With everyone sharing their memories of Aaliyah, I figured I would post mine as well.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the beautiful singer/actress for Billboard right before her final album, Aaliyah, was released. I will never forget that interview. She was one of the sweetest and most easy-going artist I have ever met. She is truly missed.

#ripaaliyah

It’s always good to see you people on the come up. Witness my boy Clark Kent’s latest endeavor. Known for his hilarious Don’t Lose Your Day Job blog, Kev Clark is now getting into the mixtape game with his The Unemployment Line compilation.

Available for free download on August 18th, the mixtape features Nickelus F, Sean Price and J. Cole, among others (check the full tracklist below). According to Clark, this mixtape will give the world a sneak peak into the inner workings of his mind set to the beat of music that powered DLYDJ through its first year online.

Congrats, Kev! For more on DLYDJ, click here.

Tracklist:
1. Clark Kent [Intro]
2. “Cold City” — Nickelus F
3. “Figure Four” — Sean Price
4. “Next Selection” — Reservoir Dogs [Jozeemo, Joe Scudda, Chaundon & Big Pooh]
5. Clark Kent Says [Skit]
6. “A Dollar And A Dream” — J. Cole
7. “Championship Vinyl” — Donwill ft. The Lessondary
8. “Plan B” — Tanya Morgan ft. Napoleon
9. “Don’t Rush Me” — Jean Grae
10. Hassan Fuckry Speaks [Skit]
11. “Loyalty’s A Must” — Fresh Daily
12. “Who Dat [Freestyle]” — Joell Ortiz
13. Scruffy McGhee Gets Fired [Skit]
14. “World Renown” — Nickelus F
15. Thank You [Outro]

I have not been treating this blog well. And I apologize for that. Lots going out with the “Real Rashaun,” so rashaunhall.com has taken the hit. My bad. That said, I want to make it up with this awesome live video of Bilal channeling Donny Hathaway — a personal fave — with “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” Peep it here.

Backed by the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble, the Philly soul singer killed this classic out in L.A. Enjoy!

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble “Someday We’ll All Be Free” feat Bilal from MIguel Atwood-Ferguson on Vimeo.

This is one way to spend a hot Saturday afternoon in July…

I also had the privilege of driving the all-new Jaguar XJ but I didn’t get video of that. You’ll just have to take my word for it. It drives like a dream.

People often throw around the term “tastemaker.” But when you’re rubbing elbows with and putting your product in the hands wof A-list artists and athletes alike, it fits. And when you do it so well, that you get a check for it, they call it “influencer marketing.”

As the Director of Influence of Marketing for Jordan Brand, Reggie Saunders takes pictures with Dwayne Wade and collaborates on projects with artists like Eminem. It was not an easy leap to the top for Saunders, though. I spoke to the forward-thinking executive about he got here, the importance of forming relationships and why it can be important to zig when everyone else zags.

I think it goes without saying that quite a few people are envious of your job. We want to talk about your background and get an idea of who you are.

When I started out, my lifelong dream was to play in the NFL or MLB. I went to Towson University in my home state of Maryland on a football scholarship. With many schools to choose from I picked Towson because they had a great sports management program. If football didn’t work out I had to fall back on my education. When I graduated I went to work with the Baltimore Orioles for a year. While looking for my next job I got a call from Jack Kent Cooke, former owner of the Washington Redskins among other things, and he was looking to build a new stadium, the current FedEx Field. He was the man from whom I learned everything business-wise. We had a mutual admiration for each other which I thought was incredible because you just don’t get the kind of on the job training I was getting. It was exciting, but if you can imagine I went to work with knots in my stomach daily. It was quite challenging and I was still young. When Cooke passed away I went to the NFL League Office followed by work for the NBA with their new NBDL (National Basketball Development League). That experience gave me a chance to see that not everything is cookie cutter, but that you have to think outside the box, as a matter of fact don’t have a box. My next job took me to the West Coast with Midway Games and then to the PR firm BNC whose clients include American Express, PlayStation, and Jordan Brand. It was through these experiences with product placement and Jordan athletes that made me want to work in entertainment marketing. All of the relationships I had made throughout my career thus far were paying off. Finally I was approached by the former President of Jordan Brand, Larry Miller, and H. White, the Vice President, who wanted me to come to Jordan. They created my current position Director of Influence of Marketing, and it’s everything I could ask for.

What is a typical day in the life of you in the office?

A typical day at my job is never typical. The entertainment landscape is always changing. A typical day is me getting on the internet, listening to music, getting inspiration, and asking how we can zig when everyone else is zagging. A while back, for example, I was in Chicago with Dwayne Wade and a photographer thinking of different ways to showcase the footwear. We constantly try to stay one step ahead and get the products out to folks on the entertainment side so that they can review the product. It’s definitely exhausting.

What is the most difficult part of your job?

I think it’s staying ahead of the curve, being innovative, and being all of our brand’s truths which are authentic, uncompromised, earned, and aspirational. We expect a lot out of ourselves. It’s kind of how Michael was with his teammates, to have our role, play our role, be the best we can be, and we’ll win as a team.

Another thing you mentioned earlier was collabos and obviously that’s a key part of the sneaker world. What makes or doesn’t make a Jordan collaboration?

It’s very tough. We are unable to collaborate with just anyone. It’s a lot of painstaking decisions on our end. The last big one we did was with Eminem when his book The Way I Am came out. Not many brands can do it like we do because we deal in inspiration.

What is influencer marketing?

It’s picking up on the kind of energy and vibe a person is giving off. With our brand it is all about relationships. It’s not taking a chance, but rather knowing your audience and what everyone likes. I have to know what MJ likes, what the brand will like, and what your consumer will like.

For someone who would want to follow in your footsteps what advice would you give them to get started?

Meet a lot of people. Don’t be overbearing, but find those people that you vibe with best and pick their brains. If you take an interest in a field learn about it, ask the right questions, and then just keep moving forward.

Photo courtesy of dvl

I’m back…

After a little “vacation,” I am returning to repping me… at least a little bit. Nothing and everything has changed. I got a flipcam so once the skills are up, I will start posting videos of things that interest me as well as sharing the people, places and things that interest me via the written word.

I hope someone is still out there.

Last week, I posted “Healing Hands,” a new track from Citizen Cope’s forthcoming The RainWater LP. Now, the good folks over at Okayplayer posted a video for the BK singer/songwriter’s “I Couldn’t Explain Why.” Watch it here.

Citizen Cope “I Couldn’t Explain Why” from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

Hearing about Guru of Gangstarr’s current health condition immediately made me think about the first time I unintentionally met the legendary Boston MC.

It was late in the summer of 1999 and I was a freshman at NYU. Steve, my new roommate, and I went to see The Roots at the legendary Wetlands (Google it). Being music nerds snobs, we got there early so we could stand at the front of the stage. It was pretty hot in there (I think the eco-friendly club didn’t believe in AC), so we were sweating right along with the band which made it all the more uncomfortable when I felt a sweaty forearm bopping along on my shoulder.

“Yo, if this dude doesn’t take his arm off me…” I said to Steve (Hey, I’m from Newark. I didn’t play.).

And as I turned to say something to this dude, I stopped. I saw the bald head, sunglasses and then I heard the voice. Guru — “Just To Get A Rep” Guru, “Words That I Manifest” Guru — was nodding his head right next to me at a Roots show. I used to watch this cat’s videos after-school and now he was no different than me. We exchanged a pound and a head nod and continued watching the show.

I have had a few industry run-ins with Guru since including an odd Atlantic City party run-in but to this day that is one of my favorite NYU, NYC and hip-hop stories to tell.

Thanks, Guru… And get well soon, man.

I had the pleasure of checking out new Warner Bros act Nikki & Rich a few weeks ago and I was not disappointed. I guess I should also explain that I rarely have the desire to go to shows anymore so the fact that I actually went (based solely on the fact that I loved their EPK — check it below) AND enjoyed the show is saying something.

When I started raving about the soulful duo from Los Angeles, people asked me to describe them. The first thing I said was, “Picture Groove Theory… but white and retro.” But upon further reflection, that doesn’t even begin to really describe them (and was probably might attempt at being glib) so instead I just check out their MySpace page or their YouTube channel. The bottom line is singer Nikki Leonti’s buttery smooth vocals mesh so well with producer Rich Skillz’s retro backdrops that its hard to describe them as any but “really f—king good music.” I have to say this is one album I am looking forward to… and again, that’s saying a lot!

Nikki & Rich – Documentary Trailer:

“Cat & Mouse”:

I was feeling a little alliteral this afternoon. Anyway, if you’re in the NY tri-state area tomorrow (Feb. 16) and you like graffiti, Germans, indie flicks or a combination of the two, then you should check out a FREE screening of Wholetrain.

The critically acclaimed film by Florian Gaag will be shown tomorrow at 7pm at the Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, 5 East 3rd Street (at Bowery) in New York City. Both Gaag and New York graff artist PURE will be on hand at the screening.

I had the opportunity to see the film last year thanks to a friend who was working on bringing it stateside and I was not disappointed. As long as you can get past the subtitles (and if you’re reading this blog, I would hope you can… #noshots), then you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Peep the Wholetrain trailer below: