Quality Control Music: A $1 Million Atlanta Studio Bet to HYBE's $300M Buy

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Kevin Lee, known as Coach K, and Pierre Thomas, known as P, founded Quality Control Music in Atlanta in March 2013 to focus on hip hop, trap and R&B. Before they had a roster, they spent about a million dollars of their own money and a year building a West Atlanta headquarters with four recording studios, and they kept publishing, artist management and radio promotion in-house from the start. The 2014 mixtape Solid Foundation, hosted by DJ Drama, served as proof that the operation could deliver a finished product on its own.

From 2017 to 2020 the label built a roster that included Migos, Lil Yachty, Lil Baby and City Girls, managed Cardi B during her rise, and leaned on in-house producers such as OG Parker and Quay Global. Distribution ran first through Capitol and later Motown, both under Universal Music Group, while QC kept ownership. The all-in-one model drew a 2020 lawsuit from Migos over management practices and compensation. In 2019 the founders launched Quality Control Sports, and on February 8, 2023 parent company QC Media Holdings was acquired by HYBE America, led by Scooter Braun, for $300 million, with Lee and Thomas staying on.

• Control the Streets Volume 1 reached number one on the R&B and hip hop chart in 2017 and number 5 on the Billboard 200; Volume 2 hit number 3 in 2019.
• The compilations paired established acts with newcomers, cross-promoting artists like Lil Baby to Migos fans.
• Lil Baby and DaBaby's Baby reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019.
• Quality Control Sports represented NFL players including Alvin Kamara, Deebo Samuel and Diontae Johnson.
• After the sale, general manager Tamika Howard and executive Simone Mitchell remained part of the Atlanta operation.