Finding the Comfort Zone
Every child inspires to be something because he/she looks up to that role, has a desire or natural talent for it. Enter James Elam; a man that didn't know a lawyer until age 22, yet has become a well-known legal name in the Philadelphia entertainment scene, mainly Hip Hop and R &B. Originally from Southwest Philadelphia, James graduated from Overbrook High School, which he says was basically Hip Hop high. Throughout high school, James had a passion for music, and always wanted to be in the music business. He even admitted that at one time, he was a DJ and an emcee. I regret not asking him to bust a rhyme. Next time! James was college bound, and decided to continue his education at the University of Delaware. He graduated with a degree in economics, which most definitely will come in handy in this business! Armed with a college degree and a heart full of determination, a conversation with his fraternity brothers from Phi Beta Sigma gave him inspiration to go to law school. Widener was his law school of choice. James tells me about Widener, "It's a good school, but has a low ranking, because it's relatively new compared to other area schools, so I knew I had to exceed expectations in order to find a good job." In 1997, James graduated from Widener near the top of his class. While in law school, James was clerking for an entertainment lawyer, which gave him the opportunity to teach himself the ins and outs of the business as well as the politics. Fast forward past the job he had with a law firm, to the present where he has a firm, properly named Elam Reavis, LLP. When speaking of the firm, James says, "I am proud of the people I work with, they are some of the best dealers in the business. I'm surrounded by talent and love working with it all." He is taking his passion further. Along with a few business partners, James formed a record label called The Foundry. Currently, The Foundry has a group that James politely let me hear. They are called Deep Six. They are definitely a talented group. I'd speak on them, but I'll save that for their interview, which I hope to do. Hint Hint! When I went into this interview, I had only a vague idea who James Elam was, but by the end of it, I knew and I understood.

Frustration
"I won't represent someone if I don't like their music." I bet you are thinking that's why you've never heard back from James. Just Kidding! It's not that he's being harsh, just honest. It's also very hard to squeeze people in. Look at it from this angle: He puts everything into what he does, and he can't do that if he's not feeling it or doesn't have the proper time. His clientele includes Freeway, Miss Jade, Jill Scott, Alma Horton, Kindred, and Jaguar. The Philadelphia Hip Hop scene is something that clearly James feels strong about, "Where are we? Fake thugs cannot be interpreted as Hip Hop. Some of the current Hip Hop artists have no talent, but they are successful purely because of marketing. If you jam something down people's throats enough, they'll start to accept it." James and I vibe on that concept for awhile. He reminisced about going to good Hip Hop and R&B shows, when they were nutritional. Because of his natural addiction for not only this culture, but also music in itself, it's obvious that the state of Hip Hop saddens him, but it serves as motivation for him to positively impact music. When discussing underground artists, he says, "Having a record deal isn't all it's cracked up to be. People sign a piece of paper and see that as fame. If you're signing with a label that has less money than you do, then you need to rethink." Word! That's a nice bit of advice, all of you need to read and digest. I'll let you give you a minute to do that.........................Got it? Good!

Simple Philosophy
This past weekend, I listened to someone rejoice that they moved to Delaware, because in their words, "Living in Philadelphia is horrible!" James is an example of a true Philadelphian that was born and raised here, therefore will always call this home. Although James can move elsewhere and be successful, he's perfectly happy at home. "One day maybe I'll move, who knows?" Why leave a place where everyone knows you? When we were walking down the street it felt like I was walking with a city official. We stopped about every block to talk to someone that he knew from somewhere. I noticed that most of the talks were business related. James doesn't play when it comes to getting done what he has to do. "It's about organization. That keeps my balance. Plus I'm passionate about what I do legally and musically." His advice to those who are looking to be involved in music is, "Network, and get your name out there. Study the industry, be honest and know your craft, because you can be quickly exposed as an idiot." In the hour or so that I interviewed James, my nervousness completely disappeared. Everyone kept telling me how he was so down to earth, cool and fun to chill with. I found that out for myself. James is not on any drama, and as cliché as it sounds, he keeps it real. It's nice to converse with someone on a music tip that just flows. The peak he has reached in his life and career gave me inspiration in so many aspects. The scary thing is, he still is climbing. You ask how he got here?, It's simple. In his own words, "If you do good things, then good things will come back to you." That's exactly what I'm talking about!

contact James Elam

Article by Deesha
July, 2002