The Sole Chronicles

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz are one of the entertainment industry's power couples. They are giants in music as well as in the world of art. We had the pleasure of collaborating with both of them while at Nike very early in their careers and completely separately, long before they were the Deans. In this episode we share stories of working with Alicia the week her debut album was released with an epic Trace magazine party which shut down NYC's 57th street as well as working with Swizz to provide music for a Nike basketball digital project. As we head to the Brooklyn Museum this month to witness the couple's formidable art collection in "Giants", we are extremely proud of their individual and combined accomplishments and the work we were able to do together.

New York native Leslie 'Big Lez' Segar is a legendary hip hop dancer, choreographer, on-air radio and television personality, producer, fitness specialist, and actress who has danced for artists including LL Cool J, Bobby Brown, Salt n' Pepa, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. In this episode, Big Lez joins us to share her journey starting out as a gymnast to working as a dancer/choreographer with some of the icons of music highlighting the behind the scenes working with John Singleton on Michael Jackson's Remember the Time and Whitney Houston's I'm Every Woman videos, being cast for the opening of the TV series, Living Single, and her work as an on-air TV and radio personality on Rap City, Hot 97 and Big Boy's Neighborhood. Big Lez stresses the importance of recognizing the contributions of dance and dancers in the history and narrative of hip hop and modern pop culture and staying motivated in an industry that often rejects those who don't fit the traditional standards of beauty.

In this episode we dissect the role race plays in marginalizing outspoken and unapologetic black executives and high level professionals in music and sports with particular attention on divisive tactics that may have been used to cause splits between superstar talent and their “controversial” representatives/partners ie Jay Z and Damon Dash, Richard Williams and Venus and Serena Williams, Matthew Knowles and Beyonce, and even Joe Jackson and MJ.  We question if black professionals are given the same license to boldly express, question, challenge, or do it "their way" especially if they are seen as a barrier between the INDUSTRY (sports or entertainment) having access to superstar talent.  Our hosts share personal stories of working with Damon Dash while at Nike before the Roc-a-Fella split which also included encouraging the brand to greenlight a collaboration with Dash for his CEO initiative.  Take a listen to the episode and weigh in on the topic.

The Sole Chronicles co-host Nekeda Newell-Hall evolved from the corporate world as an executive (and future leader at Nike) to a career in philanthropy which was inspired by R&B/Pop Icon, Usher! In this episode Nekeda shares her story of meeting Usher as a teen when she worked at the NBA and then again while at Nike to serving as an advisor for Usher's non profit organization which showed her the power of philanthropy and impacting lives. It is evident that Usher is still out here influencing fashion, music, dance, and now roller skating highlighted in his current Las Vegas residency stage show which was confirmed by co-host Muhammida who recently went skating at Rockefeller Center inspired by Usher.

This episode of The Sole Chronicles is dedicated to the memory of one of the greatest rappers...The Notorious BIG celebrating what would have been his 50th birthday. Muhammida shares the many times she crossed paths with Biggie including casting Junior Mafia's first music video, picking up tickets from the original Bad Boy Records office and how the artist inspired one of her legendary entrepreneurial endeavors, the former cafe/creative space, Frank White in Brooklyn. Take a listen to this journey through the early 90s hip hop scene in NYC and the role and impact Biggie played and the legacy his life and music has left including a Motorola commercial Nekeda worked on that used Biggie's likeness in a starring role with Madonna and enjoying a bag of Hip Hop Icon Notorious BIG chips! Happy 50th Birthday and RIP Christopher "Notorious BIG" "Biggie Smalls" "Frank White" Wallace

This episode features guest and advertising genius JIMMY SMITH. Throughout his career, Jimmy – a 2012 Fast Company magazine Top 100 Most Creative member – has worked his magic in a variety of roles as a copywriter, creative director, author, TV writer, video game creator, film and record producer. His work has been recognized for its fresh advertising approaches (One Show, Cannes, D&AD, ANDY, Time magazine), for its TV show originality (Emmy nomination - Gatorade Replay) and for its beauty (Stiftung Buchkunst International Book Art Competition, Copenhagen Museum of Applied Arts - Soul of the Game). Jimmy often collaborated with hosts, Nekeda and Muhammida during their time at Nike and beyond, throughout his advertising career at Wieden & Kennedy and then BBDO to tap into their pulse on "Who and What is Hot" in music, influencers, entertainment, and street culture to impact some of the world's greatest ad campaigns including "Freestyle" for Nike and "G" for Gatorade among others recounted in this episode. The Jimmy Smith episode highlights the power of representation at the TABLE and how having collaborators who believe in your vision can be the difference between great and legendary. Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

If you listen to The Sole Chronicles frequently, you will have heard our hosts mention Chonita Floyd often! During their tenure at Nike, Chonita was a marketing executive at the legendary Def Jam Records working with some of the biggest names in Hip Hop: Method Man, Redman, Scarface, and Jay Z just to name to name a few., In this episode, Chonita shares her journey from college intern to rising in the ranks at Def Jam, entrepreneurship, life after Def Jam working at other labels,  overcoming the challenges of life in the corporate world, and the advice/inspiring words Lyor Cohen gave her that she still remembers today praising her for ability to connect with artists and get them "moving", a major skill in entertainment. This is a powerful journey highlighting the story of a woman (and sneakerhead) who has had a major impact on the business of Hip Hop/music and the artists we know and love.

In this episode we discuss working with Andre 3000 and Outkast while at Nike, collaborating with the group for a youth action donation on their tour with Ludacris back in 2001 and Andre's feelings on the pressures of the industry and social anxieties which have caused him to take a step back from music.  This conversation was inspired by Andre's recent podcast conversation with Rick Rubin on sometimes being inhibited by the expectations of the public and the music industry which parallel many industry professionals who suffer the same anxieties as artists.

With the sneaker, sports and entertainment industries being so male dominated, we are excited to share stories of some of the groundbreaking women in the industry for this episode. From sneaker queens Aaliyah (RIP) and Missy Elliott, to R&B royalty Mary J. Blige and Keyshia Cole and finally the hip hop icon herself, Lil Kim, this episode is packed with experiences our hosts shared working with these legendary women at the NBA, Nike, and as independent marketing consultants.

In this episode we are joined by guest, Zuhirah Khaldun-Diarra an award winning global branding and communications specialist, with over 20 years of experience in the creation and execution of powerful and impactful marketing and communications initiatives and events. Before focusing on improving the world developing marketing and communications strategies for cause related organizations such as UNICEF USA and the National Urban League, Zuhirah began her career as a Hip Hop publicist representing Jay-Z, the Roots, De La Soul, Ludacris, Redman & Method Man, and Ja Rule among others at Geffen, Tommy Boy, and Island Def Jam Music Group. Zuhirah shares her experience booking Jay Z on his first ever Saturday Night Live appearance and balancing securing magazine covers for some of the top hip hop artists in the world. After forming her own agency Zuhirah worked with clients such as the Bronx Museum of the Arts’ “One Planet Under A Groove: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art,” exhibit, Bobbito Garcia on his seminal sneaker book on St. Martin Press, “Where’d You Get Those: New York City Sneaker Culture 1960 – 1987, and Converse before she joined in-house as Brand Infusion Lead, helping to bring the American icon and home to the Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker back from bankruptcy and yield an investor return of 2400%. Developing the PR strategy and managing all entertainment marketing and product placement for Converse, Zuhirah produced media tours, influencer events and product placements with top celebrities such as Avril Lavigne, Pitbull, 50 Cent, Nas, Jay-Z, Lenny Kravitz, Snoop Dogg (facilitating his appearance for Footlocker’s Times Square store Grand Opening on behalf of Converse), The Strokes, Erykah Badu, Kelis, Ludacris, and Eminem’s “Anger Management Tour.” A native New Yorker, Zuhirah spent time growing up in Bermuda and currently resides in Hudson, New York. Zuhirah holds a master’s in Cultural Analysis from the University of Amsterdam and graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University with a BA in Economics where she was music director of WBAR and co-host on WKCR.

Influencer Africa was a virtual forum that served as a platform for brands, marketers and influencers to explore trends, best practices and successful case studies of influencer partnerships as well as highlighting opportunities for influencers to best take advantage of their social platforms and online communities, navigating negotiations and the role brand partnerships play in the new normal. Influencer Africa was produced by The Sole Chronicles co-host, Muhammida El Muhajir through the digital marketing agency, WaxPrint Media. Co-host, Nekeda Newell-Hall, closed the program as the keynote speaker sharing her expertise working in entertainment and influencer marketing for 20+ years including launching Nike's micro-influencer program which saw the likes of Lala Anthony and Ludacris early in their careers. Special guest on this episode is M.anifest, a Ghanaian hip hop artist who joined for a one-one-one conversation to discuss his partnerships with brands such as Visa, Martell and Absa Bank.

In this episode, our hosts discuss projects with Nelly while working at Nike which included a sneaker design project of an Air Max 2 (Charles Barkley), supporting Nelly’s stadium tour and contributing towards the production of a giant Air Force 1 and producing Nelly’s 2003 star studded AMA After-Party. Nekeda makes sense of Muhammida’s conviction to produce the After-Party event to mark the launch of Nike Shox despite budget constraints and internal brand conflict. Nelly was responsible for the explosive popularity of the Air Force 1 shoe beyond the East Coast with the release of his song by the same name and designed an Air Max CB called the Air Derrty with the sales benefiting his charity to support and bring awareness to leukemia. This episode highlights the hosts close relationships with some of the biggest names in music and the challenges of being a creative marketer in the throws of corporate America and standing your ground in the face of adversity. The Sole Chronicles podcast is hosted by Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhamiida El Muhajir and highlights life + times navigating the sneaker industry, Hollywood and corporate America.

It is safe to say that Sean O'Shea is one of the leading footwear designers in the world! He has had an illustrious career spanning nearly 20 years that includes design roles at nearly every major sneaker brand such as Converse, Adidas, GBMI (Diesel, Pony), Nike, Hilfiger, Guess, Head of US Footwear Design at Puma, and currently the Head of the US Design Center for the Chinese brand, Anta. In this episode, Sean shares his sneaker industry journey which started as a college basketball player to art school and breaking into the business of design as well as how he often crossed paths and worked together with The Sole Chronicles hosts Nekeda and Muhammida along the way on projects designing footwear collaborations with Snoop Dogg and Diddy. Sean also shares a story of conceptualizing bringing Jay Z on board as the Creative Director of Puma Basketball. This episode provides an insiders view of the world of sneakers from the vantage of a leading designer and his all-star design crew and highlights his talent, vision, leadership, and passion for hip hop culture which has kept him at the top of the game.

When The Sole Chronicles hosts Muahmmida and Nekeda brainstormed for Season 2 of the podcast, Muhammida completely forgot she had a Beyonce experience that was worthy of sharing. "Most of the stories we share on The Sole Chronicles was during our time working in the sneaker/sports industries. My experience with Beyonce actually happened years after I was out of the sneaker game while I was working with a non-profit so I didn't recall it initially but I shared it with Nekeda and she couldn't believe I brought up the story sooner," said Muhammida who organized a talent show at the request of Beyonce in support of her work with GEMS, a NYC based organization that advocates for young victims of human trafficking. Listen to the episode to hear more about Beyonce the philanthropist and of course the host's thoughts on Ivy Park x Adidas and Beyonce's role as a global influencer of Black culture.

In this episode of The Sole Chronicles, hosts Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhammida El Muhajir share their experiences working with Method Man and the behind the scenes controversy of the Wu-tang Dunk while working at Nike. Muhammida recounts casting Method Man in a Nike Basketball commercial and Nekeda shares an emotional recollection of the sexism that exists in the sneaker/sports industry and the incidents which led to the two having a private meeting with Nike's Vice President and Nekeda being selected for the Next Step program for future leaders of the brand. This episode marks the end of Season 1 of The Sole Chronicles and is truly a reflection of the life and times navigating the sneaker and sports industries, Hollywood and corporate America.

Ric Wilson, the Senior Director Sports Marketing at Nike shares his 25 year sports industry experience having had positions at the Jordan Brand, Converse and Nike. A former NBA player, during his career in sports marketing, Ric has been responsible for setting the long-term direction and strategy for basketball, identity partnerships, organic brand initiatives, and endorsement agreements for superstar players such as Dwayne Wade, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant. Listen to Ric's Sole Chronicles for a story that is an intersection of sports, basketball, race, and balancing corporate and family life.

In this episode, hosts Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhammida El Muhajir recount the time a very pregnant Madonna, then-husband Guy Ritchie and daughter Lourdes narrowly escaped LA paparazzi to make to the Nike celebrity showroom for a family gifting session. It was a major coup to get Madonna into the Nike showroom as she had been fiercely loyal to Adidas for many years. Unfortunately for the hosts, a star-struck colleague showed up during the meeting and almost ruined the just budding relationship. Listen to Hall and El Muhajir as they share their experience with the pop icon and how they expertly handled celebrity interactions. The Sole Chronicles is a podcast that explores life and times navigating working in the sneaker/sports industries, Hollywood and corporate America.

In this episode, host Muhammida El Muhajir recounts selecting Pharrell to collaborate on a Nike sneaker design project and working with the iconic producer to bring his luxury-inspired Nike dunk to life as well as booking NERD to produce music for Nike Europe's Stickman ad campaign. Both Nekeda and Muhammida discuss artist/brand collaborations in depth and the need for artists/managers to stay close with brand reps while also highlighting their experience as young women working in the very male-dominated sports/sneaker industry.

This Sole Chronicles episode features first guest, Richard Murphy who has an entertainment career spanning 25 + years. He is currently the CEO and founder of Emancipated Talent and started his journey at one of the top talent agencies in the world - ICM handling the careers of global artists such as Ashanti, DMX, Usher, Faith Evans, and Charlie Murphy. He has executive produced projects ranging from Charlie Murphy’s Live Stand Up DVD “ I Will Not Apologize” (Image Entertainment/Comedy Central) the autobiography “The Making Of A Stand Up Guy” (Simon & Schuster) and a docu-series pilot for R&B singer Ginuwine titled “Ginuwine Plus 9” (OWN). As a partner in the Talent & Literary Agency, Crystal Ship Artist’s (CSA) formed by his former ICM colleague and franchised Film & Television Agent, Francesca Grimaldi, his current clients include Emmy nominated comedians, writers and Grammy Award winning musicians like Faizon Love, Carl Payne, Ashanti,  model/ actress - Selita Ebanks and Director/Writer Alfonso Johnson (2018 Winner of the HBO Short Film Competition in Miami at ABFF - American Black Film Festival ). Rich first met Sole Chronicles co-host, Nekeda Newell-Hall when they both worked as assistants at ICM agency and he joins us to share his journey in the entertainment industry including a story of collaborating with Nike/Jordan Brand on a project with Charlie Murphy,

The Sole Chronicles Brandy + Monica episode highlights hosts, Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhammida El Muhajir's interactions with the R&B icons during their tenure at Nike and was inspired by the pair’s recent record-breaking Verzuz battle. In the first episode dedicated to female artists, Newell-Hall recounts her experiences working with Brandy at the NBA early in her career and eventually again at Nike while maintaining a close relationship with the then teenager’s entire family.  Newell-Hall also remembers visiting both Brandy and Monica’s trailers during the music video shoot for the now legendary “Boy is Mine” video and taking Monica and her mom for a shopping spree at the Nike employee store in Portland.