The Industry Cosign

Earl Christian III is a Howard University TV Production graduate, visionary, Creator, and Executive producer of the award-winning Urban Wall Street Project, as well as the dynamic, UWS Young Producers program. Since 2008, Earl has produced over 700 UWS and YP student-oriented short films/videos, garnering over 1.2 Million views on his YouTube channels. Having worked with thousands of students in N...

If you're a fan of music, more specifically Hip-Hop, Ralph McDaniels should be listed as one of your heroes. Every hip-hop artist was influenced by the work that Uncle Ralph (as he is affectionately known) has done over the 40 years he has been working in this fickle industry. No matter who you support or are a fan of, more than likely, they were influenced by someone who was influenced by Ralph....

In this episode, BIG CED sits down with Wes—someone he’s known longer than anyone else featured on the series—for a deep dive into friendship, media, culture, and the unseen infrastructure that has shaped hip-hop, independent voices, and community storytelling in New York City.⏱️ Timestamps0:00 – IntroBIG CED sets the tone, introduces the series, and explains why this episode is personal.1:27 – Me...

Acting is a skill set that many feel they may have, but the truly talented are the ones who are working. Dennis L.A. White is one of the working ones. You may have seen him in a few TV shows like "Kold X Windy," "The Closer," "Atlanta," or "The Family Business." Either way, he has appeared in over 70 movies and TV shows. The man is so talented that he has his own company, "ACT LIKE YOU KNOW," wher...

Da Beatminerz was a responsible party of the backpack movement in Hip-Hop back in the 90s when that term was placed on a certain brand of emcees. The production team consisted of two brothers, Mr. Walt and DJ Evil Dee. They were the architect for Evil Dee's group, Black Moon which included Evil, Buckshot Shorty, and 5ft. The producers were instrumental in the many hits that came out of the Bucksho...

To be an independent label is a tiresome job and many don't have the business acumen to succeed in this industry. But, to be in business since 2011 and to STILL be doing things is a testimony to dedication and business intelligence. Derrick McKinney, co-founder and CEO of L.O.U.D. Muzik (The acronym is Live Out Ur Dreams) has been part of the Hip-Hop culture and a mainstay of the Houston music sce...

The world was captivated by the sounds of a group consisting of two emcees and one DJ from New York City named Whodini. The trio had a string of hits that kept people bobbing their heads and moving their feet whenever a song of theirs came on. With their self-titled album being released in 1983, they took off with "Magic's Wand" and the "Haunted House of Rock." But, their next album, "Escape" lift...

The acronym FUBU worked its way into our vocabulary back in 1992 and stood as the basis for Black-owned businesses catering to Black businesses. For Us By Us still is a call to arms for Black entrepreneurs to make their way to success. I am in no way saying that the blueprint that the founders of FUBU used wasn’t done before. Even if I wanted to say that, I’d be a fool since I freelance for Black...

As a former New Jersey educator and frontman of the "true school" Hip Hop Group, Channel Live, Green has been a multi-dimensional force in the music industry for nearly three decades. Discovered by KRS-One, his group, Channel Live, debuted in 1994 with their platinum single Hip Hop anthem Mad Izm, followed by the gold-status album “Station Identification.” Their single Mad Izm would go on to debut...

Many people transition from being an artist to going into another field or finding another vocation to take on in the same field. Recording artist, Tracey Lee, Esq., an entertainment attorney has successfully obtained his license to practice law and has been an entertainment attorney for many years. We were first introduced to him in 1997 when he released a single, "The Theme (It's Party Time)" th...

Growing up in the New York City area is challenging, yet fulfilling, especially back in the 1970s- 1990s. A young boy, born in the Bronx but raised in Long Island took a chance by entering the world of hip-hop at a time when hip-hop was still considered a fad and wasn't expected to last long. In fact, it was given the same lifespan as disco. But, Darryl Mitchell decided to try his hand at it a...

Not everyone can handle entrepreneurship, but for comedian Jamie Roberts, owning a business is not a funny thing. The man has been on the comedy scene for years and has had a hand in running several shows in the New York City area. Roberts was the host and executive producer of a weekly show every Sunday called Sunday Night Live, the longest-running Sunday comedy show in NYC. There you were able t...

You've heard many of their songs throughout the past 40-plus years. When it comes to legendary, this man and his music family fit the bill. He and his family, Full Force, which was comprised of brothers, Lucien "Bowlegged Lou" George Jr. "Paul Anthony" George, Brian "B-Fine" George, and cousins, Hugh Junior "Shy Shy" Clark, Curt "Curt-T-T" Bede...

There are many recognizable songs in hip-hop history that all you have to do is hear four bars and you instantly know the song. Or, you know the most known and heavily recited lines, in this case, "Engine, engine number nine on the New York Transit line, if my train goes off the track, pick it up! Pick it Up! Pick it up!" Well, the next person I speak to in this series of "My Friend...

The importance of educating the youth is not lost on Brooklyn, NY's own Chip Fu. A founding member of the hip-hop group, Fu-Schnickens, his dedication to hip-hop helped shape his focus to making sure the youth have direction and focus for the future. The child of an educator, Chip is a natural for the program he started and is currently running M.A.A.T.H. (Music Appreciation, Art, Time, and He...

Lemar Ingram is involved in corporate America for his day job, yet, he has instilled the learnings and culture of hip-hop in order to become successful in his line of work. The self-described hip-hop head is also the author of the self-published book, " The G-Code: Behind the Bars: Hip-Hop Connoisseur's Guide Through Corporate America ." Ingram's tome offers a thought-provoking l...

In this powerful conversation, BIG CED sits down with Hip-Hop legend Special Ed to talk about legacy, culture, entrepreneurship, and giving back to the community. From growing up in Hip-Hop to launching Special Ed Arts & Literacy, Special Ed reflects on the music industry, the evolution of hip-hop, social media, and the responsibility artists have to guide the next generation. He also shares insig...

Hip-Hop and politics are two things that are needed in the community and it was only a matter of time before both would intersect with each other. We have always known that there would be politicians who claim hip-hop but to actually see someone actually INVOLVED in the culture to enter into the arena of politics was eventual. Enter Dupre Kelly, who we know as DoItAll of Lords of The Underground....

This episode of My Friends Are Better Than Yours features a young man I've known for over 20 years. I've literally watched him grow up from being the younger brother of Uptown Records recording artist, Father MC to sharpening his skills while working at BET . And now, he is not only acting as Junie Byrd in the MGM+ series, Godfather of Harlem starring Forrest Whitaker but also the executiv...

The latest technology that seems to be on people’s minds is artificial intelligence. With the sudden rise of popular social media apps utilizing AI tools, it’s important that we get on board before it takes off. The Wrap reported that the November launch of the ChatGPT app generated 672 million visits in January. That number placed the app within the Top 50 global websites. With the recent announc...

BIG CED of The Industry Cosign got an opportunity to talk to recording artist, Bradd Marquis .  The conversation centered around the upcoming tour that the singer is about to embark on starting on January 20th. The name of the tour is "The Music of Sam Cooke- A Change Is Gonna Come." The show will start in Texas and work its way to Saratoga Springs, NY in February.  We got a chance to di...

BIG CED of The Industry Cosign talks to The Fabulous Chi Ali, who is the  youngest member of the Native Tongues (De La Soul, A Tribe Called  Quest, Jungle Brothers, Black Sheep). Chi Ali has just started his own non-profit organization named Choices Have Impact. We talk about the reason he started it and how he has been keeping his life on the right path.   Choices Have Impact is a...

BIG CED of The Industry Cosign talks to DJ Kenny Parker of Boogie Down Productions. Kenny discusses the book he just wrote and released 'My Brother's Name Is Kenny: The Greatest True Hip-Hop Story Ever Told' The book is a tell-all written by Kenny about the upbringing of himself and his brother, KRS-One, who is considered to be one of the most lyrical Hip-Hop artists of the world.   Kenny goe...

The Industry Cosign speaks to entrepreneur, Ronier Golightly, better known as DJBabe, Owner and CEO of Motor City Popcorn.      The industry veteran is a business owner, DJ and author has been a  budding entrepreneur since he started perfecting his talent on the turntables in 1984. He was an on-air radio mixer with WJLB (Detroit),  Superadio syndication as well as bot...

The Revolt Summit landed in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia in September. As hundreds of up-and-coming artists, industry executives, and admirers of the culture gathered to gain and/or give knowledge, the heat wasn’t only outdoors. The conference provided opportunities for everyone to network with like-minded people as mostly Black entrepreneurs and artists were there to expand their businesses, to...