Ethiopia Habtemariam is a global music and entertainment executive recognized for her impact on popular culture around the world. A tireless advocate for artists, creators and entrepreneurs, she has dedicated her career to empowering the next generation of creative voices – paving the way for some of today’s most prolific artists, songwriters and producers along with industry-defining entrepreneurs and leaders.
As President of Hybe America, Ethiopia oversees strategy across the company’s music portfolio which includes Atlanta-based hip-hop and R&B powerhouse, Quality Control. With over two decades of experience rooted in A&R across recorded music and publishing, her innovative leadership and creative instincts have driven the discovery and development of artists who have shaped the sound of today’s generation.
Born to immigrant parents and raised in Atlanta, her love and passion for music influenced and informed her from a young age. Ethiopia began her career as a high-school intern at LaFace Records. She went on to build a career in A&R at Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), rising to President of Urban Music and Co-Head of Creative with an expansive roster including Justin Bieber, J. Cole, Chris Brown, Childish Gambino, Jhené Aiko, Miguel, Ciara, Ludacris, Hit-Boy, Ester Dean, Theron Thomas, Polow Da Don, Keri Hilson, Cardo, Happy Perez, Needlz, Andre Harris, Brian Kennedy, Jasper Cameron, Ari Levine, Stacy Barthe, and Candice Nelson.
In 2014, while still at UMPG, Ethiopia expanded her purview to include recorded music as the President of Motown Records, eventually being promoted to Chairwoman and CEO of the storied R&B label. Under her leadership, Motown was reinvigorated to a modern-day cultural hit-maker, expanding its presence in contemporary R&B and hip-hop. In 2015, she revived Motown’s dedication to entrepreneurship with a landmark partnership with Quality Control Music leading to signings that included Migos, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, and City Girls among others. She continued this tradition by ushering in ventures such as Never Broke Again records with chart-topping rapper, NBA YoungBoy; and a partnership with Blacksmith Records bringing Vince Staples to Motown. Her artist roster also included Grammy Award-winning artist Leon Thomas through a partnership with Ty Dolla $ign’s EZMNY.
At the heart of each chapter of her career, Ethiopia has maintained her fidelity to talent discovery and development along with her dedication to forging a path for artists to have lasting careers. Her contributions to music have been recognized by Billboard’s Power 100, Hip-Hop Power Players, Women in Music; Variety’s Women of Impact Report; and Music Week UK’s International Woman of the Year, among other honors.
