I'M NAIMA For almost 20 years, I worked behind the scenes of the music industry building the careers and brand stories of artists including John Legend, Maxwell, Beyoncé, Juicy J, and "Classic Man" Jidenna. As a marketer in a business that thrives on trends, my priority was always keeping my artists’ voice, content and messaging authentic.
Now, I'm utilizing my passion, talent, and insight for entertainment, story-crafting and messaging on a broader level. Over the last two-plus years I've and cultivated the popular Twitter series, #MusicSermon, and channeled my love for music history and storytelling into music and culture journalism as a contributing writer for Vibe, Billboard and more. I've continued working as a marketer alongside brands, organizations and public-facing figures to shape their stories in authentic ways, including Spotify, Urban One, Nielsen and The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. I'm also still building artist careers as the music manager of Grammy, TONY and Emmy award-winning and Oscar-nominated Cynthia Erivo. I joke that I do a little bit of a lot, not always easily explainable in a quick blurb, so consider this the catch-all space for all things Naima. This is also a look into my life, my work and my personal journey of authenticity as during the transition from long time executive to creative entrepreneur. WELCOME! |
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#MOGUL: REMEMBERING REGGIE
My journey in the entertainment industry began at entertainment law firm Ossé & Woods, led by young partners Ed Woods and the man who later became Combat Jack. We lost both of them within three days of each other in 2017, and we're all still reeling.
I had the honor of joining a host of people from all the different chapters of Reggie's life for his special episode of the #Mogul podcast, and then to do it again in person for #Mogul live.
I had the honor of joining a host of people from all the different chapters of Reggie's life for his special episode of the #Mogul podcast, and then to do it again in person for #Mogul live.
MOGUL: The Life Times of Reggie OsséThis episode of Mogul is a tribute to the life and career of Reggie Ossé, who hosted the first season of Mogul. A couple of months after completing the show Reggie was diagnosed with colon cancer and he passed away in December of 2017. We’re going to tell you Reggie’s story — His early days growing up a hip-hop head in Brooklyn, his time as a lawyer representing legendary artists like Jay-Z and Dame Dash and his reinvention as Combat Jack, hip hop’s flagship podcaster.
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MOGUL LIVE: A Night for Reggie OsséBack in July we released a tribute to Reggie Ossé, the late host of Mogul. After that episode dropped, we invited Reggie’s friends, family, and colleagues to record a live show at the BRIC Ballroom in Brooklyn. They shared their most personal stories about Reggie—from the time he escaped a block party gone wrong to the day his whole crew got involved in a dance battle. We also reunited the cast of the Combat Jack Show. That’s right: Dallas Penn, Premium Pete, A-King, and Just Blaze, all graced the stage together for this special episode of Mogul.
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Prince was a perfectionist. He was a relentlessly creative musician and a refined aesthete, careful about the music he put out in the world, always presenting a seamless package — image and sound.
In the three and a half years since Prince’s death at 57, those responsible for his estate have had to decide just how much of the private Prince will be revealed. When he died, the musician was in the early stages of working on a memoir. “The Beautiful Ones,” published in October, contains the early pieces of the project, as well as images of Prince ephemera. And last month, a deluxe edition of “1999” arrived, including a significant cache of unreleased work from his vault.
Would Prince have agreed to the release of this material in this form? Does the potential public good, and the contribution to the historical record, outweigh whatever uncertainties Prince might have had about the revealing of his rough drafts?
On the Popcast:
In the three and a half years since Prince’s death at 57, those responsible for his estate have had to decide just how much of the private Prince will be revealed. When he died, the musician was in the early stages of working on a memoir. “The Beautiful Ones,” published in October, contains the early pieces of the project, as well as images of Prince ephemera. And last month, a deluxe edition of “1999” arrived, including a significant cache of unreleased work from his vault.
Would Prince have agreed to the release of this material in this form? Does the potential public good, and the contribution to the historical record, outweigh whatever uncertainties Prince might have had about the revealing of his rough drafts?
On the Popcast:
- Jon Pareles, The New York Times’s chief pop music critic
- Naima Cochrane, a music and culture writer for Billboard, Vibe and others
- Keith Murphy, a music journalist for ESPN’s The Undefeated, Esquire, The New York Post and others.
- Jay Smooth, the host of Ill Doctrine Radio on hiphopmusic.com
LISTEN HERE
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I joined other black music journalists in a conversation with Columbia Journalism Review's Alexandria Neason about how the media was complicit in R. Kelly's behavior for so long, and why.
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As journalists, we often deceive ourselves into believing that it is not our place to make moral judgments, that we merely let the public decide how to feel. This tends to be particularly true of critics, who have historically seen their role as offering critiques of the art, not appraisals of the human beings behind it. But our editorial decisions—whose album gets attention, whose face appears on the cover—not only reflect but also form public opinion.
To understand how Kelly’s story was handled by journalists at the time, and the particular challenges it posed for the Black press, I spoke with Dart Adams, a longtime music writer, podcast host, and author of the now defunct hip-hop blog Poisonous Paragraphs; Naima Cochrane, a music writer and former marketing and management executive at Bad Boy, Arista, Columbia, and Epic (Columbia and Epic fall under Sony Music Entertainment, as does Jive, Kelly’s longtime label; he was recently dropped); and David Dennis Jr., a music writer and adjunct professor of journalism at Morehouse College. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity...
READ ENTIRE STORY
To understand how Kelly’s story was handled by journalists at the time, and the particular challenges it posed for the Black press, I spoke with Dart Adams, a longtime music writer, podcast host, and author of the now defunct hip-hop blog Poisonous Paragraphs; Naima Cochrane, a music writer and former marketing and management executive at Bad Boy, Arista, Columbia, and Epic (Columbia and Epic fall under Sony Music Entertainment, as does Jive, Kelly’s longtime label; he was recently dropped); and David Dennis Jr., a music writer and adjunct professor of journalism at Morehouse College. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity...
READ ENTIRE STORY
LOOKING BACK AT MICHAEL JACKSON'S LEGACY on CBSN
On the 10th anniversary of Jackson's death, I sat down with CBS News to discuss Leaving Neverland and how, if at all, the resumed conversation about allegations against Michael have impacted his legacy.
What to do With Your "Why"I've been sharing my journey into entrepreneurship/“creativepreneurship” in real time over the past year and a half, including the initial process of venturing out from the safe harbor of twice-weekly direct deposit and annual bonuses into the eat-what-you-kill world.
People have shared that my transparency encourages them in their own hopes to change career paths or pursue their true calling full time, but wonder how to get from identifying their purpose/passion (which is a process in itself) and deciding to chase it (another process), to putting that in action. Every path is different, but talking to others who've been there is always helpful. Last year for International Day of Purpose I led a workshop on Getting to Authenticity, which was about finding your "Why." This year, as a follow up, a few creatives and entrepreneurs who've carved out their own space to make a living doing what they love at their highest level will join me for a live twitter chat about what comes after you take the leap; what do you do with your "Why"? Submit any questions you may have HERE before 11pm ET Thursday, and then follow the conversation from 2PM - 3PM ET using #AfterTheLeap, or via @naima. And make sure to visit dayofpurpose.org to find more ways to celebrate International Day of Purpose! |
FRIDAY JUNE 21
2PM - 3PM ET Submit your questions, and follow the conversation using #AfterTheLeap or @naima. Joining me in the chat:
For All Nerds host, screenwriter, author and DJ @djbenhameen Co-creator and founder of the Curly Girl Collective/Curlfest, Purpose Passports and @BKTravelAddict, Tracey Coleman & Tour manager/creative @topherpatt |
The Black Godfather is a Lesson In Relationships
If you haven’t already, I highly encourage and strongly urge you to watch The Black Godfather, Netflix’s doc on one of the most powerful black men in entertainment, Clarence Avant. It’s not just a music and entertainment doc, though. It’s a primer for a fruitful and impactful life.
I won’t go into his whole history here, but the core of Mr. Avant’s power and influence is his relationships. They've granted him a level of access and respect from entertainment to politics that few can say they enjoy.
Last week I had the pleasure of participating in a panel of entertainment professionals about diversity in entertainment, and I said the word “relationships” so many times – without even realizing it - that several people quoted it back to me as we were talking afterward. In the digital era, we’ve lost the art of cultivating and nurturing relationships; not just with friends, but professional ones as well. Or when we do make connections, they are often tenuous and more about a hook up than genuine building. People say they want to network or link up when they really mean they want something you can provide. It’s transactional. Clarance Avant's
When people ask me about my career path, my two part answer has been largely the same for at least the last decade:
I won’t go into his whole history here, but the core of Mr. Avant’s power and influence is his relationships. They've granted him a level of access and respect from entertainment to politics that few can say they enjoy.
Last week I had the pleasure of participating in a panel of entertainment professionals about diversity in entertainment, and I said the word “relationships” so many times – without even realizing it - that several people quoted it back to me as we were talking afterward. In the digital era, we’ve lost the art of cultivating and nurturing relationships; not just with friends, but professional ones as well. Or when we do make connections, they are often tenuous and more about a hook up than genuine building. People say they want to network or link up when they really mean they want something you can provide. It’s transactional. Clarance Avant's
When people ask me about my career path, my two part answer has been largely the same for at least the last decade:
- I fell into this career by accident, and
- It’s been all about relationships. All of it. (READ MORE)
#HellaOpinions
I had a GREAT time with Sylvia Obell and my fellow black ass panelists talking John Singleton, Game of Thrones, and how #BlackTwitter keeps conversations going on this weeks' Buzzfeed News #HellaOpinions. Watch the entire show here.
Your Musical Guide to the Blackness of Beyoncé's Homecoming
I wrote for Billboard about the power and significance in Beyoncé's musical choices for Homecoming, and how she used them to weave black history and culture throughout the live albums 40 tracks.
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Black viewers knew something special was happening when Beyoncé sang ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ in front of a crowd of hipsters and influencers in the middle of the desert. Blackness exists in duality. There’s one version in the world at large -- careful, restrained, and edited; and another version when we’re among ourselves -- free, expressive and proud. With this message to the Coachella crowd, Bey was breaking the fourth wall. A storm of ‘They have no idea what’s going on’ tweets peppered the timeline from those of us watching from home -- the audience this performance was actually for...
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SPOTIFY x "WEAR BLACK HISTORY"
I'm so excited to announce my/#MusicSermon's collaboration with the Spotify team for their amazing celebration of history and the influence of Black music for #BlackHistoryIsNow.
I worked with the Spotify team to identify and research six key stories in Black music history for a one-of-a-kind capsule collection.
Go browse the lookbook at BLACKHISTORYISNOW.COM to see what artists Joy Miessi and Brandan ‘bmike’ Odums created around The Sacred Music of Survival, The Chitlin Circuit, The Godmother of Rock n’ Roll: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sylvester: a Disco legend, The Afro Latinx Roots of Hip Hop and The Harlem Cultural Festival.
READ MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
I worked with the Spotify team to identify and research six key stories in Black music history for a one-of-a-kind capsule collection.
Go browse the lookbook at BLACKHISTORYISNOW.COM to see what artists Joy Miessi and Brandan ‘bmike’ Odums created around The Sacred Music of Survival, The Chitlin Circuit, The Godmother of Rock n’ Roll: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sylvester: a Disco legend, The Afro Latinx Roots of Hip Hop and The Harlem Cultural Festival.
READ MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
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On December 28th 2017, I resigned from what most would consider a dream job. It was unplanned, but I knew it was time. Two months later, I embarked on my scariest and most fulfilling year to date.
I shared my and #MusicSermon's 2018 milestones HERE |
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#MUSICSERMON IS NOW PART OF THE
VIBE FAMILY!
TALKING WHITNEY...
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I joined Jon Caramonica and a round table of other music and culture critics to discuss how the documentaries Whitney (in theaters now) and Whitney: Can I Be Me? (currently available on Showtime on demand) handled Whitney's legacy, if either provided new insight or revelations, if there's a larger story to be told about her career, and how folks need to put some respect on Bobby Brown's name!
READ MORE + LISTEN |
THOSE WHO IGNORE HISTORY...
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My partner and I traveled from #EssenceFest by car with my mom, flying home from Atlanta, so that we could stop at the EJI National Memorial for Peace & Justice (aka the National Lynching Memorial) in Montgomery.
I'll share a full recap on the blog in the next few days, but I posted a video along with images of the placards in the museum that detail a few known stories (out of thousands), noting the striking and unsettling similarities between the random reasons for punitive actions against black people both then and now. The posts went viral, and while I had quite a battle in my mentions for a good 36 hours, some people heard about the memorial for the first time. Others realized they didn't know nearly the depth of the horrific history of lynching. That's worth the bots and racism deniers who were camped in my mentions. |
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We’re taking the “long way” back home so we could stop in Montgomery to visit the lynching memorial. Found the counties we knew. Found the name of a victim my grandfather used to tell stories about. (READ MORE)
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#MusicSermon is a place of musical "worship" where we praise our legends, testify about the good works of the unsung and rejoice in the blessings of soul music. Started as a weekly twitter series, it's grown into a community of music lovers and a source of communal nostalgia. You'll even spot some celebrities in the virtual pews, including Ava Duverney, Lin Manuel Miranda, Missy Elliott, Chuck D, MC Hammer and more.
The below posts offer a sampling of the #MusicSermon experience. For more, visit the church home or follow via twitter on Sunday evenings for "live" service.
The below posts offer a sampling of the #MusicSermon experience. For more, visit the church home or follow via twitter on Sunday evenings for "live" service.
The COOKOUT
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THE #MUSICSERMON
INDEX
June 27, 2018
THE NEW (JACK SWING) TESTAMENT
December 11, 2017