Eric Nicks is the founder of Alpine Music Group home to artist/producer/songwriter August Rigo

August Rigo

Dan August Rigo or better known professionally as August Rigo is a recording artist, songwriter, producer and musician. August Rigo is signed to a publishing contract with Sony/ATV as a songwriter.-Early life:...

 and songwriter Kelly Sheehan

Kelly Sheehan

Kelly Sheehan , also known as "Madame Buttons", is a songwriter and recording engineer from Los Angeles. Kelly Sheehan has written songs for DJ Khaled, Mary J. Blige and others...

. Eric Nicks is a music industry veteran, having been named the Sr. VP of A&R at Universal Motown. He also founded R&B Live NY, an industry showcase in New York City. Nicks sits on the board of advisors for the Brooklyn Academy of Music

Brooklyn Academy of Music

Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....

. He is often a guest speaker at a variety of colleges, including NYU, Morehouse, and many others.

Eric Nicks graduated from Hampton University

Hampton University

Hampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...

 and began co-managing the sister of his best friend

Friendship

Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...

, up and coming rapper, Foxy Brown-(rapper).
In ‘96 Nicks received a call from Lyor Cohen

Lyor Cohen

Lyor Cohen is the North American Chairman and CEO of Recorded Music for Warner Music Group . He has been a pioneer in the development of hip hop music and influential in the development of hip hop music acts, including Beastie Boys, Foxy Brown, LL Cool J, Jam Master Jay, Nas, Run-D.M.C...

 and Chris Lighty, offering him a position at Violator (company) Records and Management where he would help shape the careers of LL Cool J

LL Cool J

James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...

, Busta Rhymes

Busta Rhymes

Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...

, and Noreaga. He became the president of the records division when he stepped off on his own and started a management company, EVision, with LL Cool J as one of his clients.


He was involved in the platinum releases of Foxy Brown’s Ill NaNa, LL Cool J’s The DEFinition

The DEFinition

The DEFinition is the 10th studio album by American rapper LL Cool J, issued on Def Jam Recordings. It was released on August 31, 2004 and peaked at #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It debuted in the top 5, and The DEFinition went Gold in the United States...

, and Lyfe Jennings’ debut Lyfe 268-192.
Eric Nicks received a call from Kevin Liles, former president of Def Jam, for a position as Vice President of A&R at Def Jam. Under Nicks’ tenure, LL dropped his 10th album, which included the number one single, “Love You Better.” In 2003, Nicks left Def Jam to become Sr. Vice President of A&R at Sony Records. He went on to Sr. VP of A&R at Universal Motown Records

Motown Records

Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...

 in 2006.

In 2007, Eric Nicks created R&B Live New York. Since its inception, R&B Live has hosted artists such as Fantasia, Ne-Yo

Ne-Yo

Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...

, Trey Songz

Trey Songz

Tremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson , better known by his stage name Trey Songz, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. His debut album, I Gotta Make It, was released in 2005, while his second album, Trey Day, was released in 2007...

, Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

 and many more. The star-studded room has included Kevin Liles, Jay-Z

Jay-Z

Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

, Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...

, Terrence Howard

Terrence Howard

Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...

 and many other celebrities and industry executives.

2008 marked the conception of Brookland Entertainment, Eric Nicks’ own record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 company formed in conjunction with the Trackmasters. Brookland Entertainment was home to the hit single

Hit single

A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...

 "Download" by Lil' Kim

Lil' Kim

Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....

 ft. T-Pain

T-Pain

Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...

 and Charlie Wilson and dancehall artist Beenie Man.

In 2010 Eric Nicks founded Alpine Music Group with multi-platinum songwriter August Rigo

August Rigo

Dan August Rigo or better known professionally as August Rigo is a recording artist, songwriter, producer and musician. August Rigo is signed to a publishing contract with Sony/ATV as a songwriter.-Early life:...

.

A&R Discography

Artist	Album	Label	Year
Foxy Brown	Ill Nana	Violator/Def Jam	1996
Foxy Brown	Chyna Doll	Violator/Def Jam	1999
Various Artists	Violator Compilation	Violator/Def Jam	1999
Various Artists	Violator Compilation V2.0	Violator/Def Jam	2001
LL Cool J	The DEFinition	Def Jam	2004
Lyfe Jennings	Lyfe 268-192	Sony	2004