Behind every great artist is a great manager. The string-puller. The move-maker. The guy behind the guy, as the saying goes. Steve Lobel is one of those guys.
The Queens, New York, native is responsible for some of the biggest names in and around hip-hop.
As we connected to discuss his new dispensary in New York City, it was fun to sit back and listen to him confidently list off his decades’ worth of accomplishments with speed and practiced cadence, almost like he was spitting a verse.
“I grew up with Run-D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay in the ’80s,” Steve said. “I would be at parties with them, and I’d go to sports games with Jam Master Jay, rest in peace, and build a relationship with them, and was always around opportunities and different places from touring, shows, meetings, events, going up to Def Jam, Rush Management and Profile Records.”
It was the perfect setup for a budding young entrepreneur.
“I used to shovel snow, deliver newspapers, rake leaves, bus tables. I became a waiter,” he said. “I wound up opening a couple of bars near St. John’s University in Queens and had Run D.M.C. perform there. And Jam Master Jay used to bring Onyx over there.”
Word got out about Steve’s relentless work ethic and people started reaching out to him about working with artists.
“I was working with Sony Relativity, and they said, ‘Yo, we got this artist. He’s Spanish. His name is Fat Joe,’” Steve said. “Then I started working with Joe. Then from there was Beatnuts, and M.O.P. and then Common, who we called Common Sense back then.”
From there, Steve started doing radio promos and went deep into the A&R realm, making moves with Fatal Hussein, Dru Down, Mac Mall, the Dayton Family and via Sony Relativity’s distribution, worked with the label Hypnotize Minds started by DJ Paul and Juicy J. He also worked with Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records and the list continues.
“I was just building relationships with everybody who was cool with me,” he said. “Next thing you know, Eazy came to New York and brought Bone (Thugs-N-Harmony), and their records started blowing up. Then Eazy passed. Then I started to A&R Bone Thugs and their solo projects, and also run their label, Mo Thugs Records, which had multiple platinum hits.”
With Bone Thugs, he headed to the West Coast and dug into the scene in Los Angeles.
When I was in LA, I got an opportunity to meet Sean Kingston and work with him, as well as Iyaz, and also MANN, who had a huge record with 50 Cent,” Steve said. “…Then I met Nipsey Hussle and was day one with Nipsey. And then Scott Storch, after he lost everything … I met him, and was instrumental in bringing his career back. I’ve been blessed to work with so many different talented artists.
Just when you think Steve is reaching the end of the list, he keeps going.
“I’m responsible for the collab with Krayzie Bone and Chamillionaire with Play-N-Skillz, ‘Ridin,’” he added. “Won a Grammy for that. I’m responsible for the Bone and Biggie ‘Notorious Thugs’ song and a lot of other things. I’ve been through a lot, did a lot, especially as a Jewish kid from Queens, so I’ve been blessed.”
With all that motion in the music space, it’s amazing he’s had any time for anything else.
Steve currently works as a motivational coach and speaker under his personal WeWorking brand, and he also launched his own label, Lobel Music Group, where he currently works with a roster of 17 artists. He’s currently managing Lefty Gunplay, who won a Grammy at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on February 1 for his feature in Kendrick Lamar’s “TV Off.” He’s also working with Bhad Bhabie, Scott Storch and others.
There’s a lot of overlap between the music and weed worlds, so it’s not exactly surprising that Steve has also made moves in the Cannabis industry. He started making connections between major artists and Cannabis companies, connecting the dots behind the scenes.
One of his major moves was helping influence the launch of one of the most recognizable weed brands in the world.
“I just kept telling Berner, ‘Do it, do it, do it,’” Steve said, referring to him pushing Berner to launch a legal Cannabis brand. “I finally convinced him. The first Cookies store, Maywood, opened up, and there were a bunch of partners in that store, Alex, Armen, Serge, and Edwin. … The company got bigger, and they started opening stores in different markets.”
That led to Steve’s opportunity to open a store with Jeff and the operators from Nameless Genetics. They opened a dispensary, now known as Nameless by WeWorking, in Van Nuys. The dispensary features a hip-hop museum, a DJ booth and a recording studio.
In December 2025, he opened Pryzm, a dispensary in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. He’s already working on his next moves.
“I’m just a businessman,” he said. “I’m still doing music. I love it. I’m opening WeWorking Sports. Right now, I’m just trying to live life every day and be happy and healthy. … I’m just a humble legend, man.”
