In a celebration of excellence and leadership in entertainment, Samantha “Sam” Selolwane, Head of Promotion at RCA Records, was honored with the Music Executive Award at the 2025 Living Legends Foundation Awards on Friday, October 3rd, in Atlanta, GA. The recognition celebrates Selolwane’s influential role in shaping today’s music industry.
As Head of Promotion for RCA Records (Hip Hop, R&B, and Mixshows), a division of Sony Music Entertainment, Selolwane has been instrumental in driving the success of both emerging and established artists. Under her leadership, RCA’s promotions strategy has redefined how music reaches global audiences.
The Queens, New York, native began her journey at Morgan State University, where she studied Mass Media Communications while hosting her own Friday night hip-hop show called Strictly Hip-Hop for the university’s licensed radio station, WEAA-88.9 FM.
Samantha Selolwane, an HBCU graduate of Morgan State University, worked for the university’s radio station and for Baltimore’s 92Q-WERQ; Photo Credit: Instagram/@SamTheHypeBeast
She interned at Radio One’s 92Q-WERQ in Baltimore and later became Assistant Music Director for the station while co-hosting the weekly hip-hop show, The Rap Attack, part-time. Her transition from radio to promotions came under the mentorship of Tony Anderson at Active Industry Research (A.I.R.) in Columbia, MD, where she refined her expertise in music marketing and artist development.
Selolwane joined Jive Records in 2005 as Senior National Director of Urban Promotions. Her first artist radio campaign was with newcomer Chris Brown. Under her guidance, Brown’s debut album, Chris Brown, garnered countless hit singles for songs like “Run It,” “Yo! Excuse Me Miss,” “Gimme Dat,” and “Never the Right Time to Say Goodbye” leading to over 2 million copies sold.
R&B artist Chris Brown was the first artist Samantha Selolwane led a radio campaign for at Jive Records. Her strategic guidance helped propel him into mainstream success; Photo Credit: Instagram/@SamTheHypeBeast
SIn 2011, she later joined RCA Records, where she excelled in various leadership positions, including Senior National Director of Urban Promotion, VP for Promotion, and Senior VP of Urban Promotion, assisting with radio campaigns and promotional tours for many mainstream and emerging artists in their respective markets. In 2021, she was appointed Head of Promotion, overseeing the label’s Hip-Hop, R&B, and Mixshow division. Her leadership quickly propelled RCA to earn the spot of #1 Urban Label on Mediabase’s Year-End Chart share in both 2022 and 2023, after ranking #4 just two years earlier, while maintaining the #1 R&B Label position for seven consecutive years.
Over her 25-year career, Selolwane has played a key role in shaping radio campaigns for many well-known artists such as Chris Brown, SZA, Doja Cat, H.E.R., Wizkid, Tems, Childish Gambino, Latto, Alicia Keys, Usher, Davido, Jazmine Sullivan, Miguel, Lucky Daye, Victoria Monét, Ferg, and A$AP Rocky.
Her achievements at RCA have earned her multiple industry honors, including Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Player(2021, 2022), Billboard Women in Music Executives, Variety’s New York Women’s Impact Report, Billboard Magazine Top 40 Under 40: Music’s Top Young Power Player, Variety Hitmaker of the Year, and ASCAP’s Women Behind the Music.
The 2025 Living Legends Foundation Awards represents another milestone for the natural-born leader to celebrate her professional accomplishments and dedication to inspiring the next generation of music label executives. As she continues to redefine the art of music promotion, her influence on culture and the business of music remains profound and enduring.
