Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Dr. Dre's Super Bowl Halftime Show, GRAMMYs, Emmys, Rihanna, Kanye, and the Making of a Legendary Musical Director
Adam Blackstone's resume reads like a greatest hits of the most important live music moments of the past two decades. As a bassist and musical director, he has been the person responsible for the music at events that defined careers and cultural moments: musical directing Justin Timberlake across multiple world tours and award show performances, working with Jay-Z at the level of trust that only comes from years of delivering at the highest standard, serving as the music director for Dr. Dre's Super Bowl LVI halftime show at SoFi Stadium, which became one of the most-watched and discussed Super Bowl performances in history. Add to that his work with Rihanna, Eminem, Kanye West, Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, and many others, and you have a career that places Adam at the center of modern music in a way very few people can claim.
In this conversation with Elmo, Adam traces the entire arc of that career: how a bass player from Philadelphia found himself in the rooms where history got made, the skills and relationships that made it possible, and the specific philosophy of musical leadership that has made him the most trusted MD in the business. He also speaks candidly about building his own music company, Legacy, about what the GRAMMY and Emmy nominations have meant to him, and about what he believes the next generation of musical directors needs to understand if they want to build careers that actually last.
"The MD is always the last one worried about themselves. Your job is to make sure everyone else can do their job. That's it."
The long-running collaboration with Jay-Z: what it means to be trusted at that level, the specific demands of musical directing for one of hip-hop's most exacting artists, and the stories from those performances that reveal what separates truly great live music from merely excellent live music.
Years of working with Justin Timberlake across multiple tours and major television moments: the creative dynamic, the preparation required to execute at that level night after night, and what Adam learned from one of the most skilled and demanding live performers in popular music.
The full inside account of music directing Dr. Dre's Super Bowl LVI halftime show: the months of preparation, the coordination across Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent, and what it felt like to stand at the center of the most-watched live music moment of 2022.
The breadth of Adam's career across some of the most iconic artists of the era: what each collaboration demanded of him, what made each artist's world unique, and the stories that reveal what it truly means to be trusted with the music of the biggest names in the business.
Adam's entrepreneurial journey: founding Legacy Music and what it has meant to build something of his own after years of building for others, the business side of the music industry that no one teaches you, and why he believes every serious musician needs to think about ownership and legacy from the start of their career.
Adam's complete framework for what it means to be a great musical director: the leadership principles, the communication skills, the ability to hold space for creativity while maintaining discipline, and the specific qualities that make the difference between a good MD and one that artists return to again and again.
The complete story of the Super Bowl halftime show from the inside: how the production came together over months of preparation, the specific challenges of coordinating that many iconic artists in that compressed a timeframe, and the moment the show actually hit and what it felt like to be in the center of it.
Adam on Jay-Z: the relationship, the standards, the specific things Jay communicates about what he wants and needs from a musical director, and why working at that level of hip-hop royalty demands a particular combination of musical mastery and interpersonal intelligence that very few people have.
His candid account of how he went from being a bass player in Philadelphia to the most trusted MD in music: the specific decisions, the pivotal relationships, and the moments where he had to bet on himself even when the outcome was uncertain.
On building Legacy Music: why he decided to start his own company, what he has learned about the business side of music that the performance side doesn't prepare you for, and what he wants Legacy to represent both for the artists it works with and for the broader music community.
Adam on the GRAMMY and Emmy nominations: what they mean to him personally, what they represent in terms of recognition for a role that has historically been invisible to awards bodies, and why he believes the musical director deserves a much more central place in the conversation about what makes great live music.
His advice for the next generation: the specific things he tells young musicians who want to build careers like his, why the bass is actually an ideal instrument for musical direction, and what he believes about the relationship between being a great musician and being a great leader that cannot be separated.