Jonathan “Hovain” Hylton, an award-winning music manager and vice president at Cinematic Music Group, has died.
The Brooklyn native passed away Friday, Nov. 25 of unconfirmed causes, according to a statement posted to his social media accounts on Saturday, as reported by Billboard.
“It is with deep regret that we message to all family, friends and colleagues that Jonathan ‘Hovain’ Hylton passed away while at his home on Friday, November 25. He was a beloved and devoted father, husband, son, brother and a proud Brooklyn representative,” the statement reads, per the outlet.
“We’d like to thank all of his close friends for all of the love and support that you have shown during this difficult time. We ask that you all continue to keep his family in your prayers and respect their privacy at this time.”
His age at the time of his death has not yet been confirmed.
Hylton’s body of work included managing projects by a number of well-known rappers from New York, such as Cam’ron, T-Pain, Styles P and more, as reported by Billboard.
Per the outlet, Hylton shared his knowledge of the music business with the next generation at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, where he worked as a professor. He taught an eight-week course on how to successfully navigate publishing deals, how to leverage industry opportunities and more.
Just days before his passing, Hylton, alongside Jonnyshipes, founder of Cinematic Music Group, was named to Billboard’s list of R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players for 2022, per the outlet.
“I’ve always prided myself on just being a good person and a hard worker. Never was big on awards. The way I came in this game was the independent route so I always knew caring too much about the politics wasn’t going to help me. But it feels good to be honored as one of Billboard’s Power Players alongside my brother and partner @jonnyshipes,” Hylton wrote on Instagram following the honor.
“I think the biggest lesson is this is you don’t have to be a sucka or do corny s*** to be recognized. Just be a good person and do your job and God will make the rest happen on his time.”
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!