Hustle University - Hotep!!!

Hustle University is a virtual institution of higher learning for today’s new wave of leaders and future business/ entertainment moguls. Hustle University fosters a "do-for-self" mentality by promoting entrepreneurship and leadership through the teachings of proven business and personal success strategies.

Our strength lies in our ability to bridge the gaps between academia, hip-hop culture, corporate best practices and social activism. Hustle University provides practical strategies and solution-based methods with a "straight talk" approach laced with swagger. Our motto is:"Don't Wait for Opportunity, CREATE IT!"

B. Brown's Statement: I want to commend my man Hotep on being persistent and very focused on building Hustle University! I am very proud of you my brother! I have seen him take his idea and develop it into a great vehicle for entrepreneurs. Visit his website and take a look at a company that has a very bright future!

http://www.hustleuniversity.com

One Love!

Cheetah Girls help girls 'to believe in themselves'

By: Adrianne M. Murchison
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Wed., Oct. 29, 2008; E3)

Even with a hit television movie and a Billboard charting song to tout as accomplishments, The Cheetah Girls had not reached their ultimate high as entertainers until a concert at Disney's California Adventure Park. "It was the first time we were going to be on stage as a girl group and not as actresses," said Bailon, 25. "We hit the stage and saw fans go crazy, and there wasn't a movie director yelling action and telling them to do it."

"A lot of young girls have been following them for years and have kind of grown up with them. I know parents like to bring them out (for the show) because they are positive role models," says Julia Karenbauer, Marketing Manager for Gwinnett Arena (Gwinnett County, GA).

Group Members: Adrienne Bailon - 25; Kiely Williams - 22; Sabrina Bryan - 24

Q&A with Adrienne Bailon

Q: Tell us something people might not know about The Cheetah Girls.

A: Early on we had a couple of hard times with magazines saying, 'They're not cool enough. They're Disney Channel.' They didn't want to cover us because we didn't have edge, which to them meant we didn't have a scandal or anything intersting to say. That was hard for us to break through and really allow people to see that we are true artists and that we sing live.

Q: What is The Cheetah Girls' message of 'girl power' all about?

A: We encourage girls to believe in themselves. Anything is possible. We are really examples of that. We are the first majority minority cast at Disney. Going into the first "Cheetah Girls" movie we were like 'Hey let's just go for it.' And look where it's taken us. We learn from one another and celebrate our individuality.

Q: How would you describe each of you as friends?

A: Kiely is extremely nurturing. She's kind of like the mom of the group. She is the youngest, which is also funny. Sabrina is the comedian and keeps us all laughing. that helps when you're working hard and the stress level is high. And I'm very focused. I'm the cheerleader saying, "C'mon guys, we can make this happen."

Q: Will your upcoming concert include something special for Halloween?

A: We have some surprises in store for you guys. We're just really excited that Atlanta is such a fun city to be in for Halloween. We're hoping that a lot of fans come out dressed up looking very "Cheetahlicious."

T.I. has overcome major obstacles!

Comments by: B. Brown (BREG)

Let me start by saying that I by no means support what T.I. did last year involving the guns and silencers. But what I would like to emphasize on is the fact that this young black male battled through adversity and has jumped back onto the top of the charts with his New Album PAPER TRAIL. His first week numbers were over 500,000 units sold! Congratulations T.I.!!!

T.I. has been doing his community service at Metro Atlanta Schools and from what I have seen and heard, he is and has been making a huge impact. Now a lot of people would say and are saying why wasn't he doing this before he got in trouble? Well, I personally saw him visit North Clayton High School several years ago and he has been an advocate for education for a long time. Believe it or not, a lot of entertainers and athletes do a lot of charitable things that they do not receive publicity for what they are doing. A lot of good work is done below the radar!

We all have obstacles in our lives and we have a choice to make decisions that allow the obstacles to bring us down or make decisions to lift us above, through or around those obstacles to reach the destinations and goals we would like to reach.

T.I., keep pumping my brother and keep your head up as your time to serve your 1-year sentence approaches.

I challenge everyone to find a way to rise above their obstacles!!!

One Love!

Options, we have them, but what are we actually willing to do?

By: B. Brown (BREG)

"If I wasn't in the rap game, I'd probably have 'key', knee-deep in the crack game. Cause the streets is a short stop, either slangin' crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot. --- Notorious B.I.G., "Things Done Changed"

What a thought from B.I.G. Their is a large population of youth that really believe their way to financial success is by way of selling drugs, sports or entertainment. For some reason, they believe their options are tremendously limited and that is not the truth. Education is the key to success in anything and as an artist, manager, record company executive, etc., you must know what you are doing and that is going to require you studying your craft intensely so that you can become the best at what you do! So check this out, we have to prepare to be the best in whatever profession we chose to be involved in as a professional.

Even as an Artist, there are options to chose from. Are you going to perform on the local scene and take advantage of open-mics, showcases, etc.? Are you going to put together a budget and go out and service all the DJ's at the different clubs in town and in a 100 mile radius? Do you have a budget to do a radio campaign? Do you have a budget to go on a Promotional Tour? Artists have to see the big picture at times so that planning and strategic moves can be made to further their career.

We all have choices to make. We must all choose wisely!

One Love!

Bernie Mac & Issac Hayes --- Thank you!

By: B. Brown

My Prayers go out to and are with the families of Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes. To lose two (2) giants of the Entertainment Industry within the same weekend is unbelievable! God is good and his way is unquestionable, so we know everything is going to be okay.

Bernie has made me laugh so hard because of his incredible wit, punchlines and overall style. From Def Comedy Jam to all the movies and concerts, Bernie commanded attention in all of his performances no matter how small his role was because of his huge presence and that's what I am going to miss about him the most --- his great presence! God Bless you Bernie --- Rest in Peace!

What can I say about Issac Hayes, the man that composed the theme song for the movie SHAFT and helped create a character that epitomized the meaning of "cool", Issac Hayes is a musician of Icon status and we have lost a role model and gentleman that has helped music transcend and unite people all around the world! God Bless you Issac --- Rest in Peace!

You will never regret time spent with family and friends. Let your loved ones know that they are loved as much as possible. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

One Love!

Let's Make A Deal!

By: Keith Murphy (Vibe Magazine; pg. 42; May 2008)

Riding high on the success of this spring's Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige tour, LIVE NATION is officially bum rushing the recording industry. And the stakes are higher than ever.

What is it?
Established by Bronx, NY - raised media entrepreneur Robert F.X. Sillerman in 1997, Live Nation is a $3 billion concert promotions giant that has handled tours for such acts as The Police, Genesis, and Mary J. Blige & Jay-Z. The company is currently rolling the dice on its Artist Nation Division, an outlet that serves as a one-stop recording/merchandising/touring entity for acts looking for an alternative to traditional record deals.

Who's Running Things?
CEO Michael Rapino, 42, who oversaw Live Nation's reported $120 million, 10-year deal with Madonna last October, Artist Nation's first deal.

How does it work?
While there has been an increase in so-called "360" record deals between artists and traditional record labels, Live Nation's partnership with Madonna is new territory. In the pact, Live Nation gets the rights to percentages of all of Madonna's business ventures---including upcoming albums, DVD's, tours, merchandising, TV Shows, Websites and films. In return, the veteran performer reportedly receives company stock and $17.5 million in up-front payments on $50-$60 million for three albums.

How Will it Affect You?
It is unlikely that consumers will see an increase in CD prices under big-time 360 deals since retailers have already been pressuring labels for the past two years to drop CD prices in order to compete with the $9.99 albums offered by iTunes Music Store and Wal-Mart. Instead, price increases most likely will be seen in merchandise and concert tickets. For The Police's record-breaking 2007-2008 reunion tour, which Live Nation handled, ticket prices bubbled to $114 on average while tickets for the Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige outing are averaging a hefty $127. With the concert industry going through a revenue decline (Live Nation itself lost revenue in 2005 and 2006 and took in just $9.9 million in the second quarter of 2007) and historically dependable revenue streams drying up for artists, such numbers will continue to go up.

What's the Big Picture?
On the surface, 360 deals make sense for established superstar acts that no longer need a record label for administrative and promotional support. The news of Live Nation's concert tour promotions rival AEG structuring an imminent partnership with Ticketmaster and parent company Cablevision adds even more intrigue. But while there have been rumors of acts like U2 jumping on the 360 bandwagon, the Madonna deal is still seen as a huge gamble.

Violator Management head Chris Lighty says, "360 deals are the next natural phase in the business." But Lighty dismisses speculation about his client 50 Cent eyeing a Live Nation deal in the near future. "I don't think the Madonna deal signals a colossal change in the industry. There are only a handful of artists who can combine worldwide touring, record sales and merchandising." Who's got next?

Holy Intellect

By: Michael Muhammad Knight (excerpts from VIBE May 2008 Issue, pg. 88-93)

"We can never fall off," said Brand Nubian's Sadat X to Fab 5 Freddy, "cause this is God right here."

Filming a 1992 episode of Yo! MTV Raps in front of the Five Percenters' headquarters, Allah School in Mecca (aka Harlem, NYC), the dread locked Lord Jamar ran down the long list of classic Five Percenter MCs. It read like a hall of fame from the east coast's golden age: the World's Famous Supreme Team, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Lakim Shabazz-rappers who used their considerable skills to espouse the street gnosticism of the Five Percent Nation. And it don't stop. Though condemned as heretics by Sunni Muslims and demonized by law enforcement, the Five Percenter movement has thrived in various forms until the present day, due in large part to the sense of purpose and dignity that gods brought to the microphone.

"The music just sounded really intelligent, with some of the terminology that they used," said 50 Cent in 2006. "They studied their lessons, so they speak a certain way, he said, causing Five Percenters like Rakim to "appear a lot more intelligent than the other artists who were out there just rappin'." The Five Percenters bridged the gap between hip hop's humble beginnings and New York's long tradition of black Muslim consciousness.

Alternately known as the Nation of Gods and Earths, the movement began in the early 1960s with Clarence Edward Smith. Leaving the Nation and losing his "X," Clarence went to pool halls and corner dice games to share the secret lessons freely with teen hustlers, dropouts, and throw-outs. Drawing up his own self-styled message, Clarence taught that reefer "referred" the mind, while shooting dice revealed the mathematical properties of the universe.

According to the lessons, 85 percent of society remained deaf, dumb, and blind to the truth, having been deceived by the "slave-makers of the poor," the 10 percent. That left only a sliver of humanity, a mere five percent, to liberate the minds of the masses. Clarence told his young disciples that they were this messianic Five Percent, "poor righteous teachers" bringing truth to "all the human families of the planet Earth."

You are gods, he said. And for the street kids, he was no longer Clarence; they called him Allah. ... Allah read his new name as an acronym for "Arm, Leg, Leg, Arm, Head" signifying the divinity of man, and he broke down "Islam" as "I Self Lord And Master" ...

"A true Five Percenter," remembers Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons, "could sit on a stoop or stand out on a street corner and explain the tenets of the sect for hours on end-and be totally entertaining!" ... Gathering in a circle known as a "cipher," Gods would take turns addressing the group. Terms used to describe their teaching battles would enter into classic hip hop slang: "dropping science," "dropping knowledge," "dropping jewels." To praise something as "the bomb" goes back to Five Percenters verbally bombing each other with the lessons. Simmons describes the Gods of those days as "slick" and "smooth-talking," preaching "with as much flair as possible." But they also complemented their style with a highly politicized awareness born from the black nationalism of the 1960s. In its original use, "G" meant not "gansta," but "God." Rakim breaks it down in 1988's "No Competition.": "I'm God, G is the seventh letter made." Seven represents "God" in the Supreme Mathematics.

The Five Percent Nation's most urgent priority was not creating pious followers but empowering young people with self-respect.

Despite everything-the assassination of Allah, government persecution, and religious disapproval-the Five Percenters teach on. "The knowledge has helped our generation," insists RZA, who includes all races and walks of life among those touched by the culture. "Hip Hop brought these positive people together." As both hip hop and the Five Percent Nation continue to elevate and expand, reaching places beyond their originators' dreams, they travel together, one unimaginable without the other. "The Five Percent is now accepted all around the world," the RZA told VIBE. "It's going to continue to grow until that's 100 percent."