American record label Warner Music Group has signed a distribution deal with weekly hip-hop podcast Drink Champs, hosted by former rapper N.O.R.E and DJ EFN.
WMG, through its in-house podcast network Interval Presents, now owns the exclusive audio licensing rights to the podcast on all platforms as part of the partnership. The first Drink Champs episode under Interval Presents will be released later this month on 27 January.
“Drink Champs has been at the forefront of cultural conversations for nearly a decade and has created some of the most iconic moments at the intersection of culture and music,” said Interval Presents general manager Allan Coye. “Our collaboration will focus on further amplifying N.O.R.E. and EFN’s unique and unfiltered approach to storytelling and bringing the show to new podcast listeners.”
Since launching in 2016, Drink Champs has won an award for Best Hip-Hop platform at the 2022 BET Hip-Hop awards and featured a number of A-list celebrities on the show including Dave Chappelle, Alicia Keys, and Patti LaBelle. The podcast was previously produced by The Black Effect podcast network, which celebrates and amplifies Black creators in the industry.
“I’m feeling good about partnering with Interval Presents and joining the all-star team they've got,” said podcast co-host N.O.R.E. “We're ready to take things to the next level for us and the culture at large! Let's go!!”
“We were impressed with the network’s dedication to the culture and the support we’ve received to expand our show to reach new heights allowing us to further pioneer and break barriers in the space!” added co-host DJ EFN.
WMG announced the launch of Interval Presents in April last year as part the entertainment label’s initiative to create more multi-format audio content. Shows that have since been acquired by the network include hip hop podcast Rap Radar and news podcast Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams. Original documentary podcast, The Last Resort, was also launched by Interval Presents in October 2022 with production company Awfully Nice.
Interval Presents also signed a multi-year deal with iHeartMedia in September 2022 to co-produce a new slate of both weekly and limited series podcasts that would be distributed on all major platforms through the iHeartPodcast Network.
Future projects from Interval Presents include a non-fiction podcast show hosted by Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o exploring the African diaspora and a fictional romance podcast series narrated by music artist Jason Derulo.
