Photo: Vinny Nolan
UnitedMasters, Earn Your Leisure and Ally helped make another entrepreneur's dreams come true at the grand finale of their "Earn Your Masters" series.
After traveling to Charlotte, N.C. and Chicago, IL. earlier this year, "Earn Your Masters" traveled down to Miami for its annual event during Art Basel last week. UnitedMasters founder Steve Stoute, Earn Your Leisure co-founders Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, surprise guest Tobe Nwigwe, and Ally's Executive Director of Brand and Sponsorships Marketing Bridget Sponsky sat on the panel who chose the 1st place winner. They collectively selected MIXPLUG founder Jux Darko $50,000 in seed money to launch his A.I.-powered platform that makes music production accessible to all creatives.
Before the winner was announced, fans flocked to Freehold Miami and participated in several panel discussions including Ally & The Sports Bra's panel with WNBA stars Brenna Stewart and Renee Montgomery. Later on, Stoute hosted "Mogul Talk" with the host of Drink Champs N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. During their conversation, all three music veterans discussed a few vital topics including N.O.R.E.'s venture into the Latin realm with his "Oye Mi Canto," the success of Drink Champs and the debate over Dr. Dre's assertion that The Firm flopped.
“How could it flop when it made me?” N.O.R.E. said.
The fireside chats continued with Earn Your Leisure's discussion with Tobe Nwigwe. Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings spoke with the multifaceted artist about his business ventures and work with other esteemed artists such as Pharrell Williams. He recalled a time when he had an opportunity to work with the decorated producer and fashion designer in the studio. He said he received an invoice from Williams with the "homie" price, which was still very expensive for an independent artist.
Nwigwe paid the bill despite the hefty price tag, and it was worth it. Shortly after that studio session, Nwigwe said Pharrell kept him in mind and offered him another opportunity to work together on a Moncler campaign. The "Moon & Sunlight" artist said the gig was worth twice what he paid for the song making it a "full circle moment" for him. He also explained why he decided to partner with Reebok over all other shoe brands.
In between all the panels, "Earn Your Masters" also had several artists come through to perform. Mystic Marley, the granddaughter of reggae legend Bob Marley, performed an acoustic set followed by other performances from Hermez and Rotimi. Scroll below to see more moments from "Earn Your Masters" at Art Basel.