WHAT'S HOT
Hip-Hop Exec Tim Hinshaw Talks with INFINITI and Billboard On His Love Of The Genre, The Rise of Free Lunch Agency, and More

Published
8 months agoon
By
Evan Burke
Hip-hop changed the course of Tim Hinshaw’s life in more ways than one as explained in the music executive’s new profile in partnership with Billboard and INFINITI.
As an honoree of the 2024 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list and our 2022 Executive of the Year, the Compton native opened up about his family, humble beginnings, and relationship with hip-hop. “One of my best memories as a kid was my first road trip. My dad had the INFINITI Q45. He loved that car. It had gold BBS’s. It was like my first introduction to a luxury vehicle.” Hinshaw admitted in his interview in front of the all-new 2025 INFINITI QX80.
“I grew up on the west side of Compton. I could find a CD and what they were saying on the songs was stuff I was going through in my everyday life. It was almost like a therapy session.” Hinshaw, the former Head of Hip-Hop & R&B for Amazon Music, has experienced his share of professional hurdles. In fact, some of his earliest memories of the music industry involved multiple accounts of rejection. “I just don’t accept ‘no’ and I think that’s just about how I came up,” he recalled. “I’ve seen my mom make her way around so many different ‘no’ situations, so you can’t tell me ‘no.’” Fast forward to 2023 and Hinshaw launched his own creative agency, Free Lunch. “I’ve always had a unique way of bridging culture and corporate. That is my superpower,” he admitted.
As a tastemaker in the industry, the exec admitted the car is his ideal setting to press play and turn the volume up. “The car test is the most important test, I think. I can’t really give an opinion until I hear it in the car,” he said.
While the INFINITI QX80 boasts a range of features perfect for a road trip for eight, Hinshaw has his own relationship with the concept of luxury. “I’m a simple person. Being able to wake up with my kids, take them to school and having premium sound while driving, that’s luxury,” he told us.
Regarding his advice to folks hoping to make a mark on the industry, Hinshaw said it all boils down to redefining yourself. “You gotta tinker with yourself every day from a personal standpoint, from a career development standpoint, from a money management standpoint. You really have to take the time and effort to pick yourself apart and put yourself back together,” he explained.
Click here for the latest announcements on Hinshaw’s Free Lunch agency.
Photo: Rashida Zagon

Photo: Rashida Zagon
Evan Burke
Source link

Jimmy Swaggart, Televangelist, Billboard Chartmaker, Grammy Nominee & Cousin to 2 Famous Musicians, Dies at 90

Snoop Dogg Settlement, Diddy Trial, Jay-Z Extortion Ruling & More Top Music Law News

Which Album Has Been Your Favorite of 2025 So Far? Vote!

Mariah Carey Confirms Her New Album Is Finished: ‘We Got Some Mariah Ballads’

TOMORROW X TOGETHER Reveal Tracklist For 4th Studio Album, ‘The Star Chapter: TOGETHER’

Exclusive Interview with Bassi Boss

Crucial Flamez: The Guyanese Flame Lighting Up South Florida’s Reggae-Hip Hop Scene

Exclusive interview with Strictly Sour

From Pain to Purpose: Jerard Rice is Starvin’ for Greatness in the industry

Celebrity HipHop’s Next Up: Exclusive Interview with J Menace

YG KAYBOE – Heavenly Father (Official Music Video)

Anycia & Quavo – Put Up (Official Visualizer)

Clipse, Pusha T, No Malice – Ace Trumpets (Official Audio)

Turbo & Gunna – Classy Girl [Official Visualizer]

Ken Carson – Blakk Rokkstar (Audio)
TRENDING


Jimmy Swaggart, Televangelist, Billboard Chartmaker, Grammy Nominee & Cousin to 2 Famous Musicians, Dies at 90
Jimmy Swaggart, who was among the most successful televangelists in the U.S. in the 1980s, died Tuesday (July 1) at...


Snoop Dogg Settlement, Diddy Trial, Jay-Z Extortion Ruling & More Top Music Law News
THE BIG STORY: Snoop Dogg reached a confidential settlement with Trevor Lawrence Jr., a veteran studio musician who has been...


Which Album Has Been Your Favorite of 2025 So Far? Vote!
We’re only six months into 2025, but already a number of artists have dropped albums that have topped the charts,...


Mariah Carey Confirms Her New Album Is Finished: ‘We Got Some Mariah Ballads’
Ebro Darden, Mariah Carey, and Zane Lowe attend the Apple Music 10th anniversary celebration and global live Apple Music Radio...


TOMORROW X TOGETHER Reveal Tracklist For 4th Studio Album, ‘The Star Chapter: TOGETHER’
K-pop boy band TOMORROW X TOGETHER revealed the tracklist for their upcoming fourth studio album on Tuesday morning (July 1)....