industryLIFE Book Series: Who's In Vol. I?

Vol. I featured some well known faces, places & things.  Can you name them all? Get ready, Vol. II is coming!

industryLIFE: The Hype Man's Sticky Fingers

He said he was a rapper when he landed on our doorstep. He arrived with a mutual acquaintance and at first he seemed cool but there was something he wasn't telling us and I wanted to know. Having close ties to the group he was suppose to be apart of, we launched a full investigation into this person. When ever his name was brought up, many would not talk about it but shortly after he left something surfaced...Yes he had been a possibility to "fill in" after a group member left but he was a problem!! Seems he wanted more money than what he was being paid. See he thought he was in the group however he was only working as a hype man for spot gigs. Sure he had been featured on their album but again he had been HIRED as a hype man and that is what he was being paid, not to shabbily, to do, nothing more nothing less.

The final straw came when one member of the group discovered a very valuable chain missing. Going over the facts he realized the hype man was the person who stole it and so he was fired! (That's how he ended up on our doorstep.) At the time we had access to several properties so we put him up for a few. After a few days he told us he decided he was going back home so we paid for him to get there, no questions asked, no money to pay back. Once he was gone, we lost contact for a few years and then one day he sends a friend request on Facebook. I was happy to hear from him and when we did speak he told me he was doing well, working and being a family man. Well we managed to visit with this guy and his "family" and boy were we not prepared. See this guy, who was now pushing forty, was still trying to launch a rap career. His "wife" a woman that he said he had been dating for seven years, was approaching her 22nd birthday. (Yep, dude started dating a teenager in his 30s! (WTF). Now who knows how this all came "together" but at this point there were children involved and a lot of drama. Since the guy hadn't quite capitalized on the opportunity in his youth, he was eager to do it now and show "them haters"!

No one took him serious except his mom. Whenever someone tried to get him to see it from a different perspective he referenced...Jay Z. (Sure Jay Z is the forty plus rapper but he started working way before he got to forty and at forty he is reaping the fruits of his labor) but this guy was hyping himself up with the idea that he could launch a rap career at forty with no music registered with the creative agencies, no high school education (WTF) and no money. How was he going to do it you ask? Via social media. He spent his days posting random camera phone videos of himself saying the album was coming soon but dude was living in the past, what he had done was over 10 years ago and at this point no one was listening.

Then as luck would have it, he met a guy while doing his regular job of moving furniture, who wanted to listen to what he had. The guy a popular television actor and musician entertained the idea of maybe working with dude so they exchanged information. For a few days the hype man tried to connect with the guy but could never get him on the phone until one night about a week later. When the guy answered, the hype man began rattling off his ideas. The guy stopped him in his tracks and said "I would never work with you because you are thief!" and then hung up. Seems the rapper had gotten himself into another situation where his sticky fingers would cost him an opportunity. Apparently while the hype man was moving the guy's furniture a ipod, computer and gun among other things had come up missing. To say dude was pissed is just redundant!

The actor reported his missing property to the company and needless to say they never worked together. The company via its insurance took care of the missing items and the hype man is dealing with it all via social media posts about his phantom album.

industryLIFE: Do You Love Me or Do You Love What I do?

When it all began, he was so smitten. She was a cutie, who seemed like a cool around the way girl. He was an out of work DJ.  He didn't have much going on at the time, but he tried his best to get her to talk to him. She wasn't interested, but kept it friendly enough to make him think that someday maybe they could hook up.

As time went on... she was offered an internship at a company out of state, which she took.  That lasted for about a year.  While she was away, the DJ set out to become "World Famous". His skills on the turntables were carving out a nice name for the young man! Before you knew it, he was building his brand and getting where he wanted to be.
Now as luck would have it, the young woman was wrapping up her internship, and decided to return to Atlanta to complete her studies. When she settled back into the city, she could not help but hear about the DJ, who had tried so intensely to make her his woman, because now he was everywhere! From celebrity parties, to charity events, if a DJ was needed he was on the bill.

Eventually they bumped into each other, and thanks to his current status, this chick decided she was NOW interested. Not much had changed about him, except for the amount of money that he was making, and his status in the industry. However, the people around him began to wonder if her intentions were honorable.

Time went on, and this still very humble guy, had no idea what his public image was doing for his love life. Immediately the woman began to make it very easy for the dude. If he wanted to take her out, she NOW had time. If he wanted to come by for visit, he was NOW welcomed. Eventually, things got intimate, and before long, they were an item.

Time passed, and soon people forgot about how this union had began before her internship drew her away.  All except for a select few who could still see past, and all the fake "love" she was NOW showing.  After some time, news came that they were having a baby. AWWWWW!!!  Dude was excited. He was going to be a dad!

In an attempt to do the right thing, he began making plans to buy a house for his family. He also began to adjust his schedule to be there for them. Then, he finally made the decision that it was time to make the relationship official, and get married.  Now while he was planning all of this, the woman, was making other plans.

Since she never really liked him in the first place, and was only there for the perks.  She was having major reservations about being with this dude in a house, or a marriage!  As the arrival date for the baby drew closer, there was a huge shower planned to welcome the bundle of joy. When the people who didn't trust the relationship from the beginning arrived, they noticed just how foul this chick really was!

She was down right mean & disrespectful. She was nasty to his friends, and even nastier to him! Everyone just watched in shock while the elephant in the room whispered, "She does not want him, she wants the fame & money!" And the elephant was right!  Now sometime between the house being bought, the baby coming, and the shower, he popped the question... and she answered with a big fat NO!

He was devastated... He had so many plans to make this work, but that was the last thing on her mind. To her, he was just a paycheck. A easy way to generate income so that she wouldn't have to work. She didn't want to marry him, she wanted to marry his money!!!

Heartbroken, the DJ decided not to go backwards, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. He pulled himself up by his boot straps, paid her the child support, became a good dad to his son and moved on with his life.

Eventually she tried the same move with another dude. But wouldn't you know it, he had a surprise for her. He was already married with a family, and wanted nothing to do with her, or the baby she was expecting! Thank God she did finish her education because she NOW had to get a JOB!!! 

industryLIFE Book Series Trailer