Universal

Sittin' on twenties with no gas money

Queen Latifah wearing a white shirt and a colorful head wrap.
Onyx album cover featuring four rappers posing for a picture with the words "Best of Onyx" written on the top.
A poster for a Foxy Brown album.
Mr. Cheeks wearing a blue jacket and a hat sits on a rail.
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It’s the universal language. It inspires us, moves us, thrills us, heals us and ultimately unites us all. As a world leader in music, Universal Music Group believes its their responsibility to nurture music, and to foster artistry and self-expression. In a world that desperately needs to find more common ground, there is no better way to provide it, than through music.

East Coast hip-hop opened its doors to me in the early 2000s, and I gladly entered. My career was just getting started, and I quickly found myself working alongside some of hottest rappers and directors of the decade. The productions sent me across the five boroughs bringing music videos and an award-winning feature film to life as an assistant director, art director, producer and editor at New York's storied Liberty Studios.

Working on these projects not only gave me valuable experience with production and celebrity, it also provided early exposure to the craft and power of personal branding and PR. Queen Latifah's cross-over career in television, film and retail was just taking off at the time, so I was able to see the compounding effect that her music had on her film and fashion endeavors. These lessons in earned media figured prominently in the much larger corporate branding initiatives I became engaged with at Airbnb. Program's like Only On Airbnb as well as Adventures, Cooking and Animals all crafted powerful earned media strategies to boost global awareness for the core offering.

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It’s the universal language. It inspires us, moves us, thrills us, heals us and ultimately unites us all. As a world leader in music, Universal Music Group believes its their responsibility to nurture music, and to foster artistry and self-expression. In a world that desperately needs to find more common ground, there is no better way to provide it, than through music.

East Coast hip-hop opened its doors to me in the early 2000s, and I gladly entered. My career was just getting started, and I quickly found myself working alongside some of hottest rappers and directors of the decade. The productions sent me across the five boroughs bringing music videos and an award-winning feature film to life as an assistant director, art director, producer and editor at New York's storied Liberty Studios.

Working on these projects not only gave me valuable experience with production and celebrity, it also provided early exposure to the craft and power of personal branding and PR. Queen Latifah's cross-over career in television, film and retail was just taking off at the time, so I was able to see the compounding effect that her music had on her film and fashion endeavors. These lessons in earned media figured prominently in the much larger corporate branding initiatives I became engaged with at Airbnb. Program's like Only On Airbnb as well as Adventures, Cooking and Animals all crafted powerful earned media strategies to boost global awareness for the core offering.

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Music Videos

My brush with East Coast hip hop

Motown Records
Queen Latifah
A woman wearing a black and white sweater with a letter Q on it.
A woman wearing a black and white sweater with a letter Q on it.
Queen Latifah wearing a white shirt and a colorful head wrap.
A black and white logo for Motown.
A woman wearing white pants and a pink jacket poses for a picture.
A woman with a blue shirt and brown hair smiling.
A woman wearing a black and white sweater with a letter Q on it.
Queen Latifah wearing a white shirt and a colorful head wrap.
A black and white logo for Motown.
A woman wearing a black and white sweater with a letter Q on it.
Queen Latifah wearing a white shirt and a colorful head wrap.
A woman wearing white pants and a pink jacket poses for a picture.
A woman with a blue shirt and brown hair smiling.
A woman wearing a black and white sweater with a letter Q on it.
Queen Latifah wearing a white shirt and a colorful head wrap.
A woman wearing white pants and a pink jacket poses for a picture.
A woman with a blue shirt and brown hair smiling.
A woman wearing a black and white sweater with a letter Q on it.
Queen Latifah wearing a white shirt and a colorful head wrap.
A woman wearing white pants and a pink jacket poses for a picture.
A woman with a blue shirt and brown hair smiling.
A black and white logo for Motown.
Def Jam Records
Foxy Brown
A pink record with a picture of Foxy Brown in a pink bikini.
A pink record with a picture of Foxy Brown in a pink bikini.
Foxy Brown wearing a leopard print hat.
A black background with a white outline of a person.
Foxy Brown wearing a blue tank top and yellow boots.
A woman wearing a bikini top and sunglasses is on the cover of a CD.
A pink record with a picture of Foxy Brown in a pink bikini.
Foxy Brown wearing a leopard print hat.
A black background with a white outline of a person.
A pink record with a picture of Foxy Brown in a pink bikini.
Foxy Brown wearing a leopard print hat.
Foxy Brown wearing a blue tank top and yellow boots.
A woman wearing a bikini top and sunglasses is on the cover of a CD.
A pink record with a picture of Foxy Brown in a pink bikini.
Foxy Brown wearing a leopard print hat.
Foxy Brown wearing a blue tank top and yellow boots.
A woman wearing a bikini top and sunglasses is on the cover of a CD.
A pink record with a picture of Foxy Brown in a pink bikini.
Foxy Brown wearing a leopard print hat.
Foxy Brown wearing a blue tank top and yellow boots.
A woman wearing a bikini top and sunglasses is on the cover of a CD.
A black background with a white outline of a person.
Koch Entertainment
Onyx
A man with a red hoodie and a man with a black sweatshirt.
A man with a red hoodie and a man with a black sweatshirt.
A hip hop album cover with the words "Onyx" and "Bacdacufup" on it.
A black Koch Entertainment logo.
Three men with black hair and white shirts are posing for a picture.
Two men are posing for a picture with one of them wearing a black hat.
A man with a red hoodie and a man with a black sweatshirt.
A hip hop album cover with the words "Onyx" and "Bacdacufup" on it.
A black Koch Entertainment logo.
A man with a red hoodie and a man with a black sweatshirt.
A hip hop album cover with the words "Onyx" and "Bacdacufup" on it.
Three men with black hair and white shirts are posing for a picture.
Two men are posing for a picture with one of them wearing a black hat.
A man with a red hoodie and a man with a black sweatshirt.
A hip hop album cover with the words "Onyx" and "Bacdacufup" on it.
Three men with black hair and white shirts are posing for a picture.
Two men are posing for a picture with one of them wearing a black hat.
A man with a red hoodie and a man with a black sweatshirt.
A hip hop album cover with the words "Onyx" and "Bacdacufup" on it.
Three men with black hair and white shirts are posing for a picture.
Two men are posing for a picture with one of them wearing a black hat.
A black Koch Entertainment logo.
Universal Music
Mr. Cheeks
A man wearing a blue hoodie and a hat sits on a bridge.
A man wearing a blue hoodie and a hat sits on a bridge.
A man wearing sunglasses and a black shirt is sitting at a piano.
A black background with the word Universal Music written in white.
A man wearing a black hat and a white jacket.
A man with dreadlocks and a necklace looking at the camera.
A man wearing a blue hoodie and a hat sits on a bridge.
A man wearing sunglasses and a black shirt is sitting at a piano.
A black background with the word Universal Music written in white.
A man wearing a blue hoodie and a hat sits on a bridge.
A man wearing sunglasses and a black shirt is sitting at a piano.
A man wearing a black hat and a white jacket.
A man with dreadlocks and a necklace looking at the camera.
A man wearing a blue hoodie and a hat sits on a bridge.
A man wearing sunglasses and a black shirt is sitting at a piano.
A man wearing a black hat and a white jacket.
A man with dreadlocks and a necklace looking at the camera.
A man wearing a blue hoodie and a hat sits on a bridge.
A man wearing sunglasses and a black shirt is sitting at a piano.
A man wearing a black hat and a white jacket.
A man with dreadlocks and a necklace looking at the camera.
A black background with the word Universal Music written in white.
Universal Pictures
My Brother

A brotherhood is tested on the streets of New York City.

Two men standing together, one wearing glasses and the other wearing a hat.
Two men standing together, one wearing glasses and the other wearing a hat.
A movie poster for a movie called "My Brother" with Vanessa Williams and two young men walking down the street.
A woman is holding a boy in bed.
A woman with a necklace on talking to a man.
Two men standing together, one wearing glasses and the other wearing a hat.
A movie poster for a movie called "My Brother" with Vanessa Williams and two young men walking down the street.
Two men standing together, one wearing glasses and the other wearing a hat.
A movie poster for a movie called "My Brother" with Vanessa Williams and two young men walking down the street.
A woman is holding a boy in bed.
A woman with a necklace on talking to a man.
Two men standing together, one wearing glasses and the other wearing a hat.
A movie poster for a movie called "My Brother" with Vanessa Williams and two young men walking down the street.
A woman is holding a boy in bed.
A woman with a necklace on talking to a man.
Two men standing together, one wearing glasses and the other wearing a hat.
A movie poster for a movie called "My Brother" with Vanessa Williams and two young men walking down the street.
A woman is holding a boy in bed.
A woman with a necklace on talking to a man.

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