1. How did you first get into the entertainment/performance industry? My journey into entertainment started off in the world of Hip Hop. I and one of my closest friends, Lex One, formed a group after high school and got the opportunity to open up for a lot of amazing hip hop artists that we looked up to while growing up. I loved being on stage performing. It’s something that’s never left me, so when I stopped doing music in 2017, I found other ways to keep my creative juices flowing. I was given the opportunity to do a TEDx Talk, then months later something I shot went viral and the combination of the two got me back on stages speaking around the country. I think even if I made it to 90 years old, I would still find ways to entertain people in my nursing home.
2. What does it take to be a successful serial entrepreneur and how have you developed this/these skill(s)?
My story was a little bit different than others in the sense that my arrests in 2006 prevented me at that time from getting another 9-5 for a while, so I was in a sense thrown to the wolves and had no choice although I’ve had the entrepreneurial spirit in me long before that time. It takes a ton of discipline. Remember when you decide to become an entrepreneur, you no longer have anyone telling you what to do, what time to be somewhere, or holding you accountable. You have to be that person for yourself. Not everybody has the ability to do that. There are some people in this world that cannot function unless there’s someone micromanaging them. You have to get out of that mindset extremely quickly and get into the independent mindset ASAP! I’ve known from the first time I ever took a business class with my teacher Mr. Evans my senior year that I wanted to become an entrepreneur so I spent a lot of time researching other entrepreneurs to check out the kinda moves they were making. Once you go out on your own and leave the 9-5 world behind you adapt very quickly and start learning the do’s and don’ts. You’re going to fail very often but it’s within those failures where you learn, grow, and adjust to it.
3. Have you always been passionate about comedy, and what makes sketches special in comparison to other visual content?
I’ve always had a funny bone. When I was younger my dad would whip out his video camera and we would shoot skits when I would visit him in New York. It was similar to what you would see on Saturday night live back in the days, but the bootleg version. When I got older, I started making more music. It was rare for a while that you would see me shoot skits. It wasn’t until I decided to step away from music that I felt that shooting comedic content was a natural step for me. I feel like anything that has a comedic element to it is going to draw people’s attention a lot more than If comedy wasn’t added to it. I’m no comedian but I love to make people laugh. There’s something about being able to make people laugh that gets them listening. Those are the kind of videos that people love to share because it spreads positivity around social media.
4. What is/are one/two catalyst(s) that tie all of your different projects, companies, and entertainment ventures together?
If you’re talking in a broad sense, I think I would say it’s the fact that I want to do it all. I’ve never wanted to be known for one thing, so I’m constantly adding new roles to my arsenal of skills. When It’s all said and done, I don’t just want to be known for music, I don’t just want to be known for skits, I don’t just want to be known for my Tedx talk and speaking. I want to be known for everything. I want to be considered a mogul, so it motivates me to keep doing more projects, start new ventures, and get more involved in entertainment. Everything I do now is under my brand’s umbrella of Sikey, which originally started off as a clothing line and evolved into the brand that encapsulates everything.
5. How and why did you decide to transition your career from focusing on performing to focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation?
Entrepreneurship was something that was consistent with me even while I was doing music. Me and my good friend/business partner at the time, Lex One, and I started an independent label called GTPS, as well as a hip hop blog. We also ended up starting GTPS printing and opened a studio in a huge warehouse. I was actually still making music at the time this was all happening so it was a balancing act between the two. My biggest transition was when I decided to quit music late 2016, early 2017 and start shooting skits, pranks, and social experiments. The main reason I moved away from music was because I just felt like I’ve done all I could do in that world. Sometimes they say giving up isn’t always a bad thing. Knowing when you’re defeated is also a victory in itself and allows you to pivot. I adjusted and adapted extremely quickly and thank God it paid off.
6. What was your experience like with serving as a TED speaker and what made you choose the specific topic of “surviving without a job through failure?”
It was actually one of the most incredible experiences of my life and has sparked so many opportunities ever since. After I was chosen out of 62 people, we spent 6 to 7 weeks rehearsing once a week. It was great to be around other speakers that helped me trim and finesses my talk a bit in order to get it right. I remember my first rehearsal, I think I spoke for well over 20 minutes when it was only supposed to be 12. I’m not going to lie, I was nervous each time even on game day, but I had a blast. On top of that, I had to pull a double duty because they asked me to do a spoken word piece to open up the entire event. I was grateful to be given double the opportunity. When I was thinking about what my topic was going to be, I thought back on all my life experiences I could possibly share with an audience and chose the one I think relates to most people these days. We’re living in this new world where social media is king and you don’t necessarily need a 9 to 5 as much anymore to survive, so I figure I would share my experience on my decade long journey without a job.
7. Which topics have you chosen to discuss at conferences around the country, and why?
What was funny about this is that outside of my Tedx Talk, the first time I was asked to speak was in the Hampton’s in New York, to which I’ve never been. My boy, who asked me If I wanted to speak, also asked me what I would talk about. Most of the people that were going to be in the audience were young adults mostly in their 20’s, and I remembered that a few of my past videos had gone viral, so it popped into my head. Why not speak about “how to go viral’ and teach them some strategies to increase your video views and get more engagement. So I ended up putting together a 30-45 minute talk on how to go viral. The funny part about it is after I actually went viral I never in my life thought I would ever be speaking about how to go viral.
8. How have you positively influenced your fans on social media outlets like Instagram?
First of all, I hate the term influencer because most influencers aren’t influencing anyone the right way or at all. I made a conscious decision to do my best to incorporate positivity in most of the things I do to help and motivate people. When my time is up on this earth I want to be remembered for trying my best to change people’s lives for the better. I spent a lot of time on Instagram answering questions people have in my DM’s and giving young people guidance in their own lives, so I make myself extremely accessible so they can reach out.
9. What have been some of the best parts of working with multiple different radio platforms?
This last year especially has been crazy. I’ve been given the opportunity to be on a plethora of radio stations and tons of podcasts. The best part is being able to use your voice to spread positivity and make people laugh just like I do on my social media platforms. Every single time I have the chance to be on the radio, I make sure I gear it towards inspiring and motivating others.
10. How and where do you plan to direct your career or influence in the near future? My main goal at the moment is to work on shooting the show I created, “America’s Gone Viral.” We were in the beginning stages of getting everything in order and then BOOM, the pandemic hit. So the concept is basically a viral competition show for up and coming comedic content creators with not so many followers. The show would also cater to content creators that want to make a career out of it and love shooting content. We’re going to select 3 or so content creator teams such as a brother and sister team, boyfriend girlfriend team, etc. We’re going to issue them viral challenges such as skits, pranks, or social experiments and allow them to shoot and edit the content themselves while showing the behind the scenes on how viral content is made. After they shoot their viral challenge, they’re going to present it to our 3 influencer judges. With everyone shooting content right now, this is the perfect time for a show like “America’s Gone Viral.” I can’t wait! Although I plan on shooting this show I’m thinking even beyond it. I want to use this show as more of a launching pad and move onto other things in entertainment. Like I said before, I’m in mogul mode and I want to do it all!
