Zach Randolph’s music career began at an East Memphis car dealership in 2015.
Randolph wasn’t exactly eager to get involved in a music side hustle. He was still in the middle of a very successful playing career for the Grit-and-Grind Grizzlies. And he’d seen friends of his in the NBA lose money trying to start endeavors such as record labels with the next hot young artist. But he was being pushed hard by his longtime friend, Marcus “Head” Howell, who at the time worked at the car dealership he started in his own city.
On Thanksgiving Day 2015, at the urging of a DJ who was imploring him to start a record label, Howell went to check out a local rapper who would be opening for Young Jeezy at a Memphis nightclub. The DJ had even brought the local rapper over to Howell’s office before the concert. “This kid is special,” the DJ told Howell. “You gotta check him out.”
“When I went to the concert, everybody was singing his songs word for word,” recalls Howell. “So when I left, I told Z-Bo, ‘We need to sign this kid. I think this kid is special.’”
So the rapper would later go to Howell’s car dealership to sign with Howell and Randolph and their new venture, NLess Entertainment. The first signee was none other than Moneybagg Yo, who has since gone on to release four albums that debuted in the top 20 of the Billboard 200, including three in the top five and 2021’s A Gangsta’s Pain, which debuted at No. 1.
“It was crazy; the city was on fire, and we had a hot artist coming out the city. We had the buzz,” Randolph says of signing Moneybagg in 2015. “The hottest up-and-coming artist signing with the guy who is all about the city, playing for the city, and giving back to the city. It was the perfect combination.”
“It was a great vibe,” Moneybagg says of his first meeting with Z-Bo. “He really believed in a n---a. He said he always used to play my music in the locker room.”
After signing Moneybagg, Randolph continued playing in Memphis through 2017 before spending one season in Sacramento. He officially announced his retirement in ’19, and in December ’21, the Grizzlies retired his jersey.
Since the end of his basketball career, Randolph has shifted his focus full time to NLess. After signing Bagg, Randolph and Howell have signed a slew of artists, including Big 30, who was featured on the XXL 2022 Freshman Class cover, as well as hitmaking producer Turn Me Up YC.
Randolph has traded watching film for scouting talent. He now spends much of his time listening to new artists in Memphis and on the road. He stays “ingrained in the streets” to find up-and-coming people he could sign to the label. And it’s not only hip-hop, with Randolph mentioning Afrobeats as another genre he’s looking for potential signees in.
“I just always had a love for music,” Randolph says. “I think every athlete and rapper they’re the same. Rappers, their dream was to play basketball. Basketball players like to rap. It’s a hand-in-hand thing.”
There’s a beauty in Randolph’s second career starting in the city of Memphis. After an up-and-down career that included a tumultuous start in Portland, the rugged power forward finally found his footing with the Grizzlies in 2009. From ’11 to ’17, Memphis made the playoffs every season and was frequently a tough out in a loaded conference. The Grizz upset the top-seeded Spurs in ’11 and made the conference finals in ’13. Along the way, Randolph endeared himself to a city he says shared his blue-collar work ethic.
“Zach Randolph is Memphis, man,” says Bagg. “He means everything to this city. The whole city can vouch for him.”
“They love Zach here,” says Howell. “If you pull up and mention Zach, you’ll hear a story like, ‘Oh, he did this for my family. He did this for my school. He paid my light bill.’ He’s always done so much for the city, and the city has always embraced him.”
Randolph still has ties to Memphis. He works for the Grizzlies in an adviser role, and he says Ja Morant is his favorite player in the NBA. (He also says he believes Morant is a top-three player in the NBA.) And he’s mining the city to help turn NLess into the next big thing. Randolph is hoping to expand the business into more than just music. He’s taken meetings about producing movies. He wants to create a sports management division, given his relationship with athletes. As he himself is represented by Roc Nation, Randolph is trying to arrange a meeting with Jay-Z to pick his brain on his business acumen.
In order to grow, Randolph is continuing to build bridges between Memphis and the larger entertainment world. NLess recently hired two senior vice presidents, Kemario Brown and Breon Robinson, who have ties to Memphis. He’s also empowering Bagg, who is now learning the ropes of the record industry in addition to making hits.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to be in this position,” Moneybagg says of teaming with Randolph and Howell.
Wherever NLess ends up going, it will have started in the city that Randolph has made himself synonymous with, even if it’s not his hometown.
“There is a lot of talent in this world,” says Randolph. “But especially in the city of Memphis.”
