Executive Profile: UTA’s Mike G On Booking Cardi B, Lil Wayne, Akon & More

Raised in a diverse neighborhood in East Hollywood, Mike G grew up a real deal R&B and hip-hop head in the ’90s. His first concert, in fact, was a Keith Sweat, Blackstreet and Jodeci show. Rather than dreaming of one day becoming an agent to some of the biggest hip-hop stars in the world, his sights were initially set on becoming a sports radio broadcaster.

But while working as a radio executive, Mike G was inspired by the HBO hit TV show Entourage, and, perhaps not unlike Turtle and Saigon, he started booking DJs on the side. He then bet on himself and went on to become an artist manager for major talents like Chris Brown, Akon, and Teyana Taylor before finding a knack for the artist side of deal-making and joining United Talent Agency in 2017. Thriving as an agent who could relate better than most to the management side of the business, by 2022 he was named partner at UTA where his roster now boasts Lil Wayne, The Kid LAROI Akon, Cardi B, Rauw Alejandro, NAV, Romeo Santos, Burna Boy, Latto, Kelly Rowland, Jeremih, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Flo Milli, Lucki, Busta Rhymes, Young Thug, Quavo and Zayn Malik among others.

Many of Mike G’s clients are currently on the road including Lil Wayne, who extended his 20th anniversary tour celebrating Tha Carter album series, with amphitheatre and arena dates booked through October, as well as a co-headlining set at BottleRock Napa Valley over Memorial Day Weekend.

Cardi B just wrapped her 35-date debut headline tour in April, totaling more than 430,000 tickets sold and over $70 million grossed, including two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden that grossed $5.3 million. The “Little Miss Drama Tour” marked the biggest ever tour debut for a solo female rapper.

Mike G caught up with Pollstar to share what’s next for his clients and his journey through the biz, which is anchored with his servant heart, devoted morning routine and perspective as a new father.

Pollstar: In the Year End Survey, you called 2025 arguably your biggest year in the business yet. What’s your highlight of 2026 so far?
Mike G: The Cardi tour was such a big win for us and for her, to be honest with you. The fact that nobody truly believed that she was ever going to tour and she was able to not only just tour, but break records on her first tour. The Kid LAROI rolling out his project, being really involved with the label all the way to his music release, all the way to his tour announcement – that was also a big highlight because I was really in it more than any other agent usually is with their client, to be honest with you. There’ve been some great highlights so far. And then this weekend – I’m leaving for BottleRock today, having Lil Wayne headline one of the main stages. That should be a good moment as well.

You were born and raised in Los Angeles. How would you say L.A. has shaped who you are?
Being from L.A. is different than just coming into the city – I see a lot of people coming in with big dreams and big goals, but I actually grew up in East Hollywood. Culturally, I think it’s just given me a real education on just real people and multicultural people. Being of Egyptian descent, born in a primarily Latin neighborhood … And then I went to a Catholic school, which was primarily Latin and Filipino. So it was good. It was very diverse. I learned a lot about diversity in L.A. It was normal to me just growing up. So, I think that was the biggest thing that growing up in this city taught me. It wasn’t being in Hollywood. I didn’t even know what that was when I was a kid (laughs). It sounds so cliché – I was born in L.A. and then I became a Hollywood agent, but that’s not what it really is, you know. [It’s about] diversity and just meeting different people from all walks of life.

You got a degree in communications with an emphasis in radio, TV, and film broadcasting. And then you got your start in entertainment working in radio.
I did. So when I was in college, I really wanted to be a sports journalist broadcaster. And then I realized, oh, you just don’t get a job in L.A. or New York out of college. You got to go to secondary markets. And I wasn’t willing to go to Bakersfield. Nothing against Bakersfield. That wasn’t my path. So I went into radio, but it was radio advertising sales at a time where radio was very, very strong and very relevant. My first job was actually with Clear Channel – which is now iHeart – at that time they were buying and consolidating all the radio stations.

How did that lead into becoming a talent manager?
I worked at KOST 103.5, which was a soft AC station, but then I had access to an entire cluster. So I was selling KISS-FM, KOST 103 – all the radio stations. I was there from 2000 to 2004. Then I went to CBS Radio—at the time, it was owned by Viacom, helped launch Jack FM, the format, which became massive. And that was 2004 through 2007. During that era when I was in radio, I was doing very well but I was watching [the TV series] Entourage, and I was infatuated with this whole talent representing – to a certain degree, you’re selling talent — and I kept telling myself, “You know what, I can do this.” So, it was planted in my head. I end up going to Power 106 from 2007 to 2009. I just started booking DJs on the side because I would go out in L.A. all the time. And the DJs at that time were always around a lot of different artists because we were breaking new music at the time. So, they introduced me to an artist at the time. His name was Ya Boy. And he had a record called “We Run L.A.” And he wanted me to manage him. And I’m like, “I don’t really know how to manage an artist, but I know business.” And that’s how it really all started. It just kind of started from booking DJs to managing Ya Boy. And that same year, we broke that record on radio and it became like the biggest song in L.A. It was massive. It was such a big regional record, and we were doing shows with Jay-Z; we were doing shows with Taylor Swift. These are all radio shows we were doing. So I eventually left radio and said I want to start my own management company. That was a really secure job [in radio] at the time, right? So I bet on myself. It was very challenging the first few years, and then I ended up meeting Akon, who wanted to sign my artist and then I got in with Akon’s camp, and then I joined his management and it just kind of grew. One foot in front of the other every day.

And then eventually you decided to join UTA. How did you know being an agent was the next step in your journey?
So after Akon, important tidbit of my career because it did help and amplify my career – I met Chris Brown. I managed Chris Brown from 2012 to 2016, which were primarily his big comeback years with all his big records. And that really just took me to that next level of representation because we were around everybody at the time. And I left in 2016. Those four years were educational. It was intense. It was fun. But at the end I felt like it already had played out. So I decided to take like nine months off and just figure out, OK, what’s the next chapter in my life?

I wasn’t really thinking about becoming an agent, to be honest with you. I had a relationship with UTA because I had brought Chris as a client when I was his manager. I met Chris Hart, who runs our talent, Jeremy Zimmer, who was the CEO at the time, and Jbeau Lewis was my agent for Chris. But when I left Chris, I knew UTA was still building their music department. I would recommend clients to them all the time. I would always refer them business because I knew they were good people and they were going to do the work and they were really hungry in this space. So when Jeremy called, I still remember Dec. 18, 2016, I was intrigued, but I wasn’t really thinking about becoming an agent, but I wanted to take the meeting. I just did one-year deals every year, and then I’m like, “Oh, this is working out. Let’s just, you know, let’s run the course.” There was a learning curve, but it was good.

How would you say your previous roles in the business influenced how you approach being an agent?
So, it’s interesting because when I was in radio, I was in a suit and tie. So, when I went back to the agency corporate world, it wasn’t that big of an adjustment for me because I was used to the first nine years of my career, the management part that was more entrepreneurial, other than selling and being transactional. So I think when you take both those elements – coming from a corporate background but being very entrepreneurial and managing and working with A-level artists and understanding the psychology of an artist, that’s an education that’s hard to get in the mail room. I thought that really prepared me for this next phase of my career where I could actually take my management skills … my entrepreneurial skills [and] my sales skills and apply it into becoming an agent and understanding and having the empathy of other managers. I think that’s the one thing that I’ve been blessed with. When I sit with a manager, I can empathize because I know what the manager goes through.

Would you say there is an overall philosophy that guides your career?
Yeah, I just think like any situation I go into, whether it’s [working with] an artist, whether it’s being a partner at UTA, I just want to add value. If I’m not adding value, chances are I shouldn’t be on your team. I think in our business –and I tell this to young people all the time – don’t come in asking for things. Come in and add value. … I don’t want to take; I want to give, and I want to serve. And it just works out so much better when you go in with that mindset and that perspective.

One of the clients you’ve worked with the longest, from managing to now serving as his agent, is Akon. What would you say you’ve learned from him?
I met him in 2010, either 2009 or 2010, and we have him on tour right now with Ne-Yo, and he’s crushing. This is like his biggest touring year ever. What I learned from Akon is I would say he’s got his artistry and he’s also a businessman. You could be many things as an artist – so, I’ve learned that, where he has his hands in a lot of different pockets. I think the one thing that he has over a lot of other artists is he works. He’s willing to get on a plane, get on a 17- hour flight to go play a festival. Like, he doesn’t stop. His work ethic is one of the best I’ve ever seen for an artist.

One thing that stuck out to the editorial team about your Impact 50 profile last year was your morning routine. So you obviously have that work ethic as well.
Oh yeah. I get up early (laughs). The reason why I do that is – and I recommend it for everybody – but when I get up at 4:45 or 5, I’m going to pray, I’m going to meditate, I’m going to work out. I got to take care of myself for the first two to two and a half hours in order for me to feed my soul and my psyche and not just get on emails right away because the rest of the day I’m going to be giving and serving. You got to give yourself that. You know, every once in a while I’ll fire off an email like at 5 if I see something. I try not to. It’s hard, but that’s why I do that.

That goes with the saying that you’ve got to fill your own cup before you can fill others, right?
100%. Or else you’re going to burn out. Like we’re human, you know? We’re going to burn out.

Lil Wayne extended his tour routing in March in celebration of 20 years of Tha Carter legacy. What do these albums and this tour mean to the hip-hop community?
I mean, his albums are so iconic and so legendary. People love Tha Carter III, the first Carter. … He put out Tha Carter VI last year; we toured. It was a very successful tour last year. I think what’s significant about that is a lot of these records that were mid 2000s, 2010s, go viral on TikTok. So when you go to the show, there’s still a young audience. It’s not only 35- to 44-year-olds buying a Wayne ticket. You have 18- to 24-year-olds that love Wayne. So a lot of these records, even Akon’s records, are having a resurgence on TikTok because they go viral. So it’s amazing to see.

That’s great with the multigenerational audience. How’s The Kid LAROI tour been going?
The Kid LAROI tour has been just an amazing experience. I just got back from New York yesterday. We played two Brooklyn Paramounts – sold out. We have a sold-out Greek Theater. We sold out Toronto. It’s been awesome. It’s been great. And then one of his records, which is about a year and a half old, “Girls,” which was just featured on a show on Amazon Prime, just went viral on TikTok. So, a record that has been out for a year and a half that’s not even on the latest album is doing numbers. We added it back on the setlist because it wasn’t on his original setlist on tour. So, yeah, the tour is great. The rooms feel right. It’s exciting because we announced it as a global tour in the U.S. and Europe. We just added Asia. He’s got three sold-out Taipeis, two sold-out Hong Kongs. It’s been a solid tour and he’s a career artist that’s going to be here for a long time. And the show’s so good. Shout out to STURDY, who did the creative. It’s really a good show.

You talked to Pollstar in May about Cardi B’s tour. That was fascinating, getting into all the details of what went into that tour. She set a record for the biggest tour debut for a solo female rapper.
I think my takeaway is that this tour deserves a chance to go to other countries. Australia, Asia, Europe, the U.K. – and we’re gonna figure that part out. Like the world should see this. That’s my biggest takeaway as far as booking the tour. We were really strategic [as far as] it being her first tour, so let’s not do four shows in a row. Look, let’s be very cognizant of her physical and mental health, which is very important. Touring can be tough … She’s a global touring artist – not just a personality. She is a global hitmaking touring artist.

So, we’ll have to keep an eye out for those dates then.
Yes, we’re working on it.

Nice. Just looking at your roster, Young Thug played Coachella in April. Can we expect some more dates from him this year?
He did play both weekends at Coachella. Huge sets both weekends. So proud of him, and we are working on his headline tour this year. It’s going to go out this year, 20 to 25 cities and we have some international stuff in the works as well. Just figuring out the timeline for his album release just to make sure it all makes sense. But yes, you will definitely see him again. We’re excited about that.

And will the tour feature Quavo?
Figuring that out with schedules and stuff. We’ve solidified terms of the deal. It’s just a matter of the timing – and the album is the biggest piece. But you’ll definitely see Thug back out again.

Anything else you want to share about any of your other clients?
Look out for Latto. She’s dropping her album. Congratulations to her – she just had a beautiful baby girl. She has an album coming out this month. She is going to be a special guest on a big tour. Can’t say anything yet, but she’s going to be out this year.

Rauw Alejandro obviously had a huge tour last year. Just been working on everything outside of touring right now. We just landed him a big Guy Ritchie movie that he just filmed and he just finished a product campaign and we’re in negotiations with extending that opportunity. Just working on everything outside of touring for him this year since he’ll get back on the road hopefully next year.

On Instagram, you posted that you were at Vans Warped Tour last year and said that while hip-hop, R&B and pop are a big part of your work, you also have country artists and now you’re looking to sign some rock acts. You also encouraged your followers to tag rock bands you should listen to and consider signing. Since then, did you end up signing any rock bands?

Close to signing one that’s coming through a manager I already work with. Hopefully we’ll announce that soon. I went to Warped Tour – I was inspired, right? Just because I always feel like I never want to personally get boxed into a genre. And I think sometimes when you just do hip-hop or R&B, they box you. I’m like, “No, I want to sign pop; I want to sign hip-hop. I want to sign everything.” Like there’s no rule in agenting that you need to be boxed. Talent is talent at the end of the day. But we are close to signing one rock band. I’ll definitely keep you posted on that.

That’s awesome. And like you mentioned in that post, you had a band that was on Warped Tour last year, right?
I did. Yeah. Selfish Sons. We were proud of those guys. That show was great. I really enjoyed it. I think it was the first time I’ve attended [Warped Tour] and I thought Insomniac did such a great job with it. And the tags were overwhelming on my Instagram. I need to hire a team just to go through all the bands.

Speaking of teams – what sets UTA apart from agencies?
Look, and again, when I was a manager, I worked with the other agencies and all the agencies have their strengths and weaknesses. I think the thing that makes UTA unique and special is we’re very collaborative. And what I mean by that is although I sit in the music department, I can call TV, MP, lit, I can call talent … and we’re going to collaborate and we’re actually in it together working with all the departments. There’s so many times when you’re trying to sign a client, you pitch the whole 360 model and then it’s just never that, right? Like you just hear from one agent. I can honestly say I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to work with multi-hyphenate clients that do touch different areas of our agency that we do a great job collaborating. It is a family atmosphere. It does feel generally like people care about each other. I think we just do a better job collaborating with our different departments than any other agency. I can say that from [the perspective of] a former client and a current agent at the agency.

How have you seen the role of an agent change in the last nine years since you became an agent?
I think the role has changed in the sense that before when you would come to a music agent your primary focus was booking – and it’s still booking, right? It’s about booking shows, booking tours, booking festivals, understanding ticket pricing, scaling, packaging – 100% that is the core of our business. I think where the business has emerged as an agent is being multi-hyphenate and being well versed in other areas where I can speak about TV and film, where I can speak about venture and brand opportunities and digital opportunities. I think that’s where it’s changed and that’s where it’s headed. It’s the full 360 approach and it’s being well-versed in all areas even if you’re not the point for TV and film, still understanding how it works. How do you sell a TV show? You know, like who do I need to get in front of? Which production companies would make sense to partner with me to go out into the marketplace and pitch a show? So that’s where I think the great agents understand. And again to me the great agent is not just the booking agent. It’s the one who can move the building for the artist. That to me is the most unique quality.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the live industry these days?
I was just telling The Kid LAROI this: Nowadays because of the news cycle and social media, you’re not only competing with other tours, you’re competing with the news. Like people get distracted, whatever your algorithm picks up. So you consistently have to remind them, “I’m touring. I’m coming to your city.” You are competing with everything on your phone to get that attention. I think that’s the biggest challenge, competing with all the distractions and all the noise around the world.
The second thing is just being very conscious of your fan base and your ticket pricing and understanding that sometimes it may make more sense to take a little bit less upfront to price it correctly and and make your money on the back end. And that’s our job to educate our clients and our talent, our managers on why that works for longevity, right? So, I think those two are the biggest challenges. But, as far as live entertainment, people are always going to spend money to go see live. It’s just going to get bigger. People like getting out of the house and watching shows.

2025 was not only a huge year for your clients, but you also became a father. What has becoming a father taught you about yourself?
Oh, it’s the best feeling in the world. I love baby Capri. She just puts everything in perspective. That’s what it’s taught me because we’re going to have good days, we’re going to have bad days at work, right? But I think what that’s taught me is just what’s really important in life. Definitely for me it’s God, it’s family, daughter, wife, and of course my job, which I love. But it just puts everything in perspective and you know no matter what happens, that’s what you do it for. I think before it was really about, “I need to make a name for myself. I need to have a career. This is my time.” And then when you have a daughter, it’s like that’s all out the window. It’s really about her and her future and that’s what it’s taught me. It’s taught me to definitely be a lot less selfish.

It sounds like your faith also centers and guides you. And going back to your philosophy about adding value, having a servant’s heart seems to fit with that, too.
It’s the most important thing in my life. And then I just think that’s just the way Jesus served, if you go in and you take that mentality and you take the lessons and you apply it to your work, you’re going to be very successful. Because if you’re coming from a place of love and care and that really is the attitude, genuinely you’re gonna win without trying to win. You’re just gonna win. And it keeps you leveled. Not get too high, not get too low. But we’re human (laughs) so I’m not perfect, trust me (laughs).