The art of DJing is a skill that many desire to possess but only a few truly master. DJ Skillz has truly become a master of this art. The turntable vet has had an illustrious career and has worked with some of the biggest names in music. His success journey has been an example of it’s not where you’re from but how you grind.

In the midst of his grueling tour schedule DJ Skillz sat down with Celebrity Power Magazine to discuss his career and future plans. ENJOY!

How did you get started as a DJ?

I’ve always been a fan of music, music has been in my family always; I used to play the drums when I was younger and even when I would see the DJs on TV I would try to imitate their moves and sounds. Also another big influence was being around my cousins DJ Ced and Mark. They played a major role in [exposing me to DJing]. From there it went to me doing parties in my hood and other cities in my area. The serious step came when DJ BLord said that he wanted to manage me and take my career to another level.

When did you realize that you could make a living as a DJ?

You know it all actually happened around the same time, I don’t want to say that it happened overnight because it’s not that easy. However me being exposed to the right situations at the right time made me realize that I had a natural love for it. My love for music was already there and the DJing just tied the two together. I think my experience is very different from a lot of new generation DJs now. When I first started out somebody that was in a position to make my situation better was already nationally and internationally recognized. He noticed what I was doing and wanted to take me under his wing and take my career to the next level. Within that year or two when I first started, my career was taken to another level with an entirely different audience than what I was normally accustomed to being around. I saw the bigger side of the game early on in my career. That exposure is what really pushed me to say, “You know I can really do this”.

What part of South Carolina are you from? I’m from Florence, SC.

Are people shocked that you’re from SC?

I get questioned all the time but it keeps me humble. It’s a lot of talent in NC and SC and NC is where I reside now, but there is a lot of talent in both.  Just being where I’m from, I know what the industry thinks of the Carolinas; I lived in Atlanta and I heard it personally what the industry had to say and I’m ok with that because its real. Since Day 1 it’s always been a fight, nobody is really coming to the Carolinas to look for talent. It keeps that humble fight in me.  You never forget where you came from because it was a struggle and at the end of the day you just have to keep pushing. At the same time, you just keep in mind that you have something for the world to see and hope they are ready. My city was heavily influenced by NY when I was in high school with the Boot Camp Click, Nas, Mobb Deep and Keith Murray. They were coming to SC doing concerts. That played a huge part in me being culturally diverse, and then when I went away to college I was like oh this is real.

Describe some of the highlights of your career?

 I’ve been on 10 tours nationally and still counting with me being in the game 10 years strong professionally. I use to DJ for Rell from Roca Fella, and pretty much any major artists who has headlined I’ve shared the main stage with them from OutKast, Doug E. Fresh to Allen Iverson to Chris Paul, it’s just been a consistency since then. Even Kanye West and what a lot of people don’t know, I probably was the only one that did the Kanye West College Dropout Mixtape before the album even came out and he posted it but this was before people really knew who Kanye West really was. Like this is when he was pushing the “Through the Wire” record. He had some time when he was in NC giving his stuff out for a couple of days. At this same exact time I dropped out of college and him and I had so much to talk about and so much in common. We really built a relationship from that. Still till this day, he knows who I am and when we see each other we speak and its still peace because it was something that was established and was genuine outside of music on a personal level.

What other projects are you working on currently?

Right now I’m currently getting back into producing, when I first started out my cousin, Mark had me learning both. My music catalog as well as producing. I had gotten away from it for a while, but when I moved to Atlanta and while I was down there I was working with Kenny Burns and his artist Keyes. He’s now known as Timonthy Bloom signed under Polow the Don’s label. I worked with him for about 4 years down in Atlanta. I have two artists and one group that I’m working with now. One artist, her name is Ne’Sha the Voice, an R&B singer from South Carolina. She and I put out a project last October that’s been getting a good buzz in the industry. Her sound is like the Mary J and Faith of the 90s feel. There are a lot of people that have seemed to gravitate towards her, but you know that’s an uphill battle being from the Carolinas. It’s a slow process, but it’s a good process.  I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m also working with a rapper, Royal Tee; we have a project coming out May 2012. Outside of that, I’m working with a group from South Carolina called Oxymoron, they are like a hippie hip-hop group and if I had to categorize them, I would say they are the rap version of a Hootie and the Blowfish. They have that type of appeal for both white and black audiences.  They make music for the average citizen, US citizen or abroad. Collectively we can all relate to their music. Their newest project titled, The Woods which is a follow up to their first album. Other than that I am currently touring with Rapper Big Pooh formerly of Little Brother.

Are there more opportunities for DJs today? Are DJs respected?

Yes and No to that question. There are definitely a lot of opportunities, but I don’t think DJs are fully respected. Like when I first started and got into it, that same respect level is not there. Now you have artists, celebrities, and singers that are not selling shows that want to be DJs. We wouldn’t have all of that. DJing is an art form to me. Its talent and art that goes into entertaining someone off another person’s music to keep them going for two hours straight. You hear tons of people say, Oh yea I did this party or this party was crazy, but for me I appreciate and respect the notable ones like Kid Capri, Ron G, BLord, SNS, Shakeem and all of these DJs. If you are not creating any memories at these parties then you are not doing your job. That’s what separates your average DJ from your great iconic DJs along with consistency. Those of some of the key components. Also back to what I was saying earlier, technology plays a huge part as well as branding. If you have not established a brand, which plays a key part in who you are then you have nothing to bring to the table. Being a DJ is like being a business. You have to have that following as well as respect.

Shout out your social media links to our readers.

My twitter is @SkillztheDj /My Facebook Page “Next Great American DJ” DJ SKillz/ ReverbNation Page Skillz the DJ/  YouTube Page Skillz the DJ (All of my youtube clips doing live events) My website www.skillzthedj.com!

Some voices are recognized more frequently than faces.  There’s Michael Buffer known for his trademark phrase “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble”, and Dick Vitale known for catch phrases such as “Diaper Dandy”.  That is also the case with Charlotte Bobcat Announcer “Big Pat” Doughty aka the voice.  His voice is widely recognizable by sports and radio fans, but who’s the man behind the voice?  Jovial, fun loving, but many don’t know that behind that booming voice there has been success and struggles that encompass who “Big Pat” is as a man.

How did you become the “The Voice” for the Charlotte Bobcats?

I auditioned in 2004. There were over 500 people which were narrowed down to two finalists.  We had to do a welcome and read a script and in the end I got the job.  I know most people think it’s an old white dude but no it’s me. 

We always hear of the player’s pre-game rituals, how do you get ready for a game?

The day before the game I try not to talk very much.  I don’t go out or drink anything alcoholic.  I drink raw ginger which tastes like dirty dish water (laughing), not that you know what that tastes like. 

The NBA lockout affected the players, owners, stakeholders; as an announcer how did it affect you?

While they (players) didn’t work…I didn’t work.  I’m just glad that it was reinstated and their back playing now.

Tell us about your Radio Show?

I have a sports show with CBS affiliate Steve Lyerly on WFNZ.  We discuss everything from basketball, football, hockey, MLB and boxing.  I’m more of a guest now more than anything.  I’m a guest on Fox News Edge Live Uptown and we’re looking for a location to host the CIAA. 

I’ve seen your name attached to some prestigious charity causes…how important to you is giving back to the community and what are some of the causes you’re affiliated with?

The main thing I’ve noticed is it’s a big deal when it comes to the kids.  I see too many situations when people are not in good situations.  If I got 50 cents I’ve got to find a way to give them that quarter and that is for anybody.  I’m apart of The National Kidney Foundation because I was diagnosed in 2007 and actually suffered kidney failure.  I started taking dialysis right away.  As I sit here talking to you today the doctors told me I do not have to take dialysis.  He said I haven’t seen anyone do that…he asked “what did you do” … I said “I prayed”. 

CIAA is coming up…the 100^th anniversary …what events are you hosting?

I let Eric my manager handle that.  Last year I was pretty busy 7 events in 2 days, this year the Bobcats have a game on that Sunday so we’ll see how that works out.  I don’t do any drinking the day before a game.  I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the CIAA events, everyone will be in town and every party will be successful.

Radio, Sports, you’ve had a lot of opportunities and a dream career what is your ultimate career goal…what’s next for Big Pat?

I definitely want to do NBA All-Star game and a NBA finals game.  My role model is Jackie Bowen the first brother to do a NCAA final 4 in 2002, when Maryland won a national championship.  I would like to be a sideline reporter I think that would be great.  I also wouldn’t mind having a syndicated sports radio show; that incorporates everything.

It’s a new year any many of us have new aspirations, new goals, what are some of your favorite words of motivation?

My new motivation for everything is something my mom used to say; “Keep Praying”.  You just got to keep praying, even if the sky is falling and it doesn’t look like things are going to turn out right  just keep on praying anyway.

Follow Big Pat on Twitter: @BigPat00

It’s time for lawyers to get new PR and Attorney William Harding is leading the campaign! With a philosophy of “it is better to give than to receive”, he is committed to building a firm rooted in compassion, service and results.   

“The reality of it all is that I believe that, not just lawyers, but those individuals and persons who have the ability to give back- should.”

CPM: What motivated your decision to become an attorney?

William Harding: When I was growing up I had a family friend who was also a very decent attorney. And I admired the example that was set by him and what he did for his community. Being an eleven-year-old guy, I thought, well again I was naïve, but I thought, “Man, all lawyers must be like this!” And I wanted to be a lawyer. I know that sounds strange, but that’s why. It wasn’t some court case or something like that, but it was just simply my best friend’s father; I really respected him and obviously he was a very strong mentor in my life. And because of him I am a lawyer today. I believe that goes into the responsibility of people, specifically professionals, to mentor the young because I have definitely directly benefited from that. And so that’s why I became a lawyer, because I thought that every lawyer was like my best friend’s father. And granted I’ve come to the realization that that isn’t the case. I keep that in mind because when I’m given the opportunity to help some youths in our community because I understand that can plant a seed in someone that would obviously grow.

CPM: Why do you think it’s so important that you give back to your community?

William Harding: I think my own personal experience from a standpoint, as I indicated before, a mentor who gave me a dream that I too could become a lawyer. He helped my family and I saw firsthand how important giving back was. The reality of it all is that I believe that, not just lawyers, but those individuals and persons who have the ability to give back should. Whether that is picking someone as a mentee or when seeing the opportunity in your community to help financially, I think it’s a moral obligation to do that. The bottom line is that biblically there’s a bible verse that says, “It is better to give than to receive.” And I didn’t understand that until I got older and what I have taken from that is that if you have the ability to give that means you have enough already that you’re in a position to give to someone else. And I think, clearly, that is something whether you’re an attorney, educator, whomever, that if you have the ability to do so that you should do that. And I do believe that you’ll receive a blessing. I’ve just had so many examples of people investing into me, so I find it a privilege to be able to give back as much as possible.

CPM: Tell me about a little more about your practice?

William Harding: First and foremost, I’ve been practicing law since 1996. And I focus my areas of practice primarily on personal injury such as car accidents and things of that nature; as well as medical malpractice and criminal defense. We have been very successful to clearly advance the causes of those persons who have been injured or those who have been accused. I am very involved in all my cases and I think that is one of the things that has distinguished our firm from others. Even to the extent if you were to look me up in the yellow pages or the AT&T phone book that I’d have my cell phone listed; and it is wild because I have people call me thinking, “Is this really William Harding?” And at times, it can be somewhat strenuous to deal with the volume of calls that I deal with, but I believe that communication between the lawyer and client is critical to having a success outcome. We hope we do a very good job, at least the clients think so anyway.

CPM: Let’s discuss your philanthropic efforts, you have a coat drive coming up, some work with the Ronald McDonald House, can you elaborate on these things?

William Harding: I partnered with the Lucky Barber Shop, which I believe is on N. Tryon. We initially did a Back-to-School Backpack drive where we gave over 150 backpacks to needy kids in community. There were also free haircuts as well for those kids who could not afford haircuts. Again, I truly believe in giving back to our youth because they are our future and if you invest in them it will not come back void.

We had a big BBQ, we fed a bunch of kids and we had some entertainment out there as well. It was done at the Women’s Shelter and that was at the beginning of the school year. And just recently we did a turkey giveaway. We gave out almost a 100 turkeys to families that could not afford to have a Thanksgiving meal. Now, as you indicated, we are working on a coat drive where you can drop off a coat at Lucky Barber Shop or my office where we’re trying to buy coats for kids that may be economically challenged. We don’t just want to give them toys; we want to make sure that they’re warm as they go back to school, so we’re trying to give out as many as possible; our projection is a couple 100. So that’s what we’re doing right now. There are other things that I’m involved in, including working with kids on afterschool programs, doing some mentoring, but I believe again that it’s very important that we give back and particularly our youth.

To learn more about Mr. Harding’s firm, visit www.williamhharding.com.

Written/Interviewed By: Ciara Lilly

“At Wealthy Minds even though we have accomplished a lot of success, I instill in my team’s brain that we don’t have egos, we have faith! We don’t worship material things; but we cherish and appreciate resources. We are not into being rich; because our minds are WEALTHY!” -Billionaire P.A.

If you’ve ever purchased any Wealthy Minds Clothing merchandise you know that it’s a remarkable experience. I vividly remember purchasing my first t-shirt. It came in the mail within a day or two of me placing my order, which was the first gold star. I was immediately filled with excitement as I untied the gold ribbon and gently opened the purple box. Inside, there was a prize, a red “You can never have too much faith” t-shirt. For the rest of the day, I sat in front of the mirror modeling the shirt. I even took pictures of the shirt. There was something different about this purchase. Since when did I feel empowered while wearing a t-shirt?  It was at that moment that I realized that Billionaire P.A. had created a product that was more than cotton and lettering. This t-shirt was laced with motivation and I had become one of those infected with success, motivation and wealth!

Get ready as motivation spreads throughout this interview with the mastermind behind the speaking dreams into existence movement!

CPM: What advice do you have for any new entrepreneurs or anyone who’s trying to make their dreams a reality?

Billionaire P.A.: The first thing I would tell them is that you have to understand that success cannot be mapquested nor googled; you define your own route to success. There are so many people that are looking for somebody to give success to them, and I always teach people that if you feel like success is not coming to you fast enough it’s because you’re not taking big enough risks. And so you look at your P. Diddys and you look at your Oprahs and you have to understand that your route to success is going to be different than theirs. You cannot copy theirs. And sometimes you can’t google your route, sometimes you have to create a route for Google to put on their site. And that’s what I do for Wealthy Minds; I’m not looking to follow nobody else’s route. My route is going to be different, I may have 20 bumps to get to success, you may have 30, and you may not have any. But you have to be willing at the end of the day, no matter if your momma die, your brother die or your sister die, how bad do you want this success? And at the end of the day all people care about is execution- they don’t care about anything else. They don’t care about traffic; they don’t care about someone passing in your family, all of that is a part of life. In business, it’s about how badly do you want it? I’m hard on my team because my grandmother always told me that a real man is a man that helps other people accumulate success and not just to accumulate success for himself. And therefore you will always be full of success and not just succeeding. And I wanted to be full of success. So when I look around I have 10, 15, 20 millionaires standing around me that I helped speak their dreams into existence. So when my lights get cut off, I have some people I can call to help me get my lights turned on, because they remember when their lights got turned off or when they didn’t have no couch to sleep on and I gave it to them.

CPM: What motivates you to continue to build your brand? Is it your spirituality or your relationship with God? What is it that really keeps you going?

Billionaire P.A.: I mean when you walk into a house and you look at something, I mean just digest, you’ve seen what I created with the Dream Wall. And you walk in your home and you just work with the walls you have- if my walls could talk, they would tell me, “Thank you for seeing something in me and putting the world’s dreams on me.” And what I mean by that is that some people don’t even appreciate the things that they have, but I use all four walls in my house! So when I walk in that house, what motivates me every day is to see what I created. Like I have people’s dreams on my wall; living in a place in Los Angeles where many people don’t even ask these people what their dreams are, because so many people are focused on their own dreams. But I think it’s attractive to see my friends get the success they deserve instead of me. That’s what I love to see. When I stand up and I see, “Okay, we helped this person become successful; we helped this person become successful.” And at the end of the day, I want nothing from them, but to see them smiling and joyful. You know there’s a difference between joyful and happy, happy is temporary and joyful is forever. I think personally you should take a dictionary and you should go through it and you should scratch out the word failure, you should scratch out the words ending in –ing; because at Wealthy Minds we aren’t working, we have worked. We’re not planning, we have planned; everything is past tense, because that is a wealthy mind that speaks dreams into existence.

CPM: What are some new projects we can expect from you this year?

Billionaire P.A.: At Wealthy Minds even though we have accomplished a lot of success, I instill in my team’s brain that we don’t have egos, we have faith! We don’t worship material things; but we cherish and appreciate resources. We are not into being rich; because our minds are WEALTHY! When people see this, they’re like, “Man, you must be happy with the success you are accomplishing.” It’s like, “We already had this mentally; it’s just your first time seeing it.” Like the song we have right now, “Too much faith”, it hasn’t even come out yet, but in my mind we’ve already accepted the Grammy for it. I’ve already picked out my outfit for it, I’ve already taken home that Grammy and I’m looking at it right now. So many people ask me, “Did you ever see yourself accomplishing this success?” To some successful people that can be an insult, because why would I have started something if I didn’t think I was going to succeed?  A lot of people don’t understand what it takes to be successful, and a lot of people look for people to give them a route to take; and there’s no real route to success outside of you defining your own route to success. I’ve always believed that in life you have to stand for something, because if you don’t stand for something, I suggest you just sit down.

When I say, [sings McDonalds’ theme song], whose name is that? McDonalds, when I say, “Have it your way?” Whose line is that? Burger King. So the purpose of me saying that is those companies stand for something. They psychologically tapped into your conscious brain and made you psychologically believe in something whether the quality is good or bad, you’re so caught up in saying, [ sings McDonalds’ theme song]. Whether the food is good for you or not, the song is instilled in your brain to the point that you associate yourself with that product. The same thing with Burger King, they tell you “Have it your way”.  They didn’t say, “Have it my way”, because they’re in there fixing your burger the way they want it and that’s not what they want.  They want you to feel like you can walk in there and tell them what to do. And I say that because you cannot just create a name for yourself; like I cannot just say that the name of my company is Wealthy Minds, I cannot just say that my name is Billionaire P.A. because what I’m teaching people is that a word only holds value based on the definition that follows it. For example, if the definition of failure was the most successful person in the world, everybody would like the word “failure”. So what I teach people is if you’re going brand yourself with a name, make sure it’s a name with a meaning that somebody wants to be a part of. So what does Wealthy Minds stand for? We stand for speaking dreams into existence; what does Billionaire P.A. stand for? A person that will infect over one billion people with success, motivation and wealth. And when you consistently hear me on every single interview, when they say, “What does Billionaire P.A. mean?” You better believe it’s going to be the same message every single time!

To learn more about Wealthy Minds Clothing, visit www.wealthymindsclothing.com!

North Carolina’s own Jaken “Ken” Alston and Demonte “Tae” Simmons are working to build a name for themselves around town, emerging as hip-hop duo the Money Monsters. With the release of their newest single “Swavor” these boys have their sights set on breaking through the local hip-hop music scene and making their mark. With Tae hailing from Roanoke Rapids, N.C. and Ken growing up in nearby Garysburg, these boys know it’s not easy trying to break through from small towns to the big time. Now seniors at Southern Guilford High School in Greensboro, this up-and-coming duo is determined to push forward and win over local fans by giving them a taste of their ‘swavor’.

“We don’t stop. If one place turns us down we go to another. I mean it’s just the grind. Everybody has to grind in the music business anyway. So we just grind. We already knew that Greensboro was going to be a challenge anyway that’s why we took the Charlotte route first. So, I guess you can say that we just don’t give up,” says Demonte Simmons.

CPM: Since 2010 you’ve been doing music together, how did you both initially meet?

Tae: We were practically raised together but when the record label was started we already knew the dudes that started it, and basically we linked up and been doing our music together for a year, almost two years now.

CPM: So how did Money Monsters come about, where did the name come from?

Tae: We are two young guys, [we] love to spend money, shopping wise, so we got that name from spending money really. But the name itself means [that] if it’s about money in a good way then, we’re down for getting the money; whatever it takes to get the money in a good way.

CPM: Where did you come up with the idea to combine the words “swag” and “flavor” into a single?

Ken: We came up with the word swavor from “swag” and “flavor” cause we was just playing around in the studio … we were like swag is getting old and everybody is saying it, so we have to find out something new. So, we put swag and flavor together because it was something different … and it also means Swag With A Vicious Original Reason.

CPM: What are some of the challenges you have faced being an independent hip-hop group in a smaller southern market like North Carolina?

Ken: One of the challenges we have is actually getting North Carolina to cooperate. That pretty much sums it up. North Carolina is one of the hardest places … say if we go to Charlotte or something. We can go there and rock out. If we were to go to our own city (Greensboro), it’s going to be a little harder.

CPM: So what is it that drives you to be successful and to not give up in the music industry?

Ken: We can say our families. If you see a struggle, you want to get out [of] that struggle.

CPM: Tell me a little more about the video that you have in the works.

Tae: They [are] going to love the video. It’s a live video of two teenagers, two young men, doing what young men do, basically. We’re crunk, we’re amped; we’re doing the swavor dance in the video, so I mean … we just giving the people what they want to see.

CPM: What can the Money Makers fans be on the look out for next?

Ken: As far as an album we are still going through material.

Tae: So it’s not a date yet.

Ken: But they can be expecting not to turn from any song. That you’re going to listen to the whole CD without turning.

Tae: Just put it in and let it play

Ken: Just let it ride

Follow Ciara on Twitter: @CiaraLilly

When you’re born into a family of talented musicians, you’re expected to carry the family legacy. And for this third generation Winans, that’s not asking much.

Mike’s humility and talent has already taken him far. As a producer and songwriter for Bad Boy Records, Winans has worked with major artists such as: Chris Brown, Danity Kane, Case and Diddy. Now, he has raised the bar with his new solo album, “My Own Genre”.

“I’m just another person. I’m not a circus act. I’m just skipping to my own beat.”

CPM: What inspired your new album, “My Own Genre” and what can we expect that’s new from you?

Mike Winans : Well, two very good questions. What inspired it was that I always wanted to be able to not feel that I was pigeon-holing myself as an artist. Most of my accomplishments and music have come from me being a producer. And I’ve produced for a lot of artists that were labeled under one particular genre and there were certain songs that were really good for them, but because the fan base had already been targeted, the label had already put together the marketing strategy, they kind of bypassed on some songs that weren’t necessarily within the genre that they had been signed to, but would have been great for them to sing. And so, when it became my turn to become an artist, I didn’t want to have to keep myself to just that one style of music. So in my album you’ll hear a lot of my different influences, like of course my family is known for gospel, but like I say in the cover song, “My Own Genre, I like R&B. Most of the artists I’ve produced have been world-known R&B artists, but I don’t really listen to R&B, I listen to the more soft rock and country, because I get a lot of my melodies and concepts from that. So I feel that my style of music, my genre of music, is a bit different because it’s inspired by so many different types.

CPM: Last month you were at UNC-Charlotte, tell me about your experience in the Queen City? How did UNC-Charlotte treat you?

Mike Winans: I enjoy Charlotte- the city. I hadn’t really gone to Charlotte much until the union was formed between me and DocRoc Entertainment. My experience at UNC-Charlotte was very good. I did a meet and greet; signed some autographs; I did a small performance; went in the Student Union and just kind of kicked it with the different people walking through just letting them know who I was. It was kind of like an unconventional meet and greet. I got out and touched the people, found out why they were there in college, not just trying to be self-centered in what I was doing, but just talking to the students and I had a very good time there.

I also went to Johnson C. Smith University; and I spoke to some students who were in the Audio I class who were looking to become engineers and producers. I gave my history when it comes to the engineering and production, because before I started producing I used to engineer. And so that really started my career in production. And I encouraged them to stick with it, hard work pays off and if you really want to have longevity in this business, it’s best to know how to do multiple things. What really put me in a privileged position was learning how to engineer, because it made me an asset when everyone else was trying to produce nobody was trying to engineer. Then I got the call from Puff and Puff was like, “I want you to engineer these sessions.” Next thing you know I’m a songwriter and producer under his company, so had I not had the ability to engineer, I may not have gotten the opportunity to produce.

CPM: So it’s important to be multi-dimensional when trying to develop a presence in the music industry?

Mike Winans: It makes you that much more an asset to the business. One of the great things with me doing this “My Own Genre” project I didn’t really have to solicit any outside help, aside from the people I kind of came up with. I know what it takes to engineer a professional-sounding project; so from a quality standpoint, I had no question that the quality would be there. And then because it’s my project, I had that much more of an incentive to make sure the music was extra perfect. So musically, I was able to provide that, then the mixing aspect and then the massing, all of that was done in-house, so I actually saved thousands and thousands of dollars by having the ability to do it by myself and with my team. Just having so many different skill sets in the industry helps in so many different areas of the business.

CPM: What new artists are you working with?

Mike Winans: Right now, I’m working with an artist named C.J. Holland, he is signed to Lava Records and he’s distributed through Sony. He’s a young kid, kind of reminds you of a young Justin Timberlake, he’ll be like a competition for Justin Bieber. I also just finished producing some songs on Carl Thomas’ album which will release in January. And it’s very ironic, unfortunately with the passing of Heavy D, which was amazingly surprising because I was not only working with his upcoming project, but he and I did a song together that’s due on Carl Thomas’ next album. So we were finishing up the negotiations with that and he passed. Joe, I’m finishing up on his album right now that will release first quarter. And then several others that if I say their names now it probably won’t mean much until their album comes out. I like to work with artists that are new artists that haven’t come out with an album and then artists who are established. I usually don’t do a lot of work with artists that are on their second or third album. It’s usually new artist or established artists; it’s not that’s what I prefer; it’s just how the ball is rolled in my court. Like Chris Brown, I was the first producer he had worked with for his first project. I didn’t work on his second and third album, because at that time the business is different, a lot changes, there’s a reason why I usually work with a new artist. You can really put together some great work when you’re working with a new artist because they’re green, they don’t really know so they don’t have an ego yet. And then established artists, I love it, because they’ve been around for a while, so they’ve had ups and downs. I’m working with a lot of different artists, but the main artist I feel is probably going to do the best or sell the most albums is C.J. Holland because he has more money behind him and he has a machine in Sony that’s going to take him to number one.

CPM: With the holidays approaching, tell me about your Christmas album.

Mike Winans: I did the Christmas album last year; we released it late last year just a few days before Christmas. It’s an evergreen project meaning it’ll be released every Christmas. And what I’ll do is as it gains more popularity, I’ll then add an additional song on it each year, so that the person who purchased it last year has something new to look forward to. It’s called “Timeless Noel” and it has Christmas themes, but it’s not your typical Christmas album. It’s a well-produced album and it’s not just subject to the Christmas season. It’s a project that I went back and got with some of the guys who had helped me learn how to produce when I was younger, because as you grow in life and you meet new people sometimes the people who helped you get to that level you don’t necessarily have the same relationship you used to have. So I wanted to go back and get with those guys and they helped co-produced the “Timeless Noel” project with me. And it was great, because it was like old times again. I think it’s a great project, it’ll be available every holiday season and it’s available on the site, www.mikewinans.com, on iTunes and all that stuff.

CPM: What new projects are you working on? What should we be looking out for?

Mike Winans: Well, really, I’m very excited about the “My Own Genre” project. And I’m going to be doing a lot of promotion and touring and really focusing on that project. Of course, I produce all the time. I’m always in the studio with an artist, but I’m really going to take some time and really promote this project because it’s closer to my heart.

As a producer, when you produce other artists, you have to keep in mind that that artist is going to go out and sing those songs. So there are certain things that you can’t necessarily say or certain things that you cannot even do musically sometimes because it’s not being asked of you. One of the challenges is once you develop some type of notoriety as a producer many labels want you to produce a song similar to something that they have already heard. And I felt even though God has been good and it has been a blessing being a producer, but I felt that I haven’t been able to express myself musically as I wanted to through other artists.

It’s difficult to kind of live vicariously through them when the label wants you to do something similar to something you’ve already done. “My Own Genre” gives me an opportunity to have an outlet, and then to talk about my own experiences and not feel like I have someone looking over my shoulder when it comes to the music I’m putting out. Of course, none of it is raunchy; all of it is thoroughly produced. But the label gave me the ability to be able to concentrate and do whatever I wanted to do musically. So I feel proud of this more than anything I’ve ever done, because it’s my true expression. I’m going to spend a lot of time really focusing on this project; we’re going to take this project to the top, no question about it!

So that’s what I want people to look out for. It’s going to be a movement, because I feel that great music has many times taken a back seat to commercial music. And I think that day has come to an end, and I’m not the only one that feels that way; but I feel that I’ll be one of the catalysts that will usher in great music again without having to think so much about how commercial this music is going to be.

I feel good because I feel like this project is everything I wanted someone to hear from a song from me. As opposed to some of the songs I’ve done, which I’m proud of, but there are certain songs that I feel like need to be heard that would be a benefit to society as opposed to just entertainment.

For more about Mike Winans or to purchase his new CD, visit www.mikewinans.com or visit iTunes.

Earlier that day, the Braxton clan stopped by the Time Inc building for a screening and Q&A with the members of BE@T (Black Employees at Time), hosted by PEOPLE Magazine’s Carlos Greer.

Season 2 of BRAXTON FAMILY VALUES premieres TOMORROW (Nov. 10) at 9pm ET/PT on WE tv. Visit the show at http://www.wetv.com/shows/braxton-family-values.

Photos: Jerome Shaw, Kenneth Goldberg

Love & Hip Hop Season 2 premieres Mon, Nov. 14 at 9pm ET/PT on VH1. Visit the show at http://lovehiphop.vh1.com.

Photos: Stephen Knight