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Kawan Prather

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Kawan Kawmi "KP" Prather (born March 30, 1973)^[1] is an American record executive. He began his career as a DJ for the Atlanta-based hip hop group Parental Advisory (P.A.) in 1991, which were part of the larger collective Dungeon Family. The group was discovered by Pebbles and L.A. Reid and were the first act from the collective to sign earn a major label deal with LaFace Records,^[2] through which he launched his own subsidiary imprint Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment by the late 1990s. During this time, he worked in executive or A&R positions on albums for LaFace labelmates including TLC, OutKast, Goodie Mob, Usher, Pink, and Toni Braxton.

Prather's Ghet-O-Vision label is credited as the first to sign Atlanta-based hip hop acts YoungBloodZ and T.I. through LaFace Records by 1999, and later Tennessee rapper Yelawolf through Interscope Records in 2008. The label released both of the former acts' respective debut albums: Against da Grain (1999) and I'm Serious (2001). He served as the Vice President of A&R at Arista Records from 1999 to 2001, as well as for Columbia Records from 2002 to 2005. He was then appointed as "Senior Vice President of A&R" at Island Def Jam from 20112 to 2015, where he signed 15-year-old R&B singer Khalil. He has also served as "Head of Music" at Pharrell Williams' creative umbrella I Am Other since 2015.^[3][4]

In 2000, LaFace was merged into Arista Records. After working on projects with Usher, Pink, and OutKast, he took a position as Executive Vice President, A&R, Sony Urban, Columbia Records. While at Columbia Records, KP worked with Omarion, Killer Mike, Destiny's Child, Beyoncé, and signed John Legend.^[5]

In 2008, KP teamed up with producer Malay and have a roster of artists and projects they are planning for release in the near future.^[6]

• Interview, HitQuarters Apr 2001