Hooding Ceremony

Counted as one of the top music attorneys by Hollywood Reporter and Billboard magazines, entertainment impresario James McMillan, Esq. has merged his roles as lawyer, marketer, manager and visionary into being a founder and CEO of his own record label, ART@WAR Entertainment. Over the past 15+ years, McMillan has built a solid foundation and reputation based on integrity and emerged as a force balancing his creative and business inclinations.

James McMillan was born in Cleveland, Ohio to two educators working within the Cleveland Public School Systems.  “My mom taught me to never quit and always have empathy for what people are going through,” he says.  “My dad always told me to be fair and fight for what I truly believe in.”  It is with these two guiding principles that James began his foray into the entertainment world after a youthful indiscretion in his early 20’s landed a Felony Conviction on his record.  “I was young and doing stupid things and managed to fall into the wrong crowd and get into trouble,” McMillan says.  After being convicted, he took full responsibility for his actions and “realized that I needed to do better… to be better.”   As a result, he changed course and ultimately graduated from law school overcoming many obstacles to become a practicing attorney. His personal experience profoundly shaped his commitment to helping young people- especially artists- set themselves up for success in the entertainment business.

Over his 20+ year career, James McMillan has become a leader by identifying, working and building a varied range of clients including Highbridge The Label (A Boogie With A Hoodie), Kodak Black, Rap-A-Lot Records, Swisha House (Paul Wall and Mike Jones), music producers The Justice League and Cool and Dre, Floyd Mayweather, musician/actor Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), and legacy artists Slim Thug, Too Short, Nelly, 8 Ball & MJG.  McMillan has also set up and negotiated deals with movie studios and every major record label group including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and more. This prepared him to execute his vision of creating an environment for artists to flourish and realize their fullest potential. He launched his own label, ART@WAR in 2017, with an auspicious start.

Within the first year of its existence the indie label’s roster which includes the YBN collective (YBN Nahmir, YBN Jay Almighty and Cordae), Jucee Froot, SK8, and Traetwothree (a partnership with Nick Cannon) boasted numerous gold and platinum records. Additionally, Cordae earned four Grammy nominations including Best Rap Album for his solo debut in 2020. ART@WAR has a joint venture with Atlantic Records and a partnership with Def Jam.

McMillan has learned a lot from those that have come before him like Sean “Diddy” Combs, James Prince and Clive Davis. His goals for the ART@WAR umbrella go well beyond platinum records and sold-out tours. He wants to carve out a place in pop culture history for his artists.

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