The 2023 Billboard 40 Under 40 list has been revealed, honoring the industry’s young leaders and the minds fueling the live sector’s post-shutdown resurgence.
The annual publication recognizes the top young executives and innovators in the music industry, as well as the next-generation executives who are shaping the industry’s future. Billboard’s 40 Under 40 list was compiled by editors from various industry sectors based on factors such as peer, colleague, and superior nominations. This year’s list emphasized the live sector and its executives, taking into account their impact as measured by metrics such as chart, sales, and streaming performance, among others.
Mari Davies, Justin “Meezy” Williams, and Noah Preston, three highly acclaimed African music executives, were named to the list for their distinct roles, influence, and overall impact on the live music industry.
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Mari Davies, the Vp of talent and booking at Live Nation Urban, was recognized for her contribution to the company’s festival curation. Davies joined LNU and formally established its new touring department “to build our hard-ticket business,” putting on Rema’s club run in 2022; LNU’s 2023 tours include Ari Lennox, Jill Scott, dvsn, Davido, and LL COOL J’s first arena tour in 30 years. She’s also particularly proud of curating and marketing Mary J. Blige and Pepsi’s inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit, which will take place on Mother’s Day weekend in 2022 and will feature Chaka Khan, City Girls, and Blige herself; the festival returned to Atlanta May 11-14, planned again by an all-female team Davies refers to as a “special sisterhood.”
Davies worked as an ICM agent for ten years, representing R&B/hip-hop clients such as Kelly Rowland, Kodak Black, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Davido, and Teyana Taylor. She was also a founding member of Diversify ICM at the agency, as well as a member of the first class of mentors for Next Gem Femme, the mentorship program affiliated with Live Nation joint venture Femme It Forward.
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Justin “Meezy” Williams, founder/manager of Meezy Entertainment, is recognized for his significant role in the development of prominent artiste 21 Savage, who is unrivaled by most of his peers in the music industry, as well as assisting the ATL rapper go the distance in his career. Before becoming 21 Savage’s manager in 2015, Justin “Meezy” Williams was a well-known Atlanta party promoter. “Everybody in Atlanta knew me,” he says. “I knew Future before he exploded.” I knew Migos before they became famous. I knew 2 Chainz as Tity Boi, and I was the one who threw all the parties.” Despite his impressive network, his future was uncertain until he made a professional connection with Savage.
Williams has 14 Hot 100 top 10 singles, including two No. 1s, and three Billboard 200 chart-topping singles since teaming up with Savage, including last November’s Her Loss, a collaborative project with Drake. Williams — who describes himself as part of “this new generation of managers; we do everything” — is applying lessons learned from Savage’s success to other clients through Meezy Entertainment and Slaughter Gang. “[We’re] just really building up the artists that we have,” he says, referring to 21 Lil Harold, SG Tip, and Kid Hazel, among others. “Really establishing the company outside of you knowing the name because of 21 Savage and getting hands-on feeling like we are creating something.”
Noah Preston, Executive VP of A&R at Def Jam, was also recognized for major wins, including developing Jhené Aiko’s career (and handling A&R for her Grammy-nominated 2020 album, Chilombo), signing acclaimed producers DJ Dahi and Hit-Boy as artists, and assisting YG in scoring a Rhythmic Airplay No. 1 last year with “Toxic.” According to the 34-year-old, his job is to “understand the artist’s vision and help them make it come to life” — and with that as a guiding principle.
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