Belly Inspires Students at Berklees 15th Business of Hip-Hop Music Symposium The Roc Nation/XO recording artist and his team discussed his rise to success and shared business advice for working in the music industry.
By
Colette Greenstein
October 13, 2021
Left to right: Tonya Butler, chair of the Music Business/Management Department; artist and producer Belly; songwriter and producer DaHeala; and Lola Plaku, Bellys manager and founder and CEO of Lola Media Group
Image courtesy of the artist
Berklees Music Business/Management Department presented its 15th annual Business of Hip-Hop Music Symposium on Thursday, October 7, with special guest Roc Nation/XO recording artist Belly.
The Palestinian-born and Canadian-raised Belly is an award-winning singer, songwriter, rapper, and producer who has accumulated more than seven billion streams across his catalogue. After writing Love Me Harder for Ariana Grande and the Weeknd in 2014, he cowrote six tracks on the Weeknd's four-times platinum album Beauty Behind the Madness, including Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Bellys latest album, See You Next Wednesday, was released to critical acclaim, accumulating over 100 million streams and featuring artists such as Nas, the Weeknd, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Moneybagg Yo, and more.
Hosted by Tonya Butler, chair of the Music Business/Management Department, the symposium provided an opportunity for students to hear firsthand about Belly's music industry experiences, from being an independent artist and landing a deal with a major label to the importance of owning your intellectual property and maintaining your creative freedom.
Belly's journey resonated with all of us on a very personal level, said Butler. When I asked Belly about his brand and how he wanted to be seen, and he replied that he'd rather the world hear him, rather than see him, I almost dropped my mic. I was already impressed by his artistry and business savvy, but I had no idea about the depths of his wisdom and his ability to inspire our students.
Joining Belly on the panel was his longtime marketing and strategy consultant, Lola Plaku, and one of his frequent collaborators, Canadian songwriter and producer DaHeala. During the event, Belly and DaHeala reminisced about how they got their start making and selling mixtapes, and Plaku talked about joining the team nearly 15 years ago when she was a journalist in Canada. She had interviewed Belly and later ended up writing biographies for him and his record label. They liked what she wrote, and the rest is history.
DaHeala rose to prominence after his extensive work alongside the Weeknd and other artists including Halsey, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Gesaffelstein, French Montana, and Nav. He coproduced the majority of the Weeknd's debut album, Kiss Land, and was an executive producer on Beauty Behind the Madness, which debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and earned a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
Plaku is now the founder and CEO of the Toronto- and New York-based agency Lola Media Group (LMG), which specializes in artist marketing and brand development. Since its launch in 2017, LMG has worked closely with SALXCO and XO Records, consulting on projects including French Montana's Jungle Rules; Nav's Bad Habits and Good Intentions-both of which debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200-and Belly's Mumble Rap, Immigrant, and See You Next Wednesday.
Belly, DaHeala and Lola were three of the most generous and gracious guests we've ever had, said Butler. They are all honorary members of the Berklee family, and I look forward to their continued success.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Contemporary Music Is Our History: A Sonic Timeline Listen to 75 songs that made Berklee what it is today.
Latest
Left to right: Berklee Provost Larry Simpson, MOME Commissioner Anne del Castillo, Berklee NYC Executive Director Stephen Webber, Berklee trustee Pete Muller, and Berklee President Erica Muhl
Image by Ryan Nava
Berklee NYC Reopens the Legendary Power Station Recording Studio with Star-Studded Kickoff The event featured remarks from Cyndi Lauper, Nona Hendryx, and Berklee President Erica Muhl, among others.
Duke Ellington, Berklees first honorary doctorate recipient, performs for guests at the colleges 1971 commencement ceremony.
Image courtesy of the Berklee archives
Berklee Legacy Award Concert Honors African American Trailblazers in Music and Dance Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Joseph Douglass, and Carmen de Lavallade will be celebrated for their contributions.
Left to right: Tonya Butler, chair of the Music Business/Management Department; artist and producer Belly; songwriter and producer DaHeala; and Lola Plaku, Bellys manager and founder and CEO of Lola Media Group
Image courtesy of the artist
Belly Inspires Students at Berklees 15th Business of Hip-Hop Music Symposium The Roc Nation/XO recording artist and his team discussed his rise to success and shared business advice for working in the music industry.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
03/01/2026
A still from OBEX by Albert Birney, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance...
02/01/2026
Freezing Florida: NHL's EVP, Entertainment Bob Chesterman on Taking the Wint...
02/01/2026
NHL Winter Classic 2026: TNT Sports Prepares for First NHL Outdoor Game in Sunsh...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
02/01/2026
Any Given Day: Cork University Hospital premieres Wednesday 7 January on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
RT will debut a powerful new six-part documentary se...
02/01/2026
Friday 2 January 2026
All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and...
02/01/2026
Sequins, chat shows, live sporting action, ground-breaking docuseries and brand-new Irish drama to kick off 2026
New Year, New Content Coming Soon across RT
...
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
Your live countdown to 2026 with Inhaler, David Gray, Lyra, Garron Noone, Sharon...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
RT has unveiled an exclusive first look at the new Dancing with the Stars promo...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
Belly Inspires Students at Berklees 15th Business of Hip-Hop Music Symposium The Roc Nation/XO recording artist and his team discussed his rise to success and shared business advice for working in the music industry.
