Stuart Pflaum, an OU alumnus who graduated in 2006 with a degree in entertainment law and management, attended the Grammys on Sunday. The song he helped publicize, “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” was nominated for Best Rap Song.

When Ohio University alumnus Stuart Pflaum attended the Grammy Awards Sunday evening, many people assumed he was someone’s son or had good connections because of his young age.

But Pflaum was there for a good reason. His music publishing company, Element 9 Recordings, helped distribute the song “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” which was nominated for Best Rap Song.

Although the Grammy went to Kanye West for “Good Life,” the 26-year-old Ohio University graduate said he was honored to be at the Grammys so early in his career.

“It was flattering when a lot of these people who I spoke (with) found out how vital a role I played in the success of Soulja Boy’s record,” he wrote in an e-mail after the ceremony.

Element 9 Recordings markets and promotes up-and-coming hip-hop artists, particularly through online campaigns, Pflaum said. While Element 9 did not record the song, the company got it circulating on the Internet and was the first to get it playing on the radio.

The attention the nomination created has opened the door to many prospects for the young company.“With this exposure, we’ve seen an increase of clients,” Pflaum said, adding that there is a possibility the company will partner with a major distribution label or other record labels.

Element 9 is only two-and-a-half years old, but Pflaum said he thinks it might become a household name within a short period of time.

Looking back on the success of “Crank That,” Pflaum said his experiences at OU prepared him for the politics of the music industry.

In high school, Pflaum worked as disc jockey DJ Xplosive. When he arrived on campus in 2002 to pursue a degree in entertainment law and management, he continued to DJ and became a booking agent, manager and promoter for other artists at OU.

He also established a popular event at Casa Cantina called Monday Night Sound Clash, where local hip-hop artists would have freestyle rap battles.

“We’d have the place packed every Monday,” Pflaum said. “We’d have people waiting outside the door.”

Pflaum was a member of the OU chapter of the Hip Hop Congress and the leader in an attempt to arrange a hip-hop performance at the Halloween block party on Court Street.

“There wasn’t much of a hip-hop scene here,” he said.

After planning unsanctioned Halloween hip-hop parties in 2003 and 2004, Pflaum and the Congress presented a 30-page proposal to school administers for a hip-hop performance. While the proposal was not approved, Pflaum said the process was a learning experience.

Pflaum founded Element 9 in June of 2005 when he was still at college. After he graduated in 2006, he turned it into a company, he said.

Even with his involvement in hip-hop during college, the fast success of his company and of “Crank That” still surprises him. The song has become more of a cultural phenomenon than just a song, he said.

“It’s almost surreal in knowing the role we played with getting everything started,” Pflaum said.

Pflaum said most of his work is behind-the-scenes, but he has met Soulja Boy a couple of times.

Soulja Boy, whose real name is DeAndre Way, wrote the lyrics to “Crank That” when he was 16 years old. Pflaum said he is not sure where its strange lyrics came from.

“The song’s really just about having fun,” Pflaum said. “When he made the song he was just having a good time.”