Under The Influence

No More Grey Area For Obama

2010-11-03T11:46:00.000-05:00

I can hear the words echo as if they were uttered just yesterday..."There is no grey area. You have to stay true to who you are and those that have always been there for you. You can't be all things to all people." These wise words were spoken by my philosophy professor in undergrad after a spirited class discussion around the meaning and wisdom behind the Philosopher Polonius' classic line "To thine own self be true."

After all of the politics and polished tricks put on display during this Election Season, there is one definitive message sent by the American voters who showed up at the polls yesterday: During these turbulent times, as President Obama and moderates painfully discovered last night, there is no more grey area in the American politics of the past, I mean moment.

Yes, the Democrats and President Obama over-intepreted their mandate coming out of the 2008 Presidential Election and made strategic blunders by focusing on health care rather than job creation and education to help prepare our young people to compete in the 21st Century. Furthermore, as Senator Evan Bayh (D) pointed out, "a public unhappy about the direction of the Economy will always take it out on the party in power, even if the problems began under previous management."

Conversely, though, with the exception of a few rising stars like the newly elected Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio from Florida, the Republicans face a serious deficit of ideas while the American people are begging for solutions. Instead, the Republican agenda boils down to obstruction, fear ("take our country back...from who???), investigations soon to come and extending the Bush tax-cuts which has been cited by some smart people and economists who are pretty good with numbers as the single, largest cause of America' structual deficit.

How about that for some bold thinking.

So what is President Obama to do now? While the Democrats have new ideas, some argue it's clearly time for a new approach that trumpets Democratic principles and revives the middle class with a populist agenda that will ignite the base. Moreover, the purists say, the President won't be able to do this from the once solid grey area that has dissapeared from around him over the past 20 months. He will be left to take a stand (no pun intended).

At worse, they contend, it will only make him more unpopular with those he is currently unpopular with and likely never to trust him. This line of thinking didn't seem to bother his predecessor at all by the way.

Others, like Senator Bayh argue that the President needs to take moderate steps on tax reform, deficit reduction and energy security, while betting that the Republicans re-enact the polictical drama "1984."

In it, John Boehner assumes the role of Newt Gingrich and, ultimately, shuts the government down as he and others appeal to the Tea Party and other elements of the newly empowered right wing and have their hidden agenda exposed to the majority of well-intentioned but mis-informed Americans who got duped or simply stayed on the sidelines and out of the voting booth in 2010. All of this setting the stage for a historic achievement and Democratic resurgence in 2012 spawned by an economic recovery and sealed by President Obama's re-election.

As Bayh states, "the extremes of both parties will be dissapointed. But the vast center yearning for progress will applaud, and the country will benefit." While sound in theory, it will really depend on how much of the grey area around himself President Obama is able to erase in the minds of these voters in the so-called middle. If their perceptions haven't already fully shifted to a different reality.

In fact, if you actually look at his policies and how President Obama has governed overall, he did establish a liberal agenda but also took some calculated risks along the way to find middle ground. He lost his footing, though, as his thin frame was met with fierce opposition coming from the far right and more distance from some of his colleagues on the far left. In a cruel twist of political fate, he was successfully typecast in the role of left-wing elitist when nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, some like Thomas Friedman of the New York Times have said he didn't go far enough with the stimulus as it stopped the economy from a Great Depression-like hemorrhage, but not enough of the bleeding. And not even close to healing the pain.

Hence, the lines in the center were blurred by justified voter anger and discontent, and not so justified fear, apathy and race baiting (on both sides). Swing voters apparently got enough of a boost from conservative talk radio, Fox News and a Tea Party movement that encouraged them to make a child like jump all the way to the right, believing the ever so cool (perhaps, too cool for the times) and balanced President Obama was a radical dude.

As Maureen Dowd of the New York Times wrote in her column today: "They were able to persuade a lot of Americans that the couple in the White House was not American enough, not quite "normal," too Communist, too radical, too Great Society. All that Ivy League schooling had made them think they knew better than average American folks, not to mention the founding fathers."

Indeed, when the going gets tough around here, the tough get going...back to the familiar. All of which makes it tougher for us as a nation to get going because selfish interests prevail and the fault lines in our history go pretty wide and deep. As a result, its one step forward and two steps back. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is making a series of two-step moves forward toward new industrial economies, propelled by innovation and stronger education.

Change, our government and political leadership in Washington obviously don't believe in.

In the end, the Democrats (once again) assumed that those that believe in them do so in perpetuity and took their most ardent and zealous supporters for granted. While Republicans effectively rallied their base, the Democrats left theirs open to apathy. No sense of urgency. No grass roots movement, no concerted effort to reach young voters, no vote or die, no investment of resources and media to get out the vote among those most likely to vote and support Democrats. Has anyone seen DNC chair Tim Kaine??? Would love to hear more about that election strategy of his.

The First Lady made eloquent, last-minute appeals to reason and Joe Biden hit the urban radio circuit for some "real talk" to put a little more spine that the country and, African-Americans in particular, want to see in President Obama's swagger.

It was all too little and too late.

Of the many lessons President Obama can take from this election is the advice that the wise Philospher Polonius imparted upon is son Laertes, who is in a hurry to get on the next boat to Paris, where he'll be safe from his father's speeches:

"This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man."

In reality, the President (or any human being for that matter) can never be all things to all people. What he can be is true to himself and those that truly believe in him. For, unlike love, loyalty is not blind. In fact it can be pretty fleeting these days.

Bangin' In Cyberspace

2010-11-01T10:01:00.006-05:00

From the classic duel between Kool Moe Dee and LL Cool J to more contemporary heavyweights like 50 Cent and Rick Ross, "battles" between Hip-Hop artists have always been a quintessential component of the art form's theater (particularly as it emerged from the streets and outdoor parks in the South Bronx during its infancy).

Furthermore, this test of wills and verbal skills served as lyrical proof of the Darwinian theory in the evolution of the culture and the constant survival of the fittest mode exhibited by Hip-Hop MC's gunning for the top spot. As my fellow Pittsburgh-bred MC Wiz Khalifah rhymes, "It's lonely at the top, I'm tired of having company." Or, as LL Cool J demonstrated, simply because "Momma Said Knock You Out!"

While there is nothing unique about Hip-Hop MC's battling for supremacy, reputation (or as a marketing and promotions vehicle for that matter in the case of 50 Cent), MC Hammer's response to Jay-Z's slight diss on his verse on Kanye West's new single, "So Appalled" represents a critical pivot point for Hip-Hop: The viability and emergence of social media platforms and networks as the new town square for Hip-Hop artists and the transcultural, global population it cries out for, particularly when the music industry is comparatively traveling at the speed of slow motion and transitioning from a decrepit paradigm.

In the song, Jay-Z references Hammer's financial troubles when he said, "And Hammer went broke so you know I'm more focused...I lost 30 mil so I spent another 30 cause unlike Hammer 30 million can't hurt me..."

In years prior, Hip-Hop artists would have made a beeline to the studio to record a response, most likely delivered via underground mixtapes, urban radio or, as Jay-Z made infamous, by delivering jabs to opponents through Summer Jam live concerts. That's so 2005, though...

With the release of his "Better Run Run" video on YouTube early this morning, @MCHammer has, deftly, shifted the battle lines from wax to cyberspace. In this digital age, as many celebrities have found, information travels faster -- as do shifts in perception -- at the speed of a Tweet.

In this case, Hammer was able to utilize his Twitter fan base of 1.9 million followers for his initial response and was able to tease the diss song and video he was working on, even setting it up for a Halloween release. Then, this morning, the video was released by Hammer on YouTube to his followers and their followers, and their followers and their followers and...well you get the point. That 1.9 million will multiply exponentially through Twitter and other social media networks the users maintain.

And, it's not just relegated to social media. Hammer's video instantly became THE online, viral buzz topic of discussion with urban portals such as GlobalGrind, AllHipHop.com and a plethora of others.

That adds up to a lot of gross impressions and reach most artists can only dream of when debuting a new single and video. Unless your @iamdiddy who has also successfully and masterfully integrated social media into the marketing mix with his artist Nicki Minaj and Dirty Money movement -- I'm sure Diddy's tweeting about the Dirty Money intro to Game 4 of the World Series gave Fox a nice boost in ratings. I'll save that for another post...in the meantime, just follow @iamdiddy and you'll catch-up pretty quickly.

Now, let's back up for a moment with @MCHammer. Most people probably don't realize that Hammer has such a strong Twitter following and wondering why?

If nothing else, Hammer must be respected for his entrepreneurial instincts and ability to recognize windows of opportunity and need for reinvention as every successful entrepreneur must. A self-professed techie, which may be explained by his Bay Area proximity to Silicon Valley, Hammer has established himself as a thought leader in the social media space.

He routinely lectures on technology and social media at leading institutions such as Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and rubs shoulders with CEOs of the major technology companies and is on the very short list invited to exclusive gatherings among tech power brokers such as the Intel Capital CEO Summit.

As such, one gains a better perspective on his astute understanding of how to harness the power of social media platforms as a vehicle for his brand and, in this case, the best medium to control the

conversation on his terms.

As most celebrities have learned in this digital age, information travels fast and perceptions shift even faster with real potential to damage reputation and image. The real issue here isn't who the better rapper is. I think even MC Hammer would give Jay-Z the head nod on that one. What's really at stake here for Jay-Z is not a test of his lyrical content but a legitimate test for his image and reputation and content of his character.

Conversely, MC Hammer is clearly leveraging this "entertainment beef" in the Hip-Hop tradition as an opportunity to build his image, increase relevance and advance his business interests (he is very active in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts through his Alchemist Management company, which will need to demonstrate to its MMA clients it knows a thing or two about how to start the hype machine),

In either event, whether or not you believe Hammer's assertion that Jay-Z worships the devil, his video for "Better Run Run," (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFtQML2O5B0), combined with a follow-up Tweet and video he posted from Christian rapper "Bizzle" who disses Jay-Z and makes similar allegations (Bizzle even dissects some of Jay-Z's lyrics and symbols he uses in the process) is enough to make millions of people in Cyberspace say Hmmm...a far battle cry from Hip-Hop artists "bangin' on wax."

While King Hammer has effectively started this cyber conversation, in true Hip-Hop fashion, you can bet we haven't heard the last spoken word on this one.

Turning A Negative Into A Positive Picture

2010-03-05T10:08:00.006-06:00

It occurred to me today that I hadn't taken the opportunity to fully convey my thoughts on the past month from my book and lecture tour outside of Tweets and FB posts which was, in a word, incredible but layered with meaning and purpose that I am compelled to share in broader form.

The month started out with a presentation to executives from Colgate-Palmolive on the impact of urban culture and Hip-Hop on brands and consumer culture where I tickled them with my story on how Palmolive "dishwashing liquid" was used to clean more than just the dishes in our house as I was raised by a single-parent with two older brothers so Mom had to be resourceful and innovative with limited means and actually helped usher in the the liquid "soap" category.

I joked that we're still waiting on those royalties :)

Speaking of home, the tour last month included a stop back in Pittsburgh where I spoke to teens tried for adult crimes in the Allegheny County Jail's Alternative Education Program. It was a moving discussion. I, essentially, carried a message of redemption, accountability and that their story didn't have to end there and that they, too, had the power and freedom to see beyond their environment and incarceration.

When you're doing public speaking, sometimes things just happen in an existential way. Toward the end of my comments, I was using the analogy from Lauryn Hill who said "turn a negative into a positive picture." At this point, my mouth was moving but I was really just a representative for the divine voice who had a message for them that day. I explained that negatives are taken into the darkroom for processing and that they were in the darkroom of their life but there was good news...

As Pastor Freddie Haynes in Dallas would say, this is where I was about to "shout them." I carefuly explained the process of how a photographer takes a negative into the darkroom for a reason. I asked them if they knew why...I said because it is only in that dark environment that a special light can be found to expose the negative so he can begin to see the real picture...

I further explained the process but later Googled the actual process for developing a negative and realized what was happening with my thoughts at that moment.

Here is the partial description..."a very basic darkroom usually has an enlarger for making prints, along with an assortment of developing chemicals in separate tubs. To develop prints, the artist exposes photo-sensitive enlarging paper to light through an enlarger, and then dunks the photograph in a series of developing chemicals to bring out the latent image, stop the action of the developing bath, fix the photograph, and rinse the developing chemicals off.

Once this process is completed in the darkroom, the paper is safe to expose to light, and it can be dried and used." Wow.

I told them to think about it. The negative is resistant to natural light and the "artist" (READ: Creator) has to take the negative through the darkroom and an entire process of eliminating certain "toxic" chemicals before it can be exposed to light and become useful.

At this precise moment I was explaining the process, a force beyond me lifted my head up into the ceiling and I was standing under the brightest halogen light in the dimly lit rec room inside the jail. The light embraced me and I pointed up and told them that they can always find light, even in the darkest place, and that the divine artist could be found there in darkroom to take them through the process so they would no longer be sensitive to the "light" and could be fully exposed to the light source that would illuminate a new path.

I can't describe the feeling I had after that experience but I will always cherish it. I didn't know the impact on them as these guys had committed serious crimes and were truly products of their environment. I was floored to receive Thank You notes from all 30 of the inmates I spoke to just yesterday. After that presentation, I also did a micro-enterprise symposium at Carnegie Mellon University's esteemed Tepper School of Business and made great connections with innovative entrepreneurs like Donna Baxter and former WAMO-FM GM Ron Atkinson who is blazing a new trail for urban radio in Pittsburgh with 101 The Blaze (101theblaze.com), an internet station which is heating things up back home. We'll be doing some things together in the very near future I'm excited to share in the coming months.

Perhaps, though, the real highlight for me was my AT&T "28 Days" Lecture Series in Chicago. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hETOqYTyRts).

It was a great evening in the Windy City. Chicago will always have a special place in my heart as the place where I got my start in the industry. I can fondly remember walking down Michigan Avenue into the Burrell Communications Group offices in the heart of Downtown. I was hungry to make a difference and thirsty for a taste of success.

I only had a straw and the world was still half empty in my opinion but, yet, I was ready to drink from a fire hydrant flow of endless opportunity. That was the Hip-Hop in me. Fast forward to another brisk night on Lake Michigan a few weeks ago and the cup was full this time.

It was good to see Northwestern classmates, old friends and former colleagues at the DuSable Museum of African-American History that night like David Rudd, Oveda Brown, John Hill and Chris Jones (with wife Tracy and beautiful daughter Dominique). It was also gratifying to have media veterans like Ken Smikle from Target Market News there. Most of all the energy in the auditorium was palpable.

I realized that night the purpose I am destined to fulfill. I want to inspire, motivate and accelerate the process for everyday, ordinary people to do extraordinary things by identifying their passion and purpose, visualizing their success and channeling positive thoughts and images into their subconscious mind to produce action and the physical equivalent of those thoughts in their reality.

I call it the Point of No Return.

I believe we all come here with a divine destiny and gifts that are unique to us. Those gifts are yours and mine to open up and share with the world. That destiny is yours and mine to inherit. To settle for anything less, is to turn away from the divine gift giver.

I represent a Hip-Hop generation of entrepreneurs, executives, philanthropists, politicians, community activists, teachers, parents, husbands, wives, sons and daughters who refused to be products of our environment, but instead chose to be products of our imagination.

We, in turn, influenced a nation and changed the course of history. Fortunately, the DNA of Hip-Hop is all about reinvention so we continue to imagine what the next level looks like and we go out and predict the future by creating it.

I'm encouraged by the imagination, vision and imagery surrounding the next generation leaders in the advertising and marketing community and movements such as The Marcus Graham Project and my colleague Lincoln Stephens. Keep dreaming. Keep imagining. Keep thinking. Keep planning. Keep moving. Keep turning a negative into a positive picture!!!

Special thanks to Jennifer Jones, Tracy McDade and the team at AT&T, Sanders-Wingo, Wave Multicultural (The Marketing Arm) and Fleishman-Hillard for the opportunity to participate in this groundbreaking campaign.

Let's start writing the next chapter in history...now!!!

Erin

Midwestern State

2009-11-19T12:08:00.002-06:00

Another class full of heavy hitters last night. Kathleen Hessert and Bob Beaudine as guest lecturers...My students don't know how good they have it. Social media is taking over and the power of who is in full effect. Today at 3 and 7, I am going to spread my knowledge to some lucky students at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls.

Rutgers, November 10th at 4:30

2009-11-09T17:45:00.002-06:00

Here is the poster for my lecture, signing, and reception at Rutgers tomorrow. If you are in Newark, come check it out

The Man Behind the Brand

2009-11-05T10:31:00.002-06:00

Last week I got to speak at TCU...it was a great event. Check it out...got an article in the TCU paper.

http://tinyurl.com/TCUevent

Although it was at TCU, my SMU students should not feel left out after our class last night. Mavs, CSL, project draft...does school get more exciting!

SMU Cox Fall Newsletter

2009-11-02T10:38:00.003-06:00

Starting today, plan on seeing weekly updates on here including: excerpts from the book, updates on speaking engagements, and anything else that connects me and all the readers.

Here is a first look. Check out the SMU Cox Fall Newsletter under Student Successes...
https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:26548.2510709791/rid:42722ae5c3b104607898119e80428cc7

Project Bluefoot Blog Interview

2009-06-18T13:10:00.002-05:00

You never know how an interview is going to turn out when you sit down with a writer, especially when you're in the space that I'm in. I recently sat down with Blogger and sneaker aficionado Steez for an in-depth interview on the book and my experience at Nike and Jordan Brand. In this case, he killed it. This article is, by far, one of the best written about me or on me. I urge you to read this blog and share with your network, especially those with an interest in sneaker culture. For sneakerologists, it's a must! We drop some real science here and exclusive insight into Nike and the making of the Jordan Brand. Here's the link to the blog and Steez' new site, Project Bluefoot which is a forum for thoes who live, eat, breathe and design kicks! Without a doubt, Project Bluefoot will change the game. Good looking out, Steez!!!

http://www.projectbluefoot.com/blog/2009/06/15/the-mastermind-erin-patton-interview-part-1/

Chapter 3 Excerpt

2009-06-10T20:21:00.002-05:00

From Chapter 3: "The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Create It"

New York is to urban culture what Silicon Valley is to technology. As
the birthplace of Hip-Hop music, it has traditionally served as the epicenter
for innovation and inspiration within urban culture. New York’s
pace and competitive street dynamics also foster creativity, ingenuity,
and a hustler’s ambition among the urban culture “software developers”
to come up with the “killer app” for the culture.

That can be a new artist, a new dance, a new drink, or a new brand.
Later I’ll discuss the role these urban culture “software developers”
play in overall marketing schemes. Much like the Internet start-ups
that were born out of and led by a new generation of avant garde,
“techpreneurs” who were products of the Silicon Valley culture and
not classically trained business schools, the “Hip-Hopreneurs” who
profi ted most from the urban marketing boom were the Generation
X urban culture “software developers” such as Jay-Z, Sean “Puffy”
Combs, Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, Jermaine Dupri, and Master P who
married their passion for Hip-Hop music and lifestyle with street-level
business instincts.

These artists leveraged their understanding of what drove the culture
as former users and consumers. They designed the very “programs
and applications” corporate America was profi ting from to start
their own companies and command more equitable partnerships with
the “hardware manufacturers” representing the record companies,
fashion brands, television networks, and Hollywood studios.

Thus, instead of adopting an apparel brand, wearing it in their
videos and generating huge profi ts for someone else, they launched
“insider” brands like Rocawear and Sean John that provided products
that refl ected the desired fi t and look for the urban consumer. Then they
licensed it to retailers for distribution to the masses. The marketing and
advertising of these brands was also more refl ective of the cultural and
lifestyle nuances that corporate America could never replicate.

Of course, Hip-Hop music was the prevailing software in the culture.
The urban marketing boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s
saw a steady stream of independent record labels launched by these
Hip-Hopreneurs who signed lucrative distribution deals with the
music industry mainframe to reach a broader, mass market audience
such as Bad Boy Records (P. Diddy), Roc-A-Fella (Jay-Z) No Limit
Records (Master P), So So Def (Jermaine Dupri), and Death Row
Records. Death Row Records founder Suge Knight took the Bill Gates
approach by owning all of his label’s masters and commanding even
greater licensing and publishing fees.

These innovators were, in large part, building off a blueprint established
by the godfather of Hip-Hop, Russell Simmons. He pioneered the
way from the streets to the boardrooms by turning Def Jam records into
a brand portfolio encompassing music, fashion, technology, and TV.
Like Russell, these Hip-Hopreneurs eventually mastered the art of
designing their software and content to run across multiple platforms.
Their clothing brands showed up in the music videos they began directing
and even the movies they wrote, produced, directed and appeared
in and they licensed their brands to mobile phones.

HIP-HOP QUOTABLE
Far from a Harvard student,
Just had the balls to do it.
Jay-Z, “What More Can I Say”

As a demonstration of the bona fi de, measurable impact Hip-Hop
culture and these entrepreneurs were making on the economy, in 2003,
a BusinessWeek cover story examined Hip-Hop’s influence on corporate
America and dubbing Russell the CEO of Hip-Hop. In that same article
I sounded the alarm for marketers that the urban market had formed
a critical mass and was the new mainstream general market.
The fl oodgates were opened on Madison Avenue as everything Hip-
Hop touched was beginning to turn gold. Not only was the Big Apple
ripe with opportunity, but also it provided a laboratory for clinical
observation of urban consumer behavior that supported my philosophy
of applying consumer insights in real-time and helping brands
generate products and marketing born out of an authentic consumer
experience.

Data from the 2000 Census revealed shifting demographic patterns
that were presenting a new set of challenges for marketers who
could no longer ignore the growth of multicultural populations in the
United States. Our vision for Edelman’s Diversity Marketing practice
to establish a boutique specialty across a general market agency’s U.S.
office network was right on time. In addition to work for Fortune 500
clients such as Absolut, Home Depot, Pfi zer, and Nissan, my sports
marketing experience led to us managing Wrigley’s Doublemint on
its partnership with Venus and Serena Williams.

"Under The Influence" Exclusive Excerpts: Chapter 1

2009-04-03T17:44:00.004-05:00

Chapter 1: I Am Hip-Hop

When did I first fall in love with Hip-Hop? It was in 1986 that Hip- Hop’s golden arrow hit me as I was waiting for my pre-calculus class period to start at Peabody High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this case, Cupid came in the form of a rapper from Long Island, New York. One of my friends passed me a cassette tape he had just received from his cousin in New York, who was also from “strong island,” of a rapper named Rakim. I popped the tape into my Walkman and listened intently to the lyrics of the song called “My Melody.” I’ll
never forget it.

I’ll take 7 MCs put 'em in a line
And add 7 more brothers that think they can rhyme
Well it’ll take 7 more before I go for mine
And that’s 21 MCs ate up at the same time.
Rakim, “My Melody”

I can’t tell you what formulas the calculus teacher talked about that
day but Rakim’s math was more than sufficient for me. I also loved
to express myself through writing so it was inevitable that I started
writing my own rhymes.

We would eventually have rap “battles” during lunchtime in the
boys’ bathroom. I won my fair share and lost a couple, too. From that
point on, no matter what, Hip-Hop went wherever I went. LL Cool J’s
Radio was the soundtrack for my junior year in 1986 and Run-DMC’s Rock Box
became my workout anthem for summer football practice.

During this time, Hip-Hop also became more than just a sound. Rappers
began talking about shoes and clothes and their album covers always
showcased the hottest gear. All of a sudden, it became very necessary to wear
a Kangol hat because LL Cool J sported one or Adidas shell toes once Run-DMC
dropped its classic “My Adidas.” The pressure was on to find a fresh
pair of shell toes with the fat laces like the BBoys on the classic Hip-Hop
film Krush Groove. I was raised in a single-parent household with two
older brothers in the tough Homewood-Brushton section of Pittsburgh
so things were tight financially for us. Mom worked two jobs just to
keep food on the table, and much to my chagrin, shell toes were not a
priority over the light bill that month.

One day after finishing a baseball game, I found a stack of dollar bills lying in the
outfield grass. I dashed to David’s Shoes in the East Liberty section of the city, which
always had the newest shoes, to get a pair of shell toes. I was disappointed
to find the price tag after the tax was more than the $20 in crumpled bills I had.

As I walked back toward the bus stop disheartened, I walked by a store that had what
looked like a pair of shell toes. They even had three stripes. Unfortunately, they didn’t
have the Adidas name. I bought them anyway. The next day in school, I quickly learned
the two golden rules of the Hip-Hop culture and lifestyle: Authenticity and Originality.

If you didn’t have the latest, you’d be ridiculed. And, boy, did it get tougher and tougher
to keep up. The brands moved swiftly from Adidas sneakers to Air Jordans, sweat suits
like Le Coq Sportif, and outerwear such as Starter jackets for the guys. Meanwhile, brands
like Sassoon and Gloria Vanderbilt became must haves for girls.

Hip-Hop Quotable
I’ve been in the game for ten years making rap tunes
ever since honeys was wearing Sassoon
Dr. Dre, “California Love”

The thirst for designer wares became insatiable and was born out of a desire to demonstrate to our peers that we were cool. It also gave us a temporary hold on the finer things in life, which were typically beyond our grasp. All of a sudden, this array of fashion and clothing brands, which was being fueled by Hip-Hop’s growing imagery and funneled through its clever lyrics, became the canvas for my friends and I to create our own style.

In the summer of 1987, I left Pittsburgh to attend college outside of Chicago at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and I took Hip-Hop with me. The period of the late 1980s and early 1990s were clearly the golden years for Hip-Hop music and the onset of the urban mindset
in critical mass as well as the early formation of distinct segments within the population. Artists like EPMD (acronym for Erick and Parrish Making Dollars) and Big Daddy Kane, who made gold the jewelry of choice for us, epitomized the fulfi llment of the lifestyle aspirations
of the Hip-Hop generation to access material trappings.

Conversely, groups like Public Enemy and KRS-One’s Boogie Down Productions raised the level of political and social awareness, countering the early consumerism exhibited by the Hip-Hop generation, while De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest supplanted brand consciousness
with self-consciousness and positive self-expression. On the West Coast, N.W.A. brought tales of the streets and gangs to the culture and were one of the first to make sports team apparel popular by donning Los Angeles Raiders (NFL) gear to promote their menacing brand imagery.
During this time, apparel brands such as Cross Colours, T.R.O.O.P., and Tommy Hilfiger flourished along with Hip-Hop’s rising popularity. In a later chapter I’ll discuss how Tommy Hilfiger failed to leverage the loyalty of urban consumers that, ultimately, led to the decline of the brand’s pop culture relevance and sales.

When I graduated from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism in 1991, Hip-Hop’s new urban culture was just beginning to plant its seeds within corporate America. I started my career at Burrell Communications Group in Chicago as a public relations intern.

Tom Burrell, one of the early pioneers in African-American advertising, founded Burrell Communications. Burrell was the leading African-American agency during that time and found huge success as companies began to realize the importance of reaching specific,
multi-cultural “segments.” Although the Hispanic market was receiving very little attention
at the time due to the language barrier, Burrell was making strides by showing companies that African-American consumers spoke English just like the general market but not always the same language, culturally.

Jim Hill, a former McDonald’s executive, and Michelle Flowers, led the PR arm of Burrell. Jim and Michelle are widely regarded as two of the industry’s most prominent African-American PR practitioners. Burrell had a host of Fortune 500 clients, including Brown-Forman, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Quaker Oats, and Procter & Gamble.

My first assignment was to handle publicity for Procter & Gamble’s sponsorship of the six-city Black Family Reunion Celebration, which was the brainchild of the legendary Dr. Dorothy Height of the National Council of Negro Women. The tour was a great success and enabled Procter & Gamble to connect African-American families with its products, from Tide to
Crest and Head & Shoulders. I wrote press releases for each event, coordinated interviews for Procter & Gamble, and distributed photos of the celebrities who participated to local media. I was even able to use my rhyming skills as part of the promotion we did for Procter &
Gamble’s Sunny Delight brand. We gave visitors to the Sunny Delight booth the chance to rap to Sunny Delight lyrics I penned.

Jim, Michelle, and my boss, Deborah Taylor Lucien, were great mentors for me and were instrumental in convincing me to abandon my plans of being a journalist (and aspiring rapper) for a career in public relations and marketing. I remain grateful to them to this
day for placing me in position to leverage my background and urban market insights. It was during that summer that I discovered the unique value of combining my inner-city experience with the skills I’d honed through valuable programs like Inroads.

Inroads was founded in the 1980s to help minority students prepare for corporate
America and professional success through internships, workshops, and mentoring. I credit Inroads with much of the success I have experienced today. As an inner-city kid with no corporate role models, I learned how to dress for an interview and navigate the often-turbulent waters of corporate America.

It was also around this time that Burrell forged a revolutionary marriage between Hip-Hop and corporate America with its ads for Sprite featuring rap duo Kid ’n Play. The duo was commercial friendly and their music was positive and youthful. Kid ’n Play made the hit film House Party and embodied the creativity of Hip-Hop’s innovators. The duo invented dances, fashions and
hairstyles. Kid is best remembered for bringing the “High Top Fade” or Gumby haircut to the masses. Armed with a solid foundation in multicultural marketing, I left Burrell for a general market public relations agency in Chicago, Edelman Worldwide. As the only African-American account executive in the firm, I leveraged my knowledge of the African-American market
to help agency clients such as KFC, Microsoft, and Brown-Forman tap into this growing segment. I’ll never forget getting a call from an up-and-coming rap group who had a song called “Southern Comfort,” which was one of Brown-Forman’s leading brands.

I developed a proposal for a program and partnership with the group to help the brand promote its product and increase trial among African-Americans. While it appears that the program proposal never made it to the client, the group made it into the industry and achieved
moderate success. I can only imagine what it might have done for both
of them if the memo had made it to the client.

While I quickly gained the favor of Edelman founder and and legendary public relations figure Dan Edelman, I learned that I was ahead of my time. After a couple of frustrating years at the agency, I was ready for a change when I received a call from a headhunter asking if I’d
be interested in a position with Kellogg in Battle Creek, Michigan. I visited the Kellogg headquarters in Battle Creek for a round of interviews that I felt went great. Needless to say, I was shocked when the human resources manager called to say they loved me, but had decided to give the job to someone else.

As the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. It’s just the time in between that we spend in the hallway that makes us most uncomfortable. Two weeks later I received another call from the headhunter, this time asking if I’d be interested in working for Nike.

To Be Continued...in my next post, I'll provide exclusive excerpts to take you Inside The Swoosh and behind-the-scenes of the launch of the Jordan brand, including my experience working with the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) Michael Jordan. You sneakerheads won't want to miss this!

Welcome

2009-02-15T17:03:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Under The Influence! In the coming weeks as we get closer to its release, I will be providing exclusive excerpts from my forthcoming book, "Under The Influence: Tracing the Hip-Hop Generation's Impact on Brands, Sports & Pop Culture." I look forward to hearing your feedback and creating dialogue around this topic as well as getting your comments and feedback to topical issues that I will be addressing. Let's go.