it. For me, I want to express it. I want to create a mood board, an icon specifically for my 13-year-old self to look up and be like, ‘Oh wait, that’s somebody. That’s smart and cool.’”
As LVRN’s Head of A&R, Baiden’s instincts are rooted in understanding the bigger picture. “When I’m courting an artist, I ask: why do people like you? You’d be surprised how many don’t know,” he said. “But that’s the key. What connects an artist to their audience—or what doesn’t—matters.” It’s that same clarity of vision that’s made LVRN a powerhouse in music and management, bridging creative development with cultural fluency and global ambition.
Now, with a growing portfolio of executive wins and an evolving personal brand that blends fashion, storytelling and entrepreneurial grit, Baiden sees the next chapter as a chance to stretch even further. “This is the next part of my evolution as an executive,” he said. “But more so as an entrepreneur and as somebody that wants to mean something to the younger generation—and actually have a real legacy.”
EBONY: How are you generally feeling about the state of music right now?
Justice Baiden: I think overall, we’re in a transition stage. It used to be every 10 years, but with time and technology becoming more intertwined, it feels like [a transition] every three and a half, four years. We’re onto a new frontier, and it’s going to be a blend of all these genres that create whoever the next frontier is. It’s exciting, but from a business or executive side, it’s going to show who’s good at their job and who isn’t. Like Kat Williams said, we’re in the age where it’s just about the truth. Either you’re passionate and good at what you do, or you’re going to get washed out. You can’t hide behind things anymore
LVRN operates in different sectors across the recorded label, the creative agency and management. As the lead of A&R, you work closely with recorded artists and help develop their A&R and sound—but do you also tap into the management and creative agency side?
It leans into your first question and my response, which is that the traditional sense of how the music business used to work is gone. I don’t think you can survive in entertainment or entrepreneurship without being a Swiss Army knife or seeing the whole playing field as a chessboard. It wasn’t sectioned off like the generation before us, which was very department heavy.
We had to be multi-hyphenated. My specialty is my specialty, but I still know how to shoot a three, score a layup and play defense. Especially when you’re looking at the landscape of an artist—even if you’re A&R-ing a project—you’re essentially building a brand, telling a story and connecting dots, which technically a manager is supposed to do. To sum it up, we’re doing everything.
You already touched on how technology has impacted the industry. When it comes to A&R, how has it changed your approach in finding producers or figuring out what’s next? How do you balance data with instinct and inspiration?
This is just my theory, but what technology has done—beyond music—is impact life. Specifically for music, it eliminated the idea of gatekeepers. A lot of people critique that, especially the gatekeepers who no longer drive what’s working. But it doesn’t change the fundamentals. A car still needs four tires. That’s just the law of gravity. If we want something to work, it has to follow certain rules.
The first part is exercising and practicing my taste. My faith in that taste is crucial. The second part is treating it like a startup. I consider artists startups. Technology allows you to test the product, get feedback in real time, and build a community based on that feedback. No one knows what song will randomly catch on TikTok or YouTube, but the fundamentals stay the same.
LVRN has had this steady yet rapid rise with a robust roster across management, creative agency and the label, how do you interact with legacy music companies while remaining firm in your vision?
The best advice I ever got was to focus on your soil. If your soil is rich, then the artist—the plant or the tree—can grow and thrive. You can have a beautiful garden if the soil is good. That’s always been our focus, internally and externally. We stay different by being honest. We’re honest in our approach, honest in the type of artists we sign. We’re not chasing trends. We’re focused on what we like and what we believe in. People resonate with that.
After decades, some companies start operating based solely on profit and loss statements—’what can we get through the door that will hit our bottom line?’ While we also run a business and think about those things, being a boutique allows us to be honest, not chase and stay authentic to what we love and want to see blossom in the world.
Tanner Adell is one of LVRN’s newer signees. She has a strong country-pop aesthetic and story—what has that working relationship been like with Tanner, knowing she’s a Black country artist navigating a genre where marketing often looks different for Black artists?
What we’re focused on right now is building out the narrative we want to tell. She has a unique story. Genre is just a construct, and the people who care about it often don’t control the consumer anymore. The consumer likes what they like. I can look at Tanner’s backend and see someone listened to her and then listened to Gucci Mane. The question is: how do we get it in front of people? We focus on relatability, connectivity and the honesty in her story. Her identity as a country artist is important, but for me—I wouldn’t even say I’m the biggest country fan—yet when I heard her, I loved her.
How do you balance feeding an audience that already supports an artist while giving them room to grow and evolve?
That’s the genius in being an executive—understanding who your artist is and what they have to offer the world. When I’m courting an artist, I ask: why do people like you? You’d be surprised how many don’t know. But that’s the key. What connects an artist to their audience—or what doesn’t—matters.
Some artists can depart from their last project and still be authentic because that evolution makes sense for who they are. With Summer, she connects through love and emotion. Her tone and songwriting feel authentic. She’s a storyteller. I always joke that she’s a country singer disguised in an R&B body. Her stories come from lived experience.
As someone likely closest to them during the creative process, how do you support artists when they’re going through things unrelated to music but still affecting the work?
I always say I’m the worst person to cry to because I never know what to do. If they’re crying, I’ll say, “Hey, I’m not the best person to cry to.” That honesty meets them where they are. Successful artists live in a world that bends to them. There’s no normalcy. When they talk to me, I give them perspective. I share stories, I remind them this isn’t new. Others have gone through it, and this is how they handled it. Sometimes, the medium doesn’t have to be music. Maybe it’s a podcast, maybe it’s painting. Creativity can be expressed however they want. It’s my job to help train their brain to see that.
How did you pivot from studying engineering in college toward music? What made you take that leap?
I always knew what I wanted to do. Music hit me differently from a young age. I made mixtapes in high school and sold them. I understood music in a way my peers didn’t. Coming into college, which is when you decide what to pursue, I already knew I wanted to be in music. I just didn’t know how. There’s no blueprint, especially if you don’t know anyone in the industry. I spent most of my time connecting, building and sharpening my skills. I worked with artists I loved, A&R-ed projects and came up with marketing strategies. By sophomore year, we had our first artist connect, and that was the beginning of becoming a professional music executive.
You’ve spoken about your identity as an executive, but also your personal style and aesthetic. Do you plan on leaning more into that?
Yeah, absolutely. It’s part of my “why.” Style and fashion are one piece, but for me it’s more about doubling down on my individuality—what makes me, me. My experiences, how traveled I am, how I’ve lived—it all informs how I present myself. And I still understand that at the end of the day, this is entertainment. For it to matter, it has to be hot.
God bless his soul, but Virgil [Abloh] was a friend of mine. I used to ask him, “How do you do 10,000 things in one day?” And he always said: it’s about creating systems. That’s been a part of my journey too—creating systems that allow me to spread my wings and do more than I’ve already done.
What advice would you offer to someone who’s just getting started in building a career as an A&R? What should they pay attention to, and what internal things should they be listening to?
The best advice I’d give someone on this path starts with understanding the cultural climate. Understand where we are—not just in music, but culturally. What’s the conversation right now? What’s the zeitgeist saying? That should be part of your everyday thinking. It’s not something you switch on or off. I don’t leave an interview and stop talking about culture. I live it.
Be visible. Visibility is key. I had a rule: if the right person saw me three or four times, we were at least on hello terms. You just have to be seen. So those are my five points:
- Understand the cultural climate.
- Be honest with yourself.
- Know your unique value.
- Create your own opportunities.
- Be visible.
