On this day in 1989, Corona, Queens rap and street legend Kool G. Rap and DJ Polo released their first album on the quintessential yet now-defunct Hip-Hop label Cold Chillin’ Records.
As esteemed members of the world-famous, Queens-based Juice Crew, G. Rap and Polo dropped this project as one of the first full-length albums from the crew, only to succeed Big Daddy Kane’s Long Live The Kane and Biz Markie’s Goin’ Off albums. The Marley Marl-produced album is one of NYC’s crime rhyme holy grails, with tracks like “Road To The Riches” as a theme song for late 80s hustlers, but most of the album showcased G. Rap’s uncanny rapping ability. Tracks like “Men At Work,” “Poison,” and their premiere track “It’s A Demo” were proof three decades ago that G’s style would be pioneering in the rap game.
Salute to G. Rap, Polo, Marley, Fly Ty, and the rest of the Juice Crew and Cold Chillin’ staff for this important piece of Hip Hop history!
On this day in Hip-Hop History, the late Tupac Shakur released his third studio LP, Me Against the World. This album came at one of the most pivotal times in ‘Pac’s life and career. Recorded shortly after his near-fatal assassination attempt in New York and released while he was in prison, this album marked a change in 2Pac as an artist and a man.
This album was nothing like the music that gave him his “thug life” gangster image and street credentials. The subject matter and tone of this project were a lot more serious and introspective than anything he had previously released. Much less high energy than the tracks from his previous album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z…, this album showed genuine reflection on his life and career path as an artist along with shining light on some of his personal struggles with paranoia and self-loathing.
The realism of this album brought a ridiculous amount of commercial success. Debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, the album has been certified double platinum selling over 3.5 million copies in the United States alone. Along with being #1 in the US, the album also ranked #23 in Germany and #20 in Sweden. In the year after its release, the album received the Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap Album. The project was Tupac’s most positively reviewed album and has been called the magnum opus of his career.
The singles from the project “Dear Mama,” “So Many Tears” and “Temptations” all made appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Dear Mama” peaked at #9, “So Many Tears” hit #44 and “Temptations” claimed the#68 spot.
On this date in 1972, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., the rapper, actor, and poet also known as Common was born in Chicago, Illinois. The Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist is not only an icon of Windy City’s Hip Hop scene, but he has also helped to blaze a trail for Golden Era rappers into other aspects of entertainment as he has with his roles in blockbuster movies such as American Gangster, John Wick 2 and Glory just to name a few. The newly signed HBO producer has come a long way since he was known as Common Sense asking Can I Borrow A Dollar?
As we salute Common on his born day, let us send him a keen reminder of his first love that brought him into our living rooms, literally making him a household name.
On this date 29 years ago, Gusto and the gang shows us what gangsta Hip-Hop is all about.
In 1993, Chris Rock, Allen Payne and Charlie Murphy gave their own take of how things go down behind the scenes with gangsta rappers vs. real-life gangsters in the comedy flick CB4. Directed by and starring Rock, CB4 was a parody that pokes fun at “the world’s most dangerous group” N.W.A. and features several Hip Hop notables including Ice-T, Ice Cube, Flavor Flav and the late Eazy-E.
Murphy, who played the role of “Gusto”, is a certified “G’ who is “three generations deep in gangsterdom.” Rock, who plays up and coming rapper Albert Brown from “LoCash” California, jack Gusto’s gangster look, background and persona, becoming MC Gusto after the “gangsta” Gusto went to prison. The group that Rock’s character formed, who were called CB4, which stood for gangsta Gusto’s prison location ‘Cell Block 4″, took the rap world by storm until reality hit; Gusto gets out of jail.
Salute to Rock, Charlie Murphy (RIP), Allen Payne and even Daddy-O of Stetsasonic, who was the rapper for CB4’s hits “Straight Outta LoCash” and “Sweat From My Balls.” CB4 is definitely a comedic learning tool and will forever be a piece of Hip-Hop history!
When the phrase ‘super producer’ is uttered, not many names come to mind. Names like: RZA, Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, and Kanye West are among the high ranks that have earned the title. Today however, we celebrate the birth of one who help to shape the scope of both Hip Hop and R&B in the late 90s and early 2000s. Timothy ZacheryMosley a.k.a. Timbaland was born on this day [March 10] 49 years ago.
Timbaland is responsible in large part for the success of artists like Missy Elliot, Aaliyah and Ginuwine. Timbaland helped shape a Hip Hop culture in his home state of Virginia and through his production and organization of local artists. He has even crossed over into pop, working with acts like Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, to create a sound and culture that helped bridge the pop culture gap to allow for more and more trans-genre collaboration.
In honor of Timbaland’s born day, here’s a list of some of his hottest and most influential tracks that have left a permanent mark on Hip Hop and R&B music and culture.
Aaliyah – “One In A Million”
As the third main single of the popular album of the same name, “One in a Million” peaked at #1 on the US Hot Rap/R&B chart. It also claimed the#1 spot in R&B Airplay for six long weeks.
Ginuwine – “Pony”
“Pony” was actually Ginuwine’s debut single and peaked at #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song kept it’s spot on the Hot R&B chart for two weeks.
Missy Elliot – “Supa Dupa Fly”
This was the first single from Missy Elliot’s debut album of the same name. This song hit at #4 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop charts and helped to earn Missy a spot on Elektra Records with her own sub-label Goldmind.
Justin Timberlake – “Sexy Back”
“Sexy Back” is the name of one of Justin Timberlake’s most successful and well known solo records. Hitting the #1 spot in a plethora of countries, this song has gone platinum a few times over in this country and across the globe.
Nelly Furtado – “Promiscuous”
“Promiscuous” is the international #1 hit single of Canadian singer/songwriter Nelly Furtado. Although it has peaked at #1 in a few countries around the globe it hit #3 in the United States. This was the second single from the album Loose.
A new memorial honoring the late The Notorious B.I.G. was unveiled on Thursday in Brooklyn.
According to CBS News, New York City mayor Eric Adams helped in the reveal of the new mosaic memorial, located at Saint James Place and Fulton Street. The intersection is also known as Christopher Wallace Way, where the late rapper grew up.
The new mosaic is based on an iconic image of the rapper, and the face has a mirror, reflecting the rapper’s former home.
Earlier today (March 9), remembering his late friend, Diddy hit Instagram to salute the legend and show love.
“There will NEVER be another. The GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME. Today we celebrate and honor you king. Love and miss you!! @TheNotoriousBIG”
On this day in 1997, Brooklyn native and Hip Hop legend Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in LA. 26 years ago
Wallace left Puff Daddy’s Vibe Magazine party in a GMC SuburbanS.U.V.V that stopped at a red light at Wilshire Boulevard and South Fairfax. While stopped a Chevrolet ImpalaS.S.S pulled up beside him and his entourage. According to witnesses, a black male dressed in a blue suit and bow tie rolled down his window and shot Biggie four times and he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
After years of investigations and conspiracy theories as to who killed Biggie and why, no one has been brought to justice to answer for Wallace’s death. Former LAPD Detective Russell Poole fought vigorously, even sometimes against his own peers, to get to the bottom of his untimely death. Poole died from a heart attack on August 19, 2015, while discussing the Tupac Shakur and Wallace cases at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The legacy B.I.G.. left behind is officially embedded in Hip Hop culture two decades later and will continue to influence the community as his family and friends share his story.
Today (March 9) is the anniversary of the death of The Notorious B.I.G. Remembering his late friend, Diddy hit Instagram to salute the legend and show love.
“There will NEVER be another. The GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME. Today we celebrate and honor you king. Love and miss you!! @TheNotoriousBIG”
On this day in 1997, Brooklyn native and Hip Hop legend Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in LA. 26 years ago
Wallace left Puff Daddy’s Vibe Magazine party in a GMC SuburbanS.U.V.V that stopped at a red light at Wilshire Boulevard and South Fairfax. While stopped a Chevrolet ImpalaS.S.S pulled up beside him and his entourage. According to witnesses, a black male dressed in a blue suit and bow tie rolled down his window and shot Biggie four times and he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
After years of investigations and conspiracy theories as to who killed Biggie and why, no one has been brought to justice to answer for Wallace’s death. Former LAPD Detective Russell Poole fought vigorously, even sometimes against his own peers, to get to the bottom of his untimely death. Poole died from a heart attack on August 19, 2015, while discussing the Tupac Shakur and Wallace cases at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The legacy B.I.G.. left behind is officially embedded in Hip Hop culture two decades later and will continue to influence the community as his family and friends share his story.
On this date in 1972, Anthony “AZ” Cruz was born in Brooklyn, New York. Cruz, who became known as AZ as a shortened way to say Asiatic, his righteous attribute from the 5% Nation.
AZ was first heard on Nas’ iconic Illmatic LP on the L.E.S. produced “Life’s A Bitch”. AZ’s verse was so transformative, it landed him a deal with EMI Records in 1994. His first LP, Doe Or Die, earned the street savvy East New Yorker a gold plaque, lead by the infectious single “Sugar Hill” featuring Miss Jones. AZ was also a major part of the legendary collective The Firm, which included Nas, Nature, Foxy Brown and was produced exclusively by Dr. Dre.
Just a couple of years following the commemoration of Doe Or Die 2, which was issued on the 25th anniversary of the original Doe Or Die, AZ says that there is still a possibility of a joint album with him and Nas.
On this day in 1997, Brooklyn native and Hip Hop legend Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in LA. 26 years ago
Wallace left Puff Daddy’s Vibe Magazine party in a GMC SuburbanS.U.V.V that stopped at a red light at Wilshire Boulevard and South Fairfax. While stopped a Chevrolet ImpalaS.S.S pulled up beside him and his entourage. According to witnesses, a black male dressed in a blue suit and bow tie rolled down his window and shot Biggie four times and he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
After years of investigations and conspiracy theories as to who killed Biggie and why, no one has been brought to justice to answer for Wallace’s death. Former LAPD Detective Russell Poole fought vigorously, even sometimes against his own peers, to get to the bottom of his untimely death. Poole died from a heart attack on August 19, 2015 while discussing the Tupac Shakur and Wallace cases at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The legacy B.I.G.. left behind is officially embedded in Hip Hop culture two decades later and will continue to influence the community as his family and friends share his story.
Dia Simms, the CEO of Lobos 1707 Tequila & Mezcal, is at the forefront of the spirits industry. Simms highlights the magic of women, leading one of the growing and industry-leading brands in the spirit industry, and her own personal dominance by leading another company to heights.
Before taking over Lobos 1707 as the leader of the wolfpack, Simms led Combs Enterprises as the first President in its 30-year history. Demonstrating that being a minority in a male-dominated industry was not a hindrance, Simms flourished in the Combs empire, leading the CÎROC Vodka brand, along with Bad Boy Entertainment and more. Her work at CÎROC developed the brand into its current $2 billion valuation.
Dia Simms is also the Co-Founder of Pronghorn, an independent organization committed to assisting the future of Black founders and entrepreneurs in order to increase diversity within the spirits industry. The effort will lead to an industry-shaking $2.4 billion in economic value for the Black community by 2030.
In conversation with The Source for Women’s History Month, Dia Simms talks about taking the driver’s seat at Lobos 1707 Tequila & Mezcal, her work at Pronghorn, how all businesses should be all in on women’s leadership, and more.
The Source:A simple question upfront, how does it feel to be a member of the Wolf Pack?
It feels wonderful, and it’s actually really reassuring with all that is happening in the world. We’re all so fortunate to be working at something, like my core mission, who are kind, extremely hardworking, and committed to winning, but not at the expense of kindness. I don’t take it for granted. I feel really privileged that I can choose what I want to work on. I wouldn’t choose anything different than being surrounded by Diego and our incredible investors like LeBron [James], Arnold [Schwarzenegger], Lindsay Vaughn, and the incredible women executives that I work alongside, many of whom I have worked with for many years. Very much in the spirit of what it means to be a wolf pack in terms of community, caring for one another, and true leadership within the industry aligned with an award-winning spirit has diverse ownership. I’m having the time of my life. I really, I really mean that.
That’s amazing. Diving into that, you’re no stranger to the spirits industry. You’ve led plenty of brands to heights. What lets you know that Lobos 1707 was the next spot for you?
Two things: one sip and the second thing was the truth of the story of the brand. When you’re in the business of brand building and marketing, it is our job often to tell stories, but sometimes that includes story creation and crafting. The thing I actually really love about this brand is we just tell the truth all the time. We just tell the history of our founders’ family from the 17 hundreds and why every single expression has a shared finish, which is why we won over 40 awards in the last nine-month period of time. When I first met our founder, he said, “I’m allergic to gimmicks.” And I was like, oh, yeah, that’s where I want to be. I want to have a gimmick allergy. The fact that every single thing on the bottle actually means something is really thoughtful and then when you crack open the bottle, you can actually experience that truth. Just how incredible the liquid is.
credit: Lobos 1707 Tequila & Mezcal
I think a lot of people are starting to experience that. We’re seeing an expansion of the Lobos 1707 brand across sports and music culture, and of course, that trickles into a consumer. I feel like many would try to give a disservice to the work of you and the brand by saying, “oh, you got LeBron and Draymond [Green] and all of these famous people pushing the brand. It’s easy for them.” But I know it’s not. What is in that strategy of ensuring that imprint is across those specific markets, and how does it challenge you to make sure that presence is felt?
Listen, today’s consumer is very smart. There’s nobody, I think, famous enough to consistently trick a customer with a half-ass product for a long time. Maybe one time, maybe two shots, but there’s a graveyard of celebrity brands that did not work. It’s not enough just to say, “oh, I’m famous. Try this.” When you try it, it actually has to be incredible. We are fortunate enough that the product is the heartbeat, it is the first in the original star. And LeBron, just like me, fell in love when he had the first sip and said sign me up. I’m writing a check. This is a place I want to be. And it represents a lot of the way he’s moved in his life, right? His same high school crew is now killing it in their own way. It’s the Wolf Pack spirit. So it certainly isn’t easy, but I think, more importantly, I’m super grateful, of course, to access the audience that LeBron, Draymond, and Arnold bring to the table. But more importantly, I would never invite anybody to participate in a product that I stood behind if I couldn’t commit to the promise of that product.
credit: Lobos 1707 Tequila & Mezcal
You mentioned the importance and power of having a woman executive team with you earlier. How is that bond, and what fostered the creative area to show that women really matter in this space?
First of all, I’m grateful for the women’s team. Women lead the team at Lobos 1707. But it is much bigger than Lobos, right? There’s been a gazillion studies that just continually show that when you have women in leadership, it’s very simply good for business. You just have higher profits, more innovation, and better retention. As a responsible business person, if you are looking around and you don’t have significant representation of women in your leadership and throughout your ranks, you’re actually doing a financial disservice to your company. Women are not even a mathematical minority. So you almost have to be intentional about not having women. I challenge any business owner, investor, and meaningful stakeholder, and look at your team. If it’s not somewhere in the neighborhood at 50% of women leadership, you’re just losing money.
So this is a two-part question. Taking on a new spot, coming over from the heights of a presidency with Combs Enterprises, were there any fears in transitioning to new opportunities? And how do you internally access what you need to be successful in that new position?
I grew up constantly being told we move with faith, not fear. I’m not easily scared. So I wouldn’t say that there was fear in the transition because I kind of think what was meant for me is meant for me. What was exciting and something I do love to do is build things from scratch. And that’s just my geek nerd side I absolutely enjoy. We come up with a concept that nobody had ever heard of and then put together the bricks, the mortar, and the branding. The excitement to invite people to an experience and watch something go from a piece of paper or whiteboard, a brainstorm, to a globally recognized product. And don’t get me wrong, there are scary challenges on that journey, but I love to do it.
You’re serving an important role in the community. What is required for you to balance the importance of the Lobos 1707 brand and also leading Pronghorn to promote diversity across the entire spirits industry?
Well, listen, Lobos is a manifestation of what Pronghorn stands for. It is a case study, an economic case study of a diverse-owned brand that’s commercially successful. When we launched in our first 12 months, we tripled our forecast, and that was because of that diversity. The idea of Pronghorn is to serve as a template on how to effectively diversify any industry, starting with the Black American community and the spirits industry. Lobos 1707 essentially is a hallmark of what we’re doing and planning for, and we’re investing in 57 Black-owned founders.
In the spirits industry, Black Americans are well represented on the consumption side, nearly absent at the ownership and executive levels. So why not change that? What does that take? How do you recruit those people? What’s the math of it? A stat that I say all the time, a two-part stat, where the average white American is worth 13 times more than the average Black American is worth with that group. If you double-click into that group of people that own anything, that multiple is now three times. So even right now, with all the historical systemic inequities, owning anything, a nail salon, a couple of stocks puts you on a much higher path to have a meaningful net worth. When you double-click again on that Black community who owns anything, the average Black person who owns something is typically worth 12 times what the average Black person who owns nothing is in America. So we all talk about having a lot of good intentions about changing the world but don’t talk enough about ownership, entrepreneurship, and economic underpinning
So we invested in 57 Black-owned founders, driving 1,800 new Black American employees at the top suppliers in the industry over the next 10 years, and by providing supercharging services to help catch up information and awareness to become a part of this industry. We’ve done the math and the modeling and got the commitment from the biggest suppliers in the industry. And it drives a $2.4 billion economic impact over 10 years, both for the Black American community and for the industry.
In some cases, we don’t truly value or understand the importance of ownership. Especially with what that can afford you later on in life. Is there a way that you think would be best for leaders in the community to continue to stress that importance or even break down that message?
Well, one of the things as families, is making sure that entrepreneurship is on the table as an option. Depending on when and where you grew up, it is not that often talked about. I do think that there are incredible examples of ownership. Beyonce sang “pay me inequity,” or you look at what Puff and JAY-Z just recently did with his deal with Dusse. With Diddy, every time my artist wears something, it sells out, I’m going to launch my own company called Sean John. So, I think we do see it. I think that some of the biggest challenges are even if you think you want to have the pathway, you need cash capital or access to information. Because even if you have the best idea in the world, if you can’t fund it, it’s not going to go so far.
The spirits industry and Hip-Hop have long gone hand in hand. We’re in the 50th year of Hip-Hop. What in this year are you looking forward or is there anything that you would like to attend>
I grew up in Queens, New York. I grew up in a neighborhood called East Elmhurst, near LaGuardia Airport, and when I was maybe 10, I gotta do the actual math, I would see like Salt-N-Pepa practicing in the backyard, Kid ‘n Play at the block parties. And I saw firsthand what was a neighborhood hobby, and then all of a sudden, it’s like house parties and movies around the world, and now it’s a trillion-dollar industry. I got to have a front-row seat to this cool, fun thing we did around the way to become this tremendous business. I think what I love to see now in the 50 years is us continuing to demand the respect of the permanence of this genre. So when I think about this year, I’m excited to see what’s next. I got my ears tuned in to see what the new vibe will be? 50 years is a nice time for us to really go back in the studios, let’s, let’s go back into ourselves and push, you know, push this beautiful, um, genre forward right to the next, uh, levels of creativity.
