Early career Rhone got a job at
Bankers Trust in
New York City soon after graduating college, but pursued her passion for music by landing a job as a secretary for
Buddha Records in 1974. In a succession of promotions over the next six years, she also held positions at
ABC Records and
Ariola Records. Rhone was previously part of the
Elektra family in 1980 as northeast regional promotion manager for special markets, and she was eventually promoted to director of national black music marketing for
Atlantic Records.
Atlantic Records Credited with helping to realign Atlantic's black music business, Rhone took on broader responsibilities in
A&R and
marketing in 1986 with her promotion to senior vice president and general manager of
Atlantic Records. At Atlantic, Rhone managed such artists as
En Vogue,
the System,
Levert,
Bob Baldwin,
Brandy,
Yo Yo,
the D.O.C.,
MC Lyte,
Chuckii Booker,
Miki Howard,
Gerald Albright and
the Rude Boys and
Chris Bender (singer). It was under her leadership that
Billboard magazine named Atlantic the #1 Black Music Division in 1988. Rhone's career has been highlighted by multiple firsts: In 1990 she became the first
African American woman to lead a major record company when she was named CEO and president of Atlantic's
EastWest Records. . A year later when the
EastWest artist roster and operations were combined with those of
Atco Records, Rhone was named chairwoman and CEO of
Atco/
EastWest and subsequently of EastWest Records America. At
EastWest, she was directly involved in introducing several newcomers as well as helping established stars gain new success, including
En Vogue,
Gerald Levert,
Pantera and
Das EFX. She also played a role in furthering the careers of
AC/DC and
Simply Red, who eventually became EEG artists.
Atlantic Records' founder
Ahmet Ertegun commented on Rhone's success during the period, calling her administration one of "innovation, imagination, and freshness." The
Los Angeles Times called Rhone "the most powerful woman in the music business", citing her as the only
African American and the first woman in the history of the recording industry to attain the dual title. Rhone guided the merger of
Elektra,
EastWest (of which she was formerly CEO) and
Sire Records into one of the
Warner Music Group's most diverse and competitive labels. Rhone was directly involved in the launch and guidance of multiple best-selling artists, including
Missy Elliott,
Busta Rhymes,
Tracy Chapman,
Yolanda Adams,
Metallica,
Natalie Merchant,
Gerald Levert,
Ol' Dirty Bastard,
Fabolous,
Jason Mraz, and
Third Eye Blind, among others.
Motown and Universal Motown Records In 2004, Rhone was appointed president of
Motown Records, executive vice president of
Universal Records, with the chairman of
Universal Music Group,
Doug Morris, calling her "a rainmaker", and
Universal Motown Record Group chairman Mel Lewinter citing Rhone as a "natural to lead Motown's evolution into the future". Under Rhone's stewardship, Motown reinvigorated both roster and staff, re-tooling the label into one of the savvier digital music business platforms. Rhone added
Akon,
India.Arie,
Erykah Badu,
Lil Wayne,
Chamillionaire and others to the label. In February 2006, the
Universal Music label split into two labels,
Universal Republic Records and
Universal Motown Records, with Rhone serving as president of the latter. Rhone's approach helped to raise the global identity of
Cash Money Records, while also placing an increased emphasis on
Universal Motown artists' connecting with fans via social media. Rhone declined to sign
Drake, who would later sign a distribution deal with Universal for one of the largest advances to an unsigned artist in history. Rhone stepped down from being president of the company in 2011.
Vested In Culture and Epic In 2012, Rhone became CEO of her self-established label Vested In Culture, which was distributed by Epic Records. In 2014, Rhone was named president of Epic in 2014, and later CEO and chair in 2019. She stepped down from the position in September 2025. ==Honors and awards==