EYL #40 Story Time feat. Kenny Burns

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check out their YouTube. And then the full the full length version of the podcast will be on Earn Alesia, so yeah, shout out to the folks.

the sense. So it's gonna be in person in New York City, but it's also going to be live stream, so anybody in the world, all over the world, you can check it out. So that's only events have also, So all right, so now thank you, so yeah, so we have Kenny burn so first and almost thank you for rocking with us.

So I but curate is accurate when it comes to me. I've been a part of a lot of pivotal points and in him pop history, and yeah, I kind of like just carved my own way out. So yeah, I'll take that curator all day. All right? All right?

you gotta come down here and check this out. Like I promise you you've never seen nothing like this. I was like, my po let's me come cool, got you know, my paper straight came down and I was just you know, back then, there was no social media, so it wasn't like you could see, you know, what was happening on the way, or that it existed prior in certain posts. You know, you couldn't see literally go participate to experience it.

And when I experienced them as black people like me from all over the world, and you're like, wait, I love this. And at this time, you know, you got a different world on TV, you got the Cosby Show, like the whole conscious black excellence was like permeating out of this world public enemy on all your clothes, like you were conscious. And so the time I was like, all right, I need to figure out my situation to move back. And then that fall we work some things

out and I was blessed to come back. I attended Morris Brown College. I only went for a semester because in six months I became the number one party promoter out this My cousin had set me up like I was scar face. So when I came, like my cousin getting out of gyms coming when I got there, honestly. And then so Shakir Stewart got arrested dead was one of the first people I met here. He signed g Z and Rick Ross and was big at death jam actually might have was about to be president before j

or something like that. Anyway, so he was one of the first people I met, and we just tore the au c up. We brought everybody who's anybody in the iconic atmosphere of hip hop. Now. Jay z I promoted the Reasonable DOWB album you know, but basically brought them here first when he had twenty two twos. This was like pretty reasonable doubt bought the Big Mac promo tour

that puff did you know what I'm saying. People don't know children children Big Mac, so buff was a marketing guy, right, you know what I'm saying, Like that, his whole thing was creative before he was a producer all he was like a really intuitive guy. And he came up with this McDonald's idea with this mix tape or tape rather in a McDonald's box, and it was called Big Mac for Biggie and Craig Mac. Craig Mac ironically was the superstar. Yeah,

he was a big back then. Yeah, Flavor it was on fire and everywhere supposed to dude party and bullshit is okay, I Yeah, that's not Favor. It was different. So we were the first to do it. We had the Chronic tour when I was twenty years old. We paid for the Chronic tour to come to the Omni which is now State Farm Arena here in Atlanta. He got locked up so he never could do the show, so kept but we were on that level like hustle, like we got here. Oh your niggas ain't doing shit.

Oh the Atlanta motherfuckers, don't fuck with the school motherfuckers. Oh we're gonna bridge that because we had all the you know, we used to sell on drugs, so all the dope boys knew every you know, you knew you know what I'm saying, So we connected and we were the first like school dudes to really be accepted and

breaks by the city. Like Shanty Doss called me the first time she won the stage and my Friday night was called funk Clinic to bring outcast like so it was just like a you're in the middle of like this amazing era of hip hop coming. You're not even hip, you know what I'm saying, just doing what you do. But it was fun. Man. Was there a name for the promotion that you were doing? Yeah, twenty six twenty twenty six twenty music was our promotion. Come in it

and it was a phenomenon. The first appearance Jay z Ever had on MTV, he wore twenty six twenty shirt when Puffin and would come to the city Twenty's twenty gonna be in the Kenny Burns Like we were like this, like they used to break in dorms at Clark and Spellman and Morehouse. Still in our jerseys, like we used to make hockey jerseys basketball. I mean it was a thing. So and we would go to every black college and do it. So it wasn't like, you know, we create tours.

We get tour buses and go and pull up be staying on top of the tour buses throwing out whatever promo we were doing. Like we were the real first street team. Big shout to Steve Rifkin, he incorporated it. But we were the first real street team. So how does that lead to to the music industry. I was in a parking lot of one twelve and the world famous.

out one time it didn't work. So while I had received a street team business, I was in back in the one twelve parking lot and I met the guy who did the Black Expo, and back in the day, the Black Expo like was the thing to break your artist. So I got her on the Black XBO. She came back. She was fourteen years old. Wow, it's so funny, you said. I just saw like a picture of me and her. I sent it to you and I need to put it up on the thing there. It is crazy though,

like crazy story. And then after that I was in the music business and Claude Austin was, you know, just like a mentor, and Dave Gates were like they were like mentors, like come on in, like we you know, we have a label deal with Rowdy Records through Arista. So I was doing my thing, but Monica was like it for them because they had spent so much money on y'all so stupid, and a couple of other acts they had illegal with Jamal I remember that. So they

weren't winning, you know what I'm saying. And Monica's you know, I think she up like two million records, and so they were just mantling the thing, and I thought I had struck gold. I'm like, I need five hundred thousand dollar a year, nigga, what's up? Like we just went God, It's like that doesn't happen like that. I'm like, all right, well fuck it. Then I had said fuck Dallas and the meeting and it got back to Hi Many five and I'm like, I only make nineteen thousand dollars an

hold this shit. I make way more money doing parties. But that's how I got in the music business. And because of the parties, Clark Kent became my mentor, DJ Clark Big Tony Wrong. I called him Tony Rome. He's gonna blow me up for saying that. So Tony used to like basically take me on the road with him. And so with that, he was going to Motown Records. Andre Herrel, who's like my father, you know what I'm saying,

like my big brother father figure. He was going to Motown and he had like this talent search, and it so happened that the probation ship got weird and the police came here to a land looking for me. So I had to go back and get my ship straight in DC. So I was there, He's like, Yo, Dre's coming through. Why don't you do a party for him? You know, he loves that ship. He'll fucking get you a job, I'm telling you. I was like what he

was like? Yeah? So I was like, what this nigga? Like, Like, I mean, I clearly grew up on New Jack Swing. I'm an uptown this after he left uptown it was going to take the reins over at Motown. So he's like, Yo, he's fucking cool. I was like, I know the music I'm talking about. What does he like? Like light skinned women? And I was like, all right, he pull up light skinned girl fucking Don harry On and he was like, Yo, nigga, what the fuck did you?

They said get a nigga sixty thousand dollars and put him in a street team market and I was like word. I was like, that's that's what y'all doing. Y'all like just giving r So I went from sixty to one hundred and twenty to one hundred and eighty and like eighteen months, you know what I'm saying. But I was his guy, but he was you know, this is the nineties.

This is the nineties man now, but even then, yeah, young two and he he's so dope, Like I just want to give Andre Herral his flowers, you know what I'm saying. To be honest with you. The Revote Music Conference was his idea, which is now the Revolt Summit. So if you guys have not participated in, then please do. It's very imported. They just had one in Atlanta. I think by the time this episode comes, LA's will have happened.

But Andre Herral is the godfather of lifestyle. He was the first person to put the three sixty offering together because you know a lot of people, man, they have stylists and they do this, that and the third, and they gotta pay motherfuckers to do certain things. He was just a fly mon first dude who had a driver with the Rose roy the first dude I met with a whole and you got to imagine Upper West Side of New York back in the nineties, was like that

wasn't with you know, black folks. But he had a whole side of an apartment building, top floor of bosk yachts and put me in my first when I got married. I'll be married twenty years October sixteenth, two kids, gratulation, thank you. And he gave my wife and our first expensive pain. It was like twelve thousand. Back then it's called burning bed. The shit is. But anyway, he's just

a real superhuman being. And you know, this business is full of suckers, and it's full of suckers that do suckers shit, and they will take advantage of the week, you know what I'm saying. And that's why I got pride myself. Like when you said a curator earlier or even pioneer as far as I'm concerned, because there were no lifestyle specialists and you can go to a million motherfucker's handles. Now they have lifestyle specialists under their moniker

or they host clubs. I mean, I'm sure you're old enough you okay, I'm sure your nigga's old enough to remember when there were no hype niggas on the mic other than the DJ. I'm telling us Nigga's getting paid all across the globe for doing that. But I salute Andre Man. I want to give him his props because he taught me how to be three sixty with my offering, and that's why I think you know I'm winning.

was paying. They wanted to figure that out. So when I created that's why I created the name the Lifestyle Specialist, by the way, And then I decided that fuck this business in the way that I know it exists. I'm gonna be the father, husband first. Then I'm gonna be the entrepreneur, and then I'm gonna be all the other the fashion guy and all that. But that to me is three sixty. When you see things that are one sided, you only really get that from a person. You don't

get the full pitch. And I think I wanted to lead by example, Like I come from a business that's unforgiven for relationships. I come from a business that taken doesn't give you know what I'm saying. So I kind of wanted to change the narrative. I started immediately I mean, I've always been a mentor even to my friends. You know what I'm saying. I was the first to jump off the porch. I was the first to you know what I'm saying, get the brick and not the ounce

like I was. You know what I'm saying. So like I think, for me, I always leave by example. I just want to give people like a three sixty rendering right because you can be married and be happy. You can, you know what I'm saying, Like be flies a motherfucking not be broke. You can. You know, you can do things that are you know, one hundred percent real in

a three sixty way. You know what I'm saying. And I think, like you said, I love the way you asked that question because the music business three sixty is even more pimpory, even more, you know what I'm saying, adultery. If you're you know what I'm saying, they take it. I mean, but I just taken from you. You know what I'm saying, It was rightfully yours. But in this particular scenario, I like to bring everything full circle. So compute people look at your pitches and they be like, oh,

this light skinned niggas ah, this nigga. All he does is for oh, this nigga has got the ball head and think, oh this nigga. But when they you can't hate on love. If you can't you know what I'm saying that if my if my offering is love, if you hate, you're a hater. And you gotta you know, look at yourself in the mirror. Deal with that.

like get through life like let alone succeed. Right, But like you know, when you meet, you go to this stream you figure out, Okay, I'm not I'm no killer. I'm not trying to put my hands on nobody. And that's forced. Like so the streets wasn't for me. You have to be a certain caliber of person. Now, luckily I had a lot of game and I could figure things out. And then I was scrapped too. But at the same time, meeting Dre, it's like, Nigga, all that

shit is cool. Put that energy in this. You got to you got the women, You dress good, like you know what I'm saying, You walk around, you smell like you can't be and you don't think about that, like if you know what I'm saying, if you don't, if you don't have a father figure in your house pointing you in the right direction, Like I didn't know my superpowers until I met Andre, that's that's power. So you started lifestyle specialists? Yeah, I created that, and if anybody

say it's different, I'm gonna fuck you. But it's fast. I mean, you know, I don't know how you prove that. I don't own the mark. But so now you're gonna ask most people.

Barge all these people back in the day. I was like, Yo, why don't y'all take this and do a tour and you can introduce artists and all that, you know what I'm saying. So by the time you know, I got to like my third pitch with them, I think we were at like Axe Body Spread or something. I was like, yo, like, I'm tired of y'all referring to me as like this lifestyle guy. Like I have a skill set, you know what I'm saying, Like, and obviously I'm helping you with

these ideas, but you're not telling the client that. So I was like, you know, if you're gonna refer to me, refer to me as a lifestyle specialist. I'm not really with the other you know things calling me. And that's how I came up with I think if you're going to be a lifestyle specialist, you have to be tenured in multiple things that deal in pop culture. I was the second black designer ever in sac at the avenue of Ryan Kenny when we did the Whole. When jay

Z did change clothes, he wore our shirts. I signed you know numbers a number of artists and worked on a number of projects from Dream to Akon to LA. Like, so I've done a lot in different territories or you know, different things in culture to get that you sign that you signed through your own regular Lis years. Funny story about w A and big shot project coming out of October eleventh. But when I found Wila, my sister who owns Baller Alert, was like, Yo, you gotta hear this dude.

He's a phenomenal rapper. And I'm like, all right, cool, because I want to sign U C B. Saxe late, I want to sing, I want to sign him the Rockefeller but damon and wouldn't hear me. But so when I got to LA, I heard him rap. He was like a rappers, rapper, you know what I'm saying, like Backpack Rapper. He had like forty seven bars, like you know what I'm saying, Like yeah so and I'm like, all right, cool, you know what I'm saying. But it was a dude by the name of Southeast Slim who

did this go Go fusion shit. And that was what I wanted whole time, Like I was asking, like, where's the go Go influence.

and I wanted to be independent. I didn't really want to go inside and I went to La and I'll never forget this dude was on me on my Space, this white boy. I'm not gonna say his name because I smacked the shit out of you know you are. But it was so crazy because I was like, the

social media shit about to blow. I didn't know what and how, but I just felt like my space was such a community and it was only gonna get Pacetbook was the obviously coming around, and I'm like, okay, bo when we got to meet this dude, he's hitting me and what he's saying makes a lot of sense in that space. So I go to mister Child and my test for the boy. The boy was basically like, if he tries to pay for dinner, I'm gonna hire him

to be wil AT's social media guy. So dinner comes to me and while they looking at each other because he knows the test and he doesn't want to pay for dinner at us right, so I pull out I'm about to pay. So he ended up paying. That was like, okay, cool, We're gonna fuck with this mouth showing enough. Two weeks later, maybe three weeks later, I can't find La. I could not and his mama calling me. Everybody like what yo, I'm like, I don't know. He ain't called me now,

mind you. Rob Stone at the Fader obviously one of my good friends. I had told him about Wile and I was trying to get Wile a cover or an article something. Then I'm reaching out to all my contacts. Just so happened that Rob Stone called me like, yo, like, your man just did the photo shoot? He killed it. I'm like, had did the photo shoot? So come to find out, the boy had went around you know what I'm saying, and while A was rolling with him, So

the boy took him to Mark ronson Mark Signer. But I had paperwork on right, So I'm like, okay, cool, So I let it bang into the album's about attention deference was all to come. I was like, oh, no, I need a million. I didn't get a million, but they paid me and then yeah, we got credit for the first album. But me and while A straight, I mean, he you know, I really can't hold people to their actions when they're not fully in their right minds or

even know you know what I'm saying. Because he knew the gangster ship and all the shit that could have happened to him, but it was it was more about, you know what, I'm gonna get mine if it ever comes out, and show enough when it came. You know, we got straight.

see this, nigga, the movie's been. He's talking about you want to come to the premiere? No bullshit, you can buy two tickets? No, like, no, come with me now, I'm going to wait to the premiere Nigga on like forty seven. So that's but you know, that's what that's what family does. But no, it was, it was. It was awesome because I mean after that, I mean, he offered me a great position to help him change the direction for a Rockefeller because they wanted to do more

than just wrap. So I came. You know, obviously, when Cam and them had just sold the main records, Kanye was up to bat. We were working on a bunch of shit black albums being worked on. So it was just like a good time at Rockefeller, and I think actually one of the best times because State Property was on full till they've set you had, you know, yay and then obviously Powers. Yeah, it was incredible, man. But

that's when also the demise started. Man, that's when I left the music minis alone because I saw how the office was splitting up. You had Brooklyn in Harlem. You know what I'm saying. You know, the dip set was trying to whoop everybody. I got a wild story about that. What's that? What's that?

what the fuck was Jesus Christ. No, Nigga. I was like, nigga, all that ship, I'm down the hall. My office is the one with the green walls. I had the only office with plants and green ships. So I walked down all her New York niggas, all you New York niggas sound like that when you get me. I don't know if you were like, ah, no, no, I'm not starre, but no I'm not something I'm joking but no, So I just heard some fussing and then Jim Jones came down to y and Killer was just bugging a mess off.

But we ain't seen Dame that. I was like, this shit is crazy, like and clearly in the back of my mind because they referred to my whole crew as a dress shirt mafia, because I just yeah, we had a roll and say properly too that they took out, But yeah, we had a whole thing like Dame. He had the spot called infamous spot called the Black Door, and Tribeca he built the whole closet. Nigga, we ain't never gonna wear that shit. He built the whole close.

All he had was Ralph Laern button ups. Jay Z made change clothes, but that change closes is different.

fighting and fussing to get them in the door. And he gets all respect for that because, as we all know have heard throughout history, the Rockefeller history, that Jay didn't have a deal, nobody wanted to sign them, and they put their money with their mouth, you know where their mouth was. They got a deal Priest Freeze Priority, you know, they sold all in records, They got a major deal with death Jam and the rest is literally history.

But you know, I think money, you know, brought out those sides of Damon Man that really you know, and I like the honor conversation. I like the independent conversation. I like a lot of the things that Damon stood on. I just think after time, it's just like, bro, going

too far. You're going too far. These are your brothers, so first and all, if they're your brothers, I don't give fuck if my brother got a mental illness and he killing motherfuckers, Like I'm literally not, like you know what I'm saying, giving up, Like in some way somehow we got and of course, I mean, you know Dame and Jay, I mean Jay was big, you know, Boogie's godfather. You know what I'm saying. It was just too much personal and you made a shitload of money. Yeah, and

so how can you not you know, reveling that. But I just saw the writing on the walls and to beyond that's with you. I quit the music business after Rockefeller because I'm like, I could never in my life

have seen that happen. And to be honest, if it wasn't for Bigs, like you know, a lot of shit would have fell apart a lot earlier than that because people don't know like Hopper, random label, like I'm talking about you know what I'm saying from the dip set on like you know what I'm saying, all that shit. I mean, Dane was there, but Dane was rocker where he was a new American magazine I'm sorry, American magazine. Like yeah, it was just a lot of shit he

was trying to do, but Bigs held it down. And like I just said, that was the biggest time at Rockefeller ever and Biggs doesn't get that credit. A big shot to Hop and he was. To be honest with you, I feel like Jay, you know what I'm saying, in his crew, he's still with his crew. He made his friends rich, you know what I'm saying. Obviously, they contribute so far and song, but Jay went through his period of acting funny. You know what I'm saying, It's just facts.

I mean, you get to a certain point you don't know who in what, so you you're blocking yourself off to things. And I don't think I've ever felt that way about Big. He was the only consistent one all the way through that whole. I mean, let's get it, one thousand percents. I respect him, I love him. It is an honor to watch him growing and even more of an honor to have been a part of what they did. But you know that Nigga Bigs like he stayed solid and didn't I've never known another side of Bigs.

We ran into him, We ran into him out the Big.

all this phone stuff is you know, next level. So he wanted to be ahead of the curve and that was the initial goal for a revote, And in twenty thirteen, you know, he reached out like, look like I'm doing X, Y and Z. So at first it was more consultancy I'm going back and forth and he's like, no, I need you in LA. So I moved the family out and we got to rocking. You know. The unfortunate thing is is that well, the unfortunate thing. Unfortunately. The unfortunate

thing was that his vision was a little early. You know what I'm saying, to do segments in small pieces of content on the linear platform on YouTube type of yeah, yeah, like, and I mean I think it worked to a certain point, but then you know, there's certain things and I won't give the answers now because I'm gonna do it, but it's like, you know, I'm gonna give you models, right, So like Bounce TV. Big shout to my brother Ryan Glover.

He just sold for a bag. And their whole model was, you know, licensed program they did like Bounce TV, they did license program and they did programming that just made

sense because it wasn't available anywhere else. I mean you could see bits and pieces on BT and other like forms of television like that, maybe VH one, but they went hard like every day, Oh my god, I'm gonna so if you ever had a nostalgic moment or needed a nostalgic fixture with them, and so you know, I just think that, like I said, you know, and it's not done that I'm you know, gone forever from Revolt because I want to I like to finish things I

start now. If he move it, if he moves Revolt to Atlanta and I and Andre Hirella's CEO and I'm president, I'm there, you know what I'm saying, and I'll bring this new idea change the game. But we got so yeah, but it was, it was, it was a blessing. Yep, yep.

you don't approach nobody and talk about nothing. You'd be like, what's something to you say? You know what I'm saying. So something in common comes along. Because the circle is so small on the streets, you had to. So one day it happened and we spoke, and we've been cool and freak. Nick ninety four when we did the big Mac thing, you know, that's when I became a legend. That's that's when my legend started. Because Mark Pitts used called Gucci don so. Gucci was getting into a fight.

They had this why why shaped staircase in this in the funk clinic, the warehouse. I used to do my parties and I saw I was ron G was DJing. So I'm in the booth, I'm on the mic talking my ship, and I see Gouch, you know this type ship so puffing, woofing all them down. I'm like, oh ship, if they see that, it's over and it's freaking it. So I was, you know, thousand people inside, thousand people outside. So I run off the mic. I get Gouch like you straight man, fuck this? You know, So you know

Gucci's you know, he quiet, but then go hard. So I'm like, yo, just chill, it's freaking I got you can get the fuck out and paid the bounce on here, you know, like yo, chill. So I'm thinking we're good, but somebody had ran down to tell puff. So as we come down to wire shape, you know, we get to the land and then we're like midway before we hit the thing, and yo, yo, what the fuck in New York ship? And I'm like, yo, like we're good, like relaxed, like we're good. Like it's oh, Gucci straight,

I'm straight now, fuck that nigga. We from New York nigga, nigga Haller nigga, not white planes. I'm just but my point is, the point is I'm like, I'm telling him like it's over. And so back in those days, it was the wild wild West, you know what I'm saying, Like you could buy a gun at k Mark down here with no license. Like this ship was crazy. So everybody's strapped and then all of a sudden, he you know, the tsunami starts and so I'm like, yo, I'm trying

to get niggas hit. So they rushed the door. And when they rushed the door, I had just bought up. I'll never forget this truck and This is gonna make me mad, this shit, think about it. I had just bought a Ford Explorer, had the new grill and Mickey Thompson's and my cousin left it parked in front of the door. So in front of the door is the barricade. So when they rushed, the ship hits, my lights breaks, all my ship, my fucking bumpers hanging down, so I

don't see it yet. So I'm coming outside because you know, all the drama had left it, and so people still part You know. The one thing about back in the day, you can have all types of chaos, but if you got it out the club, the party would remain. So we got it outside, so party still going on without my I was like, Yo, what the fuck is oh my fucking truck. So, long story short, I'm like getting pages, you know, because this is like beepers, This is not you know what I'm saying, So you got to get

the I think it's freaking ninety four. Yeah, okay, we had ron g that weekend kick a pretty bit like all him early. So long story short, I'm getting all these pages, nine on one, so I need my money for my truck. I was, you know, first of all, Puff was my idol at this point. He was what he did in DC. I moved to Atlanta to do and it broke my fucking face that he would fight in my party. Knowing you come from that cloth, you know how important this is. You see all these people

in line, you're gonna do that to me. I had gave them like more. White Star was like seventy five dollars. I gave him for thirty five. I was just trying to make White Star. So long story, short story goes, after he left town without paying my money, I went to New York and I went to Queens. It was some not Queens, I'm sorry, the Queen's Bridge on the Manhattan side. It was a club that was underneath the joint.

And so Clark Kent, big bro and one of my best friends, big hustler from Detroit who funded most of the twenty six twenty ship back in the day. He with me. So I'm feeling like, you know what, I don't give all them niggas know me. If they you know what I'm saying, then everybody knows something. So I go to the club. I'm like, yo, something my money. So Puff looks at me literally right, he like looks, he looks at me like nigga. I was like, he said, he said, he said, I said, what's up with my money?

He said, I got so much money? He put like ten thousand. I got so much money. I have you missing nigga over, I'm like, okay. I hit the money out of his hand and looked like the scene. So I'm motherfucking dunking And to be honest with you, to be honest with you, motherfuckers, wasn't trying to hit me like that because if they wanted to hit me, it

was they could have gotten. I mean when I said, I was in New York and I had three people with me, and Clark was an innocent by standing the ship because he was fuf DJ too, So he's more like this. I'm like, Nigga, everybody's gonna die, right, So yeah, make it out of that joint. I see him the next day in front of the uh is that the

Hilton on seventh. It was the last year the New Music seminar, and he had a picket sign in one hand and my nephew on the other hand, justin and he's like, yo, black God, Black God, Sun Moon Stars nigga were black nigga, we can't be doing it. You know, if we are here killing each other. This ship is crazy, Nigga. We can never do no ship like that if we want to get to the real money. The white man nigga he had me Jedi mind, was like, damn, I

ain't need that money. About the money, Jedi mind, trick, I said, this nigga is good. But after that we was solid. We had cost each other some money, but the respect is then that's all I wanted, you know, like niggas had to fight.

certain clubs one twelve earners. What's Up?

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was bottle the perimeter was just the bar, right. But the crazy thing to me looking at it from a business standpoint, is like the bottle service to marketup is so crazy, Like you're getting a thirty dollars bottle of so rock and you're selling it for five hundred dollars, four hundred dollars plus tip, plus the whole bottle service gratuity and all of that. And to me, it really changed the whole vibe of the night life scene. So you being a hosting, you know, night life specialist and

all of that, how did it change it? And like, what's the profit margins in clubs? Is it as profitable as it's because on the outlot on the outside looking and it looks like a very profitable business.

how it's gone from that to this. So in the beginning was about the vibe, you know what I'm saying, and I think you know, you started to cater to more of the needs and that's that's why service came up. Because you know what I'm saying, real get money. Motherfuckers wouldn't come out and dance like that. They wanted to be kind of posted up on the side, you see, you know what I'm saying. So you kind of you

had to, you know, cater to that. But then the flip did too, like the world famous compound here in Atlanta, like you know, ten, twelve, thirteen years ago, when we started that month, well actually I'm sorry, fifteen years ago. We just had the fifteen anniversary this year. But when we started that, the tables became just center pieces of the celebration. It was not like you and the joint

chilling Oh, no stand on some fucking ferns. We about to couch for this motherfucker life with for swag, sir. But my point is, like, you know, it's it's all in who does what, right. So if Kenny Burns does a party, if I do Cassette, you come in to dance like women are bringing scrunchies in their purse, They putting that hair up, and they gonna get to it because they know that this is the one time a month I can have the best time of my life,

you know what I'm saying. And I think it has a lot to do with the promoters like Alex he could care less as long as he sells those tables. And you're asking Margins, we had ag entertainment. He's he was my partner at the Funk Clinic too. But he's the only actually land club owner here that is a friend of mine. I mean, like there to others, I'm sure, but I mean a lot of people got leases and things, but he actually owns the dirt at compound. But for me, man, like,

I'll never forget. We did seven hundred thousand dollars at the bar in one night, seven hundred thousand seven. Jermaine dupri had. I think it was so so deaf twenty and he had J come and so we booked J at the comp It's a legendary picture that put on screen. I think, yeah, so it's me Gezy Pacas too. No, no, she that was at the at Rain, but this one, Yeah, we just Sai on hundred at the bar. So it's

very lucrative. And if you think about like, okay, let's let's just let's look at expenses if you have, if you if you're leasing a club in a major metropolitan city outside of New York and LA on Miami, because that's strange fruit but meaning like it's just ridiculous, right, But if you do like DC, Atlanta, Chicago, whatever, Right, you're gonna probably pay up as the fifteen you know, fifteen thousand a month, twenty thousands, just say it's thirty

thousand a month, thirty thousand a month. You really could do on one day, Like the compound is only open on Saturdays, and they rented out there in time, so you got to imagine they make their nut, you know what I'm saying, and a half a party, you know what I'm saying, And the rest of the month you know what I'm saying is expensive and profit right, So I mean, it's very lucrative if you if you really got the game down pack. But I don't suggest anyone

getting that game thinking you're just gonna get paid. It takes years to earn that those relationships.

why even with Cassette, it's about the party. We bring artists every month.

business in general. But I all you, guys, anybody I've I've mentored thousands directly or indirectly. I party with hundreds of thousands, and I guarantee you, if it's something that I have control over, they leave having the best time they had.

Like if you go to a party where it's a bunch of niggas smoking weed and taking lean and peels, and then you got the girls doing it too, you're not gonna have a good time because everybody's high as

a motherfucker. But if you go to a party where you're little high when you balance out by the liquor and you got a bunch of women, because listen, ladies, if they have killer tattooed on their forehead, if their teeth are super fucked up from all the fucking drugs they take, if their lips are black from fucking smoking so many black and mouths, not even weed, you must re evacuate place service announcement. But that's the motherfuckers that

you're talking about. You're not talking about the motherfuckers that smell good and put on that motherfucking y'all mean and go out to have a good time. You're talking about the hoigh motherfuckers. You got to be told it's tough to mix those two, don't. I had a white party this past literally, this is the facts, the one hundred percent truth. I had a white party labor they week weekend at the world famous compound, and you know we do this annual white party. We're doing this ship. I've

heard heard about it. So literally to the left of me is the harber Shah fucking mafia right Ethiopia. I'm about to say, like the it's real, it's a real big shots reach my Ethiopians. But like literally and they smoking all the jewelry on the ship and they not moving. They want to hear trap, that's all they want to hear. To the right of me is Ludacris. You know my wife,

you doc see like you know what I'm saying. All our crew and they're that motherfucker life and that motherfucker having the time in their life, and it for me was the moment I had to decide I am never doing any trap ship again because it's just not who I am. It's just not who I and I love. I loved Little Baby. It's probably my favorite new art, like I love his albums, right, but I just you know what I'm saying, I don't want to I want to be dancing next to something soft, you know what

I'm saying about, and that smells good. You know what I'm saying with the hair up, and I don't want to be nervous. You know what I'm saying. Let me shure this because niggas is talking. You were in Atlanta fall long time and you did probably fall on time. How big? How big?

booming when I left in the party. I'm talking about what he was thinking about, ownership, got his club, so for and so on. So he wanted me to host over at the Vision spot, right. So I had been hearing this Meech story and this being that story. But I was around the world, you know, coming up in the music business. So I come home, I'm hosting. So DJ Infamous is on the one or two's and we're rocking,

you know what I'm saying. I saw Gez coming. I was like no, d you know, doing my shoutouts, and then all of a sudden, here comes Meech and it looked like he's with the FOI nigga when I say it was militant. The way they walked in the club, my nigga. So Meach walks in, So I'm like, damn, this finally my opportunity to shot them out, get them on my radar. You know what I'm saying. So I'm I'm hip to everybody. I'm knowing who everybody is. So I was like, big shout to me. My life sned

brother from another mother just popped in the building. You know what I'm saying, Like that, it's time to celebrate. He literally, like with his back was turned to the DJ booth. He literally turned around and everybody stopped. As he begins to turn around, it was like it was pharakhn, I promise you, everybody stops. He turned around and then he looked at he looked up at the booth and he was like with his bottle of PJ. And then

everybody in the booth was like. I was like, sho, just a niggas like Pharah con is this motherfucker right? And then the next day I'm driving down P Street from Lenox. The nigga walking down the street, Nigga with a perms, nigga had a perm down to here, nigga with two German shepherds leading him, Nigga with a whole fucking I'm like, who is this? So b like and

then I promise you. I was at Greenbrin Mall and I didn't see him there, but a guy was standing next to the cash register and he had a bag of money on the thing, you know what I'm saying. And apparently me, you know, told him to go up there. In every purchase for back to school, you know what I'm saying, you paid for this ship until the money runs out. So everybody was like they was getting fit. So I witnessed a few things, but the stories out here are unbelievable.

he comes from the school of rules. It's just things you do and don't do. And so I applaud him for being able to walk that walk and continue that. I just saw somebody say, I think it was my guy Ruggs. It's like, you guys really think y'all gangsters, But y'all never been tested, y'all never had that thing on. Y'all about to lose your life, you know what I'm saying, or have to take you know what I'm saying. So it's like people be all here, y'all be like, yeah,

y'all sol gangster. It's just like Takashi. I hate to even bring but it is scary. Probably all my ship sat That's what I'm talking. But my point is, you know, it's it's a thing that when you like you really sign up for this ship, and like I remember Takashi, like out here, like blood. It's like Daniel Chill, like you just had the all blue bed sheet when you just a crib. Like my thing is damn. But that be my thing though, Like is that is? You know?

Because again this, this whole thing, all this ship is about. You know what I'm saying, the look and what I'm doing. I've never heard of so many gang bangers in my forty six years of life. I'm never I never heard of this man. And to be honest with you, when Jimmy and them was blooding back in the day when it was all of it Rockefeller, it blew me like, go, they really got bloods over here. Yeah, that's all new

to me. That was so long in New York to me and I've been around Like I'm like, oh shit, but if that's what y'all doing, you know what I'm saying. But my thing is like this shit be such fads, right, It's like it's so popular to be this so so popular until you go to jail, do you know? And this is what I want to tell to all my hustles. I don't even know how you get money no more. But do you know this device? You have to watch

the great hack, watch the great hack. They try to start off the Great Hack by telling you they do not listen to your conversation. But that's bullshit because there's no way you can get ads in your feeds if they don't know what you're talking about. That's one that's okay.

But if you think about the proper aganda right and the great hack they were telling us basically, yo, the motherfucking Cambridge Analytica is the ones who created all the black Lives fucking memes and all that shit and send them to all the motherfucker weird white motherfuckers and all the closet races that were still in the closet, you know what I'm saying, and had it come out and that's why Trump run like, you gotta watch the you had.

This ship is unbelieved Netflix, right, it's on Netflix. You gotta watch that ship. But that's that's my point with these these you know, instant Instagram gangsters, of these Internet gangsters or these tough people. You know, you can say anything online. You say anything you want online. It's no repercussion until you run into that motherfucker and then you got a problem, you know. So, But you know, I wish everybody the best.

I literally liked. I mean I did a favor. I was ear hustling in DC big shot to Mark Bonds at his club Love and the reps for more Hennessy were there and they were like, I got a problem, like listening, they got a problem. This fucking guy Alex and his brothers. They like the fucking mob down there. They won't let us in these clubs. They're fucking tell us we gotta pay X Y and Z. I said, excuse mell me to be eavesdropping, but I can help you with your problem. And so they were like, yeah,

you're sure because I don't know. I said, no, these are these are my best friends. Like there's a problem that's fixable. I can fix it. So they were like all right, cool. So two weeks later I had him back in the club and they're like, yo, what can we do for you. I was like, well, I'm turning thirty five and I want to do my birthday party the Vasaci mansion. So they were like, yeah, that might get a little price. He maybe do a couple of brands.

Blah blah blah. Said okay, cool, let me know, I said, you know what. Two weeks later they call me, you got it. You know what I'm saying, parties yours, get the event planning and let us know who were cutting the checks too, blah blah. So obviously then social media wasn't you know, I mean they have all or whatever. So we ended up getting like a billion impressions because Star Jones and al Reynolds were in a relationship and

she was on the view. I don't even know if y'all remember this, Yeah, but it was the biggest thing in the tabloid thing. So I mean obviously all the Fat Joe's, like all the rappers that uh So anyway,

so we were we had this amazing party. But from that, the global head of marketing came because they got a My invitation was a bibble ahead of me, and they usually don't do cross branding promotion on the box I had, like all the because they had to get money from each ten came from Don Perry on mo Ed you know what I'm saying, Hennessy and Belvedere. So long story, Shorty came up because you're like, why are we doing this for this non celebrity, Like we're spending a lot

of money, Like why are we doing it? So when they came over, they were like, yo, like this is unreal, Like this this dude brought all these people, now mind you seventy to yeah, probably eighty percent of the people flew in for the party, and so they were just amazed by So after that they were like, yo, can we do some other things, Let's try this. So I

would do little things this, that and the third. But then when it got into Grey Goose puffles on fire with the flavors and so great Goose had had a little while. Let's sitron La Wrongs like all these flavors, but they weren't popping. They were like, can you help us with these flavors? I said, well, let me pick the flavor. You get that to me for six months, I'll you know, I'll pop it off in Atlanta. We'll

see how it goes. Six six months, we were up four hundred and ninety eight percent because I had the club like I had, you know, the war I'm sorry, the Compound Gold Room like pre made all the clubs I had, right, I was just like I got to have a spind you know what I'm saying. So long story short, that caught on like wildfire. They ended up giving me a million dollars on my credit card. That y'all did Drake Tour. I did a whole bunch of different stuff. But they were like, yo, like we we

want to do. You know, we want to do a fucking program with right and helped us set up with other people in other markets. So I started putting them with people and then Puff came and this is when Puff and I got did y'all hear about that ship when me and Puff got into it as the thing it was on MTV fight, No, it almost turned into

a fight. It wasn't. What happened was so he had Justin's restaurant down here back then, and so you know, I was popping like grey Goose was on fire, and I was like, let me fuck with him, you know what I'm saying. So I put a billboard right on the side of the motherfucking Justin's with a bob. It was literally like this, and he has a rock. At that time, he was on fire. It was the height, it was Coco and all that. So I want to I'm on the billboard right like literally across the street.

So he was coming to the compound right and we had him at the compound. I forget Tip just got out of jail for the gun ship, and I put my booth in front of his booth for the crowd to see. So every time they ordered one two s, I ordered three or four like it's gray goose. So I was, and so after a minute he was getting irritated. But me, I'm thinking, you Puff, Daddy, I noticed to Daddy. If you wanted to, you could say, oh, he has

to stop buying because Alex own the club. I didn't own the club, I mean had the influence of the club. I didn't know you, my man. But if he said I'm leaving, if he doesn't stop or something, it would have been fair because I really was fucking with him, you know what I'm saying. But he lost his cool. He threw a piece of ice hit my little stick man in the face, right, but behind him was you know, one of my my guys, right, So he didn't realize it,

but I saw it. And mind you, so say she's the guy who got hit in the head with the ice. It's me, You're puffed. So they're like, I mean they're really like twelve feet apart, but y'all equal, me and TI equal. So Puff gets the mic after he is the dude he's like, yo, you fucking light skinned niggas. Now, mind you, the nigga he talked to is not light That means the whole time in his head, he's talking to me, right, so I'd like this nigga's wild. And so Tip gets to Mike and Tip's like, Yo, it's

they shit, this is house, nigga. He can draank what he wanted. And then Puff's like, don't do that. Don't do that. So at the time, I'm like, yo, Puff is not like he didn't look you know what I'm saying. So I was like, let me get over there. So I Tip is here to me, y'all. So I'm making my way, nigga. When I tell you, six thousand people in the world famers compound, I'm making my way over. So I get over and I'm like you straight cause the dude t the dude who got hit, is actually terrified.

The dude in the back of him broke bottles ready to rush, like the whole shit. And I'm like, yo, chill out, a nigga, like it ain't none of that's happening. So I'm like boom so. But then Puff's like, yeah, fuck you too, nigga, and I'm like, and mind you now he's seen me working my I'm coming to you. I'm coming to do that. So I jump up on the thing, and I big big shout to Rube BK. Rube jumps over cause he's like, yo, what's the stick of doing? And then James Cruz and whoever. I was like, no, that'

knning nigga. Let them figure that shit out, nigga. If they start fighting, let you know what I'm saying. So I'm moving on. So I grabbed and I was like, Yo, do you know you make a half a million dollars nigga? And this nigga you're hitting the ie makes thirty six style like you're tripping, Like, calm down, nigga, no one's coming. Look around us, no one's coming. I live here, no one's coming. Like chill out. So I ended up squads

or whatever. But my point is like, not only did I save lives that I'm just saying like it was it had been a melee. I remember that it's not even me and him. I'm talking about the regular motherfucker's getting trampled and running.

And I kept saying no for like another year. Intol the revolt happened and then we was rocking story. I'm gonna tell you this right now, Like you know, Puff is a superhero, you know, but he also has done things along the way that taints that. Right. But you will never find someone who has contributed more to this generation, you know what I'm saying. It wouldn't be a lot of jobs, it wouldn't be a lot of opportunities, It

worn't for that man. So as much as we fight we brothers, and you know it is shut out the puff. So all right, season the uncle black man, that's.

So basically, you know, Jack Dames was an or for living there, and he was so interested in what was going on with the whiskey. He was like, you know, basically, let me get a shot at it. In long story short, you know, he was a very tiny man, so he looked like a kid and he can get away and get through things. And back then, you know, they had like shoot to kill, like civil war like orders for people trying to sell whiskey to the troops and things like that. But he was quite the salesman and Uncle

Niris was his you know, was his teacher. And fast forward in the seventies, I think it kind of got lost in the sauce about who nearest and his family was. There's an infamous picture out there that's actually George, uncle NIS's son, and not him. A lot of people say it's Uncle Niris, that's his son George, but you know, his fan, you know, has been with the Jack Daniels brand since then in some capacity Fashional forum. But the founder of Uncle Nearsvaarn Weaver. She's the best selling author.

Her husband Keith. They were away on vacation and read the story in the international New York Times, and you know, she's an author, so she wanted to, like she just thought that the story was intriguing, so she went to you know, basically figure it out, see what was going on. And then you know, when she started uncovering things, she

saw how important Uncle Nears was the Jack. Jack had mentioned Uncle Nears or his boys over fifty times in his autobiography, which we now owned, by the way, the dan Call Farm, which is three hundred and thirty acres where they grew up. She found out it was available

to buy. She bought it, so we owned that, and she did a couple of key you know acquisitions around the Jack Daniels property or town if you will, right, because Lynchburg tend to see is Jack Daniels land, right, So yeah, So she basically was like, you know what, I'm going to start a whiskey in honor of him,

and she started reaching out to all the family members. O. Our Near Screen foundation puts all of the descendants through college if you can, yea, we have nine in college right now, full ride, not just for Basher's but however long you want to go to school fully paid, all you got to do is maintain a three point zero and pay it for it when you get the opportunity. But that was some of the things that were like amazing to me. Obviously I had been in the spirits,

I've done some amazing things. And a person I knew that was doing the series A raise the bulk of the series A was like, yo, you got to meet her, and he was telling her you got to meet him. He's like a savant, like the guy that went against Puff kind of thing like it work with Puff. And so we met and you know, literally the rest is history. That I mean, they were underway, but that was the

beginning when I joined. You know, we did the breakfast club and we did all these you know, and it was we broke our website several times just on that promo run alone. And you know, for me, I wanted to go do all the deals in the clubs that I've been doing all this, you know what I'm saying. But I wasn't able to do that because she wanted

to go door to door with it. Like her whole approach was, let's get on menus, let's get on cocktail menus, let's you know, deal with the thesepoke mixologists and all that. And so it was just a very great learning curve for me because I come from the oh we need two thousand cases.

you should go there and get busy. But you know, I was put and it was just showing up and like you now you're seeing people with millions of ludacris is posting and all of my friends, and it was just very natural and organic, and yeah, the rest will

be history. I am a shareholder and my great great grandchildren will be all right for this amazing And I never got equity from anybody else I've done a lot of great things and wanted to start your own thing with certain companies once upon a time, obviously working with Soroccan launching Deli on Apple, Sorocos my launch. So you know, it's it's it's a thing where you're like, damn, a complete stranger. I didn't know her from nothing, she didn't know me from nothing. We were put together and the

rest is literally history. Now.

for your last name. Our tour shirts are up there now, so feel free to keep some pointing now so we can keep doing things like this coming to Atlanta and meet some real hometown heroes that are doing some incredible things.

I'm saying. And I think that if that would just come back to the game in general, I think we can get rid of a lot of the bullshit because I mean, you know, we might say something is bullshit, but they selling out three thousand seaters or you know what I'm saying. I never thought like six' nine like it would be, success, Right but then if you listen to the grungy way that he almost had a rock rap kind of. VIBE i, mean you can go to plenty of people in history and see how and why that.

Works so BUT i just think, authenticity, man you, KNOW i think that the fads come and, go and if you want to be around for a long, time the authenticity pieces what keeps.

Saying you're talking about you know when When wayne And ross was having seizes and shit, like it was the, lean it was the fucking you know What i'm. Saying, like so you're, thinking like what how high do you want to be like and how how long do you

think you will? Last or what are you trying to escape? From? Well, NO i MEAN i get why people want to, escape but you know What i'm, SAYING i JUST i don't think that you will live long enough to really reap the fruits if you continue to like do that to your. Body you know What i'm, Saying it's like physically. Impossible but where we're at now with music is.

business with artists. DEVELOPMENT i came into a business with actually handlers that gave a, fuck you know What i'm, saying and had the respect of the artists so that they can get what they needed out of them and you, know kind of keep them from there killing themselves and going you know WHAT i. Mean BUT i think that WHAT i was saying earlier about this being to show me,

culture to show me. Generation you're, right that shit. Works it's like if you bug out and do all all the dumb, shit they want to like your, ship and you're doing it for their. LIKES i mean we've seen you know What i'm, Saying but they do anything for, likes and that's the culture we live, in you know What i'm. Saying but like, again if people paying their money and they singing your, songs there's some. Connection SO i mean it's really a you, know catch twenty.

check you know What i'm, saying it runs its. Course if it's because it's your cousin and you really don't want what you're gonna help, OUT i, mean you, know do it for the passion or don't do it at. All and that goes for artists.

things you know What i'm. Saying and when when artists try to go run off and act crazy and be disloyal and try different, things because they all gonna want to try different, Things it's gonna be things at the beginning that are just so about what y'all got going. On and then when you get, older this guy over here might have a better. Connect it might be able to get me the close in this. Center you're gonna you,

know run into all. That but you just gotta be firmly planted in the middle of what's going on to keep yourself in. Play and, honestly LIKE i, said add value from the, jump like add something valuable that even the artist. Knows because as much as they want to lose their minds act like stuff didn't, happen it. Happened they'll remember. It they. Will it'll come a point they're like what they, get you, Know i'm talking about as.

States secretary Of Homeland. Security Under President, trump attempted illegal border crossings are at the lowest levels ever, recorded and over one hundred thousand illegal aliens have been. Arrested if you are here, illegally your next you will be fined nearly one thousand dollars a, day, imprisoned and. Deported you will never. Return but if you register using OUR cbp home app and leave, now you could be allowed to return.

Legally do what's. Right leave. Now Under President, Trump america's, laws border and families will be.