Learning and hearing about the stories of the people behind some of the biggest hip-hop stars tends to be a rarity as celebrities naturally take the main stage and are at the front of people’s minds. Talent management is also a field that many may not fully understand or even know of, as a tangible career path.
John Burton, a Chicago-born impresario and music industry professional with nearly 20 years of experience, spoke to Our Weekly to share insights about his career path from the past to present, working with artists such as rappers Consequence, Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest most recently Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), and more. He is also the founder of his own company, Access Opera, a platform that expands global visibility for opera artists, focusing on how classical performance and contemporary culture collide.
Gaining his start in the music industry through club promoting, Burton attones most of his knowledge from promotions, networking and learning from John Monopoly and Asa Powell. The early beginnings of his career started with John Monopoly, former COO of GOOD Music and a longtime manager of Ye. After gaining experience, Burton became a road manager for Consequence which allowed him to gain the opportunity to facilitate national tours with prominent artists such as legendary rap group A Tribe Called Quest and singer John Legend.
“I was about 18 years old… It just stems from nightclubs. I used to throw parties… I dealt a lot with promotions and I used to work radio, so I understood that circuit. I wanted to jump into the management side of things just to see how it operates, so when John came to Chicago I asked, ‘Can I be your executive assistant?’ I just made an inquiry and he hired me,” said Burton.
“John (Monopoly) taught me how to deal with situations and personalities in this industry, but I learned the most from Asa Powell— high-level psychology, understanding how people move, predictive patterns and betting on my own mind and perception.”
He also stated that working with rapper Q-Tip also not only furthered the credibility of his reputation but most importantly his voice and opinion, which Ye also solidified through their work together 15 years later during Ye’s “Donda” era in from 2020-2021, in which they first met at an industry event in which Kanye became fascinated with Burton’s Access Opera platform and asked for his assistance.
He also shared how having a voice and opinion in the industry has been an important trait to have, a signifier of his relationships, success, and trajectory.
“To be asked , ‘What’s your opinion?’ from people that I revered as icons… it gave validity to what I had to say.”
He most recently booked Ye’s 2026 return to music at Mexico City’s Plaza De Toros, which brought more than 40,000 fans per night. Burton also secured an upcoming performance date for Ye in Istanbul, Turkey. John then spoke about the origins of Access Opera and the meaning behind the platform. His company is behind Ye’s operas such as “Mary’ and “Nebuchadnezzar” at Lincoln Center. He also served as executive music director for the DONDA project and helped establish the Donda Children’s Choir and also partnered with Live Nation to co-produce the 2022 Big Femme Energy Tour.
“That Mexico City show was the spark that ignited his comeback. I had at least 13 dates lined up, but none of the promoters wanted to pull the trigger until they saw how Mexico City went — now you’re seeing him back in stadiums like SoFi,” said Burton.
Founded Access Opera in 2017, the platform gained traction on social media as Burton posted content highlighting his passion for opera; the platform now has over 14,000 followers. During this time Burton briefly took an acting job at Lyric Opera of Chicago as he had played classical music since he was a kid but wanted to further master his knowledge of opera.
He then met Kanye in 2019 and that is when their work relationship grew. “He just saw that I made it cool and [had] a good platform. I made it stylish. He said, ‘Man, why don’t you come help me out?’ because he wanted to produce an opera.” He continued, “I told ye that 10 years from now I wanted to produce an opera. He said, ‘Why don’t you come produce my operas?’ That’s how Access Opera went from a platform to full productions.”
Burton also has a great relationship with Ye, he even chose Ye’s middle name for his son. He said that if people knew Ye on a personal level, witnessed his work ethic, they would have a bit more understanding of Ye’s personality and not take everything that he says to heart — as the artist has been known to cause controversy due to his statements and opinions.
As we enter into the 2nd quarter of 2026, Burton gives advice to aspiring professionals, especially those interested in the music industry and management. He stressed the importance of being aligned, having a sense of faith in a higher power, and treating hard times as lessons. “Have an original thought and listen to it. Don’t be fearful of that — God created us as individuals. Understand that God is your ultimate business partner, and make sure your dreams and vision are in alignment with a higher purpose. If you treat the hard times as lessons, you’ll be fine,” said Burton.