Becoming a Master Marketer w/ Kenny Burns

all birds and Patagonia authenticity a virtue. He challenges us to also embrace the other message that's really important is that even at pn G, I don't think I was myself. I started to try to play their game. I wore slacks and sperris and um sweaters and cardigans. There's nothing wrong if that's what you do. But I don't do that right. I'm you know, I got to too, STAPs, so he get it. I did. And you know when I and I, when I first started the company, I

would also show up a Silicon Valley, not myself. And something happened. After a long list of people telling me they weren't gonna give me money out of the city, I started to embrace who I was. I started to remember everything that I always that I've been through. There's something that I learned with one of my investors and is while we were talking about Batman. And if you all watch Batman, remember bang Banis has this mask on.

He's beating up Batman and bang uh. Batman goes, we're from the same place, and bang says, No, I was born in it. You adopted it. That's us. Like, it's not a shield of disgrace. It's not something that we should be nervous about, Like we should walk in the room and eat your face like and that's how we should all act. So anyway, bracing yourself and bracing who you are and being confident in that is extremely important. I'm with Lucas and this is Black Tech, Green Money.

I'm gonna introduce you to some of the biggest names, some of the brightest minds in brilliant ideas. If you're black in building or simply using tech to secure your bag, this podcast is for you. Lifestyle specialist Kenny Burns is a twenty plus year music and entertainment industry influencers and executive. He was Senior vice president of brand Development at Combs Enterprises. The entrepreneurial arm for Sean P. Diddy Combs and launched Revolt TV while managing This I Rock and Delhi, a

tequila brands for Combs as well. I ask Kenny about authenticity and the statement he made that he's come to be known for get paid to be yourself. When I first made the statement, um, you know, I think in traditional business, across the board, you're expected to be a certain way, um, whether you go to wall screen or you go to the entertainment business. And for me, you know, there's just certain things, integral things that I'm just not

willing to do to to gain in life. Right Like I'm uh, you know, I'm I'm I'm firm and who I am, I'm firm in the and who I want to grow to be. I mean, we all have layers

to pill off as we assin. But I think, you know, when I made that statement, it rained true for so many people, man, because you get putting these these boxes, and you get putting these circumstantial moments when you apply for jobs or attaining jobs, and or you think you have to be a certain way going into this particular profession.

And I just think that you can be you and if you are yourself long enough authentically yourself, um, and show people you know, obviously you have to show people doing that that uh, that time that you know you have a specific skill set and you can do the things you say you can do. It's not like you can just be an asshole and expect to win in life. Um. But if you are authentically yourself, you have a unique skill set. You know, you can create your own blueprint.

You don't have to follow others in tech. Um, we've idolized fairly or unfairly, uh, stereotypical Ivy League school drop out, the hoodie you know where. Um. And it wasn't until I met Paul Judge about seven years ago that I realized you didn't have to wear a hoodie in tech to be successful, right Um. Paul was that representation for me.

And likewise, you on the branding side of the marketing side, talk to me about what you see our perspective as black people that value that that has in an industry like technology. I just think presentation is everything. I think you know, you show up how you want to be received. Um. You know before I always tell that now that people used to judge me so much by my pictures, right, Like you see this guy, he's you know, couch surfing, he's with you know, celebrities, he's flying private he's just

then the third. But you don't know the human right Like you don't know that my same friends have been my friends since the sand box. You don't know that I've been married twenty one year since October coming. Um, you don't know that I have thousands of men tees. You don't know. And I think you know that can

be tricky. You can be judged basically on the way you look, you know, the way you But I I believe if you, you know, show up in business ready to handle your business, looking smelling, feeling like money, nine times I'll attend you're gonna get what you came for. So I don't. I don't get into you know, and I know in tech, like you know, it's that whole where flip you know, thunk flip flops and you have these creative ideas and you can do whatever. I mean,

that's cool, And that's some people's thing. I think is I want to show up, um, you know, dress ready to impress. And that's just the way I was, you know, I was brought up and not impressing like we need validation. But this is what I love. I love to dress and I love, you know, to show up smelling amazing and people be like, wait, what's that right? You know? So, yeah,

we use this word culture fit a lot. Is this tech buzz word for people who for finding people who talk like we talk, you know, are interested in a lot a lot of the same things. And Um, as we make progress black people in tech and in business, you know, climbing the these ladders inside corporations, starting companies and looking for funding, largely for people who don't look like us. Um, how do we hold onto that truth in those instances? Because again, I see people like that.

When I met Paul, it was at like a tech crunch event. Everybody's in there, it's got a T shirt or hoodie on it. He's getta you know, Hugo boss suit or whatever. Where he was a weird at the time. Um, But how do we hold on when that value may not always be appreciated when we're trying, when we need something from the other folks. Yeah, I mean I think it's kind of Um. I think that you have to have and offering, you know, I think if you're offering

is um special enough, they have no choice. And I, you know, I came into a business that I honestly didn't like after getting into it, but I was so good at connecting pieces and putting pieces together. And then when I had, you know, became, I came to my wits and I was like, it's over. I don't want to be in the music business anymore. I pivoted, not far from what I loved about the creative process or putting things together. I just tap more into my marketing

skills set. And then, you know, obviously fashion was a part of mine, my offering, so I became a second black designer ever in Sactionthato. These were all organic and authentic steps. It wasn't like I had to step outside of myself too, you know, to to continue the journey. And I think when you do that, that's when you lose people. If you are you know, I'm sure you've met people in the tech world that has had this one idea and they won't let go of this one

idea until it pops. Now. I don't suggest people do that in life, but you know, when you see that person, you're gonna hear that pitch. It's gonna be a little adapted to justin that has happened since the last But you know, but but you can respect that. And I think that ultimately, you know, respect has earned and and a lot of times, you know, you get overlooked for being black, for being less talented, for whatever the case. Maybe, Um, those are two extremes and not equally yoked in that

particular h offering. But you know, I just think that people if you're good, you're good, they're gonna see it. And they don't, that's their loss. But you know, to stop because someone else doesn't see you, Um, is a detriment to your your possibilities. Yeah, I got familiar with you. Um, I was back in the day on the radio, and um, Ryan Glover and I were getting close because he was

supportive of some things I were. I was doing the radio back in the noontime days, right, yes, yes, And you know you had the Ryan Kenney fashion label what you just referenced with him, Um, coming up in this game, like, there wasn't a lot of technology you could lean on

to build that brand awareness. And if you think about who Kenny Burns is today and if you were to have to come up in this type of era, with the tools that are available, how would you have how would you evolve those strategies that you use back then to be relevant today? Well, I mean you were there. Imagine if Kenny Burns had the Internet or social media. I mean, could you imagine the level of promotion, marketing

assault that would have happened to the world. I think, you know again, and it's it's you know, I think my gift of people would allow me to connect in a way where you know, and allows me to connect in the way where people have to be involved with what I'm doing. If you look at like the Kenny Burns show, like two days into the quarantine, I lost two twenty five dollars in events in the next three months, and I'm like, wait, I have to figure out how

to get you know what I mean? So, and and all I did was something I always do, But I just sat down and did it on my phone, versus having direct one on ones or speaking to you know, tens of thousands of people through you know, through my hostings or speaking engagements. And so you know, I wouldn't

you know, I wouldn't change my approach. I think my my ability to connect with human beings would be well received in the tech space, you know what I mean, like the just the blueprint of like I'm a person that I will never let the algorithm take over the feeling. I am the type of person I will never let the robot take over the human. And I mean that whole hardly because I think there's a certain connection with humans and I would just you know, figure out the

way the best do with socially and technology technologically. Yeah, let me let me dig deep on that. Because I was listening to um an interview D Nice did with the Breakfast Club, and he was talking about how when he's turned on, you know, that first couple of nights of him spending on Instagram, you know, he would get a couple of thousand here, a few thousand there, and

then it just one night. It was just magic. And he said, but he really, I'll tell you what that happened and why it was the human connection he had he got lit. I don't know, you know, he was he was, you know, doing what he does with his playlist, and you know he was talking like D Nice. You

hadn't heard him publicly talking like that. He was telling you, thank you, He was filling the energy from you know whatever, And it was such a vulnerable human moment that you couldn't help but like lock in and and and because of that, it was like, yo, we're stuck the word travel, like where can we go? And just kind of because you know, this is like this is unheard of for our generation. We've never been stuck nowhere, like I mean, I've never been in the house for four months right

in my life. Um. And so when you look at what he did, man, it was the vulnerability that connected the dots fan because he was already he was already the musical maestro, you know what I mean. Like, so it was it was about it was about let me get to know you. And that's even when my wife told me, she's like, Kenny, like people see your pictures, they don't really know you. Like people that come to your seminars, people that are loyal listen, want to get

to know you, know you, he said. But this Internet, I'm sorry, this social media gives you an opportunity to be that. I just was never the guy that wanted to be like, oh I don't feel good and I'm sad, and but you know this, this in the controlled way can do wonders for your business for sure. Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna come back to that point. I think

that's a very salient point. Um. And he mentioned that, you know, it was thirty years leading up to that moment, right, And so I think about when you talk about the evolved Kenny Burns in this era coming up. Um. I actually even had this conversation with Tombasa on a different episode. He was He's like, you gotta find a way do

you commodified your presence on the internet? Right? And I would, I would ask you to go and go in, go in on your point of um, being the guy all over social media, et cetera, because there's a lot of people trying. When the quarantine first hit, everybody was alive on instan everybody. So how does how do you break through without having to go through that thirty year period like the United with that year period like Kenny Burns to be able to break through these days in your mind? Yeah,

I mean, you know, it's all happens things. I don't think that there's any rhyme or reason to it. You know, you could have a rant one day. Um, you know, I don't like the way of treating black women. This guy hit the girl in the face, skateboard through the girl and trying stand and you can take a stance that day. Um, that just carries you on a journey you never thought you were coming into. But that's the

the mystery of social media. D Nice didn't plan that thirty years of working his I mean, you know, I've imagined this thirty years of your life. You go back and forth on the journey. You get money, you know, you have a nice life, you raise children right, and then all of a sudden it changes. It's not because it changes right then and there. And it was you know, the stars, moon and quasars aligned, and your work, what

you've done all that time. The fact that you were able to get Michelle Oban, the fact that you were able to get these people, that is you know. But there's no formula for the internet. The internet is smoking mirrors. Like I could probably go ham Sandwich with all the you know what what the blogs a t that I have on people I know, but I'm not I had real great times with these people. They might have shortcomings,

but that's not on me to dish. So I think, you know, there are people that come to the social space to tell it all because they you know, that's all they have to really offer. When you look at like how I did it in the quarantine, All I did is all I've been doing. Just like with Derek, all he did is what he's been doing. I just became we just became more vulnerable in our offering. When you listen to me, talk to her. Her is two

years old, and she's been here before. But if you don't know anything about life, if you haven't lived enough life too, you know, tell her about her superpower and have her tell you about her superpower and have that mix of gumbo and festive conversation and love fess. But the person I've never even met in my life. I knew her manager, but you would have thought I've known

her twenty five years. But but but just like Ludicrous or just like Kevin Hard, or just like somebody I have known, and you have the same type of conversation. It's not about Kenny Burns. It's about culture. It's about framing cultures, about regurgitating something that you haven't felt, showing you something about someone like Damon John. I had him on the day and he was giving you information. I mean, this is a guy who started in hip hop and fashion, went all the way to Shark Tank and got into

tech and everything else. But he was you know, he grew up with the Supreme Team, a notorious gainst the drug card telling it. So, my thing is like you don't know things you know? With me, you get an opportunity to see people in a different realm. I'm probably the best in our culture of framing culture and repackaging it and repurposing it back to to the people. I love that. Um, I kind of want to dig in on.

You talked about, you know, showing more of yourself in this world, and Steve Jobs had this quote says, you can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. Um. So when you think about becoming a person to influence, what do too many of us get wrong about the strategy we may use to build that influence. Um? Well, first of all, I don't know

if I agree with Steve Jobs. I mean, as brilliant as he is, and I know that's that's blasphemous to saying the test, but you know, looking back, and I don't know Steve, never met him in my life, but you know, watching the movie, um, you know, seeing reading about him obviously witnessing the creation of of what what what apple is? Um? You know, the past was detrimental for him. The past was painful for him, although it might have been a driving force and ultimately you know,

um creating his own ecosystem. Um, it was very painful. And I I actually doing COVID, got a chance to peel back some of the layers on my childhood trauma from the things I saw at a very young age and had to go through. Um. You know, I was taught to compartmentalize, put it away, compart, you know, but you had to because you know, when you think seeing people do drugs is normal, or living this type of life is normal, you become a little off. UM. So

I wouldn't say go back. What I would suggest, though, is that own who you are, own what you what you saw, and who your people are like. You know. The thing I never I never did, no matter no matter the dysfunction. I never like rope my people off. You know, even now in culture, I don't you could have done something to me bad and business. I'm not gonna write you off. I'm gonna hold you accountable, but

I'm not gonna write you off. Because what I feel is to ultimately grow and be whole as a human being, you have to accept all of your gifts as well as all of your faults. And it's not about, you know,

the past. This is one thing. Like my wife and now you know, I made sure that the disappointments in her life from men, right, I would I would not repeat those things, and she could be she could count on me to not, like, you know, be a reflection of that, you know, I mean, so we wouldn't have to live in that space because you know, we all often here like sometimes you go forward in life and you meet somebody like somebody and then you stuff you know, or you or you go into business you work with

people in this space and you're go in this space and you deal with the same type of people. You have to be willing to let that ship go because carrying it into each relationship ends up mirroring to me um the possibilities of it arise and they get all those people being the same. No, that's that's fair. That's fair. And I think what I took from that quote was you it's only looking backwards that you can see why things made sense instead of looking out in the future

and trying to make it happen. But oftentimes a lot of people aren't that thoughtful or smart. Um and and and we don't this is this is not a we're not fingerpoint. We're just you know, it's just like somebody when when the primaries were here in Georgia, I gave a list of people to you know, vote for, because some people go and look for a black last name. Some people go and and guests or just do all Democrats when there's multiple options and you should know the

best options. So but you know, again tomato tomato. Um. But yeah, very good, very good. Um. How do you think about monetizing your personal brand? So what is the strategy people should be thinking about if they've got a thousand followers on Instagram five thousand, twenty thousand followers. So it's not just y'all look at that twenty thou followers, but it actually means something. What are you doing with that twenty thousand followers? Like what would you as a marketer?

How do you think about Okay, let's actually make this meaningful, no question. I mean if you have a thousand followers and those thousand followers move when you say move it's better than having a million followers that you get a thousand followers to move. Um. And I think a lot of times, you know, we look at numbers like you know, oh, you know, Kenny has two hundred and fifty thousand followers and he's it's easy. No, No, that's not that's not

necessarily the truth. UM. I have a great you know, support system in my community, that the ecosystem that I've created. But you know, you should be able to move the way you move. I mean you can look at engagement with someone with a thousand followers that gets eight hundred likes and that's you know, engagement. So you know, I never I want people to always remember it's not about what everybody else is doing. It's about what you're doing and how well you're doing it. You know, we all

have been guilty of UM. You know, when I was coming up, it's like, you know, puff did this by this age. I gotta do this by this age. And then it got to the point where I wasn't keeping up, and then I was like wait, But then it was nothing wrong with that because that man's journeys his journey. My journey is my journey, and I have to appreciate it. And I tell my mentees all the time, if you don't appreciate the journey, you won't appreciate what's at the

end of that. And a lot of times it's not your actual dream, you know what I mean, It's not the actual you know, your in game, what you thought it was gonna be. And even as you grow businesses, you're gonna you know, for me, what I have ever thought, Uncle Nearest, would be the biggest investment I ever made out of all the amazing things that I've done and been a part of. But today it's probably the best

investment that I made. Now, is it over? No? But you know, you have to be open to receive, and I think sometimes we are so you know, it has to be this. We gotta do this, And if I don't have this many followers, then oh man, I'm bad. No, you have to appreciate what you have and make that work for you. Back in the day, Kenny launched his own company music and monopolized Atlanta's party scene in the

mid nineties during the era of Freaknick. His clothing line Ryan Kenney, which launched a two thousand four gardenered him the recognition of being the second black designer in sax Cat Avenue. Kenny also served as an executive at Rockefeller Records. Today he's a master marketer, making deals throughout the entertainment industry, hosting The Kenney Burns Show with streams live on I G t V, mentoring up and comers, and investing in

companies like Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. Very often entrepreneurs get stuck in analysis paralysis, the time when we're working so hard to get a strategy designed that we may overlook more fundamental issues. Kenny Burns speaks on it. I think strategy is a must, but without the product. I mean, you gotta think about like what you're selling, right, Like if I came to you and I was like, Yo, I got this whiskey and it's the best whiskey. Is

that enough? You know what I'm saying, It's not enough. I have to have Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the slave that taught Jack Daniels how to distill. Once I give you that the story then because oh yeah, the house on the bottle is where the orphan, uh Jack Daniels came, which is actually the dan Call farm where Uncle Niars was a master distiller. Oh yeah, by the way, we own that three hundred and thirty acres. Oh yeah, by the way. Uh Jack Daniels and and Brown Foreman thought

it was a distillery number six team. We have uncovered the farm. We was uncovered information that that says it was distillery number seven. Like you gotta, you gotta, you know. I think people get so caught up in strategy as far as like and that's the thing back to humans, right, like if you have a product, how am I gonna move the product? When I met far we even like, fine, I could do a hundred thousand cases. This is what

I needed. It's like, Kenny, wait, there's a pertnage of whiskey drinkers that we have to get first before we can go Pam sound and I'm like, well, look, you came. You know you you you your partner with the lifestyles. I moved a needle. You know, I want you to move the needle. You know, the breakfast club thing you're doing, like all those things. We need all that to get depressed it down. But bro, when I tell you her

strategy worked, you know, but that was when strategy was necessary. Kenny, Let's go after of the whiskey drinkers first, once we get them, and it becomes about the actual liquid in the bottle of the story is gonna do what it's gonna do when it comes about it, then we could go and double down on on what we are and who we are. So I think, man, you know, strategies necessary, man, but it's about what you're selling ultimate at least that will give you the energy to create a proper strategy.

And you know, and and listen, any business you're going into, there's a blueprint. You're gonna follow the blueprint of many different people along the way. Right, So I'm not again, don't get don't get a mistaken like you don't have to have strategy, But I'm just giving you common sense. Any business you get into, there is a strategy that has been prepared for you. How are you gonna make it yours? How are you gonna effectively execute it and win?

But it all goes back to the product. How important is this moment then? And you know, with all things that are going on, um, with kind of a blank slate of what the future is gonna look like for our economy, Um, how is how important is this moment? The resetting of where people spend their money, where people spend their time, UM, where people live, et cetera. UM for people who are trying to build an enterprise of their own. You know, I think you have to pay

attention to what wasn't working pre COVID. Right. One of the things I tell my mentees all the time, customer service is a lost art. But I think customer service was also a lost art because people just didn't care about people. If you think about what COVID has done, it has brought people together. You've never seen this many

white people speak out on behalf of black people. You've never seen this many these many corporations, you know, get rid of things I'm talking about, you know, and and you've never seen this type of movement in our lifetime, not even Civil Rights movement. I mean they did wonders, but this movement right here they are. You know, it's moving a different cause. White people are tired of those kind of white people. So long story short, I think that customer service UM being a lost art, will be

a huge business coming out of this. And you could see, you know, the rise of uber lives. You can see that we were posted postmates. You I mean, all the service businesses that have to deal with people handing you something. I think that's gonna even get bigger. UM. I don't know what it is power to the person that does UM, because you can make a killing. And I'm sure somebody in tech is listening right now and probably has several

different ideas or concepts. But I think customer service, UM, I think you know if you're going to you know, uh, the organic industry. I don't know if you know who. Don c is a very good friend of mine. UM. He has a brand called just Don since, yes, since COVID, before COVID he started, but he's been growing vegetables and it's so interesting. It's like, all right, you know what are we what are we doing? You're you're juicing that,

you know what I'm saying. So I think out of this time My point is to your question, um, out of this time, there's something that has identified with each creative that makes you feel whole and makes you feel excited about doing it. That's what you need to double down on. The customer service piece. That was a freebee for whoever, if you get really really paid, just remember

you heard it from the lifestyle specially there you go. UM. I saw this meme earlier and I think it was Isaac Hayes that might have posted it, but somebody in that space posted it. Was it was talking about UM longevity versus popularity and some of the artists that were in the picture, people like Pushing T and people like t I who have not always been the most popular people, but they've been in the game for a long time.

And I think about, how how do you think about UM because even again, pre social media, you were Kenny Burns, And how do you think about how you evolve, stay relevant, stay in the mix UM and not cloud Chase. Yeah, you know, people are my game, Like my god given gift was to connect with people. And you know, I'm interested in our co like and not just interested, you

know when it's interesting. I love black folks. I love people period, but my my people, and and the things I learned about our people in their contribution to the world. How we continuously take music and remix it and put it out And I'm not literally meaning remix, but we do things sonically and melodically. The music and the way that we continue to find stories that were hidden from us, and we take those stories and we amplify and we create immovable history. You know we we we you know,

as a hip hop culture are quick to cancel. Uh, we're quick to erase. You know, you said, you know I've been I've been popping since you know, I'm so. I graduated high school. I graduated high school in ninety one, got we got lots of in ninety graduated high schoo n um lost basketball scholars is all opportunity and to

do something I really loved. Had to pivot, but went to you know, historically black college cluster like no other, which is the a u C. Became this party promoter and been effectively contributing to culture since I was twenty years old. And I look at it, you know, I looked twenty eight years almost right, And so when you look at that, it's like, how did you stay? It was the people I care what happens in my community.

When when it's time, you know, to speak up, I mean puff and posted something the other week about you know, I was, yeah, no, I mean, but but it's not a distant him. It's just like, na, that's not what we because I'm on the ground level. I had at that to that point, I had Angela Rye see the guys, Sean King all on my show. And I'm getting information

from people who are actually on the front line. And although I don't believe, and everything they believe in or practice what they I was affect them because they're at it every day. They're at it every day. And so when somebody comes into the pulpit for selfish reasons, you know, I called that out. But I have tenure in culture. I have a place in culture that I can do that and nobody's gonna come check me. And because I'm not even you know, and it's not even like what

you're gonna do. I mean, it's not any of that. It's more about it's more about you know who I am, you know what I'm about, and you know how real I'm gonna keep it. I've been that way, and I you know, I challenge people in life, you know, not just to not walk to Brooklyn for cheesecake, but to not let anybody turn you into something you're not. Because when you gotta deal with that, that's a whole another thing. That's a whole another thing. But that's how you stay

in play. You stay in play by being you m That's it. That. Um. I know I remix that a little bit, but I was flowing. I was, man, I'm like water blow. Uh. When you're evaluating deals like whether it's you know, you're being asked to get involved as as the face of something or you're making an investment, is something you said, Uncle Newars wasn't your first, but it's obviously your biggest so far. Um, what are the most important terms you're looking at that that I'm meaningful

for Kenny? Your father has been twenty one years. What's important for you one this October? You know, my whole model and credos to mean something to somebody. I've provided experiences where people have met, gotten married, had kids realized that they, you know, wanted to do something different with their careers. I was just on the eighty five South Show with DC Young fly Um and Chico being and Chico being said to me it graduating college. He was stuck.

He ran into my documentary and it changed his life. And that young man is killing the game. He happens to be from D c Um. But the point I'm trying to make it is like, you gotta mean something to somebody. I think in life, you know, you know you you don't realize that it's really about what you give. You know, I'm saying, like receiving this cool. You know what I'm saying. I always tell my I'm mentors. I

put myself in money's way. Money has never driven me, but to give people the game that changes their trajectory or changes their thought process, or putting someone in position that allows them two, you know, flourish in a way that they hadn't flourished before, so they could see the possibilities and what that feels like to go to those next levels. Um, And I'm getting off topic. What was

the question because I'm bringing it home. It's like when you when you're evaluating opportunities, right, And so the way that I feel about the way that I mentor um, the you know, my mentees, the way that I feel about my community, and how I want to mean something I don't want. I don't want to just I want the business opportunity to mean something as well. I think we've all done things in our careers where we had to get the money, you know what I mean, because

you gotta pay bills. But at the same time, as you get older and you become more successful, you can pick and choose instead of have to do UM and me. Now, at this point in my life, I want to you know, I gave the Spirits, you know, the Spirits world fifteen years of my life before I ever got equity. Right, So it's much like you know, so it's like, what I deserve this right now? What other things and my passionate about? You know, my sons are both creatives in

their own right. You know, I'm doing this Kenny Burn show from my office, and you know I have you know, these deals on the table now. But do I really want to do sign something away? Or do I want to go buy a building instead of using as ostead that we were gonna do My wife and I were gonna do a rental property. Instead of doing that, I'm gonna buy a building. I'm gonna build a production many

production facilities Atlanta. I have clients like McDonald's, Coca Cola, you know what I'm saying, Like they'll come renting it out, they end up paying. So my thing is like when I look at things, I'm looking at them more purposefully. I want to have, you know, the legacy piece attached to everything I do. Obviously, everything I look at now has to involve some type of equity and then you know, like I said, I want all of that at the end of the day to meet something somebody, specifically my

community and my family. When you look back at how you've vetted deals, you talked about this. You know, everybody's got to pay the bills, right, Um, And I would

imagine you did some things. I'm making an assumption here what I shouldn't do, but I'm imagining you probably did some things earlier that we're less authentic because you were trying to the only thing I've ever done, the only thing I've ever done that I actually wasn't uncomfortable doing, because you know, I pride myself in doing business with companies that I actually participated in. Whether I created the Heneken res star sold to drink Heneken like a month ago, uh,

you know, great goose More in Hennessey. Um. Anything I've ever been a part of, I've always you know, use the product and really supported the product or end or brand. The one thing that I took fifty thousand, it was like a h was from Cool Cigarettes. I will never ever support anything tobacco other than Cuban cigars. If I can manage to make myself. I love Cuban cigars, but I wouldn't. I wouldn't do that again. Um, So you don't have to do things you don't want to do.

Um again, that was something that I know, people that smoked I kind of you know what I'm saying, like use that as kind of the reasoning and it helped, you know, like for my thirty fifth birthday part of the Rosacchi mansion, I needed some of that coin to all set some of the costs. Right. Um, but I wouldn't do that again because I just don't believe. I

don't believe in cigarettes. Um but yeah, So how do how do you advise people who feel like they're they're they're they're the young Kenny Burns are today and they're trying to get to that next step and there's this opportunity that will give me a small bag or a small billboard with my face on it or etcetera. How does that You don't just don't just don't do cigarette brun you know what I'm saying, Like, this is my thing.

If you drink, if you smoke, that's one thing. Like you know I drink, So you know, I wanted to be educated on the finest, you know, the finest drinks. I mean I probably will stop drinking, honestly, and when I do, I mean my shares and my investment will be there. But I wouldn't any longer be you know, saying I drink and then that what my point is, find something you're you're attached to authentically, whatever you you know, you like get involved with. You don't have to do

things you don't want to do. And I always tell my son's that. You know, It's like my mom the other day say of my sons need to suffer. I'm like, suffer. That's such a deep statement. And it wasn't like suffer like they needed to go just you know whatever. It was more like you give them everything. I said, Well, no, I support their dreams. My oldest son, who's now going to kind Asta State University, played to play Division one basketball.

That has been his dream since the seventh grade. I have given him the opportunity to work his ass off, now mind you. Yeah, he went to Sierra Kenyon and play with Marvin Bagley. Yeah, he went to Wheeler and play you know what I'm saying with e J. And But my point is he wanted to play I was blessed up to put him into positions to earn what he wanted to earn. That doesn't make him, you know, just because he's not scrubbing floors and walking forty miles

or whatever. You know. My thing is like work ethic is what you want to instill, you know what I'm saying, in in your children and your employees and then your partners, how hard they're willing to work. If you want something BA had enough, you're gonna work to get it. And working to get it doesn't mean sacrificing your soul or putting yourself in a compromising situation, you know what I'm saying.

There's been plenty times in the music business there was a door that I just didn't go into because you know, it's the music business. You never know what's going on behind door number eight and and so you know, my point is that you don't have to do things you don't want to do. You should never feel like there's you know, pressure to go do something that just makes you uncomfortable to to to gain you know, again, authentically

being yourself. You'll get there. If you're yourself long enough, they will pay you to be Yeah, Um, I wouldn't leave this here because you have um your cause you know the dream is real, right, and UM, I'll define that for me and then I'm gonna ask you to spend how you think about it. So for me, it is, you know, those visions that you have for yourself. You talked about it. You know, get you view yourself long enough,

they'll pay you to be you. So that that dream that you have, that personality that you have, that thing that makes you uniquely you, if you lean into that, the things that you dream for yourself are actually possible for you if you are true and authentic to yourself. So that's what it means to me when I hear you say that, UM, what is it that you intend? When you say that, UM, I mean really what you said.

I love saying it too. The dream is um. But yeah, I UM, I just I didn't want to live in despair. I didn't want to live in my circumstances. I didn't want to be the person that you know, my father is seventy something years old and been in Washington, in DC his whole life. I just didn't want to be that, you know. I mean it didn't really have a real relationship with and but I didn't want to be you know,

when I got locked up arrested. Then my grandmother actually did a year since her passing UM on the fourth of July four You know, I'll never forget. She's like, baby, you know you can still go work for you ps so for that and and and get you a pension in thirty years. And I'm like, Grandma, you think I was selling though to wait thirty years to get what I was saying. And I just I just always had a drive man. And I know I get it from my mother because she lived life for a living, you know,

on very little UM. I never felt poor. Um music was always playing, you know, non chomp for instance. Like I just I never felt out of whack. And I I believed and still believe that the dream is real and what you want from it. You know, I wanted to be married at sixteen. I feel like because I just didn't know what family was, so I I never I never treated women bad, you know what I'm saying. Everybody felt like you know that you know they got there,

you know whatever. And I feel that's always been my thing be intent for I tell my sons, you were walk on that court. Have intent, go out there and get what you came for. And that's what I try to I try to live by and that's the dream is real to me. I think, you know, living with intent, knowing that it's possible and and and getting what you

came for. Black Tach Green Money is the production of blackt The afro Tech is produced by Morgan Dubon and me Well Lucas, with additional production support by Love Beach, Stephane y'all, Bogu, Raven near Born. Special thank you to Michael Davis, Sakara savon Jan you know like the wine and yes that's his real name. Learn more about Kenny Burns and other tech disruptors and innovators at afro tech dot com. Go get your money, peace and love. At the Change the cout Boat could to the Podish