Troy Carter on Lady Gaga, School Choice & Cancel Culture

Troy Carter is an iconic music manager who helped launch Lady Gaga to stardom and worked with many prominent artists like Eve, John Legend, and Meghan Trainor. Carter's work ethic and obsession with hip-hop helped him rise from a tough upbringing in Philadelphia, where his mother often had to choose between paying the water or electric bill each month. He ran errands for Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (Will Smith) before interning for P. Diddy and eventually launching his own management company. He fought through adversity at each stage of his career; he reveals how long it took before a single radio station would even play one of Lady Gaga's songs.

He's currently supporting independent artists through his new company Venice Music and his passion for representing the "little guy" also extends to one of the most important policy issues of our time: school choice. Wait until you hear his courageous views on teachers unions and why he's not afraid to stand up for opportunity and accountability in spite of potential backlash.

00:00 Episode Intro
02:30 Growing up in Philly
12:52 Turning Lady Gaga into a Global Superstar
18:50 Revenge of the nerds
25:45 Speaking out on school choice
34:07 Rejecting cancel culture