Wednesday, February 28, 2007

"Important men don't ask they order"

"Important men don't ask they order" is a quote by old "Blue eyes" himself: Frank Sinatra. Who would've thought at the time he said this, that this legendary entertainer of Sicilian descent would provide a quote much more suitable for today's urban leader. Today's urban executive's and taste maker's are built much differently than the one's who came before us. Though cut from the same cloth we are much more about ourselves and answering only to ourselves. We are not inept to the importance of investing in self and ownership. To narrow it down to an even smaller demographic is to zoom in on the uber popular group of the 80's babies! I believe that my generation has learned that having that great job or that great career at company fill in the blank______ cannot hold a torch to the piece of mine of one answering to himself and only himself. Here in the music industry being your own boss has never been so important as now. To achieve success and to do it your way like the original "Chairman of the Board" Mr. Sinatra did is an incomparable experience. The other night on Funk Flex's radio show, Jim Jones took time from his interview to give shouts to Rocafella co-founders Dame and Biggs. He followed the shouts by proclaiming that they were the epitome of the "young, black and powerful because they were guys without bosses because they themselves are bosses. Now this sentiment can be challenged by people who say that all black executives have some sort of upper management signing off on their deals somewhere down the road. While this statement may be true, regarding to the guys Mos Def prefers to call the T.I.'s (tall Israeli's) of the world. It is to be said that while such deals are often facilitated by the "real" bosses that the majority of the time it's the urban executive's who are fielding the calls from these so called bosses and not vice versa. Though as much as these corporations try to rape and pillage our kingdom's and dynasty's we've built they still need us! Example: black people will swear on their life that Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z aka Hova, Jigga and so on and on "runs" Def Jam. Well while it may be true that Jay-Z is the "president " of Def Jam recordings, his boss is L.A. Reid who is the Chairman. So you're thinking it stops there with L.A. being Jay's "boss" nope, it gets even larger. Def Jam is part of the Island Def Jam Music Group headed by Steve Bartels who answer's to HIS "boss" Mr. Doug Morris CEO of the Universal Music Group which owns the entire "shebang". Now Doug Morris ladies and gentlemen is who we refer to as the "boss of the bosses". I say this to say that while I applaud those who have infiltrated the corporate structure, where's the Independence? Even though little kids in Brooklyn figure our good buddy Hova is the "boss" because he has President in front of his name, his decisions are signed off AFTER they pass the desk of Mr. Reid, Mr. Bartels, and Mr. Morris to name a few. The old Rocafella team that OWNED their company and were their own bosses were much more enviable.