Our Mission
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Our Mission *
Protect The Creatives is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing economic mobility for the next generation of singer-songwriters. We equip artists to protect their intellectual property, cultivate ethical AI fluency, and build sustainable careers through music publishing education, entrepreneurial training, workforce development, and community-centered programs that promote health, wellness, live performance, safety, and greater equity across the creative industries.
Our Vision
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Our Vision *
Vision
Our vision is to be recognized as one of the major music publishing organizations, operating in the same class as the industry’s leading publishers, while remaining the only full-service nonprofit publisher, artist agency, and record label. Through live performance curation, education, and community-driven initiatives, Protect The Creatives is building a creative ecosystem where artists are paid fairly, prepared for the workforce, and supported holistically.
Values
Artist-First
center the needs, voices, rights, and long-term success of artists in everything we do. Artists deserve to be treated as professionals, compensated fairly, and empowered to retain ownership of their creative work.
Career Pathways Through Performance
We believe live performance is a powerful pathway to artistic growth, professional development, and economic opportunity. Performance builds confidence, sharpens skills, increases visibility, and creates real-world income potential.
Equity & Access
We are committed to breaking down barriers that limit access to education, resources, networks, and career opportunities. We prioritize support for independent artists and creatives from under-resourced and historically excluded communities.
Education & Workforce Readiness
We value practical, career-connected education that prepares artists for success in today’s creative economy. This includes music publishing, intellectual property, entrepreneurship, digital literacy, and the skills needed to navigate an AI-influenced workforce.
Integrity & Accountability
We lead with transparency, ethics, and responsibility in our programs, partnerships, and decision-making. We believe trust is built through consistency, honesty, and accountability to the artists and communities we serve.
Community Well-Being & Safety
We believe creativity can strengthen communities and open pathways to safer, healthier futures. Through culturally relevant programming and prevention-focused initiatives, we invest in environments where artists and communities can thrive.
Innovation with Responsibility
We embrace innovation, including AI and emerging technologies, as tools for opportunity, learning, and growth. We are equally committed to ethical use, creator protection, and ensuring technology serves artists rather than exploits them.
Songwriter Initiatives
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Live Performance Practicum
The Live Performance Practicum is a hands-on training experience designed to prepare songwriters and emerging artists for the stage.
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Music Publishing Education
This initiative focuses on key areas such as copyright ownership, royalty collection, licensing, and contract negotiation.
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Publishing Administration
Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing.
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Virtual Concerts
The Lights Please Virtual Concert Series is a platform for mid-level and emerging artists to gain exposure and build buzz through global virtual performances.
Testimonial
“The hardest part of the industry is just not knowing who to trust and just whats going on with the backend of your career...”
— Official Tyb
Rappers
〰️
Against
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Pistols
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Rappers 〰️ Against 〰️ Pistols 〰️
The Notorious B.I.G.
A King Lost, A Mission Gained
Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G. or simply Biggie, was the embodiment of lyrical genius. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, he used storytelling, rhythm, and raw honesty to become one of the most respected and influential figures in hip hop history. With a voice as commanding as his presence and a flow unmatched in its time, Biggie turned his lived experience into art — chronicling the harsh realities of street life, survival, and ambition in America’s inner cities.
Biggie’s debut album, Ready to Die, wasn’t just a title — it was a bold statement of vulnerability, truth, and reflection. He gave listeners a front-row seat to his world, painting vivid pictures of struggle and resilience. As his star rose, he became a symbol of what was possible: a young Black man from the streets using words instead of weapons to change his future.
But on March 9, 1997, less than a year after the murder of Tupac Shakur, Biggie was gunned down in Los Angeles at just 24 years old. Two legends lost to gun violence in less than a year. Two stories that were just beginning. Two warnings that still echo loudly today.
Biggie’s murder — like Tupac’s — remains officially unsolved. And while the headlines have faded, the heartbreak and consequences remain real in the communities that birthed hip hop. The loss of The Notorious B.I.G. is a grim reminder that our culture’s brightest voices are too often silenced by guns before their full impact can be felt.
Rappers Against Pistols, a program by Protect The Creatives, exists to break that cycle. Through handgun-only buyback events, community engagement, and artist-led activism, we aim to rewrite the narrative that too often ends in tragedy.
We believe Biggie’s story shouldn’t just be memorialized — it should be mobilized. His voice should fuel action. His legacy should push us forward. His death should not be in vain.
As Biggie famously said,
“Damn right I like the life I live, ’cause I went from negative to positive.”
We carry that energy into every neighborhood, every conversation, every young creative we empower — helping them choose creativity over conflict, and life over loss.
Tupac Shakur
A Legacy Cut Short By Gun Violence
Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known simply as 2Pac, was more than a rapper — he was a poet, actor, activist, and one of the most influential voices in hip hop history. Born in 1971, Tupac rose to fame in the early 1990s with his raw lyricism, unapologetic truth-telling, and fearless commentary on systemic oppression, racial injustice, and life in America’s underserved communities. His music spoke directly to the realities of poverty, police brutality, and violence, but also to hope, pride, and resistance. Albums like Me Against the World and All Eyez on Me showcased his artistic brilliance and inner conflict — a man torn between the pain of his environment and a vision for something greater.
Tupac’s life was tragically cut short at just 25 years old, when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. His murder remains officially unsolved, and to many, his death is symbolic of a larger issue plaguing the hip hop community and under-resourced neighborhoods across the country: gun violence. Tupac’s death wasn’t just a loss for music — it was a painful reminder of how easily we lose our brightest voices to senseless violence.
His story is a central inspiration for Rappers Against Pistols, an initiative of Protect The Creatives aimed at breaking the cycle of handgun violence in communities where music and culture thrive, but danger often lurks. By launching handgun-only buyback programs and using the power of hip hop to promote peace, education, and healing, Rappers Against Pistols honors Tupac’s legacy — not just by remembering how he died, but by acting on what he lived for.
Tupac once said, “I’m not saying I’m going to change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” Rappers Against Pistols is that spark. It’s the movement he would’ve stood behind — a call to disarm the violence, and arm the youth with opportunity, purpose, and creative freedom.