Epic Enhances A&R Team, Ups Pegues To VP
• Epic Records expands its A&R department with a key promotion and two new hires — Jermaine Pegues has been elevated to Vice President of A&R, and the label welcomes Patrick Afeku as Sr. Director of A&R and Kailen Tharpe as Associate Director of A&R.
The announcement was made by Ezekiel Lewis, EVP & Head Of A&R, who commented, “Jermaine has grown immensely over the past eight years at the label and has emerged as a savvy and sharp A&R executive. I am honored to announce his well-deserved promotion. At the same time, Patrick and Kailen have proven themselves as tastemakers and industry visionaries in their respective lanes. We are excited to welcome their energy and perspective to our team. This expansion illustrates Epic’s continuing emphasis on the importance of great A&R direction.”
Pegues (pictured) launched his career at G-Unit Records and Maybach Music Group. He joined Epic Records in 2013 as a Pop Promotion intern before transferring to A&R, rising through the ranks from Assistant to Manager of A&R Operations to Associate Director of A&R and A&R Operations. He has served as Director of A&R since 2018. Pegues remarked, “I’m thrilled to take this next step in my career under the great leadership of Sylvia Rhone and Ezekiel Lewis. I look forward to continuing to work with amazing talent and developing artists at Epic Records.”
Afeku was most recently Head of A&R at Generation Now, spearheading projects for the likes of Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow. He has also managed multiplatinum superstar Playboi Carti at The Certified Management Group since 2012. Ms. Tharpe’s career began as Director of Operations for Mogul Mentality. In 2019, Atlantic Records enlisted her as an A&R consultant before she spent another year in A&R at OTF.
