| Nday Bizness: |
First off, it is by YOUR design that we post a picture of the person we Intraview. Why don't we have a picture of you to post? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Cuz I got warrants, Dog. (The room erupts into laughter. Jeff doesn't even smile. He is serious.) |
| Nday Bizness: |
Warrants? You're one of the most visible people in the community. I would think that if you had warrants that the police would know where to find you and come arrest you. Why hasn't that happen? |
| Jeff Blak: |
They're traffic warrants. Stemming from a court mistake and I refuse to pay fines for something that I had nuttin' to do wit. So phuck da po-po. (Again there's laughter. Again he's serious.) |
| Nday Bizness: |
A lot of brothers claiming they had nothing to do with something is locked up. Can you explain the situation? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Years ago, I got pulled over for speeding, driving without a license and no registration and no insurance. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Damn! sounds like you had something to do with it. |
| Jeff Blak: |
Well, I admit to doing all that. But how it happened and what followed is the problem. You see I sold a car to this dude. He didn't pay. I took the car back. He hadn't registered the car, nor insured it. Infact I found the car with a flat tire and a shattered right rear passenger window at his momma's house. So I said i'll keep the car. I had his four grand so phuck him. I knew I had to register and insure the car off top. But I couldn't insure the car as is. So I changed the flat; had the window replaced. As I was driving to the DMV, I was in a near accident. To avoid the accident I swerved into the left lane and had to speed up to avoid the cars coming up behind. It was at that moment I was clocked. The cop could clock my car, but he couldn't see the near accident. That's how I got those charges. As for the license it was two days after my birthday and it had expired. |
| Nday Bizness: |
You're clocking mad money. Why not just pay the fines and get it over with? |
| Jeff Blak: |
This was years ago before all of this. But, I went to court and my lawyer had a trial in another courtroom. So when the District Attorney called the docket, I asked for a continuance. He gave me a new court date and I left. What I didn't know was that because the charges were on two seperate tickets (two charges per ticket) and each ticket had it own docket. So when I left, the same D.A. mind you, called my name again and this time he put me down as a no show, resulting in an automatic license suspension. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Do you have a license now? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Yes. I had to pay a reinstatement fee, but I refuse to pay the extra fine the Judge imposed for the Failure To appear. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Did you expalin this to the Judge? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Yes. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Let's fast forward to now. You're young. You're African-American. You're making it happen nda Rap Game without grabbing a mic. You own two music video shows, NDAMIXX and SOULMIXX, you're a party promoter, a music and TV Producer, you're a consultant and owner of a new hot azz Web site. How much money do you make? I mean the phat cars and the house. |
| Jeff Blak: |
That's a question best answered by my Accountants and Attorneys, but I will tell you that I make enough to pay the bills and to live a comfortable lifestyle. |
| Nday Bizness: |
I work for you. So I have heard the story about how you got started, but there are the rumors. Have you heard them? |
| Jeff Blak: |
What? There are rumors about me? (Jeff points a finger at himself and the room laughs again) |
| Nday Bizness: |
The drug dealing rumors. |
| Jeff Blak: |
Yes. I have heard them. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Here's you chance to disspell those rumors. |
| Jeff Blak: |
I don't need this forum or any other forum to disspell anything. I know how I made the money. I know the truth and that's that. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Word. I feel you on that, but tell the story of how you made your money and got nda the Rap game. This was back in Cali? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Yeah I used to live in California. I went to College there. MY first love is Hip Hop. I love Rap music. I've listened to it and been involved with it since... for awhile. It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do. I've carried the crates, then D-Jayed, promoted it, managed a music store then I brought the store and then sold it and here I am today. (Now Jeff is smiling.) |
| Nday Bizness: |
How did you go from managing the store to owning it? |
| Jeff Blak: |
I worked at the store for six months before I brought it. At the time the owner was paying me $6.00 an hour under the table; No taxes, no Social Security, no benefits. I worked 30 hours a week and attended College. But I had friends that I went to High School with that got involved nda street game. I also had friends and follow students and College Professors that wanted what my other friends had to offer. |
| Nday Bizness: |
So this is where the rumors got started? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Maybe. Maybe not. But as I was saying, I had these friends. One of my closest friends, Carl (R.I.P.), was moving thangs. I mean bricks. Carl and I were tight as hell. We hung out everywhere together. And one day I was eating at the local Soul Food joint when another friend asked me about some thangs. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Drugs? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Yes, Drugs. He assumed that I was down wit Carl. Which I was, but he assummed I was really down wit Carl. |
| Nday Bizness: |
What was your other friends question? |
| Jeff Blak: |
How much for an O? (O=Oz=Ounce) |
| Nday Bizness: |
And how did you respond? |
| Jeff Blak: |
I kept it real. I wasn't gonna let my homeboy miss out on no money so I called him up. Carl said $350. I told dude $375. He gave me the money and when Carl arrived I gave him the $350, making a quick $25 lick. Carl counted the money which surprised me and then he and ol' boy went to the back. When Carl came out and he gave me some dap and while he was doing that he put some money in my hands. |
| Nday Bizness: |
You said, Carl surprised you when he counted the money, why did that surprise you and how much extra did he give you? |
| Jeff Blak: |
I was surprised 'cause we were tight and I took his counting of the money as a sign that he thought I would beat him. Later on he explained that one, he wanted ol' boy to know that he was dealing wit him and not me. And two it was his money. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Again, how much extra did he give you. |
| Jeff Blak: |
Fifty bucks. |
| Nday Bizness: |
So you made a quick $75 lick as you call it. |
| Jeff Blak: |
Right. I was going to College and making six bucks an hour part time. In half an hour, the time it took Carl to show up, I made $75.00. My real involvement was a made phone call that lasted maybe thirty seconds. However that phone call changed my life that day. I became the hook up man. Now people really thought Carl and I were down. |
| Nday Bizness: |
The hook up man? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Yeah. They would call me or page me and I would call Carl. My fee was the same $25 per O from them and $50 from Carl. I did at least ten hook ups a day and as many as twenty-five in one day seven days a week. I spent money, saved money and the best thang I did was invest some in a company called Apple Computer. Five months later, I sold the stock and cleared about $333,000.00 after taxes. |
| Nday Bizness: |
I've heard you tell this story before and it's still amazing. With $333,000.00 in cash and you in your... early 20's? |
| Jeff Blak: |
I had just turned 20. I didn't tell my parents. I didn't tell no one I was rich. Then one day Sam, the store owner, was bitching about selling the store. I asked how much he wanted and he beat around the bush thinking I was joking. Which I can understand, but I stayed on him for days about it and finally he said, "the first motherfucker that can give me a 150 thousand in cash can have it". The next day I owned a record store. I remodeled doubling the size and I increased the scope of product. A year and a half later one of the Big chains bought me out and I made a few extra ends. |
| Nday Bizness: |
You made some straight paper and you're just 21 years old. What are you doing? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Nothing. I stayed in College where I was studying Business Management. I bought a bunch of DJ equipment and a van creating a mobile DJ van and started promoting parties. I didn't do the actual spinning, but I hired the best DJs. That lasted a year. I got bored and gave the equipment to one of my friends, Kevin. Sold my Condo and moved to the East. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Just like that you moved? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Yeah, I did. Having money allows you certain freedom. I think thats the importance of money it frees you. Not what it can buy you or get you, but the freedom it brings. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Okay. I feel you. Now you have moved. Set up shop anew. How you did you get back nda Rap game? And why? |
| Jeff Blak: |
When I moved back to the East and specifically to the dirty south my money doubled so speak. Things were cheaper. I bought a house for less than what I had sold my Condo for. So I knew right then that with the money I had I could live a comfortable lifestyle for years. So initially I just sat back and relaxed and I watched the emergence of Deathrow, Bad Boy and that whole Tupac and Biggie thang. Master P took off and his crew grew. So I wanted to put my money back in action. I started a record label and opened a studio, but I wasn't happy wit just that. I wanted to control Hip Hop. |
| Nday Bizness: |
When you say control Hip Hop, you don't mean all of Hip Hop do you? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Yes! We started this shit so why can't we control it. I wanted to be a force in Hip Hop. So I started NDAMIXX which in its inception was just a two hour Hip Hop video show. Now by controlling what videos play, I control Hip Hop in my own way. Now Da NDAMIXX family consist of two shows, a street team, party promotions, a select DJ group, radio and now the Web. And with this Web site I can now reach millions of True Hip Hop Headz further extending the reach of NDAMIXX and it's influence. |
| Nday Bizness: |
Now some people are going to say that sounds like some mad man shit. How do justify your statements? |
| Jeff Blak: |
Rap is the biggest selling format of music. Rap artists generate billions of dollars for their white-owned labels and millions if not billions for other white-owned companies they endorse indirectly; through their wearing of certain brands and their singing about the same in their songs. Now if you ask these MCs what they get for their endorsements the minority will tell you free clothes or free shoes. And if those same MCs spit lyrics no one likes (read white media) the white-owned labels drop their azz. So I wanted a company that could take advantage of the marketing opportunities that Rap music brings to the table. That's my control aspect. It all about the cheddar. I want to make my piece of cake too, but like I said before I love Hip Hop. I love Rap music. But that doesn't mean I'm feeling every MC or every CD out there. |
| Nday Bizness: |
So you are not trying to control ALL of Hip Hop, but just make some change out of it. |
| Jeff Blak: |
I want it all like Waren G. I ain't trying to take no shorts in this Rap game or any other game. For example going back to my record store days if I could turn someone on to DMX or Jay-Z and a new up and coming act and he spreads the word on that up and coming act then in a way I have influence all of them. I have influenced that decision to purchase that new act. That's the power. That's the control I seek. Let me say one last thang on this control aspect. If you were to take the top 10 selling MCs from their respective labels and combine them in one company, a Black owned company, and then setup distribution you could control Hip Hop. Who (the buyers) wouldn't want the best selling MCs on the shelf in their stores. And with that control comes the perks and rewards. |
| Nday Bizness: |
And you have some nice perks and rewards. The cars. The house. (Jeff reaches into his Deep pockets and pulls out a wad of Benjis.) The money. You do charity work. You're quick to share the spoils, at least with your employees. I know people with cars, that ain't worth 2Gs, that won't even let their moms drive and yet you're quick to give one of us the keys to your Benz. And I don't know any boss that would give an employee the keys to his Benz. |
| Jeff Blak: |
You owe some thanx to Sam for that. You see, Sam had a customized van with VCR, TV, Fridge, wall to wall carpet and celly. He loved that van. He also had a Porsche Cabriolet. If you asked Sam to use a car he gave you the keys. The keys to the Porsche. If his son had the Porsche, he would give you the keys to the van. Sam was cool like that and was the best employer I ever had and in that way I want to emulate him. Besides that it builds loyalty and gives you guys something to work toward. |
| Nday Bizness: |
I know you're not married. I know you got a Few Female Friends as you call them. You usually travel with ONE or TWO of them. Are the young ladies money groupies or true friends? |
| Jeff Blak: |
(Jeff laughs) I get that alot. As Direct as you put it and indirectly through stares or whispers from people in the street. All I can do is laugh. The women I hang out wit are all professional career oriented women wit the exception of two or three of them. They are Lawyers, Doctors, business owners, junior Politicians, Teachers, etc.. The others are College Students, Singers and Dancers. |
| Nday Bizness: |
By Dancers do you mean Strippers? |
| Jeff Blak: |
No doubt. I don't discriminate. Bad girls need love too. Now don't get me wrong, I know the lure that money has on some honeys. I'm a College educated Black man that grew up on the streets. So I'm no fool and the ladies know that too. I DON'T buy them Cars, Jewels or make payments. I will treat them to a day at the Spa or a new bottle of smell good. I'm not a trick and I don't play that role. Captain Save A Hoe. Naw man! |
| Nday Bizness: |
Jay, I appreciate it. Thanx for agreeing to do this. I know I got in your bizness, but hey that's why you pay me. I do have one final question. How much did the Benz cost? This is the one question everybody wanted me to ask you. |
| Jeff Blak: |
Honestly, I don't know the exact full cost. The car was $175,000 and some change. The AMG engine and kit another $65,000. The custom electronics cost $55,000. The Italian Hand Sewn leather and stitching was $33,000. The custom rims and tires around $18,000. So you do the math. |
