NEW YORK (Atria Books) - Filled with invaluable, street-savvy advice from the hip hop music industry's young Turk
Kevin Liles, Make It Happen: The Hip Hop Generation Guide to Success (Atria Books;
September 27, 2005; $24.00; 0-7434-9736-8; Hardcover) by
Kevin Liles with Samantha Marshall, is the consummate career guide for a new generation. Liles, who rose from unpaid Intern to President of Def Jam records in only nine years and is now Executive Vice President at Warner
Music Group, shares his singular approach to making it-no matter what "it" may be for you. "You could be a firefighter, a rapper, a banker, an athlete or a nurse," Liles says. "If you fight against the odds to realize a dream and be the best that you can be at whatever industry you choose, you are doing it the hip-hop way."
Collaborating with Crain's New York Business senior staff reporter Samantha Marshall, Liles outlines his fresh approach to success and the "Ten Rules for Making it Happen" that have served him so well with straight-talking candor. Speaking directly to young people hungry for success, he provides clear-sighted advice that stresses determination, hard work, and being true to your dream.
Success can come only when you are doing the thing you really love, says Liles. You need to Find Your Will (Rule No 1) and Create A Blueprint (Rule No 4). Most importantly, though, you have to Do You (Rule No 2)-be yourself, find your own style, and create your own "brand." There is no single route to achievement, but Liles stresses the importance of education (both formal schooling and what you can learn from the school of life). He also points out that struggle is inevitable and the greatest teacher. Once you've gotten your foot in the door you need to Play Your Position (Rule No 5), doing what is expected of you, no matter how humble it might seem. Liles himself recounts his hours spent mopping down floors for concerts and the small indignities he put up with from executives and artists as he worked his way up the ladder.
For young people who might be coming from backgrounds where the corporate boardroom is alien territory or for savvy executives who are looking to excel beyond their career goals, Liles tells them how to build personal and business relationships that will last forever. But he cautions that you can't take everyone with you, and you need to edit negative influences out of your life. You'll need to Step Outside Your Box (M.I.X.) (Rule No 8)- it will teach you how to decipher the lessons to be learned from people of all walks of life. And while cash is the ultimate prize and could be the reward that allows personal freedom, you can't let it rule your life and it shouldn't be the only goal.
Liles' advice is built on his own personal journey, and he shares what he has learned from mentors such as Lyor Cohen, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Recorded Music at Warner Music Group, and Bob Johnson, founder and CEO of Black Entertainment Television, the largest black-owned and operated media empire in the world. But he also highlights the achievements of many of the young people who have risen up the ranks under his guidance. He addresses the sensitive issue of the conservative media's relentless campaign against Hip Hop, defending the art form and its positive impact on America's youth; and he writes movingly of the deaths of rappers Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay, and the impact they have had on the industry and his own life.
Kevin Liles "balances the entrepreneurial spirit of Def Jam's hip-hop roots with the sound, old fashioned business sense needed to turn this mercurial industry into a world-renowned entertainment empire," writes Samantha Marshall in her end-note to Make It Happen. Having crafted a management style out of the very roots of Hip Hop, Liles now shares the wealth of his knowledge with those who want to emulate his spectacular success.
About the Authors:
Kevin Liles is Executive Vice President of the Warner Music Group. He ascended through the ranks and became President and CEO of Def Jam Records, which grew into one of the most successful brands in the world. He lives in New York City. Samantha Marshall is a senior staff reporter for Crain's New York Business.
Make It Happen: The Hip-Hop Generation Guide To Success By Kevin Liles with Samantha Marshall
Published by: Atria Books
Format: Original/Hardcover
Publication Date: September 27, 2005
ISBN: 0-7434-9736-8
Pages: 240
Price: $24.00
Atria Books is a division Simon & Schuster, the publishing operation of Viacom Inc. Simon & Schuster is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and multimedia formats. Its divisions include the Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Online, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
