Stevio...LA LA Lovin' It?

I'm British-born Chinese from Bristol, UK. I’m LA-based. I’m a hip hop aficionado. After 15 years in London I moved to LA to pursue a new career and outlook on life.

Back in the 80s I was a DJ. In the 90s I contributed to the world's first street style exhibition at London's Victoria & Albert Museum. In 2011, I had my first interviews published. Today, I’m keeping busy with music, art, photos and writing.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Stephen Forbes interviews Warren Buffet and Jay Z

Another story that's been lingering in my Inbox. Sorry it's late.

Forbes special edition cover, Oct 2010
I was surprised as the next guy to see Jay-Z on the cover of Forbes magazine with Warren Buffet. But not because Jay's black, a rapper, or an entrepreneur (aka ex-drug dealer.) No, it was seeing Jay-Z in a suit! Has anyone seen Jay-Z so uncomfortable as in the video below?

Why the cover story? Jay-Z was being welcomed to the first "Forbes 400 Summit" and joining the ranks of the likes of Bill Gates. I didn't know the stats, but here they are, "Jay-Z is one of the top recording artists in history, having sold approximately 40 million albums worldwide. In 2007, he tied Elvis Presley for the most number one albums by a solo performer; he went on to break the record in 2009. Today, only The Beatles have more number one records –19 to Jay-Z’s 11."

In the video below, Jay-Z compares his art with Warren Buffet's analysis of stock tickers when he's seeking the truth about a business' value.
"The key to being a recording artist is telling your story and finding your truth." Jay-Z

Lunch at the Hollywood Diner, Omaha
This serious interview by Stephen Forbes, an outsider of entertainment and non-fanboy is refreshing and gives us a different insight. We learn more about Jay Z in the  video interview than 100x Complex articles!

Consistency
Why has Jay Z continued to be so successful after so many years?
"Discipline...music is like stocks too. There's the hot thing of the moment...the hot auto-tune voice.... people make emotional decisions....jump on the next hot thing when it's not for you. So for me,...having the discipline and confidence to know who I am." Jay-Z

Jay Z's Genius When did the penny drop for Jay Z and his empire-building streak?
"We were forced in the beginning...I wish I could say we were geniuses and say we were going to start our own company. That's not what happened. We went to every single label and every single label shut their door on us. No, The genius thing we did was we didn't give up...we used that 'what do they know' and started selling our own CDs and created our own buzz. Then the record company came back to us...It wasn't the same artist label relationship negotiation. Now we retain ownership of our own company." Jay-Z

Corporate myopia When Jay Z stepped away from his position as CEO of Def Jam
"I wanted to work with them, but I wanted a fund...The music business for a long time a hit record solved all your problems...that model still exists to just put artists out and see what sticks...as a music business we were releasing 100s of albums every year...I wanted to bring the entire culture into it. I wanted a fund so I could do other things aside to by a television station, to buy a night club to develop these artists. I don't think at the time they could get their mind around it. So, I thought I would be a waste there, so I set up my own thing RocNation...it's publishing company, its a recording company, a touring company..." Jay-Z

Watch all 52 minutes of the interview hosted by Stephen Forbes. And learn about Jay Z's cold sweat moment when he lost his iPod with his latest un-released album on it...just as he was about to pay $5 million to buy his contract from Def Jam!


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1 Comments:

Blogger Michael vp said...

Got it... Be a good mentor, aka teacher... Recognize your unique skills and work to develop them, it's what seperates you from competitors, it's your moat... Take time to evaluate your mistakes... Focus on your core competencies, hire others for things outside them... and never... never... put your ipod in your track suit pocket...Thanks steveio...
mike p.
influencepictures.com

11:35 PM  

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