LIVE: DJ Drama
“Becoming a Mogul Off Mixtapes”
The season finale of the Mining Diamonds Podcast with Jim Jones is here featuring a very special guest. Recorded in front of a capacity crowd at SelectCon 004 in Brooklyn, New York, the collective is joined by the architect of the Gangsta Grillz empire and recent Grammy Award-winner DJ Drama. Throughout the live conversation, Drama speaks on going from being vilified to being validated for his innovative artistry and unparalleled hustle while dishing out some key advice to independent artists looking to grow their careers.
The Mining Diamonds Podcast is for informational purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other professional advice. UnitedMasters' distribution of the Mining Diamonds Podcast does not constitute a recommendation, endorsement, or approval of any opinions expressed within the podcast.
Episode 1: Chef JJ Johnson
“From Namesake to Enterprise”
In our debut episode, Jim Jones and the Mining Diamonds crew of Nakia Booth and Beef Jones welcome James Beard award-winning chef, TV personality, and author, Chef JJ Johnson to the table. In this vibrant conversation, Johnson details how he went from an ambitious culinary student to launching a burgeoning food empire and what it took to start, fund, and scale.
Episode 2: Earn Your Leisure
”Levels To This”
Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings talk about their journey in creating a global content platform that is disrupting the financial education industry with Earn Your Leisure. What began as a simple mission to teach financial literacy to teens through a hip-hop lens has now grown to include a portfolio of businesses designed to bring generational wealth for themselves and their listeners. Listen to hear Jim put the guys in the hot seat when he challenges them to come up with a strategy to build a big business with an initial investment of $500.
Episode 3: Majora Carter
“Rebuilding the Block”
In this episode of Mining Diamonds, we are joined by urban strategist, real estate developer and MacArthur fellow, Majora Carter to discuss self gentrification and the controversy surrounding the name. Centering on how underrepresented entrepreneurs have a hard time getting funding for projects in their neighborhoods, the conversation also addresses what raising capital via crowdfunding looks like and how communities can invest in their neighborhoods to stimulate the local economy to play a positive part in gentrification rather than falling victim to it.
Episode 4: A. Donahue Baker & Vin Rock
“Real Estate & Financial Development”
Real estate investor and Fintech founder, A.Donahue Baker joins us for a passionate discussion about financial literacy and creating generational wealth through multi-family real estate investing, building business credit and strategic deal analysis. Also featuring Vin Rock of Naughty By Nature who goes into depth about what the new world of finance looks like with the evolution of crypto and how the partnership between UnitedMasters and Coinbase can help musicians.
Episode 7: Big Russ
“Trust The Process”
Harlem entrepreneur, actor and philanthropist, Russell “Big Russ” Smith sits at the Mining Diamonds table to discuss his 20-plus years journey of entrepreneurship, starting with a single barbershop into an empire of businesses, one block at a time.
Episode 5: Nigel Sylvester and Kalilah Wright
“Your Brand is Your Business”
This episode of Mining Diamonds brings popular BMX athlete and philanthropist, Nigel Sylvester and entrepreneur Kalilah Wright to the table to discuss their unique paths to business success by creating and leveraging their personal brands. Nigel, using his access to corporate boardrooms to learn how to grow his personal brand into a global phenomenon, while Wright, the owner of brand Mess in a Bottle, goes into detail about how she turned a $500 investment into a $1 million dollar empire.
Episode 8: Malik Yoba & Dan Pearson
”The Mindset”
Sitting at the Mining Diamonds table for this episode is actor, philanthropist and developer Malik Yoba along with producer and author Dan Pearson. Topics range from inspiration and motivation to the mindset an entrepreneur needs to persevere.
Episode 6: Rob Markman & Melanie McClain
“The Medium is the Message”
Noted Hip-Hop journalist and musician Rob Markman joins A&R and music publishing executive, Melanie McClain for a sit down with the Mining Diamonds crew to discuss what the future of music and media will be with the advent of the blockchain and emerging NFT space. We're discussing this polarizing topic with all the nuance it deserves, getting into the technicalities, limitless potential of the metaverse and Web3.