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.
On this date in 1995, Dr. Dre, along with producer Sam Sneed, put together the lead single “Keep Their Heads Ringin’” from silver screen hood favorite Friday. Within two months, the Death Row Records-owned single was certified gold and appeared on Death Row’s Greatest Hits just a year later.
TheF. Gary Gray-directed video of the single features Friday cast members Faizon Love (Big Worm), Chris Tucker (Smokey), and Nia Long, ending with Chris Tucker and Faizon Love taking the plane and flying away from the police.
Shout out to the Doctor and Sam Sneed for cooking up this classic hit for a timeless flick! Salute!
Born on this date in 1974 in the City of Brotherly Love, Dwight Grant aka Beanie Sigel aka Beans morphed into a icon in the Philly Hip Hop scene as the leader of the now defunct Roc-A-Fella Records’ State Property. Even with all of his legal troubles and the untimely split of the Roc, Beanie is still regarded as one of the best emcees of his era and one of the very few who lives what he speaks in the booth.
With six solo albums, three State Property collabos and four silver screen blockbuster appearances, it’s difficult to argue that Beans has not had a successful career. Anyone who was able to hold Hova’s attention for more than one album has some obvious skills to match his street bravado.
Happy born day to Beans and many more in the future!
On this day in Hip-Hop history, Brand Nubian founder Maxwell Dixon a.k.a. Grand Puba, was born today in 1966.
Grand Puba made his musical debut with the group Masters of Ceremony. The group’s first album Dynamite was released in 1988 and had an excellent critical reception. However, due to the lack of sales, the group disbanded shortly after the album’s release. This was when Puba emerged as the lead emcee of Brand Nubian.
Shortly after the 1990 release of the group’s debut, genre-less album One for All (which spanned reggae to Hip Hop to new jack swing), Grand Puba again parted ways from his group and embarked on a solo career. He recorded and released two albums, Reel to Reel, in 1992 and 2000 in 1995. Reel to Reel had much commercial success peaking at #28 on the Billboard 200 and toting the #1 hit single “360 Degrees (What Goes Around).” 2000 was also a success reaching the #48 spot on the Billboard 200 and its single “I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are)” hitting #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 1997, Grand Puba returned to Brand Nubian, and the group released Foundation in 1998. This album marked the reunion of the four original members. It was the first time they appeared together since their debut. This was their most successful album as a group peaking at #59 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the single “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head” reached #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was their highest climbing track.
In 2001 Grand Puba released Understand This, and in 2009, he released his fourth solo album Retroactive featuring production from Q-Tip, Large Professor, and Kid Capri. Over the years, Grand Puba has worked with Beanie Sigel, Missy Elliot, Mary J. Blige, and more. He was even sampled on the hook on the 2Pac record “Old School.”
We here at The Source would like to wish Grand Puba a happy born day. May you see many more years of success and prosperity!
On this date in 1987, “Blastmaster” KRS-One, DJ Scott La Rock, “The Human 808” D-Nice and the rest of the Boogie Down Productions crew released their highly anticipated debut album Criminal Minded on B-Boy Records.
With the “South Bronx” vs. “The Bridge” aka BDP vs. The Juice Crew beef on wax was at its height, the Criminal Minded album proved to be one of the most important instructional projects for up and coming emcees on how to take out the top dog and start your own reign. As KRS mentioned in the QDIII Beef documentary, if MC Shan wouldn’t have responded to “The Bridge Is Over”, one of the premiere singles from the album, there probably would not have been the rise and success of KRS and BDP.
With Boogie Down Productions aligned with DJ Red Alert on the FM dial at 98.7 KISS and The Juice Crew siding with the one and only Mister Magic and Marley Marl on 107.5 WBLS, it also began the early radio wars, which is actually the origin of the HOT 97 and Power 105 battle on the dial.
Tracks that will forever be etched in Hip Hop history include intellectually adept “Poetry”, the street sagas in “My 9mm Goes Bang” and “P Is Still Free”, the late Scott La Rock-inspired “Super Hoe” and the extensive lyrical lesson in the album’s title track. Ironically, Scott Sterling, better known as DJ Scott La Rock, was killed less than six months after the album’s successful release.
Following Scott’s death, KRS began dropping socially conscious singles and albums, prompting Hip Hop’s “Stop The Violence” movement and the iconic, star-studded “Self Destruction” single.
On this day in 1962, Scott Monroe Sterling known widely as DJ Scott La Rock of the famous Boogie Down Productions was born in the Bronx borough of New York City. Scott La Rock was the producer for rap icon KRS-One until his untimely death on August 27th, 1987.
La Rock was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York and was raised by his mother Carolyn Morant. As a child, he moved from Queens to the Morrisania neighborhood in the South Bronx then to the Morris Heights projects. La Rock attended Our Savior Lutheran High School where he was a great student and athlete. He originally intended to attend Castleton State University to play basketball but decided to switch his focus to music upon graduation. In college, he used to DJ at a local bar called Dugan’s Bar on Friday nights. From there his musical career blossomed.
La Rock graduated college in 1984 and returned to New York City. He worked a few jobs in the city while at night spinning records at the Broadway Repertoire Theatre. Through his work as a social worker, La Rock met his future partner in crime Kris Parker aka KRS-One at the Franklin’s Men’s Shelter. The two, along with Derrick Jones or DJ D-Nice, formed Boogie Down Productions.
In 1987 the group released their first LP, Criminal Minded, which has become a classic Hip Hop album. Criminal Minded has been ranked by The Source as one of the 100 Best Rap Albums. Rolling Stone ranked it as one of the 500 greatest albums. Complex Magazine ranks the track South Bronx from the album as #9 on their list of best diss-songs of Hip Hop.
La Rock life came to a stretching halt in 1987 due to senseless street violence. In an effort to support his friend and partner DJ D-Nice, La Rock was shot in the neck and died of his wound. As the story goes, La Rock, DJ D-Nice, Scotty “Manager Moe” Morris, DJ McBooo, and BDP bodyguard Darrell rolled up to the Highbridge Homes Projects in the South Bronx. They were there to handle a problem between D-Nice and a man who’s ex-girlfriend we was acquainted with at the time. After they handled their disagreement, bullet began to fly toward the white on red Jeep CJ-7 that they were riding in. La Rock was hit and later died at Lincoln Hospital within one hour of being shot.
KRS-One’s Stop the Violence Movement was a direct result of La Rock’s murder. Despite the loss of La Rock, KRS-One kept the Boogie Down Productions name alive and continued to release music and grow to be one of the most respected voices in Hip Hop. DJ Scott La Rock’s righteous legacy lives on forever through his music and the empire that he helped shape. Take some time today to listen to his classic album and pay some respect to his greatness.
On this date in 1971, the Shaolin Island emcee who was virtually named after the term “John Blaze”, was born in Long Island, New York.
Admired for his unique voice and witty lyrics, Method Man is known for his one of a kind sound. The Long Island-born/Staten Island bred rapper raised the bar for the ideal Shaolin emcee alongside Wu brothers Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Trailblazing the 90s, Johnny Blaze has pioneered an impressive portion of verses that are considered as one of the greatest in hip-hop history. His unpredictably bouncy flow hit wax in 1993 on Wu-Tang’s debut Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, which featured what would later become his anthem, “M.E.T.H.O.D. M.A.N.” His signature stance continued into creating essential tunes as featured in his 1994 solo debut, Tical, along with guest features on the solo debuts of fellow Wu members and the only featured emcee on Biggie’s Ready To Die LP.
The wavering style and persona of Method Man have allowed him to flourish in many different pursuits in both music and entertainment. His iconic r&b collaboration with Mary J. Blige “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By” is sanctioned as a cult classic and also snagged the class-act rapper a Grammy in 1996. Dubbing another innovative vibe, his musical duality with Redman became one of the most distinct and successful in the light of hip-hop duos, which triggered Method Man’s acting career. Bound to craft commendable works, starting from his role as Father Sha in Belly (1998), to How High, and now Power II: Book Of Ghost, the man with the iron lung has maintained a stellar track record of creating classics that are timeless. His deeds as an emcee, actor, showman, and overall creative make him one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. A certified legend.
Who remembers waiting for that Thelma & Louise album from rappers Lil Kim and Foxy Brown back in 1996?
While the album was one of the most anticipated albums of that year, it would never see the light of day after the two Brooklyn femcees dissolved their personal and work relationships. Before any beef ruined the project, Kim and Foxy were just two beautiful chicks from the hood repping their crews and grabbing the baton from Queen Latifah, Mc Lyte, and more.
The two decided to cause a frenzy and appeared together on The Source Magazine’s iconic cover, which appeared in the February 1997 issue. It was a groundbreaking moment in hip-hop culture featuring the two girls in colorful wigs, seductive outfits, and heavy makeup.
At the time, female rappers achieving commercial success was still a relatively new phenomenon in the industry. There was a lot of criticism about their place in hip-hop culture. Many critics argued that female rappers were cashing in on a trend and didn’t have the same level of lyrical skill or street credibility as their male counterparts.
The Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown cover was a direct response to those criticisms, as well as a celebration of the power and influence of female rappers. By appearing together on the cover, Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown was saying they were not to be underestimated or dismissed. They were talented, confident, and proud to embrace their sexuality.
The Source also proved they were committed to giving female rappers a platform and a voice in the industry.
The Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown cover was a decisive moment in hip-hop a culture that helped to break down barriers and pave the way for more diverse representation in the industry. It remains an iconic image that continues to inspire and empower female rappers and hip-hop fans around the world.
