No Need To Ask with Amani Duncan
No Need To Ask with Amani Duncan
No Need to Ask | A Conversation with Music Industry Leader Tina Davis, Part 2
Welcome to Part 2 of “A Conversation with Music Industry Leader Tina Davis” for No Need to Ask podcast. Our conversation was so good I had to make it into two parts.
We ended Part 1 of the episode with a bit of a cliff hanger, so Tina takes us through her experience managing Chris Brown and single-handedly evolving him from a young teenager into a global superstar. Tina’s sheer determination to show the industry and the industry the greatness of her artist did not come with its challenges. But Tina’s angels were surrounding her and guided her safely to solid grounds.
I remain inspired by Tina and I know she will have the same positive impact on you. There are so many learnings you can take away from our conversation and apply to your current position regardless of the industry you work in.
Thank you for listening and if you enjoyed this episode, please write a review. It means a lot to me.
Until we speak again, please continue to be safe.
[inaudible]
Speaker 2:Welcome to another edition of no needs as podcast. My name is Amani Dunkin, and I will be your host on this journey. So today is part two of a conversation with music industry veteran, Tina Davis. So join me in welcoming Tina back to no need to ask podcast. Hey Tina. Hey. Hi. So we left everyone with a bit of a cliffhanger. It was right. It was a good one too. It was, you were talking a bit about the beginning of managing CRISPR out, so let's pick right back up there. Okay. Well, I mean, Barry Weiss, um, it's so funny because I went in to see Barry Weiss with Chris, um, well with his music and I told him I really want, you know, you to check out this kid. And, um, after we did the showcase, obviously I think I mentioned that Chris really didn't want to do it. He went in there and knocked it out. And, um, after, you know, before we got out of there trying to get, you know, stop us from leaving. But Barry was the person who signed him in that time. Uh, Chris Lighty was working. There are Chris Lighty right. And Mark Pitts was working there. And because I had worked with Chris for so many years and Mark and I kept saying, we gotta do something together. We gotta do something together. I asked him to put Mark Pitts on the project, um, Mark call, you know, and Mark, of course he was there to support all the way through. And he and Tesa, Tesa. I love her to death. She's like a sister to me. Um, but for the most part, you know, I was doing the grind all by myself and I would go the people. I mean, several people that have come back to me that have come back to me afterwards, but begging them to please work on this kid. I know we don't have a lot of money. I were just starting a blah, blah, blah. And it was before he signed a job, of course, but I was like, yo, listen, Swiss, everybody, check this kid out. And I kept saying, he's the next Michael Jackson? And you know, you got usher, you got Amaria, you got all these. And they're like, okay. So when we finally did our video run it the right video, um, everybody was like, Oh, and, and to just a quick story before we, you know, went forward, I said, listen, so Chris, at this point, he's 15, Chris wrote his treatment. So we'd like to use his treatment for his video. And the video back then video was like$207,000. Exactly. Like, Oh no, you're not. And I was like, Oh yes, we are. You know, like, listen, we're all too old to even say what these kids really love. Right. You know who he's talking to. He knows what his friends would love. So let's let this kid control his destiny. So I talk very into it. They allowed it to happen. But the thing, the crazy thing is, is I kept saying, run it as the single run as a single right. And he was like, no, we did research. We did. I paid all this money for all this research. And the reason was the single that's the wow with. And I said, no, we should go with running. And he said, no. And I said, okay. So I took it and they gave it to Ebro
Speaker 3:97. Everyone grow at hot 97 years.
Speaker 2:Yes. And enough, he, they both supported me and they started playing it like early, early, early on. And then Bidvine started playing it and in the Bay area. And, uh, so obviously the rest is history. Um,
Speaker 3:Massive, massive.
Speaker 2:And Barry also told me, Hey, you know, it wasn't just, Barry was everybody really nervous? Cause they had never seen Chris dance. Right. They were like, you know, usher holds that, that crown, I wouldn't, you know, it might hurt him to dance in his video. He's not better than us. I said, believe me, he needs to dance in this video. And they're like, Tina, you're, you're going to ruin this kid's life. I was like, no, I'm trying to tell you, he would come back. They see the videos, like, what the hell are we talking about? Exactly. So, you know, they not to say that he was better than not sure. Or, or what have you, or usher was better than him. It's just, they hadn't seen him in that. Right. So when he held his own, he held his own. So, you know, I I've managed him for a while. Did a lot of it by myself, me and another assistant. Um, her name is Nicole Dupree. She works with me now, actually, Nicole, we worked together on it. Um, had a couple other assistants and um, but they kind of would like really kind of helping both of us to kind of get it moving forward. And the rest is history like
Speaker 3:Incredible. And I don't think Tina people understand like I'm, as you're telling me and all of the listeners that you basically did it yourself. I don't think people really understand what that means. You know, management. I, you know what, I'm not gonna, I want you to tell people really what is the day to day job? Like what does a day in the life of Tina Davis? What would that look like?
Speaker 2:Well, because it's 24 seven. No. And that's the thing about management is that, um, and especially Chris, Chris is a creative genius, literally a creative genius. So his mind is constantly working. He doesn't stay still because he's constantly trying to do dance. He's trying to play basketball. He's trying to act, he trying to do everything. So I had to occupy his time four hours a day. So sometimes I would take him and his friends and send them, take him to a basketball court and let them one for a good four hours. Right. I could get in there and knock out some emails, reach out, send tapes and musics and links and videos, trying to get people to believe in him and believe that he's the next guy. Um, but for the most part, it was really just trying to hone in and fine tune the things that he had learned already. And that he was great at, at drawing. When I met him, he was great at basketball. When I met him, he was great at singing when I met him. Um, he just needed to, I just needed to kind of, um, you know, shine up the rough edges. Right. You know, make sure that he knew how to deal with different people and make sure he had vocal training. Um, make sure he had media training, make sure that all the things that he needed in the artist development department was taken care of. So when it hit, he was ready. So every time Chris would do an interview, people would be surprised at how aware and how smart and how articulate he was. But for months we studied, he studied Sam cook. He studied Marvin Gaye. He studied Otis Redding. He started studied everything under the sun. He studied usher, studied Amaria. He would go to the crumping like sessions. And back then world of dance was an actual event that happened, um, in a auditorium or at a different place. I think it was like, um, inland empire, Chris, we would take Chris out there and it'd be hundreds of kids out there just crumping dancing. And he was out there learning it, learning it. And so I was always occupying his time and trying to get him to just suck up as much information. My biggest thing with Chris was he was so smart that I wanted him to control his destiny, but I wanted him to make a decision on what he wanted to do. You know, whether it was, this is the photo or this photo, or should you make this comment or this comment? Um, so I want him to be aware of the music industry as well. So if I wasn't managing him or if I wasn't working with him, no one could get over on him. You know, that was man. I don't know if that was my whole day. That was just the period. Just constantly trying to get him to try and be the best, you know, Jackson like left and right. Like every time he had a second until he finally got a chance to meet him,
Speaker 3:Oh wait, how was that? It must have been hands down the highlight of his life. It really, it would have been,
Speaker 2:It was the highlight of all of our lives. That's exactly. I mean, honestly it really was. He, um, he had this tribute cause you know, Mike was gone for a while and he wasn't recording any, he wasn't doing shows. So I forgot what award show it was. Think it was the world award award, um, in the UK, but they will attribute to Michael and they'd wanted someone to do, to do thriller. So they called Chris three days before the award show. Oh my gosh. And asked Chris to do thriller. And he had to learn the choreography with the man who originally did the choreography or work with the choreography. So wow. Which we didn't realize until he did it is that, you know, when people watch it on TV, they do the moves, but they're doing it the opposite direction. They're not doing it in the same direction. And Michael was doing it because they're watching it from TV. So he learned it, but he learned it the wrong way. So he had to re learn that dance move. Cause you know, all kids knew that the thriller, everybody knew, right. He had to learn it all himself. So then we get out there and there's like 30 dancers that he had never danced with, never performed with. And they were to come on the stage and just do it. And he would, he would sing and do what he's supposed to do and join him. Well, he was so nervous to meet Michael that he started singing any sound great. He sang the verse twice. The same verse. He just was so excited about seeing Michael. So he sang the verse twice. No one noticed cause he was just killing it. He was just, of course. So then we waited for like 45 minutes for Mike to come out, to be with the kids. And finally, when he came the, um, there was a noise ordinance. So at 11 o'clock or something like that, lights have to be out in that venue, no noise. So Mike took a little while to come down the stairs. So when he finally came out, he didn't have a lot of time to before. So he started performing with a whole bunch of kids and Chris on the stage. Right. And Chris, everybody was excited about Michael, but Chris, instead of singing with Michael, which he was supposed to do, right. He ran over to him and grabbed him and held him at his waist and just held him for a second and then realized, I think he, in his head, he was like, Oh, I'm supposed to be performing. Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, he stopped and started performing. And then they shut the movie down in the middle of Michael performance. Mike would heat it. Oh wow. Yes. Respectful. We were mad because we were like, don't do that to Mike. Well, Mike was supposed to meet Chris afterwards. Like that was our understanding his manager. She was a sweetheart. But she was saying, yes, we will make sure that they get a chance to talk. Well, so we get to the back. Mike jumps strike straight in his car with his manager and his team. And they're starting to head out the door. Now, mind you, we're sitting here watching this go down. But Chris had left. He was hurt. So he left room to change his clothes and go get in the car. He was all the way in his car waiting for us upset. Wow. Right. Cause he says idol, you know exactly. They're going out of the garage, out of the backstage before they go out, they stop. And then back up, back, back in and we're like, what the hell is going on? And all of a sudden you hear where's Chris Brown. Where's Chris Brown. Where's Chris. So Chris ends up running outside of the venue with all the fans out there, chasing him all the way up to the loading dock. So we're like I said, okay, he's coming up back. He got the fans behind. Now. Chris is fast as hell. Wow. He's fast. He's strong. And so he was rolling. Right? His security was nowhere near him. He's running. And he comes up the loading dock and gets in the car with Michael, like barely makes it. So he gets in the car with Michael. His mom is standing. I told his mom get in the car with Michael. You know what I mean? Cause I'm standing outside the car. But the pandemonium of even Sony executives, what plaques handed to me? Can you just give him this? I'm like, so he's in there. They're singing. Um, he's singing Christmas records. Chris's mom is in tears. I shake his hand. I'm like, Oh my God. But real talk. I felt like there was an aura around us. Like this bubble we were in, you know what I mean? It was like, Oh my God, you know, Oh man, we'll go down in history. Now just another little add on to that with the day that Mike was passing Chris and I believe Jamie Fox were on their way up to meet Mike because Mike had asked for Chris to come up to see him. And we talked a little bit and we were talking about and hearing rumbles of him, wanting to offer Chris, pass the torch to Chris and ask Chris to open up for him. And we were praying. We were like, Oh my God, Chris circling the place. And they say, I'm sorry, but my projection has passed now. I see it on the news. So I have to tell Chris he had to start driving. Like it was hard for him to even handle. Cause it was, he was literally at the arena going to see Michael. Wow. So it was pretty long, but that was an experience in the hat. I don't even have the words. I don't even have the words. This is amazing. And I love how he did it.
Speaker 3:Not leave the venue until he met with him. Nope. I mean that speaks volumes. It really does. I mean, this is Michael Jackson. He don't, he doesn't have to do anything. You know what I'm saying? And that's wow.
Speaker 2:I have met with a lot of words are spoken with a lot of people. He spoke with Brianna. I spoke to Neo and like, why won't he talk to me? Well, you know, he's young and he's like, I saw that he talked to other artists. Why won't even talk to me? I said, it's coming. Just wait a moment. What a moment. No one else had that moment.
Speaker 3:You know, Tina, you, I know because I watch managers and especially when you're dealing with a young artist that is skyrocketing, what do you do to kind of just disconnect
Speaker 2:In that time? I didn't, honestly, my life pretty much was centered around trying to break Chris because I had no other option. I didn't take another job. And that money that I was spending on trying to break Chris, I was spending all the money that LA Reed gave me in that deal on breaking Chris, am I trying to have a production situation with him? I was just a manager trying to prove to everyone that I could do it. Right. Um, and so as we continue, you know, all the way, even up to the point to where it was the Drake and Chris issue in that club, right. I was just taking it in and not dealing with what was going on. Not dealing with the stress, not dealing with the, just all the emotional things that were happening at that time. Cause every other day there was something different, you know, Oh, Chris is in a club and he threw a girl's phone. Oh Chris. And they're suing him. Then Chris is in a club and he's breathing on somebody. They're suing them versus on the club. And he just walked by and gave them a bad look. They're screwing them.
Speaker 3:I mean, it was ridiculous. I mean, I was like, come on,
Speaker 2:I read it it's real life. Sometimes it was just them making it up sometimes was making it up sometimes. You know what I mean? Right. And it was at a time where believe it or not, it sounds crazy to say this, but there was no Instagram. There was only Twitter and way back then. I mean, not, not of course after, as that started going, but when he first, when it first happened, the right scenario, you know, it was, he was, it was in the beginning of Instagram and, and Twitter and all these things. So before when Chris had something to say, he, he could, nobody could ever hear it because he'd say me and then not filter it to be what it's supposed to be for when Twitter happened. He would just say what he felt. So and write the, so he had emotions that he wasn't able to actually put into words. So he would use valet or whatever. He, you know, he's still young.
Speaker 3:Like it's frustrates me when people talk about celebrities or musicians or whatever. And they don't even take into consideration. You know, what age was this person at when this happened? Like
Speaker 2:Chris started so, so young. Yes. Yes. He was, he was 18 when the situation happened with the horrible thing happened with he and Rihanna. Um, and so as time progressed, you know, and you gotta think about this also, this is a kid who had fame at 16, 15, 16, so 16, 16. He didn't have to do anything. Everybody doing his hair doing, is this doing that, doing that. So there's are arrested development there. You know what I mean? It's like anybody, every artist has a situation where they don't have to try to learn anymore. They don't have to try to do anything else because all they're focused on is their career and with being great at what they do, right? Knowing the right words to say, when somebody attacks you and they don't even know you, and they're calling you, it's telling you to die on your Twitter. And you're only seven, 15 years old or you're 17 years old or you're 18 years old. And they're saying you should die in hell and all of that, every tweet you don't. How do you even respond to that? Right. You know what I mean? As an 18, 17 year old kid. So it was very hard to do. So the stress level was at 1,001 day after the Drake and Chris craziness, um, Russell Simmons called me like, Tina, listen, we need to resolve this. We need to get Drake and Chris on the same page, this doesn't need to happen. This is bad. I was like 100%, but Chris didn't do it. And then, you know, supporting my client and Russell stopped. He say, wait, you sound like you're about to have a nervous breakdown. And I said, Russell and I was literally, my voice was like at the top. And he was like, stop, stop, stop. You're having a nurse. You're getting ready to have a nervous breakdown. You need, hold on. I'm gonna call you right back with, um, we said, you need to get into meditation. You need to start doing such and such. He said, forget about Chris right now. We need to talk about you. I've never heard you like this before in my life, Tina. Oh my God. I was like, okay. Okay. And I could feel it. I could feel me having a nervous breakdown. And I said, okay, all right. Just tell me, tell me what, what I need to do. And he was like, I'm going to have them call you and I'll pay for it. Just go to Tim, go to a transcendental meditation, take the classes and then less readdress man. Probably be best thing that ever happened to me because no matter how much you work out, no matter how much when you have that, I was in crisis management mode from 18 years old for the rest of his managing career, my management career of him. And it was, it was hard because like I said, every other day it was something I had to fight. Get up at four o'clock in the morning to a phone call saying, Hey, you know, Chris just punched this guy, dah, dah, dah. And I'm like, well, you know, whether it was a lie or not, they're still, the calls are still coming to me. Right. And I'm waking up Geragos, I'm waking up his mother, I'm waking up. You know, I'm getting in the car, driving DC, getting in the car, getting on a plane, trying to get to wherever Chris is at. You know, just trying to make sure that this kid has a support. Richard is, um, you know, at this time he was a kid. So it was like, just make sure he had what he needed and that he was functioning properly. And me knowing how he was and me knowing how creative it was, he was and how he would hold things in and not, not necessarily deal with them. He just holds her. I'm like dealing with that. You know what I mean? Dealing with him being upset and not wanting to do the things I need him to do. You know, that, that go along with social media at the time and people were just learning about it. And people were starting to have opinions, um, bullies behind keyboards. That's what I say. Well, he's behind keyboard trying to get him on good morning America and all these different things and all they want to talk about as Rihanna and him and you know, so it was a lot. Um, so like I said, Russell gave me that transcendental meditation, um, offer. I took it and it literally changed my life. It just centered me. It calmed me immediately. And it allowed me to have the skin, the thick skin. Cause I always had a thick skin. You can't work. Right. But I had a thick skin to be able to take all those emotions that I have from Def jam. That was cooped up to the emotions I had in dealing with Chris that were cooped up to the emotions of me being a woman, trying to prove to all these men that I could do this on my own and give them the best. Right. Because the things that I have done in my career, men have gotten labels from men of that and huge checks from men. And I didn't get anything. Exactly. Well, you need to do something. Maybe you need to break artists on your own. Even when I broke an artist on my own, nobody ever gave me credit for it. You know what I'm saying? So yes, I do chasing a PR PR person. I wasn't like, Oh, I have a publicist and this is what I did. I've never done that. So in me not doing that though, men took credit for the things that I did. Yes. So it was a lot going on for me, you know? So at that time, so through that lifeline
Speaker 3:Giving me literally chills because when you, when you stop and really think about it, like it's not like you called Russell for something, Russell just felt the need to pick up the phone and call you. And thank God he did because you were at your breaking point.
Speaker 2:I was there. I was there
Speaker 3:And thank God that he did not ignore the signs.
Speaker 2:He knew me because people who, there are people I talk to all the time. They're people who I don't talk to that think they know me, but I'm a very private person. I'm extremely private. But part of it also is I was an ANR. We don't go out to clubs like that. We are in a studio where our conversations are about music. It's not about. So even for that matter, even to this day, I'm socially awkward, like going out to a party. I'm like somebody I'm like, I'm like, okay, she knows who I am. I don't know. I don't. Everyone knows you, Tina. I remember the Grammy party. Hello, Empire's Grammy party. That was off the chain. So yes, people know Tina Davis, but I love how humble you are and how you stick to your core values. Honestly, that's saying, as you're talking to me, he checked in on his strong friend. He checked man, Amani checked on his strong friend because no one else checked in because people don't check in on strong. Tina has this, you know, this is why I asked about the self care because we as women traditionally, just by default, we don't, you know, give back to ourselves normally, you know? And that's why I constantly talk about it. I check up with people like, okay, what are you doing for self care this week? You know? And they're like, Oh right. You know, we have to retrain ourselves. Cause it's just not a natural thing that most of us do. And I saw, you know, one good thing of social media. I saw someone post, just the words, check in on your strong friend. And it hit me hard. It really did because we're, you know, we're strong women, black women. We have so many things working against us that we try to not show weakness. We try to take on way too much to prove something to somebody that probably doesn't even matter. Right. You know, all the time. And a lot of us are, I mean, we're suffering. We are dog tired, you know? And most of the time people don't check on us. Not at all, not at all. And you know, it was crazy before Russell, there was one other person that says something to me and it came full circle because I ended up doing TM, transcendental meditation, and I was walking in and that person was walking out. But this person I'm dropping Chris. I told you I'd drop in Chris and his friends off at the, at the basketball court. Cause I'm like, okay, go play basketball. Get all that energy out at the court. Now at this point, you know, whenever we were to Def jam, we'd be fly. Have, you know, designer boots and all this. By this time I got on a sweater, I'm not to do nothing extra. Cause I gotta go. I got the things to do. I dropped him off and this guy stops me. He's like, and I'm like, Hey, is David banner. Oh. And I'm like, Hey, he said, let me talk. So he gets in the car and you said, you know, who tell you the story about, and I'm looking at him like, what is he, what he's like, let me tell you the story about this woman. I wasn't in the studio years ago, this woman, as soon as I walked in, it was clouds of smoke, kind of guys all up. And then n****s all up in there is what he said and n****s all up in there and cloud of smoke and the smoke clears a little bit and they do something. Um, they record something. And then all of a sudden I hear this one woman. And as soon as I realized it was a woman, I found out where the one was. I looked and it was like sunshine. She just brightened the room. Everybody paid attention. When she talked, when she had something to say, she was focused. She knew what she was talking about. And everybody respected her, but she brought so much sunshine in the room. And that was you. And I said, Oh, thank you for shines night here. And whatever is causing you to look this depressed or sad or whatever's going on. Get rid of it because you, you don't deserve to be in this space. I can see it. It's weighing heavy on you. At this point, tears are coming down my face, hold all my stuff in. I don't tell anybody anything. So to see it broke me down. So I left there and I was like, Oh my God. Oh my God. You know, it went back to work. It was like, Oh my God, Oh my God. I went back to work. What am I going to tell? Who's going to hear me. You know? So going back to Russell, when he had to go to Tim and I walked in, I saw him and I just hugged him. I was like David banner, David man. Wow. Beautiful guy. Right? Wow. Never would have thought of all the people who would see all the stress and hurt and emotions tied into what I was doing. Just trying to do it by myself. You know what I mean? Trying to be taught, to prove to everybody I'm a woman and I can do what these men are doing. Right. Well, my chance, I never got that chance. They never knew me. At one point, Chris was number one, top five on all radio platforms with three different records, all in one marketing strategy of trying to get things done and not to say, you know, jive wasn't there. Cause they were there to support me. Lisa, Cambridge, Sam, baby, Sam, like everybody, Larry Kahn. Everybody was there with me and support me. Um, but there was no anybody else behind me pulling strings for me right there. It is like, Hey, let me give this a call and hook you up with this. I didn't get those. So the only one I did have was Jimmy Ivy. And after a while that's a good one.
Speaker 3:That's a good one.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Wow. Wow. You know, I believe people come in
Speaker 3:To your life at the right time. Not a minute before and not a minute later.
Speaker 2:And David coming in
Speaker 3:Randomly last person, you would expect to see in delivering that message. Right. And then Russell, just picking up the phone calling you
Speaker 2:Here, could hear it in your voice,
Speaker 3:Tina. I mean, I am in awe of your strength, but more importantly, I am so proud that you came through successfully on the other side. Thank you. I really am. And what an inspiration to all the women that are listening and even the men, you know, you proved the naysayers wrong countless times and you made a name, a huge loud name for yourself. And when it was time to give back to you, you did, and here you are still standing still with sunshine and it moved on to something even bigger and brighter. So talk to us about what you're currently doing.
Speaker 2:It's empire. I am at empire, um, I'm head of ANR and obviously it's the same, you know, and ours and our, um, but you know, the, the thing is, it feels like empire feels definitely like Def jam. When I first started, you know, has the it's building a structure is building employees. It's, it's um, doing what the majors are doing on a, on a boutique level, but still being nimble enough to be able to be independent, but doing what the majors are doing. So it's an hybrid between a distribution company and a major label forever artists felt, and they still do feel like they have to go do a major deal just to be able to be successful. Right. They never had the option before, so they're not as aware. So when they figure out, Oh, wait a minute, empire actually will give me everything that I need from a major, but I actually own it. I actually really truly own 50% of it. I'm not doing a royalty based deal and paying and paying them back 10 cents on a dollar. I'm paying them back dollar 50 cents on a dollar. So it's a real generational wealth type of business that we've been running on that God's created. Um, so it's great because I don't feel like I'm in a situation where I'm taking these artists, taking, taking advantage of them. You know, it's, the company is named correctly because it is about building empires for everybody else. You know? So being in that position to be able to do that and it being small enough to be like Def jam was at that time, like I said, before, you do five different things, you can do a little bit of marketing. You could do a little, whatever you are good at to help artist when you can do it, you know, and you can learn. And if you're in marketing and you find a great talent, you can bring, you can sign it. You know, w it's a great, great, a great company to work for everybody is, um, it's crazy to say this, but we don't have the hierarchy and different people trying to step on each other's throats to try to step above them. We don't want that happening. We have a lot of people who are hungry that feel like a family. That's trying to get it. They will call you out on a car, but if it doesn't make sense, but they will help you to get to where you have to go. You know, some of these kids or somebody, people, um, cause they're not kids, they're grown people. One of them have never had a job in the music industry. They just are great at marketing or they're great at what they do. So they don't have the jaded energy and the jaded thoughts and the patterns that they've people. Some people, not everybody, some people get and working in a major, you know, it starts to be a little cookie cutter after a while. There is no cookie cutter formula here, every different because no one is jaded. You know, I love it. It must be so refreshing for you. It's so refreshing. Honestly, I was telling somebody the other day I was like, for me to go somewhere, it would have to be something very special for me to leave because just the energy and the way that the people are, the way the Gazi is, the way that NEMA is, the way that just all of our peers, that we're, we're a real family. And I really enjoy. And I'm home. I could see my mother on the weekends. See that's the best of both worlds. You know,
Speaker 3:Love. If you guys have not checked out, one of Empire's artists, Tina, one of Tina's amazing signings by the name of Eila. I Y L a. Who else are you excited about it that you signed at empire? That's coming out on impact.
Speaker 2:Oh man. There's so many that are there, um, from Timmy to, um, uh, Naya too. And it's, it's crazy. Cause we have 12, 15 and our people across the world. A lot of them, sometimes they're just my staff bringing them in, you know, um, deal with world of dance. Um, the television show for the, some of the, uh, the talent they have there. Um, we're just, you know, honestly just trying it, all, doing it all. We have merged, we have a little bit of everything, but, uh, Naya is someone very special. Um, did something with carnage a little while back and it was, it was great. He did wonderful as well. I mean, it's, it's hard to say cause we sign a lot of that kind of a lot of acts, unlike majors, um, our 80 twenties, which are a smaller, just a distribution situation. And then some of them are larger deals, but we are great at what we do. Break acts is what we do, what we've always done. Um, and even prior to having label services, they did the same thing for the Migos, for Kendrick Lamar, for cards, right. For, you know, Kane Brown and country music. Um, Oh, okay. You know, a lot of people don't realize that terrace Martin started at empire with Kendrick, you know, drop started empire. Wow. Can be rock. Like there's a lot of people that started empire, but ended up going to major thinking is better. But then either they go to major and they work, but then realize later, like the Migos were not getting no money or they go to, um, a major and they get really cold and they fall off and you're like, what happened? What happened? You know? Right, right. It's, it's, it's something that until artists realize that they don't have to go to a major and they could save that money and be able to, for their families to live forever off of until they realize that they're going to keep doing these deals at major labels.
Speaker 3:Hmm. Yeah. I mean, I love what you said when you first started talking about empire and what empire is all about. Generational wealth that we, as a people, we as black people, we need to do what we need to do to create the generational wealth. And you know, the music industry keeps evolving and keeps changing and what you guys are doing and what you're presenting to artists as options. You know what I mean? Shows like there's a million ways to skin a cat.
Speaker 2:Yeah. A million crazy part is, is that a lot of them do it themselves and they get to the point where they have fame and then the majors are calling and they forget, Oh, I did this. I don't really need them. So they go for a check saying, Oh, well I need the major. Let me get check. But that check, that's going to be the only time you get that check they're banking on you. Not knowing your worth. You write that down. People they're banking on it.
Speaker 3:That applies not just to artists. Think about your professional journey. Who's banking on you to not know your work. When you're sitting there negotiating your salary or your position, huh? They're banking on you to not know your well, I am so happy for you. And what a gosh, what a great way to end this episode on such a high note and with that beautiful smile of yours, I wish everyone could see a, Tina does radiate sunshine. David banner could not have summed it up better. So before we end my dear, yes. I ask all my guests, this one question and it's called trading places. I love it. So if you could trade places with person living
Speaker 2:Or deceased, who would that person be and why the person will be the same person? It was when I was in college, it would be Oprah. Okay. And the reason why is because Oprah has a lot of influence and Oprah helps a lot of people. She gives back a lot and she has set herself and her family up to be able to have that generational wealth. When Oprah passes, her family will have what she had and she built it with her bare hands. She did it on her own and on her own terms. And um, I salute that woman, you know, and I, I love that she is that powerful and still humble and still giving back and still why I would pick her.
Speaker 4:Oh, that's a beautiful thing. Okay. Music,
Speaker 2:Um, music, as in music itself, music itself, several classical music. I love Bach and Beethoven because of piano and just how beautiful and relaxing it takes. It makes you, um, and uh, I love RMB. I love hip hop, I think, um, R and B it's. There are a lot of artists that I love a CV being one of the key artists, um, Lionel Richie being another one that is dear to me, George Benson, I'm doing the old school because the foundation and the, and the artists that, uh, really laid a foundation, a lot of people don't realize that they had the original versions of records that they love today. Um, even from, to Michael Prince, Michael, um, even to this day, I would say Beyonce is one of those, because I feel like she is an incredible entertainer, a beautiful person, and never see your sweat. You don't prove that she sweats. Cause she's like everyone else exactly the same way as everybody else. But she's so poised and her mother and father with her in that, in that mind, you know what I'm saying? And she's grown it to be such a beautiful, intelligent, she's always been well-spoken woman. I love that. I love even for that matter, when it comes to hip hop, you know, we got our favorites, all my loves. I can't even say there's one that I love more than the other. Um, but for today I will say I commend JZ. Yes. Yes. Because he's not screaming. I told someone the other day, I was like, he needs to say what he's doing. Cause they need to know that he's really doing all that stuff. He's still amazing needs. They need to love. And that, but at the same time he does, they don't because when it happens, it happens. I had to check myself cause I was like, you know what, why? Because being out here being allowed mouth makes no sense. It does nothing, but, and showing, getting people to praise you, it means nothing, doing things, making changes, um, empowering your artist that you work with to make, which you don't see all the time in the music industry when it comes to artists and people on his level, you know, I commend him for how he's doing, taking what he's had in Marcy to what he has now, you know? Um, and musically, that last album he put out was right on point. You know? So I love that. I love a lot of these younger artists, Roddy, rich. I think he's crazy. I think we have an artist by the name of Mazi, Jack boy and Dee smoke who are phenomenal, amazing, but the list can go on last book or current book you're reading. I like to do audio books and I read audio books are, listen to audio books all the time. And one that I have recently been listening to, and I'm about 45%. It says here literally 45% into is how Africa shaped the Christian mind. Okay,
Speaker 5:Wait, wait, I will be referencing this. Guy's in the, uh, description.
Speaker 2:Sure. But who is the thigh is by Thomas C Odin. Wow. My pastor, um, Bishop Omer at, uh, faithful central in Los Angeles was doing a segment about, with all this racism going on about, um, just the origin of Christianity and just some of the stories that were left out. Cause a lot of people only remember it or know it from the European perspective or the Saint Christopher ans, but there, it started years ago, centuries ago, um, in Africa and this talks about the beginning of it and then how it's grown and North Africa not studying the same, how many different dialects, how people were separated by language and, and things like that and how it was changed and how you got Sigmund Freud and all of these. But then you have these other, um, these other, um, important figures that did gospel and did Christian, um, and talked about, uh, didn't talk about it. They sang about Christian life and Christianity and they didn't put it. They didn't write it down, but then they go about it. It's it just opened my eyes to just where Christianity started. I'm very spiritual. I can't say I'm extremely religious. I'm, I'm very spiritual. Um, so I, I yearned for that information to know, you know, why am I praising my Lord? Why am I, where, where is this coming from? Who, how did I hurt her? How did my grandparents get into Christianity? You know, why am I, um, why is it so important to me? What made this
Speaker 3:Christianity? What made it so important to the world? This book tells you that. Whoa. Okay. I'm ordering Tina. Thank you so much. I love, I love, I love this conversation and I want to invite you back for the artist series where you and one of your artists can be on no need to ask to talk about the discovery process, what the artist is doing. We'll play some music. So I would love to have you back on the show and thank you again for being such a wonderful guest. Oh, you know anything for you money. I love you. So friends, this is the end of part, two of a conversation with music industry veteran, Tina Davis. And until we meet again, be safe,
Speaker 1:[inaudible].