Early Life
Cortez Bryant was born on August 28, 1979, and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bryant’s leadership skills were apparent in high school, where he was part of virtually every extracurricular activity and sport offered at his high school, including the marching band and basketball team. Cortez attended Jackson State University on a music scholarship, and there, he majored in mass communications and was a member of the national honorary music fraternity known as the Kappa Kappa Psi.
Career
Cortez met Lil Wayne when the two attended Eleanor McMain Secondary School, and he toured with the rapper during his college years and later became his manager. They created Young Money Entertainment together, and Bryant became the COO. Bryant Management merged with Hip Hop Since 1978 (which was formed by Gee Roberson and Kyambo “Hip-Hop” Joshua) to become The Blueprint Group, with Cortez serving as co-CEO. He also co-founded Assemble, “an online marketplace that allows individuals to get personalized advice from a diverse group of experts via 1-1 video calls and short video responses.” In 2021, Bryant returned to Jackson State University to teach a Careers in Music course. In an interview with “JSU Newsroom,” he stated, “If I weren’t in the music business, I would have been a teacher. I always wanted to come back to Jackson State, which has done so much for me in terms of making me the person I am.”
Personal Life
Cortez has a son named River, who was born in 2020. Bryant established the Cortez Bryant Foundation, whose mission is to “actuate and support innovative initiatives that develop and stimulate diverse and inclusive pathways to careers in entertainment and media.” According to the official website, the foundation is focusing on music and media curricula, music industry talent pipeline development, and foundation grants, and its Jackson Freedom School Collaborative will “provide funding and technical resources to close the learning gap caused by virtual learning during the pandemic and the literacy gap for children living in poverty.”
Honors
Bryant has been featured in “Power 100” magazine’s “Urban Power Issue” and “40 Under 40” list, and “Complex” included him on its “25 Most Powerful People in Rap” list. He has also been featured on the “Billboard 100 Power List” numerous times.
