IN MY OWN WORDS
Since I was a kid growing up in Harlem, the moon and the stars were what I aspired to grab. I wanted to reach past the sky, no matter the obstacle. That mentality, even when faced with challenges, hasn't changed. If anything, it’s only made me more passionate.
I began my discovery of entrepreneurship and foray into the industry while attending Long Island University as a Media Arts major. Timing was on my side: While simultaneously working at Smooth magazine as an editorial assistant, I traded a pair of Summer Jam tickets for a marketing internship at Marc Ecko Enterprises, which comprised Ecko Unltd, Ecko Red, G-Unit Clothing, Zoo York, Complex Media, and more. During my internship from 2002 to 2004, I witnessed the company’s growth as it became synonymous with mainstream pop culture. I was inspired to venture out and curate a company of my own, with the intention of being a voice for the culture that raised me.
At the beginning of 2004, I launched Laced magazine with my close friend and stylist, Kwasi Kessie. Laced was a publication that celebrated the intersection of two thriving, kindred cultures: sneakers and hip-hop. Unlike other publications, we created it from the perspective of the streets. "Laced up from the ground up" was the motto. As creative director and co-founder, I aimed to offer a platform to rising artists and designers before mainstream media took notice. Artists such as Swizz Beatz, The Cool Kids, Chris Brown, Lupe Fiasco, The Clipse, and brands such as Lemar & Dauley, Rocksmith, and Japanese brands Swagger and Phenomenon were just a few featured in Laced.
Within a year, I co-founded a collective called GFCnewyork with another close friend and colleague, Saint Louis. GFCnewyork, a management, public relations, and marketing firm, became a platform for a new breed of musicians and creatives reshaping societal norms. The company's innovative marketing strategies, along with our hustle mentality, allowed us to break such acts as Mickey Factz, FKi, Big K.R.I.T., Jesse Boykins III, A.CHAL, Smoke DZA, Deem Spencer, and more.
Both worlds collided when we started working with our first artist, Mickey. We needed a theme song for Laced. Not many people were rapping about sneakers, and Mickey was one of the first. It was a great experience. We couldn’t afford to hire a staff, so we did everything ourselves—A&R, marketing, publicity, styling, and production. I’m a huge Pharrell fan and thought it’d be cool if Mickey flipped N.E.R.D. material. We flooded everyone’s Myspace pages with Mickey’s In Search Of... the N.E.R.D. project. We were among the first to focus on digital marketing, using creative ideas and building relationships with OG rap blogs. We didn’t have our own Macs, so we’d go into the Apple Store and push out music there. Kid Cudi would be in there doing the same thing—pushing his music while working at Bape.
My childhood friend, rapper Smoke DZA, connected me with Johnny Shipes. Shipes was curious about who was behind Mickey Factz. He believed in me because of how I believed in others. He wanted me to do PR and digital marketing for the late Nipsey Hussle. We worked on Bullets Ain’t Got No Name, Vol. 1. I was fortunate to be a part of his growth and witness him figure out the model to make money digitally. Shipes and I worked together on a few artists, including Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, and Joey Bada$$. I handled marketing and explored new creative outlets like art direction and photography.
In 2010, I co-founded one of the most popular branded hip-hop tours to date, The Smokers Club, alongside Shipes. Inspired by capturing moments while on tour, I curated my first photo exhibit in 2014. From 2014 to 2018, GFCNYreunited with old friends Sean Famoso and Tunde Balogun to take on digital marketing, publicity, and creative for their label, LVRN. We developed marketing plans and led creative strategy for a handful of their artists, such as Raury, 6LACK, and Shelley FKA DRAM.
In early 2016, I co-founded a creative agency called BOOOTLEG with SAISTV. SAIS and I launched BOOOTLEG with the intention of turning the tables on the term “bootleg.” We turned what seemed untouchable into manifestation. We wanted to encourage others to think positively—if you want it and can’t have it? Make it. Do it. There are no roadblocks. As BOOOTLEG, I led creative direction and designed artwork and merchandise for artists such as Shelley FKA DRAM, Deem Spencer, Big K.R.I.T., KAMAU, and more.
Within the past few years, I shifted gears mentally. The hardest shit is the most inspiring shit, and I gotta do it all. I decided to be the leader of every part of my life and own it. I’ve dedicated my mind and heart to creating and aim to constantly challenge my imagination and my eye.
Through that personal commitment, OBJECTS by SO was born as my creative expression and perspective on everyday “objects.” I reimagine items that hold space in my life through my own creative lens to curate my OBJECTS Collection. To date, I’ve presented my take on the trucker hat, a vase created from Legos, an area rug inspired by basketball, a mental health and wellness journal, and a book bag—with many more OBJECTS being conceptualized.
If you ask me what keeps me going, it’s the constant pursuit of inspiration.
TBC - SO
I began my discovery of entrepreneurship and foray into the industry while attending Long Island University as a Media Arts major. Timing was on my side: While simultaneously working at Smooth magazine as an editorial assistant, I traded a pair of Summer Jam tickets for a marketing internship at Marc Ecko Enterprises, which comprised Ecko Unltd, Ecko Red, G-Unit Clothing, Zoo York, Complex Media, and more. During my internship from 2002 to 2004, I witnessed the company’s growth as it became synonymous with mainstream pop culture. I was inspired to venture out and curate a company of my own, with the intention of being a voice for the culture that raised me.
At the beginning of 2004, I launched Laced magazine with my close friend and stylist, Kwasi Kessie. Laced was a publication that celebrated the intersection of two thriving, kindred cultures: sneakers and hip-hop. Unlike other publications, we created it from the perspective of the streets. "Laced up from the ground up" was the motto. As creative director and co-founder, I aimed to offer a platform to rising artists and designers before mainstream media took notice. Artists such as Swizz Beatz, The Cool Kids, Chris Brown, Lupe Fiasco, The Clipse, and brands such as Lemar & Dauley, Rocksmith, and Japanese brands Swagger and Phenomenon were just a few featured in Laced.
Within a year, I co-founded a collective called GFCnewyork with another close friend and colleague, Saint Louis. GFCnewyork, a management, public relations, and marketing firm, became a platform for a new breed of musicians and creatives reshaping societal norms. The company's innovative marketing strategies, along with our hustle mentality, allowed us to break such acts as Mickey Factz, FKi, Big K.R.I.T., Jesse Boykins III, A.CHAL, Smoke DZA, Deem Spencer, and more.
Both worlds collided when we started working with our first artist, Mickey. We needed a theme song for Laced. Not many people were rapping about sneakers, and Mickey was one of the first. It was a great experience. We couldn’t afford to hire a staff, so we did everything ourselves—A&R, marketing, publicity, styling, and production. I’m a huge Pharrell fan and thought it’d be cool if Mickey flipped N.E.R.D. material. We flooded everyone’s Myspace pages with Mickey’s In Search Of... the N.E.R.D. project. We were among the first to focus on digital marketing, using creative ideas and building relationships with OG rap blogs. We didn’t have our own Macs, so we’d go into the Apple Store and push out music there. Kid Cudi would be in there doing the same thing—pushing his music while working at Bape.
My childhood friend, rapper Smoke DZA, connected me with Johnny Shipes. Shipes was curious about who was behind Mickey Factz. He believed in me because of how I believed in others. He wanted me to do PR and digital marketing for the late Nipsey Hussle. We worked on Bullets Ain’t Got No Name, Vol. 1. I was fortunate to be a part of his growth and witness him figure out the model to make money digitally. Shipes and I worked together on a few artists, including Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, and Joey Bada$$. I handled marketing and explored new creative outlets like art direction and photography.
In 2010, I co-founded one of the most popular branded hip-hop tours to date, The Smokers Club, alongside Shipes. Inspired by capturing moments while on tour, I curated my first photo exhibit in 2014. From 2014 to 2018, GFCNYreunited with old friends Sean Famoso and Tunde Balogun to take on digital marketing, publicity, and creative for their label, LVRN. We developed marketing plans and led creative strategy for a handful of their artists, such as Raury, 6LACK, and Shelley FKA DRAM.
In early 2016, I co-founded a creative agency called BOOOTLEG with SAISTV. SAIS and I launched BOOOTLEG with the intention of turning the tables on the term “bootleg.” We turned what seemed untouchable into manifestation. We wanted to encourage others to think positively—if you want it and can’t have it? Make it. Do it. There are no roadblocks. As BOOOTLEG, I led creative direction and designed artwork and merchandise for artists such as Shelley FKA DRAM, Deem Spencer, Big K.R.I.T., KAMAU, and more.
Within the past few years, I shifted gears mentally. The hardest shit is the most inspiring shit, and I gotta do it all. I decided to be the leader of every part of my life and own it. I’ve dedicated my mind and heart to creating and aim to constantly challenge my imagination and my eye.
Through that personal commitment, OBJECTS by SO was born as my creative expression and perspective on everyday “objects.” I reimagine items that hold space in my life through my own creative lens to curate my OBJECTS Collection. To date, I’ve presented my take on the trucker hat, a vase created from Legos, an area rug inspired by basketball, a mental health and wellness journal, and a book bag—with many more OBJECTS being conceptualized.
If you ask me what keeps me going, it’s the constant pursuit of inspiration.
TBC - SO