Rob Caiaffa

This 43-year-old New York native, the son of Colombian immigrants, grew up in pre-gentrified downtown Brooklyn, where he was surrounded by both Latin and hip-hop music. His first job in the record business was as a Marketing Coordinator at Interscope Records in 2000, eventually moving on to Jive Records as Product Manager in 2004 before landing at Def Jam for the first time in 2005 as Dir./Marketing & Development. In 2008, he opened the Brooklyn-based Caiaffainc consumer marketing consultancy firm before returning to Def Jam in 2011 as Sr. Dir./Marketing & Development. After overseeing successful projects for the likes of Jeezy, Ludacris, 2 Chainz, YG, August Alsina, Big K.R.I.T., Lil Durk, Jadakiss and Big Sean, Caiaffa was promoted to VP/Marketing in November, 2014, then SVP/Marketing in 2016, where he continues to take pride in passing on the legacy to the next generation of artists and executives. "Rob is a dynamic marketing executive in charge of one of the most productive and successful artist portfolios in the history of Def Jam," said EVP Marketing Chris Atlas, who promoted him to his current job.

Did you grow up in a musical household?

We lived in a mixed neighborhood, so I was surrounded by a lot of different kinds of music, including Latin music as well as early hip-hop and free-style. KRS-One and Rakim were my early favorites. My all-time top three would probably be Biggy, Nas and Jay Z.

You must've been raised on the Def Jam label.

Personally, I think anyone connected to the fabric of hip-hop was raised on Def Jam!

What was your initial attraction to marketing?

Figuring out that connection between the product and your target consumer always intrigued me, how to make that product appealing so that someone will want to invest in it. Whether it's actual currency or emotional currency ... it's how the consumer invests in this product. And then figuring out the strategy - what's the language, how can I become part of the conversation? There was a time when we thought dictating the conversation was a smart marketing move. Obviously, right now, where it's not so much about dictating the conversation, but how do you become part of it? And how do you remain part of that conversation?

Certainly the growth of social media and digital marketing over the past 20 years has had a lot to do with crafting that dialogue.

It's certainly made our connection a lot easier. It's allowed us much more fluid conversations with our consumers. In that same vein, it's made us every more mindful of the dialogue we're having with them, so that the carry-through ultimately has the impact you want it to have.

Def Jam has always been a strong brand with its own loyal audience.

Def Jam is unique, not just because of its rich history, obviously, but it's the culture. We have a lot of conversations about being threaded into that culture. And that influences what our marketing tactic will be. Def Jam is the curator and home of hip-hop culture.

How do you maintain a balance within hip-hop between preaching to the converted and breaking new ground, crossing these acts into the mainstream ... not diluting them while maintaining their early-adopter base?

It's very tricky. When you reach a particular layer of your marketing program, with a certain level of conversion, then it's time to go to the next phase of the campaign. But you have to, at the same time, continue an engagement process with that part of your audience who has already been converted. It's really about making sure you're capturing that same core conversation, while also involving as many people as possible. Take 2 Chainz. After we have fully communicated with his millions of followers, that doesn't mean we stop talking to them while trying to convert the next two million.

In other words, you cater to your base at the same time as you're adding to it.

While also empowering that base, so that they feel they're carrying on the process for us.

So they feel personally invested in the artist.

Exactly. We look at it as a web of network hubs. If each one of these fans has 10 friends they have an influence over, times it by a million, and you can see how that conversion rate starts climbing. But in a very organic, "I want to be part of it because I feel it" way.

The Logic project was a great example of that. Remarkably, almost half of his sales came from his personal online store.

He's just one of those dope artists. Lyrically, his versatility is incredible. The topics of conversations he has are incredible. He's one of those artists who the label and team did a great job of honing in on not just his DNA, but how he connects with the DNA of his fans and consumers. We were really able to scope out additional purchasing points that allow us to add more fury to our project. We're not just concentrating on the traditional retail market. And it allows us that much more intimate relationship with his uber-fans, who can choose the level of their own investment ... whether it's a signed CD or a hoodie. 2 Chainz was very successful with the "Dabbin Santa" Christmas sweaters for charity. That relationship with fashion retail allows us to hone in on a very aggressive direct-to-consumer campaign for his new album, "Pretty Girls Like Trap Music," which comes out June 16th.

The actual recorded music is just part of an artist's overall cottage industry these days.

That's been part of our process for a while now. It's establishing what I refer to as the respective artist's ecosystem. Obviously, that could be fashion, sports, books, movies ... Once we identify that artist's ecosystem, then we know how to tackle each particular field. The genesis of the artist branding is, of course, the music. But what are the other tentacles? How does this branch off into other areas that further cement this artist's footprint?

Take 2 Chainz's new album. When we started the campaign last year, one of the things we took into account was, we needed to establish a solid base for him in the streaming world. We developed tactics to grow his footprint in that area by developing a Spotify playlist for "Pretty Girls Like Trap Music," which was hosted by Amber Rose, Erykah Badu and Sheebah Karungi, to name a few.

How helpful is the data that comes back from these streaming services?

It's 1,000% useful. Radio is still the major discovery medium for new music. Streaming piggybacks radio airplay. If the curiosity is there, you can spot the traction via streaming. The playlist factor is interesting to me. It's not just about putting the track up on the digital service provider, but positioning it properly so that it reaches your target audience.

What are the proudest accomplishments in your music business career?

It's difficult. I've had so many milestones which I'm blessed to have had. One of my biggest and proudest is still being part of the Def Jam family after all these years. Being in a role that allows me to nurture the next level of executives, those fresh minds, much like my predecessors left a legacy behind them that keeps the label consistent with what and who it is.

I couldn't have asked for better leaders, mentors or soundboards than Steve Bartels and Chris Atlas. These guys are always rolling up their sleeves and getting deep in the trenches with me and the team. They've never let me down in terms of giving me guidance into not only achieving my personal goals, but also that of the company. They're always challenging and pushing us to take it to the next level.

What are your own personal career goals?

I want to continue my family relationship with Def Jam -- really be part of taking it to the next generation, leaving a legacy for those who are coming after us. And then retire to a warm-weather island with a great beach.