For Kei Henderson, the business of music comes down to a question artists have been asking for decades: Who benefits from the work? Henderson has spent much of her career learning how the industry answers it. She managed 21 Savage during his ascent from Atlanta rapper to Grammy winner, including his 2019 win for “A Lot” featuring J. Cole. Before management, she worked in media as Complex’s first Social Media Director and later brought her marketing experience to 10.Deep. Each job gave her another view of how artists are developed and how much control they can lose once success arrives.

Now Henderson is building her own answer. As founder and CEO of Third + Hayden, the award-winning executive has created a company where artists can retain 100 percent ownership of their catalogs. Operating within management and publishing while also functioning as a record label, Third + Hayden represents Henderson’s attempt to rethink an industry model she has experienced from several sides.

Mental health is also part of her equation; as the demands placed on artists can increase dramatically as their careers grow, the business surrounding them often depends on their ability to continue producing. Henderson believes supporting the person behind the music should be treated as part of doing good business rather than something addressed only when a problem arises.

Henderson’s approach has attracted major companies, with Third + Hayden establishing partnerships with SoundCloud and The Orchard, while Live Nation recently became the first music label retained by the company. Its roster includes artists such as anaiis, Buddy and Annahstasia on the management side, with Ben Reilly, Stoic, Zyah Bell, and more among its label acts.

For Black Business Month, Henderson’s story offers a different way to think about entrepreneurship. Building a Black-owned brand can mean reconsidering the practices inherited from an industry rather than simply gaining entry into it. Henderson has taken what she learned working inside established companies and managing a major artist to create terms she believes can work better for the people making the product.

Third + Hayden is still growing, but Henderson has already made her priorities clear. The question now is whether the rest of the music business is willing to reconsider its own. ESSENCE spoke with Henderson about ownership, artist mental health and what she has learned from building a company from the ground up.