Growing up in the New York City area is challenging, yet fulfilling, especially back in the 1970s- 1990s. A young boy, born in the Bronx but raised in Long Island took a chance by entering the world of hip-hop at a time when hip-hop was still considered a fad and wasn't expected to last long. In fact, it was given the same lifespan as disco. But, D…

Not everyone can handle entrepreneurship, but for comedian Jamie Roberts, owning a business is not a funny thing. The man has been on the comedy scene for years and has had a hand in running several shows in the New York City area. Roberts was the host and executive producer of a weekly show every Sunday called Sunday Night Live, the longest-runnin…

You've heard many of their songs throughout the past 40-plus years. When it comes to legendary, this man and his music family fit the bill. He and his family, Full Force, which was comprised of brothers, Lucien "Bowlegged Lou" George Jr. "Paul Anthony" George, Brian "B-Fine" George, and cousins, Hugh Junior "Shy Shy" Clark, Curt "Curt-T-T" Bedeau, …

There are many recognizable songs in hip-hop history that all you have to do is hear four bars and you instantly know the song. Or, you know the most known and heavily recited lines, in this case, "Engine, engine number nine on the New York Transit line, if my train goes off the track, pick it up! Pick it Up! Pick it up!" Well, the next person I sp…

The importance of educating the youth is not lost on Brooklyn, NY's own Chip Fu. A founding member of the hip-hop group, Fu-Schnickens, his dedication to hip-hop helped shape his focus to making sure the youth have direction and focus for the future. The child of an educator, Chip is a natural for the program he started and is currently running M.A…

Lemar Ingram is involved in corporate America for his day job, yet, he has instilled the learnings and culture of hip-hop in order to become successful in his line of work. The self-described hip-hop head is also the author of the self-published book, "The G-Code: Behind the Bars: Hip-Hop Connoisseur's Guide Through Corporate America." Ingram's tom…

You knew him as the youngest in charge! Legendary Hip-Hop artist, Special Ed is still around and doing his thing! I got a chance to speak to the Brooklyn-bred artist to discuss what he has been up to lately. He is still performing and traveling the world as the hip-hop audience still gets a kick out of seeing and hearing his catalog of hits. I have…

Hip-Hop and politics are two things that are needed in the community and it was only a matter of time before both would intersect with each other. We have always known that there would be politicians who claim hip-hop but to actually see someone actually INVOLVED in the culture to enter into the arena of politics was eventual. Enter Dupre Kelly, wh…

This episode of My Friends Are Better Than Yours features a young man I've known for over 20 years. I've literally watched him grow up from being the younger brother of Uptown Records recording artist, Father MC to sharpening his skills while working at BET. And now, he is not only acting as Junie Byrd in the MGM+ series, Godfather of Harlem starri…

The latest technology that seems to be on people’s minds is artificial intelligence. With the sudden rise of popular social media apps utilizing AI tools, it’s important that we get on board before it takes off. The Wrap reported that the November launch of the ChatGPT app generated 672 million visits in January. That number placed the app within t…

BIG CED of The Industry Cosign got an opportunity to talk to recording artist, Bradd Marquis. The conversation centered around the upcoming tour that the singer is about to embark on starting on January 20th. The name of the tour is "The Music of Sam Cooke- A Change Is Gonna Come." The show will start in Texas and work its way to Saratoga Springs, …

BIG CED of The Industry Cosign talks to The Fabulous Chi Ali, who is the youngest member of the Native Tongues (De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, Black Sheep). Chi Ali has just started his own non-profit organization named Choices Have Impact. We talk about the reason he started it and how he has been keeping his life on the right …

BIG CED of The Industry Cosign talks to DJ Kenny Parker of Boogie Down Productions. Kenny discusses the book he just wrote and released 'My Brother's Name Is Kenny: The Greatest True Hip-Hop Story Ever Told' The book is a tell-all written by Kenny about the upbringing of himself and his brother, KRS-One, who is considered to be one of the most lyri…

The Industry Cosign speaks to entrepreneur, Ronier Golightly, better known as DJBabe, Owner and CEO of Motor City Popcorn. The industry veteran is a business owner, DJ and author has been a budding entrepreneur since he started perfecting his talent on the turntables in 1984. He was an on-air radio mixer with WJLB (Detroit), Superadio syndication a…

The Revolt Summit landed in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia in September. As hundreds of up-and-coming artists, industry executives, and admirers of the culture gathered to gain and/or give knowledge, the heat wasn’t only outdoors. The conference provided opportunities for everyone to network with like-minded people as mostly Black entrepreneurs and …

Just a brief conversation with a former police officer, Bill Foster --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/big-ced/support

He was anointed the “King of Stage” after leaving the popular group New Edition to embark on his solo career in 1986. We all know the story of Boston’s own Bobby Brown as he released his first solo album that immediately scored a number one R&B hit in Girlfriend. Although that first single went to the top of the R&B chart, his next two singles did …

In the first of a series that BIG CED from The Industry Cosign has started, ‘The Definition of an Entrepreneur’ features select individuals who have started their own businesses while staying true to their passion. This conversation features New York City natives Ken Murphy and Derek ‘D-Mitch’ Mitchell discussing how they started WGOHipHop Flavor a…