Legacy Award winner Dionne Warwick

Fans of soul music icon Dionne Warwick sat wide-eyed and open-mouthed as she verbally took on Real Housewives star NeNe Leaks, Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin and anybody else who stood in her way on last season’s Celebrity Apprentice. Many simply weren’t expecting the legendary 70-year-old singer — easily one of the most successful female vocalists of all time— to be so fiery.

For her part, Warwick says she hadn’t expected the mood of the show to get as ugly as it did. She adds that if she had it to do all over again —she wouldn’t.

“The experience on Celebrity Apprentice was very interesting, to say the least,” laughs Warwick, who will receive the Legacy Award at this year’s Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit.

“I’ve known Donald Trump for many years, so when I was approached to do it, I thought, ‘Well, why not?’ But as time [on the show] went on, I found that it was not as cordial as I thought it would be. I felt that it got to the point that where my many years of impeccable achievements were a little bit in jeopardy by the surroundings that I was in. So I thought it best that I fire myself and bow out gracefully without destroying 50 years.”

And what a glorious five decades it has been: The Grammy award-winning singer scored her first hit in December 1962 with “Don’t Make Me Over,” and has been churning out the classics ever since —“Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Walk On By,” “Heartbreaker” and “That’s What Friends Are For.” She helped launch the legendary Soul Train Music Awards, raise millions of dollars for AIDS research, and served as a U.S. Ambassador for health.

Warwick attributes much of her tremendous success to keeping good people around her — something she recommends to anyone getting into the entertainment business. “I’m still working with the same people I’ve worked with over many, many years. There is a loyalty factor and a friendship factor that have become paramount. It’s important to stay surrounded by people you trust and who have your back — who have your best interest at heart.”

The singer says she’s proud to receive honors such as the Black Enterprise Legacy Award because they help introduce her to a new generation of fans. “It’s wonderful when what you do for a living has been accepted as something that people want to be a part of and will continue to enjoy over a period of time,” she says. “It’s very exciting.”

Keep an eye out for some new music from her as well: “I’d like to work with Earth, Wind and Fire, and George Benson,” she reveals as she prepares to drop a new album that will be out in March. “I’ll be touring to promote it.” Warwick says she also has plans to go back into the studio with legendary producer Phil Ramone, and that she’s considering recording a bunch of other projects, including a country album she’s been approached to do.

And keep an ear out for her niece, Whitney Houston, as well. “As far as I know [Whitney will have a new album out] this year.”

Legendary songwriter and producer Leon Huff (Image: Courtesy of Subject)

This week on The Urban Business Roundtable, UBR Contributor Renita D. Young kicks off the first new show of 2012 with producer and record industry entrepreneur Leon Huff who, along with partner Kenneth Gamble, make up the prolific Gamble and Huff songwriting duo. Gamble and Huff pioneered the Philadelphia Sound when they formed Philadelphia International Records, leaving a lasting impression on the music industry. At it’s peak, their company rivaled Berry Gordy‘s Motown Records in the size of their company and the popularity of their music. Both were once among the nation’s largest black-owned companies.

Gamble and Huff have written over 3,000 songs, including numerous top R&B and pop hits, working with renowned artists such as Patti LaBelle, the late Teddy Pendergrass and The O’Jays, just to name a few. The duo has earned more than 300 gold and platinum records, BMI Songwriters Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, among other honors. Huff joins Young to share his insights on the music industry and how his passion for music paved the way to entrepreneurial success.

Film exec and entrepreneur Arthur Wylie (Image: Courtesy of Subject)

Also, UBR Contributor Samantha Pass speaks with Hollywood executive and serial entrepreneur Arthur Wylie, author of Only The Crazy and Fearless Win Big!: The Surprising Secrets Success in Business and In Life (BenBella Books). An executive at Global Entertainment Holding’s Film Fund, Wylie also oversees his own wealth management group, specializing in helping companies through business planning.

In addition, in my first “Alfred’s Notepad” segment of the new year, I share some advice for those first-time entrepreneurs starting new businesses in 2012: Don’t become isolated. I share why it’s critical to actively network with other entrepreneurs in your city and industry by joining local business organizations, networking via social media and attending events such as the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference, which will be in Chicago, May 23-26, 2012.

And finally, every week on UBR, you’ll get motivation and inspiration from author and entrepreneurial icon Farrah Gray, a weekly wrap-up of business news from USA Today business correspondent Charisse Jones, our Patient Investor Report from Ariel Investments and key economic intelligence for small business owners from our UBR economists Derrick Collins and Rasheed Carter.

If you have a question you want answered or a topic you want addressed on The Urban Business Roundtable, connect with me at BE Insider, the social media network for people who are serious about Black Enterprise. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.

Alfred Edmond Jr. is the senior VP/editor-at-large of Black Enterprise and the host of the Urban Business Roundtable, a weekly radio show, sponsored by Ariel Investments, airing CST Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on WVON-AM 1690, the Talk of Chicago. You can also listen live online at WVON.com. Check back each week for UBR Spotlight, which features additional resources, advice and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs and experts featured on the show.

Host Marc Lamont Hill with the man known as "Q". (Image: Courtesy of Black Enterprise)

This week on a special edition of Our World with Black Enterprise, host Marc Lamont Hill visits with legendary musician, arranger, composer and 27-time Grammy Award winner Quincy Jones, just in time for Black Music Month. The man also known as simply, “Q”, candidly discusses his work with such music icons as Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Michael Jackson, as well as the future of the recording industry.

As a conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter, Quincy Delightt Jones Jr. has a career that spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991. Jones, 78, is particularly recognized as the producer of the album Thriller, by pop icon Michael Jackson, which has sold more than 110 million copies worldwide, and as the producer and conductor of the charity song “We Are the World.” In 1968, Jones and his songwriting partner Bob Russell became the first African Americans to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song The Eyes of Love from the Universal Pictures film Banning. That same year, he became the first African American to be nominated twice within the same year when he was nominated for Best Original Score for his work on the music of the 1967 film In Cold Blood. In 1971, Jones would receive the honor of becoming the first African American to be named musical director/conductor of the Academy Awards ceremony.

Married three times and the father of seven children, Jones, born in Chicago, shares his larger-than-life journey in his 2001 book Q: The Biography of Quincy Jones (Doubleday).

Our World with Black Enterprise is the award-winning weekly 30-minute program, hosted by Marc Lamont Hill, providing a fresh mix of interviews with today’s top newsmakers and celebrities, eclectic roundtable discussions concerning the hottest topics affecting African Americans, and profiles of some of the world’s most intriguing people.

Click here for times and stations where Our World with Black Enterprise airs in your area.

Job: Musical Director and Band Leader, The Rosie Show

Responsibilities: Composition of music and conducting the band

Previous Position: Musical Director, Saturday Night Live

Talents: Songwriter, musician, producer, singer

A classically trained musician, Katreese Barnes began playing the piano at age 10. By age 14, after playing in a band her father managed, she believed she could make music her profession. Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, she has since collaborated with the best artists in pop, rock, and soul and has won two Emmys for Saturday Night Live musical numbers. She is currently the only African American female to lead a television band.

Collaborations: Barnes has toured with Sting, Mariah Carey, and Carly Simon, and has written for Roberta Flack and Chaka Khan, among many others.

Training: Barnes received private lessons for seven years from age 10. She has also studied voice, saxophone, and guitar. She recently began studying the fiddle. “The best education has been to work with great talent and great musicians along the way. Being in people’s bands you get to hone in closer to the things you need to be a working musician. Or you learn the kinds of things that are needed to support talent. One thing I would have never learned on my own is how to listen. You have to play with great people to learn to listen because you get the best feedback.” Barnes compares listening to great artists to sitting in on a great lecture: “You’re listening to someone who is very wise.”

Influences: “Roberta Flack is a great singer and a great musician. One of the things she’s mastered is her sense of phrasing—how she phrases a song. If you’re a piano player, you shouldn’t be just playing all the way through her phrasing, but listening to her and learning how to play to her phrasing. Sometimes when people have spent a long time practicing they just want to show off their chops, but it’s a conversation.”

Job Expectations: Barnes says general responsibilities for a musical director can range from teaching music to booking talent to, in her case, composing the music.

Skill Set: Part of her responsibility is leading the band in the instrumentation of guest artists. “I’m a quick study. What I learned at SNL is that I can compose a lot of music in a short amount of time and execute pretty well. Out of 40 sketches there can be eight pieces of music, which can range from a tongue-in-cheek musical number to a hip-hop track to a quick little jingle. And all of that has to be put together and rehearsed between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.”

Advice for Aspiring Musicians: “Learning to read music is the bottom line for me. No matter how complex the music is, if someone brings me the score I can understand it. When you can read music, you can troubleshoot problems, you can get gigs, you can take on things last minute. If someone gets sick in a Broadway pit, if you can read you’ve got the job. You increase your chances of working and surviving in a very tough industry. Also understand music technology. People don’t spend what they used to spend [on music production in studios] because they know that things can be produced digitally for less money. You need a command of that today.”

Jason Geter overseeing his Strivers Row line

During the course of his career, Clifford “T.I.” Harris has had many ups and downs. Throughout it all, the man that has held everything together is the hip-hop star’s manager and business partner, Jason Geter. As the co-CEO of Grand Hustle, co-owner of AKOO Clothing, owner of the Strivers Row clothing line and Grand Hustle TV/Films as well as manager of several artists—hustle is all Geter knows. In the wake of T.I.’s successful reality show with wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris, T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle, BlackEnterprise.com sat down with Geter to discuss how he got into the business, the difficulties he’s faced managing T.I.’s brand while he was incarcerated and what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

When did you realize you wanted to go into the business side of the music industry?

When I was really young. I grew up in New York so I was always around artists, seeing artists living in my neighborhood and coming through my neighborhood. I was always a fan of the culture. It was always something I loved naturally. When I was in 9th grade a guy came to my school and he was the A&R for Uptown Records. I didn’t know about that side of the business I just knew about the artist side. I heard his story and him saying you can make a good living doing what you love and not being an artist. It was intriguing. I started investigating and researching. Once I got my internship [at Arista Records] I definitely knew I wanted to be a part of the business. I said, “If people were making a good living doing what they love to do without coming to work in a suit, then I want to do that.” My mom was a part of corporate America so I saw the affect racism had on her—she was stressed. I knew I didn’t want to go down that lane.

So how did your relationship with T.I. form?

We met when he was 18-years-old and was just a rapper named T.I.P. living in his mother’s house. We went to the studio and put together a demo tape. I got him the first record deal. We’ve been together literally since before he was T.I. He had to change his name to T.I. [from T.I.P.] once he got the deal. There’s definitely loyalty with our friendship. We have a great relationship based on honesty.

Fast-forward some years later and you’re not only T.I.’s manager but also his business partner in several ventures in addition to your own. With your hand in so many pots, how do you keep it all together?

I multitask. Everything I do on that level is all relative to one another. Music, fashion, film… they’re all in the same realm. I don’t have to go too far out of my course of my direction to do either job in a sense. It all goes hand in hand. It definitely makes it a lot easier and it makes it more doable. It also helps that I love what I do. You got to love it or you’re not going to be able to do it. You’re not going to be successful at it because it’s so much work and so much time is taken out of your life. If you don’t love it you’re not going to be down to put that work in.

Is that philosophy a driving behind your clothing line Striver’s Row?

It’s a project that I’ve been working on for three years now. It’s an American heritage clothing line and history is definitely [something] we’re very influenced by. We study different moments in history and get inspiration for our collection. A lot of Black history is used to influence Striver’s Row. I’m proud to say I’m doing a collaboration with the movie Red Tails that’s coming up. I’ll actually be doing a Tuskegee Airmen collection. I make product out of US, Japan and Hong Kong. There’s stores in America, stores in Japan right now, I have my own shop in Atlanta. It’s a baby and it’s growing. It’s definitely exciting.

T.I. and manager/business manager Jason Geter

What’s a typical day like for Jason Geter?

A lot of emails and a lot of conference calls [laughs]. I’m juggling between managing T.I.’s career and the record label. Then, I manage [other acts] on the label. I’m constantly talking, arranging, planning and strategizing different parts of the business for those acts. At the same time I’m getting calls talking about movies and scripts and trying to develop projects. Then I may flip to Akoo. We have marketing calls and different things to talk about on that end. Then Strivers Row, which is like my little baby. I’m approaching Strivers Row as if it’s an artist I’m bringing up from zero. From factories to marketing, product placement, design concepts and ideas, I’m very hands on.

Let’s talk about your role as a manager. What’s it like being the man behind and alongside a superstar such as T.I.?

It’s a lot of work. More than anything it’s great to see we started from zero and had this dream and we’ve definitely accomplished a lot of goals. We’ve seen our dream come to reality. It’s constant work so it’s not like I’m sitting back and reflecting too much because you’re always in the moment of running the business. You’re only as good as your last hit so you’re always chasing that next thing, that next moment.

Was it hard to run the business and keep the brand in good standing when T.I. was incarcerated?

Sure, it’s the music business. People will forget and remember at the drop of a hat. When he was away a lot of people were like, “Hey, get back to me when your guy’s back.” From that standpoint there were challenges. Luckily we still had B.o.B. doing his thing, waving the flag and working. I had to do what I could do in supporting him. I spent a lot of time working on Akoo, which made nearly $20 million in sales this past year. I also focused on Striver’s Row, as well as the other acts I work with.

What business tips would you give to anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur in the music business?

The music industry is not what it used to be. The business is shrinking. There’s only three companies left, three record companies that is, on a major level. Do your research, get an internship and get a real understanding of what’s going on before you throw your eggs in one basket. Make sure it’s something that you really want to do. Make sure it’s something you can really have a future at, and that you’re not just trying to do it because it may seem like it’s glamorous.

If you’re going to be an entrepreneur you have to work. That means that you’re the boss. That means you got to eat what you kill. A lot of people aren’t really built for that. A lot of people are better off going into an office, doing their assignment and excelling in that atmosphere as opposed to being by yourself and having to go figure it out. You have to know what kind of person you are more than anything.

Singer/Songwriter Sean Garrett

If for some reason you don’t know Sean Garrett by name, you undoubtedly know him by his work. Having penned massive hits such as Usher’s “Yeah,” Ciara’s “Goodies,” and multiple songs for superstars like Beyoncé, among others, Garrett has cranked out an impressive 17 No. 1 singles, and 39 top 10 hits in his career so far, making him one of the most sought after singers/songwriters of today.

Growing up in a military family, Garrett traveled the world, soaking up different cultures, customs, and ways of thought. “It definitely shaped me,” he says of his unique upbringing, which included fluency in multiple languages and friends from several continents. “My parents never let me lose who I was… I speak proper English, but I still have that street edge to me.”

Perhaps it was this street savvy, mixed with an expansive mindset, that allowed the talented crooner to succeed where others may have caved to pressure or feelings of inadequacy. In 2001, a then 23-year-old Garrett found himself with a respectable place in the music industry, but as a father to a young child he was struggling to make ends meet. But rather than be prideful by refusing to stray from his chosen path of music, Garrett humbled himself and decided to take on a second job outside of the entertainment industry, temporarily supplementing his income as a mortgage broker in South Carolina. “I’m a man that values what the original man was about—protecting and taking care of my responsibilities,” he says of his decision. “I don’t pass excuses.”

And as it turns out, Garrett’s brokering gig wasn’t all that much unlike his role within the music industry. While many wouldn’t see the connection, the songwriter was able to maintain his morale by seeing all of the positives associated with his temporary job. “I had to pay bills and I know success comes in all forms and fashion. What makes me successful is that I’ve learned to have a positive attitude regardless. I was helping people clean their life up, clean up their debt—really helping people,” he says. “There was a purpose which went hand in hand with what I did. I help the world by giving them something to help deal with their struggles. If it can’t change their life it will at least help them get through it. That’s what I do with my music, and so it was the same with being a mortgage broker.”

“There’s been some negative press about the real estate game but I never compromised my integrity and I never was a money motivated person,” he continues. “I’m more of a success-motivated person. There’s a difference between the two. When you’re money-motivated you compromise yourself, and your life. People make really bad decisions when they’re driven by money. Success is about winning and you win with a team. You win when everyone is seeing the fruits of your labor.”

Garrett’s labor came in the form of working as a broker from 7am to 4:30pm, then wearily spending his nights working on music until 4am; only to turn around and start the process all over again. “There wasn’t a lot of sleep going on,” he laughs. “There was a lot of hard work, and I still work hard like that. People expect 150% results with 70% effort. That’s not how it works.”

It was this type of determined and unrelenting work ethic that allowed Garrett to return fulltime to music after his two-year stint in the brokering business and go on to become one of the most popular songwriters of today, proving that sometimes you have to take a small step back in order to make a huge leap forward. “Life is about being a student,” he declares. “Even in success you can’t get ahead of yourself. I never compromised my integrity over money. Money is just an opportunity to have freedom and choices. I wanted the freedom to do what I want to do. Because of my hard work I now have the freedom to make music and I love that.”

Kandi Burruss (KandiOnline.com)

Radio personality and BlackEnterprise.com contributor Lamont Baldwin caught up with Kandi Burruss, of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, to talk about the latest expansion of her business empire. The platinum-selling artist and songwriter has already seen great success in the music industry, having penned the hit TLC song “No Scrubs,” as well as other hits by artists including Destiny’s Child, Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys.

She’s found great success with KandiKoatedNight.com, where she talks about relationships and sex, and the featured Web series opened the door to venturing into the adult toy industry with Bedroom Kandi. She will also be starring in her own talent reality show, The Kandy Factory, molding amateurs into superstars.

Check out the full audio interview, where Burruss talks sex education, diversifying her sources of income, nurturing talent, and making behind-the-scenes boss moves that will ensure a long-lasting legacy.

Kandi Burruss on adult toy company and new talent show

Check out BlackEnterprise.com’s Q&A with Burruss on advancing her career and legacy, here.

Kandi Burruss (KandiOnline.com)

In this season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you probably won’t see Kandi Burruss pulling wigs, bragging about how “rich” she is, or throwing drinks. The Grammy award-winning songwriter is using her newfound reality-TV stardom and turning Kandi Koated Entertainment into Kandi Koated cash.

Life after Xscape has included a notable transition for the multiplatinum singer, lauded for penning TLC’s mega-hit “No Scrubs.” Burruss has racked up an impressive roster of career highlights, working with top artists including N’SYNC, Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, Alicia Keys and Mya. The singer-turned-mogul has kept busy by launching a series of strategic business ventures and has effectively delved in untapped markets by continuing to use each new season as an opportunity to showcase her growing empire.

Since debuting on the show, Burruss has released her sophomore solo album, Kandi Koated, opened her own clothing boutique TAGS, and launched Website  KandiKoatedNight.com, where she, other celebrities and experts discuss sex and relationships. She also has her own top-selling Spades card-game app with Konsole Kingz, and will be starring in her own spin-off show, developing talent on The Kandi Factory.

BlackEnterprise.com talked with Burruss about how she’s diversified her business interests, how she’s found more success behind the scenes, and why it’s important to have multiple streams of income in building wealth.

BlackEnterprise.com: You’ve been in the music business for a long time. What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from Xscape to now?

I wish that we would have toured a lot more because an artist’s money is really in the touring. You can make so much money on the road, and we just didn’t stay on the road like that. We didn’t like being out of town, away from home, [and we] half way weren’t getting along (laughs), so for whatever reason we didn’t take advantage of that.

Also, [I would have liked] writing more on our projects. I did do a little collaborating here and there but it wasn’t enough to say I got the largest percentage of the song. It wasn’t enough to get really big checks off of.

So me personally, I didn’t start seeing real publishing checks until after the group broke up, and I started writing for other people. When I started getting those checks I was thinking, ‘We should have been writing’ (laughs). You live and you learn. I learned a lot— from [how] you have to be more involved in your business. Even now, I still make mistakes. You know, trusting the wrong people sometimes.

Your store TAGS just celebrated it’s second anniversary recently. You and your business partner, Peaches, are doing an amazing job. What made you partner up for this venture?

Well, the main reason was because I don’t really know the whole business of how a store runs. I feel like just because you have money, it doesn’t mean that you can just open up a business and know nothing about the business. So, that’s why I partnered up with my friend because she had a store before and she knows how to run it and how to go and buy the stuff and stock the store. Eventually, I may one day branch off and do my own thing, but as it is now, it works. Don’t have to be at the store everyday to know its taking care of itself.

Let’s talk a little bit about your portfolio and the importance of having multiple streams of income.

Well, when I was young, I used to read a lot of financial books, and one thing they would say is you should have multiple [sources] of income to stay or become a millionaire. I definitely think that’s true because, say for instance, as a songwriter you maybe hot, then, what if you’re not hot anymore? Then you go through a period where you don’t feel like writing anymore. Those checks aren’t going to be as big as they were.

But, you still have these other things that are popping and making money. As far as me being a singer or in the music business that’s up and down. I wanted to have businesses that were not just about the music that I could still maintain and make money. So that if I ever chose to say “I’m leaving the music industry” I still had money coming in from something.

For more on how Kandi Burruss ventured into the billion-dollar adult toy industry, check out the full exclusive BlackEnterprise.com audio interview on BE Next.

Barbie Nation: Nicki Minaj all "dolled" up as a Barbie

Turns out pop superstar Nicki Minaj truly is a part of the “Barbie Nation.”

TheYBF.com reports that toy maker Mattel has officially begun production on the Nicki Minaj “Barbie.” On Wednesday (Dec 7) Mattel will auction a one-of-a-kind Nicki Minaj Barbie doll at CharityBuzz.com, with opening bids starting at $1,000. All proceeds will benefit Project Angel Food, which provides food for men, woman and children affected by HIV and AIDS.

In the past year, Nicki has proven to be more than a hot commodity. The rapper/actress is clearly determined to establish herself as a major brand.

Read more about the Nicki Minaj Barbie on TheYBF.com