Apple Music may have more than 30 million tracks available, but one of its main genre focuses — particularly when it comes to Beats 1 — is hip hop. With that in mind, Apple recently hired Ryan Newman, formerly editor of 1Xtra, the BBC’s main hip hop and grime radio station.

It’s not clear exactly what his role will be at Apple Music. However, at 1Xtra he was one of the brains behind shaping and implementing the station’s musical direction strategy. That could mean he will be doing a similar job at Apple.

Ryan Newman isn’t the first person Apple has hired from the BBC for its Apple Music service. Back in 2015, Apple hired BBC Radio 1 DJ and producer Zane Lowe, along with his former producer James Bursey. Meanwhile, other streaming services have pulled from the 1Xtra talent pool. In 2016, 1Xtra music chief Austin Daboh was made Spotify’s Senior Editor of Content Programming for the U.K.

A focus on hip hop

Apple’s focus on hip hop has been apparent in many of its decisions for Apple Music. That genre is heavily represented on Apple’s Beats 1 radio station.

Apple has also acquired a number of hip hop themed documentaries, designed to appeal to the same audience. These have included the likes of The Cash Money Story, about popular hip-hop label Cash Money Records, and Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story, about the rise of Sean P. Combs, a.k.a. P Diddy.

Apple has even produced music videos for hip hop artists, including Drake’s video for “One Dance,” Eminem’s “Phenomenal” and Pharrell’s “Happy,” alongside a 45-minute “visual album” from Grammy-winning artist Frank Ocean.

Source: Music Businesses Worldwide