E404: Yolanda Adams, Phil Thornton, Dyana Williams & Atron Gregory

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(01:07):
Welcome to money Making Conversations. It's the show that she
has the secrets of success experience firsthand by marketing and
Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I will know he's giving me
advice on many occasions. In the case you didn't notice,
I'm not broke, you know, he'll be interviewing celebrity CEOs,
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it's what he likes to share. Now it's time to

(01:27):
hear from my man, Rashan McDonald money Making Conversations. Here
we go, Hi, this is ru Shan McDonald. Welcome with
the Money Making Conversation. Each money Making Conversation Talk show
is about entrepreneurship and entertainment. I provide the consumer and
business owner access to celebrity CEOs, entrepreneurs, and industry decision makers.
I recognize that we all have different definitions of success.

(01:49):
For Song, it's a sizable paycheck. Mine is helping people
wake up and inspiring them to accomplish their goals and
live their very best life. These are my passions and
that's what I'm going to do for you. I want
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(02:13):
overcoming the arts, and how to live a balanced life.
My next guest is a industry of friend and a
personal friend. Uh. He's a music industry executive, television producer
and senior vice president and general manager of r c
A Inspiration. Inspiration is the number one label and gospel
music home to Kirk Franklin. That's my man, Fred Hammond,

(02:34):
that's my boy, the Walls Group, Landra Johnson, and many
many Moore. Please welcome the Money Making Conversation. I call
him a visionary. Please welcome Phil Thornton man. I'm honored man,
you know, thank you for that compliment. I know I

(02:55):
enjoyed lunch and that means that once this calls down,
I missed your smile of phase out it to you
in l A when you're being honored in the Legends
Award ceremony and UH good friend about Kelly Rowland's UH
brought you on stage and many more good people could
bring you. I was just happy I was there to
to see you being on it for that tell us
before we get started, because it's all about music, it's

(03:17):
all about a body of work. What it felt like
to be be honored at that at that ceremony, it
was humbling. It was I couldn't believe it. Just to
be in the room filled with so many people that
I've known since my journey in this business and starting
at twelve years old. Just to be in that room
and the field that love, just it was humbling and

(03:37):
just grateful and just I couldn't even believe it. I
always I couldn't even remember my speech right right. It
was just overwhelmeding. It was overwhelmed. Well, it was happy
because of the fact that I know I was blessed
with that honor and it was unexpected, and that those
are the type of artists you you appreciate more because
you know you're just working hard. Okay, Phil, And then

(03:58):
somebody tapped you on the shows. You know something we
noticed that you know thise what you're doing and and
it's a blessing. We want to bless you by honoring
you and telling the world what we think about you.
And we also know that the celebration always benefits go
to charitable donation to help out people who have not
been successful in business, all have fallen on hard time.
So it's a dual honor. You get honored, but also

(04:21):
we celebrate by honoring individual creating incomefort and individuals who
are suffering or not doing well at that time. So
it's it's a double edge celebration. Absolutely, absolutely, man. And
to my you know, my understanding, we raised a lot
of money that night, and which is I mean, it's
a path to goal, which was the blessing in it all.
So that was great to hear that. So yeah, we

(04:41):
know we do. Just we're going into the third quarter
and when we were started out the year smiling, then
the pandemic hitt and uh now we're into this civil arrest,
which is understandable as an African American man, I'm just
gonna let people know one out of one thousand black
men and black boys who have stopped by the police
are likely to be die. That's a statu of a
lot of people don't know. Over their store in Los

(05:03):
Angeles time, that's two point five times higher than white men.
That happens to white men and white boys when they
stopped by the police one out of one thousand, and
people wonder why we are concerned about police brutality. Uh,
concerned when police stop us as black individuals, especially black men.
And just let's just talk about your business from a perspective,

(05:25):
starting with the pandemic when it hit, some changes you
had to make in the whole circle of communicating people,
your personal life, your business life, phil you know, and
that time didn't make hit. This is uh in March,
we're actually on you know, past the day market than
quarantine and social distant thing at Sony Music, so we

(05:48):
know our meetings have been converted to all Microsoft Teams meetings,
so we're still getting some faith time, but it's it's
a little different. Uh, you know, we were staying all
of our meeting agenda than data and sales everything by
way of the share feature called Microsoft Teams. But it's
just it's been quite a transition. But we've still been
grateful to release music videos and songs because some music

(06:11):
videos we had already in the can and then somebody
actually created over during the pandemic. But we're getting very
responsible with the very limited crew and social distance things.
We've still been recording songs and albums. He's still have
been recording music videos, one of which is Kirk Franz's
new video which just came out called Strong Guys. So
we actually captured that over the pandemic. So can you

(06:32):
get that video to it so I can put it
on my social media and my newsletter because I didn't
know the name. Brother, you know me, I'm in the
marketing Google. You will have it in your inbox shortly,
my boy, you're my boy. You're talking about Kirk a
new song come yeah, definitely comly and and and it's

(06:53):
so timely reshound of what Kirk's talking about. This song
is called Strong God and he's speaking about some of
the social injustices, you know, to our country and just
everything happening and he pressed depends there and it's a
really profound, such a powerful song. Um in pouns video
absolutely well. This month is Black Music Month, um i uh.

(07:14):
I talked to Diana Williams. I called her the mother
of Black History, of the brand Ambassador of Black History.
She's uh, she's incredible. I always tell her, I said,
you know, we won't see it like like with you.
I don't see her enough. And this is gonna change
in the third and four quarter this year because we
want the mission to change the game. And she was

(07:34):
telling me about the the Hall of Fame at the
museum that's opening in Nashville in the Labor Day weekend
or that month of labor the month of September. But
let's talk about Black History Month, the importance of it,
the importance of black music period well as if it
was as a black man and as an executive at
a major record company, I celebrate I celebrate black music.

(07:58):
That's that's just my edition. But we're gonna put extra
emphasis on black music. You know all about that, I
mean black music. But when you think about black music
and black musicians, it is they are the basis of
all genres of music. When you think about R and
B blue hip hop, blue boll let's go back, R
and B, bloom, jazz, gospel, like, so many genres of

(08:20):
music were derived from just those initial genres of music.
Those are rock and roll country like, those are created
by black individuals. And so this is a month where we,
you know, just salute and honored them. I did an
I D piece and Billboard last year about the importance
of black music, and they continue important not only about
black music for black executives, and that's another thing in

(08:43):
the other areas because we also need people in the
board rows and that these companies to reflect the music
that we're releasing at the director companies. Well, you know,
it was really important because, like you said with Kurt Franklin,
it's timely. Music is timely because music plays a major portion,
a major part in protests, made a part of inspiring people.

(09:03):
Music music, music is emotionally driven and that that emotion
can turn into activation, which you can turn into change.
So so being a guy who's been in the music
business and because you're an inspiring figure, you know you
know that you know that you said something you've been
wanting to do since you're twelve years old? What what?
What those the natural instincts of music that affects you

(09:26):
feel music? Just you know, I listened to what I'm happy,
So what I'm saying, I listened to her when it's
trying times and we're going through a crisis like we're
dealing with, whether it's the pandemic or some of these horristic,
you know, traumatic events that we've witnessed. I've heard about
seeing the videos for brother George Floyd and Amada Arebury.

(09:47):
We saw those videos. We saw and heard that audio. So,
you know, like when I think about the Civil Rights movement,
you know, the actual movement itself, music was such a
part of that time. But it's such as you know,
when I think about you know, the the Curtis May
films and the James Browns and Marketing Gage, you know
what I mean, Like a lot of these an these brothers,
they were speaking to what was happening during that time,

(10:09):
and to me, it's no difference. So to me music
when I listened to those songs, I was listening to
market Gay actually, uh yesterday and I'm in Dallas now,
but you know, literally I was in my hotel just
vibe and out and I'm like, man, just somethings haven't changed,
but it's getting the lyrics still, they're still here and
that's all present. But it's just makes me think about
that time and how to cope and get through what

(10:30):
we're dealing with now because we've seen this. My ancestors
have seen this, my parents, my grandparents, my family, they've
seen this before because they made it on the other
side and so were we. But music is a source
to getting to the other side and coping and hoping.
You still distressed and just the anxiety. But yeah, that's
that's music for me. Wow, brother, brother, there's also many

(10:51):
of us. Dan Marvin Gaye, I got to I've got
chills when you said that. Don't Larry think about those Larry,
They still of us dying. Okay, if you play that
song right now on top of George Floyd, you play
that song right now on the on Aubrey, you play

(11:13):
that song right now on top of Brianna Taylor, you
play the song right now on Anybody that's black in
America will understand what that is. People who may not
just hear this good music, we hear that as an
anthem of truth in our community. And that's why, you know,
that's why. That's why when when the whole concept of

(11:34):
Black Music Month and the month of June was being recognized,
I felt it was important because sometimes we need to
take a moment and say, this is why music, This
is why music makes a difference. You know, you're this
is why we're we're special to us, and that's why
it's important that I'm talking about it and you're you're
being a person that delivers that content and knows how
it affects people, not only just in record sales, but

(11:55):
how they get up, how they live there to day,
how they celebrate weddings and birthdays and parties. And you know,
I know that when I was driving phil when I
was I drove from when the pandemic immediately hit. I
I didn't fly. I drove from Atlanta to Houston, where
my family was at and so I loaded up by
the hundred and fifty of my best songs. You know

(12:19):
I didn't. I didn't. I didn't load up no talking book,
no audio book. I loaded up a hundred and fifty
of my best songs that I hit the role brother,
But that's how he's told to do it, because they
just hold to you. The times goes the way because
you think about those weddings, celebrations, You think about those
cookouts and barbecues, you think about those birthday parties. Like

(12:40):
songs are soos anonymous again and a lot of them
created by our very own people, all black people. Like
he's an individual that has seen some of my steps,
some of my walks, of my accomplishments and been inspired
by it. And then I appreciate that every time he
complishment and compliments me about it, because that means I
gotta work harder because I'm not through, Phil, I'm not through, Okay,

(13:00):
far from it. We we we can't tell him right now,
but I know where it works on the project. You
can't be through until we do. Hey, man, don't get
me mad man. Just pandemic got me stopping, the stopping,
the stopping. But we're gonna get out there. Man. Now
you're on the board of the National Museum of African

(13:21):
American Music. Tell us about the museum. You know, I'm
super excited about the National Museum of African American Music,
which will be via Nashville, Tennessee opening. We're looking at
the September opening. The pandemic has really impacted our you know,
opening grand opening plans. But it's just all things black music,
RV chad, hip hop, breat game, gospel, uh you you

(13:45):
naming and just and just. It's a really one destination
a locally don't fit and Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, directly
across the street from Bridgetown Arena and on the other
entrance space in the Rhyme and Auditorium. Perfect location, but
celebrating all things black music. We got the fact in
there you've got music, interactive activities. To me as a
movie going and feeling the room, I mean, it's it's incredible.

(14:07):
Now now I know exactly what Bridge Stones that I
threw a lot of concerts and Steve Harry not winning
there and so that bad bar several times. Now, how
did y'all get that location right there? Because that's a
prime real estate location. You're not buried at the end
of the corner, around the corner. Can nobody see you
right in? You're in a primary fifty six thousand square

(14:27):
feet dedicated to preserve it, educating, sublebrating African Americans in
their music. Come on, talk about how do you get that?
How do you you're on the board? You got some
inside information? I got I got a little you know,
originally the actually the location we're gonna be on Jefferson Street,
and if you knew that, but retinally was gonna be
on Jefferson with the iconic icon Street, but we ended
up going downtown with the new development. Because the city

(14:50):
of Nashville and the state of Tennessee, I gotta say
they've been extremely supportive of this whole you know, the museum, uh,
financial and otherwise, and everyone thought, why I you know,
I have this tucked away from where we can actually
put it prime real estate as far as this new
Fifth and Broadway development that you know they just build
brands backing new and just to have it in the

(15:10):
heart of the city because just you know, increase that
foot traffic. And again, you can't get no better location
than the rhyme And I said, Bridgetone and some of
the other you know, bars and everything down there. But
it's gonna be restaurants in there in this whole new development.
But it's like I mean, like the fifty six thousand
square feet um just is in Again there's an educational component,
but I'm loving that it's about music and it's prime location.

(15:32):
That that's prime real estate right there with Sean you
alread you know, come on now, the thing that this
what I like about it because of the fact that
you want to, like I'm trying to do now during
this civil arrest, I'm educating people and it's important. So
if you educate people there know why you're frustrated while
you're why there's a need to be upset and maybe
you're joined the upset team, okay instead of the confused team.

(15:53):
But the whereas it means that other other other than
African Americans will be able to, oh what's that and
walking there and comfortably enjoy the experience because the National
Museum of African American History and Culture and DC is
off the chain. You can't even get in any place.
And that's the goal of what you guys are trying
to accomplish with the museum in Nashville. Correct, absolutely, and

(16:14):
where I can't wait to people stearing me it's I've
seen all the schedules that I actually did a hard
hat tour recently. It is phenomenal. Now it's a free
admission or donations. How how does that work as far
as the entry, Yes, sir, yeah, there will be uh
you can purchase tickets for the attend the museum, you know,
but yeah they'rey ticket in group fails develpable. Awesome, that

(16:37):
is that's important to say that. Now has a I
know I'm talking in June, just just turn June and
September as potential. Has a lineup been set yet or potential?
This is what we're gonna do on the inaugural day
of the event because you know, President Obama was at
the inaugural event and uh for the African American Museum.

(16:57):
So what is that opening week opening day looking at.
If you don't have it on your agenda yet, you
can tell me. But I'm just trying to get some
sneak sneak sneak peak information from our listeners, you know.
And originally, you know, before the pandemic, we had this elaborate,
bigger grand openings for September, but due to the you know,
the current circumstances, we're reevaluating everything to see what makes sense.

(17:20):
But I will tell you that said, we have the
huge gonna be a huge celebration either way, even though
we have to move the actual grand opening celebrations back
in two months. We've got some big, big, big names
and even for our legend gala that we host, you know,
Anny Lee Dan Williams when you mentioned earlier, the co
founder and mother Black Music Monk, She and I, you know,
co chair the you know, the alleged gale a couple

(17:42):
of years ago, and so we're actually gonna co chair,
uh the next one and Honor I'll tell you, one
of the biggest artists in the world. That's all I'll say.
Either right there, well, I know, come on now the
biggest artists, Come on, now, we got who it is.
I'm not I'm not even gonna mess with you like that,
not gonna because because it's only one. You know, Michael

(18:03):
Jackson dead. Okay, she she left out there by herself.
That I'm just gonna say. I just said one of
the biggest artists. Everyone. I love it. I love talking
to you. Now. Let's let's talk about what are some
of the ways in your eyes you see music industry
changing over next several years, because you know we have
We've seen how labels and people are dropping their own music,

(18:26):
the digital growth of digital and everything as far as
the music injury concern. What do you see now with
the music industry over the next several years, Pheel, I
see the increased growth of our independent labels. I think
we're gonna see even more. We've seen them a huge
ride already, but I think we're gonna see more uh
indie labels popping up and just having more strategic partnerships

(18:48):
with majors. There always be a place of major record
labels because that the added services and the value they
add with you know some of the accountant on the
sink licensing level. There's a lot of diet that majors asked.
So I still see may just having a place. I
just think the relationship will change where I think we're
gonna see a huge increase of independent labels and artists
and produce your only I think we're gonna be a

(19:09):
big rise of the right right. I know my intro.
I just spoke to Nerica. I said music industries, academic,
television views and all that stuff. But tell us about
some of the artists that you you you manage, and
some of the people you've had at your label that
you work with. So people here to clear understanding feel
of your body of work and why I'm so how
and you you know your accomplishment at such a young age,

(19:31):
and your your television features that you've been out to
that you pitched and as well as Adam executed. Tell
us about a little bit more in detail, and uh,
you know the floor is yours, as they say. Fail
well on the on the management side, you know I'm
a little bit older than I look, but you know,
I um, I've managed everyone from Faith, Evan, you Candy,

(19:53):
lot of more to the group as w V. You know,
I was then you don't want to reuniting them in
they years back and work at them. So I worked
at a wide range there. I've managed actors, you know
Mac Wild, I had worked with Michael B. Jordan for
a brief stead. I mean, I've worked with a wide
range of talent in addition to producing some of you know,
great TV shows for Lifetime. I didn't Surviving Content movie

(20:15):
that was you know, Biopico, mich Lay. I've also done
you know, the R and B DVA series in the
Man's World on for BT and TV one. Those shows
have lived on, but yeah, just you know, those are
just some of the arts. And then on when I
worked at my previous company E one, you know, I
worked with the life of Leila Hathaway. We won three
Grammys together for her live album and as you know
nine Weeks to nine Weeks the number one with the

(20:36):
song Angel, but also had the large you're working with
the iconic Shirley Caesar. It was instrumental. I worked with
my family over at W and w uh you know
you want to secure her her star on the Walk
of Fame, how Walker that was so again again, I've
worked with some of the best the best, and I'm
completely grateful. I would do it again again. Just great

(20:57):
to have all these different touch points for people on
TV music. Um, it's incredible. We know. Well. The thing
about it is, you know I've been fortunate to slide
alone that same run, and you know, being a talent manager,
which is a whole different langue, and being a television
producers a whole different lane. Drop to CD with my
man Osley with Ron Ron Osley back in the day

(21:19):
when he was over the Island Records. So each genre
called for a different hat. How do you manage all
the different hats and maintain your sanity? My team, my
team in each area with each venture and each relationship,
whether it's an artist I'm managing, whether it's a TV
show I'm producing, so, whether it's my bird day of

(21:41):
the label, it is the team in those respective areas
that I rely on and trust and support because I
may have the initial baby, you know how, we may
have that initial idea, so we're nothing about the people
to help with execute this. So I gotta I gotta
give credit to my team. I could not do it. So,
whether it's my production crew on one of my TV
or film for or again my artists that I mean

(22:02):
manage all of the day to day people be accounting
the alternity, the systems like we couldn't do without them.
So that that's is how I'm able to balance and
juggle at all. And it is a juggle. But I'm
also making sure I'm getting making time for me as well,
my mental, my physical, my just my overall standards. So
that's important too. Awesome, awesome and closing, you know, you

(22:23):
know gospel music, does gospel music get the respect it
gets as far as uh, you know, you have pop,
you have R and B, hip hop and all these
genres kind of like explode and and and in the
industry is for its video or views as far as sales,
what in gospel has influences influences at all? You know,

(22:46):
it's the it's the basis of everything happening pop, so
R and B all at hip hop? What what do is? What?
What are your what is the state of your thoughts
about gospel music as a genre when you talk about
music and in you know what gospel has gone back
and when you think back to the to the seventeen
seventeenth century, Mary gospel has been around. It's one of

(23:09):
those beginning John is the foundations of what we call
American music to this day. Actually, actually during the pandemic, gospel,
interesting enough, was one of the few joals that we
saw an increase in streaming en downmod that that that
you know, so that that is a testament to the
longevity and no gospel it's not going anywhere. I mean,

(23:29):
we just did a verse this online stottle with a
celebration should I say, were Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond,
you know, just a you know, a little while ago,
and just to see the outpouring of love and support
from everybody from Kerry Washington to Snoop Doggs just literally
part of this celebration and just to see the members
and people celebrating with some gospel music on the big stage.

(23:50):
And so gospel absolutely, I think it's gonna get better.
Some of these new artists, uh in the marketplace, like
your tarent Hawthorns, you're Travis Green and Johnson mcgremold's this
the bright spot, it's the bright Stoctor Gospel going forward.
So we're gonna continue to celebrate with Kirk Branking and
you're lying to Adams So I'm married Mary and the
people we know them love, but we're also gonna pay
it for. But I think the future looks extremely bright

(24:12):
for you like that. And you said, Travis Green, I
love that young man. Craiz, I love that young man.
You know it's a beautiful thing. Uh as usual. I
want to thank you for coming on the show. You
owe me Kurt Franklin's video and you over and each
thing body else you need to drop bringing the RuSHA McDonald.
I drop it on all my social media. I got

(24:33):
a ninety thousand fan club bas and I sent out
every Friday nine am newsletter that goes out. I will
support you. Feel you're my man, You're my inspiration. You're
perfectly tied to the label inspiration is the number one
label and gospel music. Phil, thank you for coming on
Money Making Conversations. Thank you for Sean. I appreciate you. Brother.
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williams Son. Thank you for that beautiful introduction, and you
got me over here blushing and I don't think come now, no, no,
I'm looking at the website now. You know, got an
arms phone, he got that little great flash. Is the
big eree. The jewelry. I'm going like this guy is entertainment,

(27:48):
refinement and communication. Because when people come to my show, Dianna,
I do my research. I was just like, you know,
they'll send me like five to ten questions like, oh
that's cool, that's cool, let me give me five that's
some more stuff. And so, so what you are a
branding expert, that's what you do. And so I always look,
you know, I always look at people and said, what
definitely what they do? Like some people say they do

(28:10):
social media that go to them and they have no followers.
I go, okay, okay, if they cannot building their brand,
how they're gonna build my brand? And so so if
you're an influenced person, if you're a branding expert, a strategist,
and I go to your website and I go and
that's what I do. I go, Wow, this is hot,
and I just grow down, you know, just coming down

(28:31):
you're absolutely necessary to need for effective communication. You know,
Star after starm a board, Charlie Wilson on here, you know,
pit Bull Alan iverson. She let you know as a
versa of the roster that she deals with here, and
then she come down here with her hand on your hand,
underneath her cheen a little you know, a little pensive

(28:52):
look of success. You know, you know, got the got
the Empire State building, the aerial shot on the corporate roster,
and you know she's not just dealing with talent. She
has fortune five hundred companies on her roster. And it's
just a beautiful thing that you're doing. Tell us about
this website before we start talking about anything else, because
I've walked everybody through this website participation. Did you have

(29:16):
involved in this, Dianna, the floor is yours to talk
about your website, your website Influence Entertainment dot com. Yes
it is. Thank you. I have to give credit to
like Star Media Group who designed it, and also my
VP Sarah Dennis Whiskey, who keeps it updated. And these
are people that I've had a good fortune of working

(29:37):
with over the past twenty six years. I've coached CEOs
of record companies. I've coached Kathy Us, the CEO of
Urban One, tons of artists, athletes, business leaders, thought leaders,
And it is just my passion and it is what
it is, the divine that I've been given. It's just

(30:00):
a blessing to be able to help other people recognize
their strengths and weaknesses. And in that process it's allowed
me to grow as a professional, as a mother, as
a woman, as a member of my community. So I
love what I do, and I do what I love well.
You know it's really important because you know, we we
met through an interview, then we met again at the

(30:21):
Los Angeles when he was being honored UM and the
Legends Foundation with I was honored several years ago. And
it's one of the blessings I keep it on my
It's one up there with Miami, is up there with
my My Image Awards, is up there with every reward
I got. I got my Legends right in the middle,
because they're a beautiful placque that to give you beautiful

(30:43):
you know, when you when somebody honors you like that, Dianna,
tell me, tell the walkers do the steps of that,
because that's a that's about a legacy. That's about trust,
that's about relationships, that's about people saying you your accomplished
things in life in the entertainment world, that's unique. And
more importantly, you give back may not only be financially,

(31:03):
but you give back because you don't just ignore other
people's you know, flaws, other people's missteps. You're there to
support a mentor talk to us about that absolutely well,
I'm sure you can speak volumes to this. With the
awards that you decided, your multiple Emmys and then double
ad tons of awards. You don't do the work for awards. However,

(31:24):
when your peers and your community acknowledges that you have
been super serving, you feel good. The event that you're
referring to is the Living Legends Foundation. In October and
Los Angeles, I had the esteem honor of receiving a
Lifetime Achievement Award. I've been working in the music industry
since nineteen seventy Three's when I first got my my

(31:47):
check on an ongoing basis. I was on the air
at ninety s point three w h U R. I'm
sure you're very familiar with my favor one of mine
as well. Min gave me my start, Bob Nighthawk, Terry
uh and so you you when you get those kinds
of recognition, you just feel good. It's something that you

(32:08):
can go like my mother, my children, my family and
friends and say your support of me, my endeavors my
time away from you, traveling to be with my clients,
going all over the world. This is this is some total.
This is the bottom line. So you know, like you,
I have many, many awards, but the greatest award for

(32:29):
me is the love, recognition of love and appreciation that
I get from you. And I have to agree with
that because of the fact that I always tell people,
you know, you might not like me, but as long
as you respect me, we're good. Because I fight for respect.
I fight for respect, fight for respect for my client

(32:49):
or any product I represent. It's about respect because in
the end, wanting to be like it's cool, that's all right,
But I don't think that. I don't think your left
legacy can be built on wanting to be liked. But
your legacy can be built on what you accomplished and
how much people respect you. And that's and that's where
we're I'm leaning towards this conversation about all the people

(33:10):
who have come to you for advice. Welcos do that
step because you know, I've had my success with a
limited amount of people. I know a lot of people,
and a lot of people have I've not managed them
or put them on my roster, and they come to
me advice. I get taxed, I get phone calls, I
get emails. But you they've come to you and say, hey,
you are the one. How did you make the transition

(33:31):
to that role? An excellent questions? So I started in
the industry as the broadcaster radio the reference point w
h R where I started as any moon beings with
my radio handle, and I did that. I then left
d C went to New York, which is my hometown.
I grew up in the Bronx and Harlem in Manhattan,

(33:51):
and Frankie Crocker, who was then the Dean of Black Radio,
hired me a w BLS, which remains much like w
h R, a T station in New York and a
voice the Clarion Voice in the black community and other
communities as well. Uh Skip Dillard is the current program director.
But anyway, yes, he's I love him. He has just

(34:13):
he's just such a he's just so accomplished and wonderful.
But I one day I was I took a break
from radio and I started managing an artist by the
name of Gary Taylor. He's a songwriter, producer who wrote
Just Gets Better with Time for the Whispers, he wrote
Good Love for Nita Baker. Just a very talented writer, producer, artist,

(34:35):
and Sharon Haywood was the head of the record label
at that point the Black Music Division took me to
lunch engage. She said, you know, Dianna, I've been watching you.
Artists seemed to like you, and you seem to be
able to communicate with them. You should do artist development.
And I was like, really, Sharon, and had never considered it.

(34:55):
And then at that point I just started doing Explorer,
you know, Sharon Aaron Wood. Sharon Wood suggested. But my
first job came from Jimmy Damn and Terry Lewis's record label,
and I coached a group named Solo and from that point, Sean,
my phone has not stopped ringing. I have never advertised
I do not solicit and after Solo, I've worked with

(35:19):
Vertical whole Angie Stones group that I've worked with d' angelo,
who to this day is my closest confidante, best friend,
you know, beloved, cared for him deeply, and like I said,
the flden just hasn't stopped ringing. So I'm typically hired
by publicists managers. In some cases I've had artists, um
and then again, as we discussed the outside of our conversation,

(35:43):
I've worked with athletes and worked with Roy Jones Jr.
When he was heavyweight boxer. So it's been a mix
of people that I've had the opportunity to work with.
And I discovered that it was a passion. I relish
seeing people accomplished their dreams. I would really do and
I love that. I love to see people be successful.

(36:03):
It's really it's really interesting because you're telling the truth.
And I will just tell you if you ever try
to get in this business and as a as a
a person who sits down there, all these individuals want
is the truth. But how you tell them the truth
is the key, but also also the fact that you

(36:25):
have to be able to tell them sometimes actually how
it is because I talked to him all the time.
I said, when you were represented a bout William Mars
or I C M or c A. They got ten
thousand clients over there and all of my hustling from
anywhere from five to ten commission. So that means that

(36:46):
you're just a call note, the house note or whatever.
Now she'll tell you herself. She's on the end. When
when after the deal is done, they're talking to you, Dianna,
they're talking about Sean McDonald. The ages know where to
be fine, they know where to be found. Then you
know when he frustrated, when things don't go right, they

(37:06):
come to After the agent doesn't talk to you, they
come talk to you. They come talk to me. And
that part of the conversation really grows you as an individual.
And if we reflect on what we've done in our lives,
what do you think you've taken the way the most
from giving people advice? What what nuggets have you brought
back into your life? I guess the question I'm trying

(37:27):
to ask you, Dianna. Absolutely But you know you're absolutely right,
because with every client that I work with, I glean
I learned, I applied to my own situation. I take
away some of the values and the and the lessons.
Last night I worked with a gospel inspirational gospel artists
and I told her. At the conclusion of our session,

(37:48):
I was like, I've now you've ben give me. I've
been lifted and inspired by what you have shared with
me and your journey. And so it is constantly a
learning process for me. I am not empirical. I do
not know at all, but I do know a lot.
I was a college dropout. I went back to Temple University,
got my degree, and it strengthened me as an artist

(38:11):
development media coach. So she's a person that it's very
few people who have come into my life because I'm
a real solo person. If yeah, I really um, I
think all the time. I would tell people that are
twenty four hours in a day, learn to use every hour.
I'm that type of person. I go to bed and
I actually know what I'm gonna do when I get up.

(38:32):
That allows me the motivation to get up. And so
when she interviewed me, I would say, I would call
this industry love. I just fell in love with her energy,
her vision. Well, she's accomplished because she's so humble, and
that's a that's a quality that I have. You know
a lot of people, you've done a lot, Rashaun, you

(38:54):
don't you don't hype yourself enough. Well, I don't have
time to be hyping myself because I have of many
other things I want to do. That's a that's an
accomplishment I have achieved now one of the you're not
leading with the ego. That's what I would say that
you're not leading with your ego. When you with special people,
they give you extra terminology to carry you forward. You

(39:15):
know that's in there. You know that's in the book. Now,
I don't leave. I don't need to tell people my resume.
I don't need to go to the mountain top and
tell people I'm standing on top. They can see me,
they can see you there exactly. Black Music Month, Okay,
when did this start? June Black Music Month was started

(39:38):
in nineteen seventy nine. It was actually June seven, nine
seventy nine. On the Law and of the White House.
Then President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalind hosted, oh
proximately three hundred music industry leaders. There was a concert
of performance with Chuck Berry, uh Sarah Powell, who was

(39:59):
a classical singer. Dexter Onesell led the MFSB Orchestra. Umble
and Champagne King performed as well. It was a great
day and it was a picnic on the lawn with
tons of very accomplished black folks, and so that was
the very first celebration, and it was done at the

(40:20):
encouragement of the then Black Music Association that was founded
by my ex Kenny Gamble, who's one of the architects
of the Sound of Philadelphia Rock and Roll Hall of Famer,
multiple Grammy Award winner. So we went that day and
it was a beautiful event that celebrated not just Black artistry,
but American music, which is why it is important for

(40:44):
us to celebrate June Black Music Month as an opportunity
for us, a concentrated month for us to recognize the
contributions of people in the past, this generation of music makers,
and the ones to come. And I'm not just talking
about the artist on the mic. I'm talking about the songwriters,
the producers, the engineers, the people in the pressing plants,

(41:06):
folks who work at Apple Music, Spotify, Title, the streaming
digital services, any and everybody involved in the production of
music and its consumption. Rashan, I'm talking also about consumers,
so anybody who loves black music. And I might add
that while it's a concentrated period of time for us

(41:28):
to celebrate American music made by black folks. It's something
that we celebrate every single day of our lives, starting
when you heard your mama's heart beat. It started then
and it will continue until your very last breath. Really,
because we consume huge quantities of music. Absolutely, it's really
interesting because Uh, music plays such an important role in

(41:52):
my life. You know, I'm fortunate uh to understand music
of the sixties and seventies, eighties, and each decade is
a transition. You know, went from the sixties that pop
sound of the Temptations, four Tops, dihind the Ross that
the music shifted us, you know, shifted us. And then
and the funk landed, you know, in the seventies, the

(42:12):
funk landed. Then I went into the you know, the disco,
and then the then then the New Edition dragged me
out of the pulled me out of it, and pulled
me out of this goal, you know, and uh, and
then and then we came into with Steve and I
started doing radio in two thousand, you know where you
know fusion, you know Jill Scott, you know, Kim, Alicia Keys, Uh,

(42:35):
Charlie Wilson, came back and the rapp of course was running, running,
rampant all that time, but I was, I was. I
was driving the other day and I have this like
like two songs I have on Pandora. I was just
on my love playlist and I realized that there are
songs that I relate to that and I think about

(42:58):
the person that I'm with are experiencing that moment where
and I go, you know something, I bet you this
song doesn't even mean that much to that person that
I'm thinking about when I hear this song. And that's
what music is to me and to everybody. It's that
moment that's important to you when you hear it again

(43:18):
or you heard it for the very first time. It
might not be important to you, Diana, that same song,
and we may be and I may be thinking about
you in that song. I might think think about that
where we were dancing, what we were eating, or club
we were in. But that's when I think about black music,
Mont That's what I think about. I think about the emotion,
the memory that is important to me. You know, it

(43:41):
might not be important to you, but the music is
important to everybody because everybody has that same moment tied
to some song. That's what. Well, here we go. So
there you go. So you're talking about the feeling, the
kinetic energy that music gives you. It has been proven

(44:02):
through myriads of scientific studies that music, when it's processed
by the brain, releases certain chemicals that make us feel good.
So music, it is a healing force. I mean, I'd
rather listened to like you were talking about the Temptations,
one of my all time favorite groups, rather than take
some medicine if I'm feeling damned, I'd rather get up

(44:23):
and dance because it's going to release endorphins in my body.
So music is one a universal language too. It is
a healing force provided to us by Almighty God. And
I respect what everybody believes, but that's what I believe.
And the other thing that we need to discuss is
that it is one of America's greatest financial exports around

(44:47):
the planet, to the tune of not that hundreds thousands millions,
but billions and many billions of dollars. Last year, the
music industry generated apostim at twenty billion dollars. And I
need to go on the record here now and say
much of that generated by black people we don't get

(45:10):
to participate in the ownership as much as we ought to,
But we are generating billions of dollars from just the
sales of music. And then on top of that, our
music influences culture. Look at it across the board commercials.
I was watching a TV commercial the other day and
they were using Miles Davis music. I was like, look

(45:31):
at this from Kind of Blue. Miles has been dead
for years, but look to his music and it invoked
a certain kind of feeling when I listened to it.
So music is used to sell everything from cars, to soap,
to cereal, you name it. Music is our music is
a money generating you're talking about money making. Black music

(45:53):
is a money making entity and one of our greatest
exports globally. You know. Now you on the board or
you know a board member of the National Museum of
African American Music, which is being built in Nashville. That so,
where are we at with that? And the real is
going to happen? Oh? I love this museum. It is

(46:14):
It is the combination of all of my work as
a music activist in the industry for many years. The
museum is very close to being finished and we are
no different. We've been impacted by the pandemic that we
are all currently going through. However, we're anticipating that it
will be finished. We're looking to do our grand opening
in the fall near Labor Day, and it's in fact

(46:37):
things have not cleared up and there's you know, we're
going to put measures in effect that will allow people
to be able to come into the museum. However, if
that does not happen where we cannot physically have people
come in yet, we are going to do a virtual opening,
a soft opening, and of course as con progressives and
it's safe for human beings to congregate, then of course

(47:00):
school will open. But this is a museum and endeavor
that started two thousand two and has been going on
ever since. Sixty million dollars raised. We only have a
few more million dollars to raise to finish things, but
it is um I am also the chair of the
Music Industry Relations Committee that consists of people who are
movers and shakers in the music industry who share our

(47:21):
cultural value and want to get the message out not
just to America but to the world at large that
African American black music is a cultural gem and also
an economic Engine. So I'm excited to be on the board.
It's led by Henry Hicks. He's the CEO and president.
We have an esteemed group of people on our board

(47:43):
who were religiently to preserve, promote and protect our music
and culture. So I'm inviting you now, Rashan, You've gotta
come bayay Yes's Broadway at the heart of downtown Nashville,
across the street from the original Rymans facility. That when

(48:09):
courage isn't to discover the central role of African Americans
that played in shaping and creating all genres of American music,
beautiful put in asta good, good question. Okay, I let's see.
I want to say maybe six seven years ago, I
got a letter from Henry Hicks, was the CEO of

(48:30):
the museum, telling me about this effort. And when I
saw Nashville, I must tell you, I got an attitude.
I was like, Nashville, that's country. What what what what?
And he came to Philadelphia, May I come to Cilian
meet with you? And I said yes, I was polite,
sat with him head dinner, and after that dinner, I

(48:51):
told them sold I'm there. And at first I became
a member of the advisory board and started dipping my
toe in the pond to get to know these people
and see the movement. And as time progressed, I did
two fundraisers I co chaired with Phil Thoorton, who is
the r inspiration feel very good friends as well, and

(49:11):
we chaired too, and thence to Galas and raised money
for the museum, honored Charlie Wilson, Nile Rodgers, Mona Scott
Young Yalanda Adams, keb Mo. It was a beautiful evening,
but I decided to to put my energies into this
museum and started learning about the musical history of black

(49:33):
folks in Nashville the first major ambassadors of Black music
around the world with the disc Jubilee Singers out of Nashville, Tennessee.
So what I didn't know as much as I knew
about black music, I don't know at all. But I
learned that Nashville was a center of music, not just
in the gospel arena, but all genres of musical So

(49:57):
so anyway, the civic, the government, private sector all came together.
Initially this was going to be a Black history museum,
but it changed over the years. And again, as I said,
sixty million dollars later, and as you've seen from going
to our website, the National Museum of African American Music
dot org, it is a wonderful institution. I did a

(50:19):
hard hat visit last year and literally tears came to
my eyes because I said, I looked forward to bringing
my grandson, my friends and family. And for people who
don't know about our culture as much as they should,
they'll learn when they go to the museum. This in Broadway, Nashville,
Tennessee Music City. Thank you, Thank you. She is an endedman,

(50:40):
speaker and CEO of influence entertainment. Thank you Diana Williams
for coming on money making conversations Lashan. Thank you for
all you do to lift our culture our economic engines.
I have great regards for you. In the words of
Aretha Franklin, R. E. S. P. E. C. T Okay,
respect for you. I appreciate you. She's the mother Black

(51:02):
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(51:44):
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bringing up the rear. Oh but the diaper bag wasn't closed.
Diapers and toys are everywhere. Oh but mom has just
nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And
now the oldest daughter, who looks to be about nine
or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dedad

(52:05):
zips the bad clothes and they're off. But looks like
Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the
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(52:50):
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guess is a dear friend. She This year she performed
America the Beautiful at the Super Bowl. I watched it.
I was slapping like my girl. She is a former

(53:14):
school teacher and HBC you graduate and a proud mom.
She's a Grammy winning a Grammy Award winning gospel superstar
who is abundant with love, faith and wisdom. She has
on the show to talk about her You're Landa Adams handbags.
Oh you're Landa Aldam's bath and beauty line. Please welcome
back to money making conversations. My friend, you're Landa Aldams.

(53:36):
Well you're we're happy to have you on the show.
My staff when we were going through the book of
this d is Landa Adam times what you mean? He said,
You know, every year by May Dams on this show
because you helped me launch my show in twent seventeen.
And every year you come on the show and my
my listeners love you. They they the ones they don't

(53:57):
know you become fans of yours and uh and just
show how much I you know, we're gonna talk about
Adam's handbag in a minute. But this week every nine
Am I sent my um my newsletter out to my fans.
I got over the eighty thousand fan club members and
and your and your link was the most clicked link

(54:17):
in the newsletter for the handbags. And they're beautiful too,
by the way, they are amazing handbags. Tell us about
that right quick. Well, first of all, you know, I
am a girly girl. I grew up with a girly
girl is a mom and a girly girl as a grandma.
So my grandma's were a girly girl. So, uh, we

(54:39):
always met the handbags, the scarves, the gloves, the shoes,
everything was you know, you had a you had a
specific thing that with with a specific thing. And you know,
the older I got, you know, the more prosperous I got,
I was able to buy some things that you know,

(54:59):
costs a little money. And then I'm started figuring, I'm like, no,
wait a minute, I'm giving all these people all this money.
What about my fans? Because people always ask me who
are you wearing? Who was that buy? And I I
started thinking, now my fans can't buy a All of

(55:20):
my fans, I'll say, I can't buy a six d
dollar bag. But what if I could give them the
same quality, uh, and the same fashion, the same design,
the same classic styles at a fraction of the price,
and then they could take a piece of your loan

(55:41):
to home with them, or you know, ship it to
a loved one or whatever. And that's pretty much how
it happened. And of course, you know, we are surrounded
by amazing people who do all types of things. You know,
there's no sense of me trying to reinvent the wheel
if someone has already success done it, and that's one
that's one of the things that you have taught so well.

(56:05):
When you know someone who does something, merge with them,
you know, uh, you know, do a joint venture or
something like that with them so that you come you
both come out on top. And we talked to the
manufacturer and they were like, oh, of course, we love
you and we think that that would be a we
would have a great synergy there, because synergy is very important.

(56:28):
You know, both sides are doing something that uh makes
both of them happy and making money at the same time.
It really is about that. You know. Let's let's talk
about the collection, because I got it pulled up because
I got I got six sisters and I'm gonna buy.
I'm gonna buy. I'm gonna tell you somebody I didn't.

(56:50):
I just want to announce you will get a little
little surge from the McDonald name because the clutches are outstanding,
the cross bodies outstanding. Everything bag is out standing. The
leather handbags, the Neon or the Neon bags are beautiful,
you know, and the toach, the shoulder bags, the satchels.
It's just the wallets. It's just how much involvement did

(57:13):
you have in the whole putting together the collection, Yalanda, Well,
here's the thing. I'm always hands on because I want
no Number one, I want to know what my customer
is getting right. That's first thing. I will never put
out a product that I don't use and carry myself.
When you see me show up to anything, whether it's

(57:36):
a red carpet or whatever, if I have a bag
in my hand, it's the Y bag. Love that why
a bag? I love that you go you see me
going to church, it's a Y bag. If you see me,
you know, out having dinner, well before the pandemic bag.
And and again I know that the quality of these

(57:59):
bags are so amazing because these the manufacturers. The same
guy who does um bags for Bergdoff does bags for
uh Macy's and blooming Dell's and all of those places.
So that was definitely important to me. Next was the
design and the fashion flags be on point with what's

(58:23):
out there right now, because I want anybody saying, well,
you know, I like her bags, but you know they're
like about you know, or nice in the nineties. No, no, no,
we are on par with what what happened during fashion
week every twice a year, so you'll you'll never see um,

(58:43):
you know, unless it's a classic bag like the tailor bag,
like the Boss Lady bags. Uh that you know, those
are classics that can you can get them at any time.
You know, those are great. But I am not going
to you know, as flowers are in like they were
last season, I am not going to not have bags
without flowers. We know, thank you. You know. Here's the

(59:06):
beautiful thing that I'm talking to. Landa Adams Um. Everybody
knows her from her career as a singer. She but
I've known her as a motivational person as an entrepreneur.
That's the side of her always. We always speak about
when she comes on money amazing conversations because of the
fact that you know, and I love when you threw
out the word why a bag? You know, that's that's
that's brand into the max right there, breaking it down,

(59:28):
making the initials mean something and like and the the
quality is what I'm just looking at it because of
the fact that I know I can see you walking
with that bag and looking normal, looking like it's part
of your style. That's what I loved about it, and
that's why when I'm looking at it now, I'm going wow,
you know, but I don't feel like intimidated. If a

(59:50):
person who wasn't land the albums with this bag, they
would look natural and they would look dressed up or
depending on what they want to want to satural they
want to water, they want while they want to should
bag the one throw. Over All, these different options really
makes for like people, a person who really can can
actually buy the collection. Yes, they actually can. Yeah, And

(01:00:11):
and it's reasonable enough that you can buy more than one.
And it's you know, if you want the higher end bags,
we have those, but we I refuse to make them
higher than you know, a certain amount because uh, you know,
I just think I want to be cognizant of where

(01:00:31):
everyone is in their life. And here's the foresight of this, Rashan.
You and I had no idea that this pandemic was coming, right,
And so where a person cannot afford a thousand dollar bag,
five hundred dollar bag, a two hundred dollar bag, they
can go to the website and they can they can

(01:00:52):
look at it and say, WHA's this is? This bag
looks similar to that twelve hundred dollar bag, right and
looking good looking good yes, and nobody would know the difference.
And the thing about it is that that's why when
when I brought you on the show, I want to
make sure people know I'm engaged. I'm not just bringing
you on the show to talk about it. And I

(01:01:13):
like to believe you. I grew up with six sisters.
You though, I have a sense of that fashion of
what my sisters wore or where, and I've been in
the entertainment business assists of what that price line that
you and then then I've entertained everyday people, and that's
what it calls about, everyday people being able to reach
it to their budget. And but when you go to
the website, when you go to there and watch these bags,

(01:01:35):
you're gonna buy something. I'm gonna just tell you, if
you don't want to buy something, don't go to the
website because it's gonna pull you in like it pull
your ball in. And now I'm six deep with my sisters.
He's one of the things that you have always been
so brilliant in and you've always taught me that you
always find the price point that the people who follow

(01:01:59):
you know. I I love ten thousand dollar bags. I
don't own a ten thousand dollar bag because I think
that you know, I'd rather have ten thousand dollars worth
of stock, right right right. But you know, my thing
is how many of my fans and family as I

(01:02:19):
call them, would really invest because that's an investment in
ten thousand dollars as opposed to let's say, uh, absolutely absolutely,
I have to agree, and I'm just gonna stop people
like that, people out that buying these knockoffs. You you're
spending more on bad knockoffs would for quality. Y back there,

(01:02:44):
There you go, There you go, And you've always taught
there's there's more security and numbers than just the you know,
the branding, and we know branding is awesome. We know that, yes, yes,
I would rather have I would rather sell ten thousand

(01:03:04):
bag at their price than to sell to at ten dollars.
There you go, there you go. We're on the same
page with money Making conference. We're speaking to your Landa
Atoms Landa. Let me describe this. We're gonna transition to
the next product that she she's she's out there selling
us an entrepreneur over the years. It's called simply your Landa.
It's a bath and body collection. Let me read this.

(01:03:26):
Through the creation of the Simply Your landa collection, she
aims to improve the lives of others by improving the
skin through products from high quality knows what I say,
high quality and greenings as long as it says. My
passion for creating this line stems from the same passion
I possess when creating music. Is all about being spiritually,
emotionally and physically well. Yeah, balance, You have to have

(01:03:49):
balance in your life. And our our largest organs our skin.
And it's usually the part of us that we do
not take care of the most right, you know, and
that's from the top of your head to the souls
of your feet, as they say in the church. Absolutely absolutely,
you know, it's really about you know, we spend a

(01:04:10):
lot of money when it's too late for our scared
you know. And and and one of the things I
want to talk about for some reason, early on and
when I was in high school, you know, I understood
my face, so I understood, you know, all these skin
I understood, you know, uh, pores and getting dirt out
of my pores, washing with cold water, washing with warm water.

(01:04:30):
Warm water opens your pores, cold water ice closes your pores,
and what the reason I want to bring up this
about is that we're as African Americans and we know
what we're dealing with in these pandemic times. You know,
we'll we'll we'll we'll be we're higher victims of the
COVID nineteen. And it starts with care, and it starts
with spending time. And again we come into a product bathroom,

(01:04:53):
your bathroom body collection where guess what the price point
is very reasonable? Talk about that. Well, here's the As
I got older, I realized that my skin and my
body were changing. Uh. You know me, I am a
health nut. I have always taken care of myself nutritionally,
spiritually and physically. And I found that the products that

(01:05:18):
I was using they were costing a lot of money
and I was not seeing the results that I wanted.
So I got with a friend of ours and UM,
I said, you know what, I've been thinking really hard
about creating my own bath and bodyline. You know, that
was what we had the candles at first. And it
was like, oh my gosh, if you do that, I

(01:05:39):
will be a part of your your team. And um
we got with a scientists who was privy to some
of the really higher in um cosmetics and and and
and pharmaceuticals and skin suticals and all of those things
that nerd sure the skin. And I told him, Hey,

(01:06:01):
this is the thing that we have to do. We
have cleansed the skin, but we have to leave a
seal of moisture in there so people don't have to
continually use the too flay, you know, over and over
and over again during during the day, because people don't
have that kind of time. They get in the shower,
they get out of the shower moisturized, they're headed to

(01:06:23):
work or headed to wherever they're going to go. And
so you you know, I know all these influencers are
doing a lot of things right now. I mean, but
they're at home in front of cameras. So there are
real people, more than eight billion in the world, that
have a whole bunch to do that really don't have

(01:06:45):
that kind of time. And I said, so I need
I need a body wash, I need a body soothflay,
which is a moisturizer, and I need a body oil
because there are some people who can't do you know,
the southflay for whatever reason, but they hand do the oils.
And I said, I definitely need a price point where
all my people can get it, but it has to

(01:07:07):
be so amazing that uh, they'll come back each and
every time. And we have the love and the chocolate
that have been I mean, we've been doing the bodyline
since two thousand and twelves, right, we know it's really
interesting because I'm gonna talk to the men here, okay,
because we always jump out there with the elbows asher

(01:07:29):
and the ankles look like they're cracking on our you know,
we don't. You know, I'm gonna tell you this. I
look really bad. The other day. My wife had to
check me where you're going? Where are you going with
no socks? Where are you going with no socks? And
so and so that's what Let's let's go back to
the body all. Okay, So let's have you know we

(01:07:49):
our ski and God gave us our bodies, okay, and
we all it's gonna naturally deteriorate, but it doesn't have
to naturally deteriorate fast if you take care of If
you take care that's right, And that's what this that's
what this call is about. It's about it's about taking
care of you. And and you have a product from
a stylish standpoint. You can go out there from a

(01:08:10):
fashion standpoint, take care of your budget, take care of you. Look,
now we're talking about the physical side of you. When
you're walking out there. How you how you wash down,
how you put all on your face Like I have
a ball head. So you know, I slapped that body
all on my head, okay, and so because that's what
it does for me. Because I was walking out the door,
you know, I was just shaving and then put a

(01:08:32):
put a toel and white dry off the top. But
guess what it would kind of like start looking like
it was cracking up there, you know, until I started
putting the body all on it. That I'm just being
honest with you, Landa. I use your products because your
products make me feel better and look better. Thank you
so much. And that is you know, that's our intention.
Our intention is not just you know, to be in

(01:08:55):
your life for just the sale. You know, we want
to know how you feel about it because that's one
of the things that we say, it just feels better,
you know. Um. I knew that as we move into
these um these times where the sun it's uh, it's hotter,

(01:09:16):
it seems like the sun it seems like the former
uh climate. Uh, it stays with us longer than the
winter and longer as fall. You know, you have to
have something that combats that. And so when men are like, well,
what about a men's product, Well, that's what the chocolate
is for, you know, the chocolate men. You know, and

(01:09:37):
and I have some brothers who use love as well,
because they say it reminds them of, you know, a
softer kind of smell that they don't have to worry
about whether it will clash with their cologne. Chocolate is
not going to clash with your cologne. I wanted to
make sure that you could layer this product product male good,

(01:10:01):
feel good, nourish the skin, cleanse the skin, and then
you know, and and get out there and do your
thing in the world. Well you're doing that. That's That's
why I'm just letting everybody know that. Just because you're
on a line that says female products, Okay, these products
are available for everybody, especially ben and we're we're all

(01:10:21):
wards out there searching. Stop searching. Let's go to get
Lane of atoms. She got it. She got product over
here that allows you to to take care of you.
Like I said, you know, the elbow where where men fail.
We fell on that elbow, We fell on those ankles
and ankles, but we die and they're told we forget
all of our toes and that's why we get bad.
That's why told look bad in the summer. Summer's coming.

(01:10:43):
Start getting those toes right by getting the right product.
And you're Lyn. I wanted to bring you on the
show just to talk about that because of the fact
that I support you. You know, you don't have to
You don't have to ask me if if you would,
if you would not have done my interview today. And
I just you know, this is inspiration for me. I
get somethings interview when you when you do it as
well as you get something that we both were our kinship.

(01:11:05):
But I have to support things I feel fit African
American UH budget. I feel that makes them look good.
But I get tired of us going out there buying
products that don't uh, that don't suit your budget, buying knockoffs,
buying products that look extreme. But you can buy a collection.
You can buy a collection of your handbags, you can

(01:11:26):
buy a collection of your products, and you can keep winning.
That's you know, that's a that's the beauty of what
you're doing with your brains? Have you have you taken
to like everybody's doing these Instagram lives? And have you
have you done like a little story yet live online? Yet?
Have you done it yet? You know we're about you
have the I have the the Oprah thing. I had

(01:11:49):
a bunch of things, you know, and and I am
very protective family. I don't wanna, you know, be out
there just to be out there. I want, you know,
I I I protect my people. And when you know,
when when um, when the pandemic started, I talked to
all of my manufacturers. I talked to all of my distributors.

(01:12:11):
I'm like, listen, I need a portion of this money
to go to, you know, feed the hungry. I need
as of this money to go to cooking for kids.
I need a portion of this money to go to
so and so and so on and so. So when
you buy any y A product or simply yealand the
product you are really pouring in, you know, you may

(01:12:31):
not be able to go out and feed somebody because
there's a stay at home thing in your state or
in your city. But can know that with the purchase
of these things, you are actually feeding people. You are
actually providing water, you're actually providing clothing, actually providing assistance
to the homeless folks who don't have what you have.

(01:12:54):
So you know, it's it's always been and that's another
thing that you have always taught us as well. Have
a good cause, uh, surrounding your brand. Don't just take
take take bee in the position to give, and I
am so thankful that I am in the position to
get awesome. Let's uh. I want to make sure that

(01:13:16):
they get clear what I'm asking you to do. I'm
asking you. Have you considered just going live with your
bags and your daughter? Is that gonna happen? Because I
want to promote it because I just see this as
a you know, qvc Y, a back embodied moment, because
that's what people are accepting, that that the pandemic has
shown us that people are in tune, especially African American community,

(01:13:39):
are in tune. We're going online. We understand the online
process and we know you have a repatable name. So
if we buy what you are all from, we're gonna
get it. So where you're atting the planning stages with
that if it's going but we're almost of course, you
know everything has to go through attorney. So Mr Ricky

(01:14:00):
Attorney Ricky Andrecks n that sealed up and before before
the middle of June, we will have all of that done. Okay,
let me know, so I can apply my social media
to it and my fan clubs and drive traffic just
like I did trap drove traffic the preference in Obama
for his HBCU speech on Saturday. And so it's using

(01:14:21):
our relationships that build that. But before we close, I
got you know, we always have two amazing people we
love and our daughters. My daughter goes to University Houston.
Your daughter goes to Howard University. Any updates. It's brag
time right now, because I'm gonna bragg in a minute.
I'm gonna let you brag first. Well has successfully finished

(01:14:41):
her sophomore years. He is ow a uh, matriculating junior
as they say, yes, yes, yes, thriving jr. And um.
The pandemic you know, the stay at home, you know,
quarantine kind of thing kind of got to her at
first because she was so used to, yeah, the camaraderie

(01:15:06):
of you know, being around uh everybody, But it made
her stronger in the end because of course they were
zooming and face timing and doing all the skypes and
stuff like that, and and it showed her how strong
she really was. Yes, and so I I you know,

(01:15:27):
I told her, I'm like, hey, this pandemic, this quarantine
should teach you who who you are even more. And
it did. You know, it's really interesting you're saying that
because that happened with my daughter. You know, she would
be she finished the semester. She will be a senior
moving forward close. She closed out her classes online at
the University of Houston. And at first when she came over,

(01:15:48):
she was just in her room all the time. You know,
it's on our computer. And then she started coming out
and said, your dad, you need me to do something
for you. You need me to go somewhere with you.
I got to you know, got the mask. They got nobody.
She knows about social distance since she traveled with the
hand sanitized. I got. She's quipped. She got a kid
when she leaves the house and so and so I
watching how she's starting to clean up the house and

(01:16:09):
we've sitting on the porch on Sunday, I sat down
and just talked to her. And that's just having mature
conversations with my daughter. It's something I've never had because
I'm always traveling and I'm always there on the road,
and so I know that watching a young lady, a
young girl become a young lady. As you're watching a
young girl become a young lady and and and watching
them deal with global stress for the first time in

(01:16:31):
their lives, and there wasn't playing. That's when you know,
you know, you tell your kids you're gonna graduate, you
gotta get a job. But nobody saw this comment. And
so that's a stress. What you're saying. I understand because
I've seen it play out of my daughter, and I
tell everybody it's a blessing to see. Take your time
and walk through them with conversation. Don't you agree? Oh
my god. Yes, that's the biggest thing you can give

(01:16:54):
you a child is time and an ear. Wow, that's awesome.
When he learned, I want, I want, I want year longer.
You know again, I want to bring you on the
show to talk about your why are you landa Adams
handbags which you can get online right now or you
can go to my newsletter. And also this week I'll
be promoting the Bathroom Beauty line, which is simply your landa,

(01:17:16):
which is amazing. I use it. I used it for
my head, I used it for my ankles, your body,
your lundon up. Now, I gotta go and live today
and buy some bags for my sisters so they can
start smiling. I wish I saw this link before Mother's Day,
but I didn't see it, So they're gonna get it
for a Memorial Day. We can. Alright, my friend, you'd
be safe and thank you for then, thank you, thank you,

(01:17:36):
thank you. I'm gonna didn't touch with rickey to get
some more uh some more or photos so we could
do the Bathroom Beauty Line collection today and this weekend
the news letter. If you get a little bump in
there because of your handbag, knows your boy out here
promoting you. Okay, right, all right? Thanks. If I could
be you and you could be me for just one hour,

(01:17:59):
if you could find the way to get inside each
other's mind, walk a mile in my shoes, Waco mile
in my shoes, shoes. We've all felt left out, and
for some that feeling lasts more than a moment. We
can change that. Learn how it Belonging begins with us
dot org. Brought to you by the Act Council. Welcome

(01:18:21):
out in the shoes. Look to your children's eyes to
see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook
world for them. You look and see a tree. They
see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched
to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see
a windy path that could lead to adventure, and they

(01:18:43):
see you. They're fearless. Guide. Is this fascinating world? Find
a forest near you and start exploring and discover the
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Forest Service and the ad Council. Adoption of teams from
foster care is a topic not enough people know about
in we are here to change that. I'm April Denuity,
host of the new podcast Navigating Adoption, presented by adopt

(01:19:05):
us Kids. Each episode brings you compelling, real life adoption
stories told by the families that lived them, with commentary
from experts. Visit adopt us Kids dot org, slash podcast,
or subscribe to Navigating Adoption presented by adopt us Kids,
brought to you by the U S Department of Health
and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and the Council.
Do you and his Black Music Month. My guest is

(01:19:28):
a legendary artist, manager, executive, producer, and the music executive.
His talent credits include a divers ary of artists including
Tupac Shakur, Stanley Clark, n w A, Digital Underground, and
the world Class Wrecking Crew. He continues to manage both
Shock Ge leader of Digital Underground, as well as the

(01:19:48):
group the and the catalog of my man Johnny Guitar Watson. Wow,
please welcome to my man, to the moneymaking conversace. You've
got a lot of talk about. You cannot have a
conversation with somebody that has Johnny guitar Watson in two
parks in the same conversation and ray Sean McDonald well
does not get excited about that. Please welcome to money

(01:20:09):
making conversation, my man, Adrian Gregory. How you doing, sir,
I'm doing good. Thank you for for extending this invitations
to money making conversations. I absolutely appreciated. And uh yes,
Johnny guitar Watson and two in the same conversation, along
with Stanley Clark and solo piano group. There's a there's
a lot going on on multiple varieties of genre. Well,

(01:20:32):
you know, first of all, you know, I'm talking about
the past. We're gonna talk about the current because you
gotta go on currently, you know. But but you know,
when you when you when you meet your talent to
I know that I managed Steve Harvard currently managed to
manage Steve hard from two thousand officially from two thousands
of sixteen, I currently managed Steven A. Smith. So you're
a talent, and so as as a talent, as a manager,

(01:20:55):
it takes a lot, especially when you're dealing with personalities
and it's tying to I always tell people, yes, kind
of stay ahead of the ignorance when you're managing people
because you never know what's running through their mind or
what's gonna happen the next day, especially with social media
out there and they can just start posting. So back
in the day, you got to do a press conference,
you know, if you want to come out there, just
start talking. Today they just wake up, not even wake up,

(01:21:17):
they just roll over in bed, just start type. And
which means as a talent, talk about what it takes
to be a manager, but more important, what it takes
to be a manager, and not trying to put you
on the spot. But you've had so many diverse, so unique,
so many different new, unique talents. Talk about that experience, Well,

(01:21:37):
first of all, I'd like to say, um, I watched
First Take every morning, so I appreciated. But but but
but to answer your question, what it takes to be
a manager, and so the words with artists is to
really understand them, to talk to them, to get to
know them. Not not just handling their business. Handling their
businesses it's really the easy part, but getting to understand

(01:21:59):
who they are, how they operate, what they think, being
able to understand what's important to them, and not not
necessarily what's important to business or what's important to you,
but what's important to them. Because now, I mean, I've
managed Shocked shot g for what thirty years, and just

(01:22:20):
recently he said, he said to me, I trust you,
And I'm like, wow, that that was something because I
know what's important to him. I know if someone comes
to me and wanting to do something, I can almost
tell them yes or no without going to him. But
but you always go to your artists. You don't make
a decision without going to them first. Even if you

(01:22:43):
think you know what the answer is, it's it's not
your place to make that decision. Is that their place
to make, that their decision. So it's it's really really
important to understand who they are. And as you know,
I also represent the Johnny Guitar Watson catalog as an example.
It's important to understand what the family, what's important to
the family, what they'll what they'll accept, what they won't accept.

(01:23:04):
But with the same token, you still talk to the family,
regardless of what the offer is, regardless of what you're
thinking is, regardless of what you think, you may know
about what their thoughts are, because their thoughts can change
and and so it's important to know what it's important,
important to know what they want. But it's always important
to take everything to man. There is nothing I don't

(01:23:25):
take to to them and because of that I have
I have their trust. We don't always agree, and that's
okay because at the end of the day, is their
catalog is or their career and you suggest things whom
that's what your job is to suggest things to them,
give them alternatives if you don't. If you guys don't
agree on something, and then have a discussion about it,
and at the end of the day, you're you represent them.

(01:23:47):
So when you finished with the discussion. If what they
want is more is more important than what you think
is right. It's all about what they want. It's really
important to say that because and also you gotta have answers.
What you can't you is manage somebody and keep saying
I don't know or let me let me check. You
really have to be on top of your game. Correct. Oh, absolutely,

(01:24:08):
you have. You have to go. You have to go
in the business in general, and this is money making
conversations business in general. You have to know the answers
almost before they're asked of you, before you asked the question.
And it's not it's not gonna be absolute. You need
to do the best you can to be prepared, studied,
research about whatever topic you're gonna be talking about. Yeah,

(01:24:29):
Steve always, he's always you know everything. I go, Yes,
I do, because if I don't know everything, then we're
gonna have a problem because you're gonna ask me. So
that means that you know, because people always ask me,
ro do you watch you watch television that much? I go,
I watch a lot, I read a lot. I just
know that I can't shut down because as a manager
your information, you have to be a trail player you

(01:24:51):
have to be able to advise. You have to be
able at least have a conversation by so many different layers,
especially based on the type of talent that you're representing.
And that's really the key to all of this, and
so is that you have to be I'm not trying
to say you have to be super smart, you just
have to be knowledgeable. Yes, knowledge well, and that's and
that's exactly what you're saying. You have to you have

(01:25:12):
to read a lot. You you have to consume a
lot of information, whether it's whether television, radio, podcasts, now, um.
You know. For for myself, I've been around a long time,
so I've been on a huge learning curve over two
or three two or three years with this whole digital age,
and it changes daily. It literally changes daily. So the

(01:25:34):
conversation you and I are having right now, if we
were having a specific conversation about some type of marketing
promotion or or show or anything of that nature, by
the time we're off the conversation, it may have changed already.
It really really really telling the truth there. For a fact,
I remember just just a story because he's like me,
we were transition. We started when you know, just email

(01:25:56):
when the emails, you know, we grew up in the
cell phone era. Then they intern But I remember when uh,
Steve Harvey that we was we had a deal. We
went up to New York two thousand and five, two
thousand seven and WBLS up there in New York, and
then we moved to Atlanta. And between two thousand and
seven and two thousand nine was when, you know, social
media was starting to grow. And I kept noticing that,

(01:26:17):
you know, all the CNN or whoever on news had
their little handles, their little handles, you know, follow me,
follow me. And I was still resisting because we had
like a nine hundred thousand fan club email base, so
that was working for me. That was working for me,
and so but I just knew that this social media
had to happen. And and the reason I bring that

(01:26:38):
up because it was in two thousand and twelve. The
reason we got our talk show was because I grew
his social media, and I grew on social media so
much that it competed with Dr Phil you know, Katie Curic,
all our competition. The only person that was beating us
in social media at the time was Len Degenerous. And
so so that's what you're saying right there, you're saying, Rahan,

(01:27:01):
you know you not only have to know what you
need to know right now, you have be willing to change.
And also when you change, you have to be willing
to see what what that what that change is going
to impact your your customers. So when Shock said he
trusts you, that says a lot because guess what, it's
a lot of things that are going on out there
that can question him. Whether you're up to date or

(01:27:21):
whether you are you on point? Are you start? So
you still wired into the changes. That's a blessing man,
that's a compliment to your talents. Well, well, thank you,
and you're absolutely right. You do have to change, change,
adapt and grow. And when you don't know something, don't
be afraid to reach out and ask. I mean, I
consult with a lot of different people in a lot
of different areas because it's it's you know, there's so

(01:27:44):
many things that are going on, whether whether you're dealing
with the law, what you're dealing with with uh UH
ledgers and accounting, whether you're digital dealing with the digital media,
digital media and social media. You have to be willing
to to know. Also, you have to be willing to
reach out to people who know more than about something

(01:28:05):
that you do. That's that's important, and that's important as
a manager. You cannot be afraid to not know when
So when you go back to your client, you say,
I can share this information with you. This is what
I've found out because I've reached out to someone who
knows what they're doing. They work on this every day,
because we can't work on every little thing every day,

(01:28:25):
so we have to reach out to people. But you know,
the interesting part about your career and the brand Atrian
that you've produced is that, I know, man, when you
have black talent, a lot of people don't want to
mess with your talent. You know, they either have reputations
or they feel that they have limited growth potential or
and then as you grow that brand and other people, oh,

(01:28:47):
I see now start to try to take advantage of
their relationship or manipulate the relationship to their advantage. And
then we have black music, mom, you know, which we
know to recognize the role that black music. When you
here little Richard his death recently, and and you you
reread the Franklin and all these legends that are out
there that are pastors and they're still alive. The Paddle

(01:29:08):
La Belle is the old J's, you know, all the
individuals still like that producing great music. What's the important
of June being Black Music Month before we go to
the next break? Well, you know, I think it's important
that we focus on black music. But as I really personally,
I don't like Black Music Month. I think every every

(01:29:31):
month should be black mule, absolutely absolutely, you know, you
know um especially I think it was last year rap
took over, which is a print primarily black art took
over all of music as far as as far as value,
as far as amount of sales and streams, et cetera.
And so you know, I think it's important to have

(01:29:52):
focus and take time so everyone focuses on it. But
I think you need to focus on it all year round.
I think they need to needs to be events all
year round focusing on black music. So Tupox corp Um
like reason, why why do the wish? Why do you
say that he's one of the greatest uh political speeches,

(01:30:12):
socially rap, socially conscious rap, uplifting rap. I consider Brenda's
Got a Baby one of the great one of the
all time great rap songs. Keep your head up, Um,
how do you like it? One of the great party songs? Um.
Just just just an array of music and talent from

(01:30:32):
a young man who left this world far earlier than
we that I wished or anybody would have liked to
have seen. So just talk to us about managing of
talent as unique. He was an actor, poet, and uh
a vision area. Talk to us right quick, Atrian, Yeah,
I think that or that that that's a lot. And

(01:30:53):
he was actually all of those things. And he came
from a panther family, as as some people may know,
and so they they spent a lot of time studying
and learning and teaching him. So he had a wide
variety of of ways of looking at things. That's why

(01:31:14):
you could have Brent's got a baby, you could have trapped,
you could have how do you want It? You could
have all those different songs, you know, and and then
in this time and it's just so interesting to me
because I remember when Tupac was accosted by the cops
and and experience that we had then and and you know,
he was accosted by the cops. He was slammed on

(01:31:35):
the ground, he was beaten up, handcuffed, and then we
had to go to court to prove prove a jaywalking ticket.
At jaywalking ticket, that's and you know, black young men
really have to understand that the power of the police.
And I know they're trying to change some of that

(01:31:56):
now and and and it absolutely needs to be changed.
But the cop came over to Tupac and said, hey,
he walked across street, you're jay walking, And Tupac, being expressive,
was just moving his hands and saying, why are you
asking me about this? Where you asked me about this?
And the guy didn't like a young man standing up
for himself. But that's what that's what a panther kid does.
And Tupac was absolutely a panther, black panther kid from

(01:32:19):
from from that space. And so I just think it was,
you know, important that his family taught him what what
they taught him so that so that he could then
go on and be who he was able to become,
you know, through through a lot of people's support and
including myself. That's amazing. Now, I was looking to do

(01:32:42):
your bio and your catalog and information and different names
popped up. A name popped up that may be the
same name I know, and I love this young lady
deaf Stephanie Frederick. Yes, yes, st Stephanie Frederick is an
awesome person. Actually spoke to her this morning. Um she's
executive producer, producer. Um. Year years ago she was a

(01:33:06):
on air. Um. Uhston Texas. I'm from Houston, Texas. Yes
and um yes, Stephane. Stephanie is absolutely great. She has
she has a great company, F g W Productions. Uh.
They do a lot of things. Even when when she
does the Oscars. Every year that Stefinitely does Oscars, she

(01:33:29):
brings a young person to just tell her. How many
people do that? Just hang out with her and experience
that experience of experiencing the Oscars, what it's like to
work in that world, what it's like to be on
the red carpet. I mean, how many people do that
within their company. I mean I think that's just incredible. Oh.
You know I've been knowing stefanitely. Uh when I have

(01:33:50):
to go way back to like ninety two when my
comedy club, hip Hop Comedy stopped and she used to
come there, and you know, she was on Fox News
at the time, and you should tell me I could
be great, I could be special. So I know the value.
I know that person that you're talking about how many
people not many? And I know that you know she
she's a firm believer of paying it for and she

(01:34:12):
does not allow a male dominated industry to stop her
from being great. And that's when you and I just
had to bring that up. I saw you one of
the one of the individuals, one of the people on
your roster. And that's important that you again another diverse
roster again. You don't hang and say this is who
I can only be. I can be more. Now let's
talk about mellow moods. What exactly is that mellow moods? Well, so,

(01:34:38):
so what happened a few years ago, Just to give
me a little quick history. I um, I started putting
out some more rap records again and realize that I've
gotten a little older. I don't you know, I'm not
anymore go hang out in the clubs. But I love music.
It's just my love. That's what I do. So I

(01:35:01):
wanted to find something that I could do that was
that was good and that brought peace and harmony to people.
Because I'm not a little older. You know, I need
I need to wake up. Listening to park And and
Stanley Clark and a lot of other you know music
that I like to listen to digital underground, but in
the evening, I need something to go to sleep to.

(01:35:22):
So it's all. It's all to go to sleep. It's
all to go to sleep. It is so so Melo
Music is a collection of three pianists that and and
African American pianists. And I went to them and they're
all jazz pianists. They're they're either teachers or or touring musicians,
and I said, I want you to do something it's

(01:35:43):
a little different for you, play a little less notes, um,
and something to relax to. And no one in our
culture is doing this that I that I've found as
as an executive producer, as a company or as pianist,
because everyone wants to show how good they are. And
they're awesome pianists. I mean one of one of them

(01:36:04):
is the pianists for the count Basis for what is
now the count Basie Orchestra, So I mean they're awesome pianists.
So I just have them play a few less notes
and play something that's nice and relaxing for people. And
um the name of the groups of Silver Piano Group
because it's a collection of artists, and I'm putting different
artists in there as we speak. I have a young

(01:36:24):
lady that um is working on her Masters in classical piano.
She just did something so um she'll be on our
next album that will be August, coming out August thirty one.
So you know, I'm just working on doing something just
a little bit different, little little pieceful, especially in this time.
We really need that. And um, you know that that's

(01:36:46):
that's pretty much it. Well, you know they always tell people,
you know, what is your legacy? You know, because you
know we're getting this business adren and and you know
we want to be success. We want to make money.
First of all. Our goal is to make money. And
then after you when you look at your body of work,
it's fantastic body of work, and go, what am I leading? Man?
What is my voice? Is the that is my voice

(01:37:09):
being heard? Are am I leaving a part of it?
And that's what it sounds like you're doing with this
particular project because of the fact that it's not a
one off, it's ongoing. Correct, Absolutely, it's ongoing. We put
our first album out several weeks ago. Our second album
is coming out at the end of August, and we
have three singles before that, and like you said, it

(01:37:32):
is legacy. I started with World Class Wrecking Crew the nine.
In the nineteen I worked. I was the tour manager
for n w A. You know, put the Digital Underground
records out, the two Pac records out, MC smooth, and
some in some other work records. And you know, now
now as I'm a little older, I'm doing something a
little different. But that's all right. But that's all right,

(01:37:54):
And don't forget I'm the executive producer of Salley Clark's
last two albums. So so you know, I work on
a wide variety of music. You know, I work. I
work with Stephanie, as you mentioned earlier, and you know,
I think it's important to have that wide variety as
you grow and as you change, because everyone grows and changes,
and you know, running around in the clubs is not

(01:38:17):
not the same as it was for me thirty years ago, right,
And I want to think that absolutely, and I want
to make a note about that because that's why I
brought up Stephanie Frederick. Because Stephanie Frederick is a is
a content creation, she's video, she's vision. You know, it's
nothing to do with music. You know, music can be
induced introduced into her work. And our clients include Universal Pictures,
Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Disney. That lets you know the

(01:38:40):
body of work that that you are, that you have,
you have, the you have, you know this this this
the solo piano project that you have right now that
that's going to called the Solo Piano Group Project and
it's out now May eight then in August roughly. I
want to ask you, with the pandemic going on in
zoom uh streaming being so popular, have you done anything

(01:39:01):
with the team through using zoom or anything with the
pandemic times that that could be uplifting and motivating for
the people to who we are locked in us still
basically locked in win the new normal right now with
this COVID nteen. That doesn't mean our lives are going
to change. Yeah, So UM, I do it. I talked
at USC every year and and this this year we

(01:39:25):
did a Zoom talk with with the class this is
the business class, and so I did that. Um, we
are having the solo pianists record and then and then
we do a zoom with them as well. So so
even though they can't play live right now people can
still see them through through Facebook and all the other

(01:39:46):
modalities you YouTube and Instagram and all of those, and
so um, we are doing that, and we're looking at
doing some of some other things like that, maybe doing
a bigger, bigger concert and and we're also look looking
at doing some uh some talks myself and some of
some of the other people that have worked with over
the years, just doing question and answer session. So we're

(01:40:07):
looking at doing a lot of different things. I mean,
the world has changing, and even when it does go
back to some type of normalcy, I think Zoom and
these these opportunities are going to be there because what
that gives is people from all over the world a
chance to see here and talk to you know, myself, yourself,
and and and and others that they may have interest
in that they may never get to see, you, may

(01:40:28):
never come into their city, but if they have Internet,
they can hear them and they can see them. And
I think it's a very good outlet for for all
of us. You know that, not not only the content creators,
but also the listeners and viewers as well. Awesome. I
appreciate your Atrian. I want to thank you for coming
on Money making conversation. Anyway, We'll get in touch with you.
Anyway we can buy this album, get involved social media.

(01:40:52):
Tell us about the Solo Piano Group. It came out
May eighth, uh developed you know from the Solo Piano Group.
The name of the album is Mellow Moods May eight
by the Solo Piano Group. Anyway we can reach out
socially or digitally. How can we reach out? Yeah, so
so I'm on Instagram, I'm on all platforms Solo Piano well,
first of all, Solo Piano Group. Solo Piano Group is

(01:41:12):
on all platforms, um from Instagram to Facebook, YouTube, everything.
I'm on all platforms. You can reach me on Facebook, Twitter,
or Instagram. Adrian Gregory, depending pun them, whether it's whether
it's Facebook or or Instagram or Twitter might be a
little bit different handled, but Adrian Gregory is always in

(01:41:35):
the front. My first name is spelled A t R
O N and Gregory g r E g g o
r y, and it's always at the front or whatever
the handle is on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. And my
brother Johnny kick Car said, you know, be a Dawn
site cheaper the price is right. I got the babies

(01:41:55):
crying Oh my god, my man, you're special. Brother. I
want to thank you for taking it time to share
your story on Money Making Conversation. It's a journey man.
I feel blessed having this conversation because you're walk in
history and I appreciate you so much for doing this.
Thank you. Okay, we'll talking soon. When I remember I
am your friend and I am a fan, and that
means a lot because of the fact that means I'll

(01:42:17):
do anything to make sure your voice it's continuing heard
in this of a changing world. Again, thank you for
coming on Money Making Conversation. You won't hear more money
Making Conversation interviews. Please go to money Making Conversation dot com.
I'm ra Sean McDonald. I'm your host. In this season
of giving, Coals has gifts for all your loved ones.
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