Eli Piccarreta trusts his gut.
That鈥檚 what landed him his dream job 鈥 one that his 16-year-old DJ-self never thought existed.
鈥淚f I had known about this job from an earlier age, I always would鈥檝e been striving for it,鈥 Piccarreta said.
But as soon as he did discover the position of A&R, or artists and repertoire, in the talent scouting record label world, he knew he would do anything it took to get there.
Back in the day, Piccarreta could be spotted hosting a dance-to-get-candy trick-or-treat ordeal in his front yard as a middle schooler, playing the video game DJ Hero, DJing for high school dances or blasting hip-hop and rap from his room.
Now, 蜜柚直播 High and University of 蜜柚直播 graduate Piccarreta, 26, is off in the music scene of Los Angeles, making waves that keep getting bigger.
People are also reading…
蜜柚直播 will always be a big part of his life and who he is, though, and he brought the desert and all his memories there with him as he made his way through Atlantic Records鈥 ranks to become the vice president of A&R, for Artist Partner Group, or APG.
Eli Piccarreta has worked his way up the ranks of Atlantic Records, becoming the vice president of A&R for Artist Partner Group.
鈥淚鈥檝e always loved music, but I guess the real start for me was when I started DJing when I was 15 and still at 蜜柚直播 High,鈥 Piccarreta said. 鈥淚 remember being in middle school at these dances thinking the music wasn鈥檛 very good or that I could do better.鈥
Under the name DJ EP, Piccarreta started DJing at proms and formals for high schools across 蜜柚直播, and by college, eventually made his way up to DJing at hip-hop events at the Rialto for rising artists like Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and 2 Chainz.
His father, Mike Piccarreta, remembers having to ask Eli to turn his blaring music down every day, and even the cops coming in response to a noise complaint from the neighbors when his trick-or-treat dance party became too popular with the kids on the block.
鈥淓ver since he was a teeny baby he鈥檚 been drawn to music,鈥 his mother, Marie Piccarreta, said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to see what he does next.鈥
Piccarreta鈥檚 father reckons that Eli got his musical ability from him mother鈥檚 side of the family, since she played the cello, and her father played bass in the Southern 蜜柚直播 Symphony Orchestra.
鈥淭he role of an artist is to put out music that is authentic to them,鈥 Eli Piccarreta said. 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 all about authenticity. I鈥檓 the biggest fan of every artist I work with; that鈥檚 what it has to be, you can鈥檛 lose sight of why you鈥檙e doing it to begin with.鈥
Under the name DJ EP, Eli Piccarreta started DJing at proms and formals for high schools across 蜜柚直播, and by college, eventually made his way up to DJing at hip-hop events.
Back in 2016, at the start of his career with Atlantic Records, Piccarreta signed YoungBoy Never Broke Again after discovering him on YouTube. In the span of this past year, YoungBoy has earned 鈥淣o. 1鈥 status three times on the Billboard 200 chart .
Piccarreta has signed many other successful artists including NoCap, Quando Rondo and Rico Nasty, who has an album coming out before the end of the year.
If he could write a book, Piccarreta said it鈥檇 be about 鈥渢rusting your gut.鈥
It鈥檚 following that love-at-first-sight feeling that he encountered when he found the scout position at Atlantic Records during a college summer internship.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 always been at the heart of it with anybody that I sign,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think I鈥檝e always been in tune with my gut.鈥
Sunday Joyahnah Holland is a University of 蜜柚直播 journalism student apprenticing with the 蜜柚直播.
