The Hilltop Glove Podcast | Reasons Brown

[00:00:00] DJ And?: Good morning. Good morning, and welcome to another episode of the Hilltop Glove Podcast. Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Robert. Reasons Brown. Mm-hmm. Reasons is a curator, designer, musician, entrepreneur, and community player reasons is excelling at partnering the need for entrepreneurship with the passion for artistic expression through projects like the Honeycomb experience.

[00:00:19] DJ And?: The Honeycomb experience uses fashion, art, and music to create experiences that inspire the culture to network by offering an exclusive club for exclusive people doing exclusive things. I really like that. Mm-hmm. 

[00:00:31] Reasons Brown: How that's what we about 

[00:00:33] DJ And?: through this performance. And event venue reasons has developed a working model for combining progressive economics and arts reasons.

[00:00:41] DJ And?: Does all of this while also producing and performing art, running an art gallery and educating the community. Mm-hmm. How you doing today? Mr. Reasons? Tired. Good. 

[00:00:50] Reasons Brown: You know, when you start, we know what to do. It is like, yeah. I see why you tired. See why you tired. I 

[00:00:55] Ta-Myia: was about to say, he does all of 

[00:00:56] Reasons Brown: this like he does.

[00:00:58] Reasons Brown: I'm looking at this man's stuff I'm [00:01:00] going through and I'm like, God, it God Ani, does he stop? Nah, I get that all the time. But, um, like I tell my people, like I tell my team, we here, you know? Yeah. When you here, you can't stop. You can't, you know, you gotta, you gotta keep pressing on no matter what's going on.

[00:01:13] Reasons Brown: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. For sure. And, and, and with 

[00:01:15] DJ And?: that being said very simply, we're gonna, I'm gonna hit you with this one so we can get into the fun part. Uh, Could you ex give our listeners some understanding of your background, your upbringing? Mm-hmm. And what influenced you to pursue the life of an artist and entrepreneur?

[00:01:28] Reasons Brown: Um, well I'm originally from New York where um, I started off, I went to school in North Carolina Central. basketball really was my thing. You know, ba before, like anything with art was involved, like basketball was it, art was kind of like, one of the back burner was just something I was just good at.

[00:01:44] Reasons Brown: It wasn't necessarily like, yo, I'm gonna grow up and be an artist, but. Because when you young and you in that environment where everybody's pushing to play basketball, it's like, that's the cool thing to do. True. It's not, it wasn't cool to be an artist, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. So, but that was something I was always good at.

[00:01:59] Reasons Brown: [00:02:00] So when I moved down here, it just kind of, became a release mm-hmm. For me, you know? Um, so that's kind of like how the art, the art always been involved with me. Um, I went and got my degree from Bluefield State. Marketing. Oh. So that way, I knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur once I started going through life.

[00:02:16] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. Know, like, because you know how when you're younger it's like, yo, I wanna be this, I wanna be that. Yeah. But experiencing like really kind of shape you on what you want to do. So I knew I wanted to do something where I wanted to work for myself, but it was like, how can I do that and still like, make money.

[00:02:30] Reasons Brown: Yeah. Make money and still be and be me, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. At the same time, because I feel like a lot of people start es just to stardom. Mm-hmm. But I do feel like, like you said, like I do a lot of stuff. It's easy for me to do it because I enjoy doing every aspect of what I do. Right. You know? So I'm just allowing my experiences really to just keep feeling what I do.

[00:02:49] DJ And?: That's a dope way to put it. Allowing your experiences to keep fueling what you do. Yeah, because you're right. 'cause especially as, as a creative, you could get burnt out. Mm-hmm. Trying to manage the business [00:03:00] side and that creative side. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Because you're still wanting to express yourself, but at the same time you gotta 

[00:03:06] Reasons Brown: run a business.

[00:03:07] Reasons Brown: Yeah. So, absolutely. And I feel like sometimes that does damper. Mm-hmm. Or like, but I should say hamper the creativity process, especially like for me. Mm-hmm. Just because, you know, once you start elevating. In a business setting, you know, you have to spend more time on that. Yeah. Compared to, I get, I had to be, be a businessman more than I'm an artist nowadays because it's other artists underneath me.

[00:03:28] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. You see what I'm saying? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I understand like this bigger than myself. Yeah. Mm-hmm. A lot of people don't want to, and sometimes I not even be getting, being burnt out. It's just that sometimes you just don't have it to worry about everybody else at that time. You see what I'm saying?

[00:03:42] Reasons Brown: Yeah. 'cause at this point where I'm at, it's like I got. Three, four artists under me, you feel me? Mm-hmm. So do I focus on my art or do I get defenders? Right. So all of our art can go So you service them. Exactly. Exactly. You know, 'cause that's really the whole purpose of the honeycomb experience. I didn't start for it to be like the reasons Brown platform.

[00:03:59] Reasons Brown: Yeah. You know, [00:04:00] it's always supposed to be bigger. So that way when I'm going and still here to keep going, that's what blew my mind. So you mentored them? Yeah, I blew my mind. Uh, I wouldn't say, I don't like to use the word mentor, but like, we grow together. Okay. I use that, I use that terminology because, For instance, last year we did a, financial workshop with Fifth Third Bank on East Boulevard.

[00:04:16] Reasons Brown: We did eight of them. I loved it. You know what I mean? So it's like, I'm, I'm growing too, 'cause I'm not the most financial savvy, but it's like, I know that's a need, right? Mm-hmm. So I'm not the type to be like, I don't like talking down to people. I'm like, okay, this is what we're going to do. I'm gonna be here so we could all grow together.

[00:04:30] Reasons Brown: So now with, now you not looking at me like. I'm above you or anything like that. We grew together even though we in different lanes. Yeah. Yeah. You feel me? That's what the honey co experience is about. Like you don't have to be me. We can grow, we could both be financially savvy in what we doing. Mm-hmm.

[00:04:44] Reasons Brown: I'm a curator. You might be a photographer, but we still know. So both you to know how out funds, you know what I'm saying? Thank you. So I wouldn't say mentoring, it's just like. I, I started a journey and whoever's coming, we here. I mean, get on the boat. Yeah, let's roll. Exactly. [00:05:00] And, 

[00:05:00] DJ And?: um, quick question. This is a side item because I guess I'm woke now.

[00:05:03] Reasons Brown: Um, you still play ball? Yeah, of course. I definitely played ball still. Um, that's what I care about. I was, um, I'm just not getting back to it because I was actually in a wreck in November. Oh, wow. Yeah. This lady, she had ran the light with her lights off. So we was turning left to actually get paint for a piece that we did in the art gallery.

[00:05:21] Reasons Brown: Yeah. Mm-hmm. So we turning left and she literally just never saw it. We never saw the car. Well, I saw it, the person dropped. My friend didn't see it, so I was the passenger side. So yeah, they had, you got the impact. Yeah, they had to come out the car and everything. Like I literally just finished physical therapy last week.

[00:05:35] Reasons Brown: Oh wow. Really? Yeah. 

[00:05:37] DJ And?: God dang. Well, blessings brother. You 

[00:05:39] Reasons Brown: still here with us? No, definitely. And that's why like when I say like we here like. It, it hit different, you know what I'm saying? Because Totally. I know what it could've been like to not not see my son tomorrow, you know? Yeah. So, yeah. 

Blessings.

[00:05:53] DJ And?: Blessings again. Well, that's good to hear. I'm happy that you're feeling better. I'm happy that physically you're doing well because one of the, [00:06:00] the biggest things that I saw about your, about the work that you're a part of. Mm-hmm. Obvious connection that, that you're pushing between culture and economics.

[00:06:08] DJ And?: Absolutely. Um, as we know, culture has the potential to be a powerful economic force. If it is harnessed correctly, This was seen with the creation of hip hop. Mm-hmm. And, and it's worldwide dominance over multiple industries. It doesn't matter what it is, it can be art, it can be, um, shoot beverage sales.

[00:06:25] DJ And?: Right. You're gonna use hip hop to sell it. Mm-hmm. Um, would you elaborate, um, what you feel the importance of understanding that connection between culture creation? Finances 

[00:06:35] Reasons Brown: is, um, I think once us as artists understand that like we have the power to drive culture, you know what I'm, I'm saying like, culture starts and ends with us.

[00:06:44] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? A lot of times people might have funds, but they don't necessarily have the creativity. Right. So now it's like once you put yourself in a position where you know the businesses well mm-hmm. You can really dominate. You know what I mean? Now you really put a choke hold on a culture because it's like, I don't need [00:07:00] to go to a big wig or somebody who might not really care about the culture.

[00:07:04] Reasons Brown: They just want to do it to look good. You see what I'm saying? Yes. Yes. Like my impact can be a real impact now because I know the, I'm already creative, but now I know the finance too. You can leverage it. I can leverage it. You feel what I'm saying? That's what I try to get all the artists to do, like mm-hmm.

[00:07:17] Reasons Brown: Get your leverage up and then, you know, capitalize on that. Like understand your worth. Exactly. 

[00:07:23] DJ And?: You know, push on that point. Push on that point, because I, I think a lot of folks, and I know we we're learning that, uh, we were talking, I know Kevin has mentors and stuff they speak to, and they always talk about.

[00:07:31] DJ And?: The importance of finding out what your leverage point is mm-hmm. Before you decide to get into a partnership. Mm-hmm. A, a, a co-business owner, anything like that. Figure out where your leverage is. 

[00:07:41] Reasons Brown: No 

[00:07:42] DJ And?: facts. And could, could you explain some of your understandings of you going through that and figuring out, Hey, I have leverage here, and how to you it.

[00:07:49] Reasons Brown: Okay. Um, let's just talk about in terms of, well, I like to say like social currency, right? Yep. Because a lot of times, I don't know if y'all are familiar with, uh, Damon John, the um, Shark. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, [00:08:00] yeah. Like that was one of the first books, like First People where I bought they book in about entrepreneurship.

[00:08:05] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. Because like when I started doing the clothes, you know, that was my first like grasp at like mixing the art with the entrepreneurship, doing the clothes. I still do that today. Like all my pieces, like one of ones because I want them to be like cool art pieces, you feel me? Yeah. Yeah. So when I started doing that, initially I knew that okay, that was the thing like, yep, it is 1 0 1.

[00:08:24] Reasons Brown: Nobody else has that. You feel me? That's the leverage. So if you have my piece, Like nobody else has that, you feel me? Mm-hmm. So you gotta think about it like that, but also when I'm talking to clients and things of that nature, other small businesses trying to get started, it's like, who are you? Mm-hmm.

[00:08:37] Reasons Brown: You know what I mean? It's easy to, and good product sells itself, but the best product is true to itself. Mm-hmm. You feel me? Mm-hmm. Dang. Say that again. That is a whole 

[00:08:45] Ta-Myia: punchline. I'm gonna put that on a shirt and be 

[00:08:47] DJ And?: rocking that around. That'll be my mantra for the next 28 days. Yeah. But 

[00:08:50] Reasons Brown: yeah. Yeah, that's true.

[00:08:51] Reasons Brown: Yeah. Good product sells itself, but you know, good product stays true to what it is. You know what I mean? So like for me, for instance, my leverage is the fact that I'm me. Yeah. You see what [00:09:00] I'm saying? A lot of people don't walk in rooms as themselves. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That alone right there is my leverage because a lot of people probably wonder like, how's he getting all these things done?

[00:09:08] Reasons Brown: Because when I walk in a room, I'm me and I know what I'm about and I know what I bring to the table. I know what I'm trying to do. Mm-hmm. You know, a lot of times when you walk in a room, you gotta have intent. Like you can't just be there. Mm-hmm. You just sucking up air. Mm-hmm. Yep. You know what I mean?

[00:09:19] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. So once you start like really getting to your who I, who am I? Mm-hmm. And what's my intent on why I'm doing these things? It's easy to move. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? So when I'm doing things with the Honeycomb experience, it might seem like, okay, he's doing a lot, he got fashion, he got music, things going on, but.

[00:09:33] Reasons Brown: I'm really encompassing all them things at one time. Yeah. You feel me? Like the fashion show, for instance, I used music in the fashion show as well. You feel me? The good point. But then I make clothes so I not like I'm just showing my clothes. I get other designers too. Yeah. I use the gallery space. I opening up for the other entrepreneurs as well.

[00:09:53] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. You feel what I'm saying? So now it's like cross marketing. Exactly. But then that also helps. All of us increase our leverage. Mm-hmm. [00:10:00] Because like I said, we grow together. Mm-hmm. So now it's like, it's not just like, okay, I'm growing. The honeycomb experience is growing. Right. So if you're a part of it, you're growing too.

[00:10:07] Reasons Brown: Growing too. You know, so yeah, it leads 

[00:10:10] Ta-Myia: to your purpose, all of that stuff. But he just 

[00:10:12] Reasons Brown: said, yeah, it is leveraging, it is leveraging numbers too. You know, I was just having a meeting with my team yesterday and we was talking about just how you know, it's eight of us. Imagine we all go to a place and bought one person that's 16 people.

[00:10:25] Reasons Brown: Now imagine we all got the same shirt on. People gonna be like, yo, who are they? You know? That's your entourage, y'all. You know? And when you all look one like, you know what I'm saying? United front, imagine that, you know, and that goes to like the project we working on called Pangaea. I have. I saw that.

[00:10:42] Reasons Brown: Yeah. Checking that out. Pan G is, um, we're working on like, on, it's like a DJ Cali type of project. I'm on some DJ Cali time. Um, I'm working with probably about, I got about 19 artists on it right now. We got 18 songs done. Mm-hmm. Um, we use this, um, shop and this bodega and NoDa called the Ring Mart. So pretty [00:11:00] much every Thursday we go there, nine o'clock.

[00:11:03] Reasons Brown: Turned into a studio saw. Yeah. This is dope. Yeah. So y'all could, like, let's say y'all just customers, y'all wanted to come in the store, y'all can literally come in there. We're making a whole song from scratch, right? What? Right there, right there. Recording it. All that, how we made the whole project.

[00:11:17] Reasons Brown: Because like I said, like. I'm about community. I'm about shrinking the world. Like I like what you said last interview, like that's the whole thing for this year. We gonna shrink it. And that's what Pan G is. You think about Pan G is a super continent. Yep. You feel me? So now I'm combining different artists from all over.

[00:11:31] Reasons Brown: We've all come together for one thing. You feel me? I sound as unique. Why? Because we making it together. I don't have to be like them, like mm-hmm. I like hip hop, but then I got. Trap, like trap artists, I got singers like, so now it's like we all bring out something different in each other. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

[00:11:46] Reasons Brown: You know? Oh, cool. And you're 

[00:11:47] DJ And?: doing it in front of the community. Exactly. Which leads to, how does this impact your community? Mm-hmm. Absolutely. You're. You're letting them see it firsthand. 

[00:11:56] Reasons Brown: Firsthand experience, I feel like. Exactly. Because I feel [00:12:00] like, although, you know, a lot of people, they don't read. You know what I mean?

[00:12:02] Reasons Brown: Yeah. So what's the next best thing to teach somebody? You gotta show 'em. Yeah. 

[00:12:06] Ta-Myia: You know what I mean? Visual. 'cause this generation is more visual 

[00:12:09] Reasons Brown: learners. Exactly. Yeah. Mm-hmm. You know, and that's what's something that we tried to tackle with the honeycomb experience this year in terms of being more visual.

[00:12:16] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. Like how can we like not. Have a, we don't have a bunch of marketing dollars to use. So now it's like, okay, you gotta think with what Damon John calls the power zero. You feel me? Yeah. Like, think about it. Do you ever, would you ever think of being innovative or have any type of ingenuity if you've never heard?

[00:12:31] Reasons Brown: No. You feel me? If you, your pockets was empty. You know what I'm saying? Like, okay, now, matter of fact, your pockets was full. Would you be thinking like, How am I going to do this? The question, how always comes from the fact that you can't Wow. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? Yep, yep, yep. So instead of thinking of it like, okay, I don't have this, it's like, okay, well how can we get it done without having to do that?

[00:12:50] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. Because that's how we got problem, problem solving, working around. Exactly. You know, and we keep it that way, you know? Um, that's what we on, man. Y'all on good time. [00:13:00] Yeah, 

[00:13:00] DJ And?: that was a good time. I was, I was mad impressed by what I was seeing with your development. Mm-hmm. 'cause one thing that caught me off guard is 'cause usually with artists, especially with hip hop artists, you in this day, you don't see the amount of community involvement that I would like to tease.

[00:13:17] DJ And?: Mm-hmm. We used to have, 

[00:13:18] Reasons Brown: yeah, no fat could 

[00:13:20] DJ And?: speak to this like part of hip hop back in the day was. 

[00:13:22] Reasons Brown: Community involvement. Right. That's how I started. I say it and you and you like the pillars of hip hop, don't you? Yeah, I do. So, and I can tell that through 

[00:13:30] DJ And?: your actions, and this is blowing my mind. My brother's like, yo, you really gonna like speaking to 

[00:13:33] Reasons Brown: him, bro.

[00:13:34] Reasons Brown: You really gonna like, yeah. I, I like that only because like, I'm big on giving back to what gives to you. Thank you. You what I'm saying? You gotta, you can't just go to a garden and start picking apples, you know what I'm saying? It all started with seeds. Yep. So if you don't plant them seeds, you can't expect them.

[00:13:49] Reasons Brown: And, and then also, Like I said, good product, you know what I mean? And product doesn't always have to be tangible. Like I said, we do workshops too, you know, so it's not just like I'm giving you [00:14:00] something like No come gain knowledge. It's never like, no, okay, he's charging me for this. He wants me to come to another event where he got, he's charging me.

[00:14:07] Reasons Brown: No. Like they do think like that. The youngest, no. That's how, why it's so good when you're not like, Once you get to a certain level, you can do that because people just anticipating you. But if nobody's watching you, let's be realistic. Like I'm, I'm big in the community, I'm doing what I gotta do, but in the grand scheme of where I'm trying to take it, nobody's checking for me yet.

[00:14:27] Reasons Brown: Right. You feel me? So I gotta make sure that the little things matter. You feel me? Mm-hmm. Every person I interact with. Mm-hmm. They gotta become like, okay, I need to, I need to mess with reeds. I need to follow it. Yeah. Yep. You know what I mean? Yep. Like I was just on a movie set, um, this movie called Consequences album.

[00:14:42] Reasons Brown: Just, I'm just an extra in, but. You know, that's another opportunity to network. Mm-hmm. True. Because everybody do something different. True. So now it's like, you know, like I said, I'm, I'm a basketball player, basketball player in the movie. So I was naturally doing my thing. Of course, people were like, oh, you played da da, da.

[00:14:57] Reasons Brown: I'm like, nah, but I do art now. Yeah. You know, it is like, [00:15:00] hold on. You do art, but you, yeah, I got art. You nice. You nice though? Yeah. I got art gallery and Gastonian. Then it's like, oh, what? That blew me up. You know what I mean? Because it's like one, you don't see black people owning the art gallery, let alone black men.

[00:15:12] Reasons Brown: You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And I'm just trying to use that to also help the community, like we do a food drive and a close drive there. Cool. You feel 

me? 

[00:15:18] Reasons Brown: I told you. I told you it was solid. And what I was doing when I was doing, I first started last year, I set a goal, like I said, intent. We set a goal for 500 cans.

[00:15:28] Reasons Brown: Yeah. So what I was doing was I host the open mic on Tuesdays at Cloud Check. So what I was doing was when I go there and perform, I would have a box. Like you can come like, 'cause open mic is free. Yeah. So only thing I'm asking you for is to bring a canned food. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like when I was um, like did basketball games and stuff like that, charity events, I wouldn't charge bring a canned food.

[00:15:49] Reasons Brown: You get in for free. Okay. You feel me? So like if you come to my art gallery now, I got like, Four shelves of just food, you know? Wow. And now I'm trying to work on seeing how I can get a partnership with like the Salvation Army. Mm-hmm. Because [00:16:00] there's one close by, because now we start thinking about, okay, let's take it a little bigger now.

[00:16:04] Reasons Brown: Yeah. You feel me? Because I a step. Exactly. Keep moving. Because the first step was like, okay, let's see if we can really get 500 cans. You know what I mean? Yeah. Let's see if we can do that. Let's see if we could really get some clothes donated to where like, yeah. We can do it. 'cause that, those are things I don't post.

[00:16:17] Reasons Brown: You feel me? Like I'm not posting every week when somebody drop drops off a box of food. Yeah. You know what I mean? My thing is like, okay, where we taking it next? You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. So that's why I like partnerships like Salvation Army. Those are my next steps. Mm-hmm. Um, something else we doing with the Honeycomb experience just to help with the community and broaden our horizons.

[00:16:34] Reasons Brown: And we're doing some, we're going with Patreon. So, um, and that's what we're gonna do, like live broadcasting. So like on the 10th when we do our concert for Pan G, the live listening session mm-hmm. You can watch it wherever you're at. You know what I mean? Like we're gonna broadcast it like a TV show. Yep.

[00:16:49] Reasons Brown: Leverage. Yeah. You know, and that's, once again, it's increasing our leverage, you know what I mean? Mm-hmm. So I think that might be like the topic of this conversation, because I feel like that's what's one thing artists need to know because you [00:17:00] so thirsty trying to chase something when mm-hmm. You're, they're people are chasing you.

[00:17:04] Reasons Brown: Yeah. You know what I'm saying? That's a good point. Good point. You gotta think about it like that. Like you run around so much, you not even thinking like, I'm really. I could be lapping them. Mm-hmm. Because they're really coming trying to get me. Yeah. You feel what I'm saying? But I'm making it too easy for 'em.

[00:17:18] Reasons Brown: Yeah. Why would you do that? Mm-hmm. 'cause you, 

[00:17:21] DJ And?: you don't have the 

[00:17:22] Reasons Brown: concept. Yeah, exactly. You know, sometimes you fall short and you don't know who you are. Even for somebody to be like, I got this over here. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But then if it don't align with what you got going on, you still might do it just because at the moment you feel me?

[00:17:36] Reasons Brown: It's convenient. Exactly. That convenience doesn't always like pan out for future longevity. Yeah. Right. You know what I mean? I think all I need to know that. 'cause that messes up your leverage because it's like you take the first thing, it's like, okay, I know you gonna go for anything now other, other people are watching that too.

[00:17:51] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? People watching that, that 

[00:17:53] DJ And?: movement and how you. Develop the business and the economics around what you're doing. Exactly. So people do it with lack of [00:18:00] economics. Mm-hmm. And that was, um, something I was thinking about last night is the fact that you'll have people, they'll go out and they'll do the art and do the experience for free, not thinking about any building steps towards community development or economics for themselves.

[00:18:15] DJ And?: Mm-hmm. Leading into this, like what do you see as the goal for the honeycomb experience? Your other initiatives that you have moving 

[00:18:22] Reasons Brown: forward? honestly, I want the Honeycomb experience to be as big as Coachella. Like when I started Honeycomb experience, I wanted to be a, a mix of Coachella and Rock Nation brunch.

[00:18:32] Reasons Brown: Cool. Because if you think about it, coach, like I said, we, how we gonna talk about the exclusive factor? Yeah. Because if you think about Coachella, it, it's in the middle of nowhere. Mm-hmm. True. You know what I mean? I watch the documentary once a week. They lost a million dollars they first year. Good point.

[00:18:45] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. So if you got people and you see what Coachella is right now? Yeah. So you have people who lost a million dollars. Yeah. Kept going, why wouldn't you? You know what I'm saying? You might've only lost 50. Yeah. You might've only lost a hundred. Yeah. We talking about a million people [00:19:00] will come get you for a million dollars if you lose it.

[00:19:01] Reasons Brown: You know what I mean? Let's just be honest. Yeah. But um, back to the initial point though, like Coachella is in the middle of nowhere. Mm-hmm. You feel me? And they got that idea based off the fact that the place that they wanted. It was booked. So they had to find someplace else, which was like miles away.

[00:19:16] Reasons Brown: That's how they developed the whole, the polo field. It wasn't even the polo field. Polo bought it, you feel me? Now you started talking about them partnerships, you feel me? Yeah. 'cause now Polo buys the land and now you don't have to worry about trying to be land owners. That's not your thing. You think it is?

[00:19:30] Reasons Brown: Coachella, Coachella. Coachella is not a property, it's, it's an event. Mm-hmm. You feel me? So now you just focused on that. Yeah. You know what I mean? They partnered with the Staples Center. The Staples Center was like, do Coachella again after they lost a million. Feel me? So now it's like, okay, I got the staple center behind me, right partner.

[00:19:47] Reasons Brown: I got the polo, got pull behind me. We just going do it. We gonna try to get the best, um, talent at the time. You know what I'm saying? So when you think about it, people go to all over, save up to go to Coachella. True [00:20:00] All, all said and done. In the next maybe like four years, you should be saving up to come to a Honeycomb experience event.

[00:20:07] Reasons Brown: Dope. I mean dope. Because that's where it is like, You wanna come see it wherever you at. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And all my venues that I do like my events at, they always be like in a secluded place. 

[00:20:18] DJ And?: Cool. That's, I was wondering when I seen the Gastonia and I was just like, yo. Yeah. Was that planned set or was it something that came happenstance?

[00:20:24] Reasons Brown: Honestly, um, I kind, I have ties to Gastonia. Only my sisters go to school there, you know? my son's there like, yeah. Okay. So it's kind of like, It makes sense. Best of both worlds. Mm-hmm. Exactly. I'm able to do It gives you distance. Mm-hmm. 

[00:20:37] DJ And?: But then you still 

[00:20:38] Reasons Brown: have community. Exactly. And I feel like Gastonia is a growing, a growing city.

[00:20:42] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. You know? And I feel like now we're on. The starting point of what's going to be a definitely incline for it, because especially with us being community based mm-hmm. We could bring a lot of life to it just because we, for the people that's about say, you know what I'm that's they're gonna keep you alive.

[00:20:58] Reasons Brown: Exactly. And that's our Coachella feel [00:21:00] again, because now it's like I'm making Gastonia look like. Coachella. Right. You know what I mean's? That's my vibe. But then we're still small, like Rock Nation brunch. If you're thinking about it. Rock Nation brunch, you gotta get invited. Right. You're not just sitting there and you not just looking like anything.

[00:21:14] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. You come in there ready like, yeah, we gonna have fun, but you probably gonna talk business if you sit in the room with a bunch of millionaires. Let's talk money network. Yeah. But that's why I try to affiliate the room with you feel me? The rooms are very intentional with my events. You know what I mean?

[00:21:27] Reasons Brown: Like I do offer it to the community, but. I send out invites, you know what I mean? Like for the 10th, I sent out probably like 200 invites. You know what I mean? Just for 50 people to that could be in person. Right. Because that's a whole different experience for them compared to watching it through the Patreon.

[00:21:42] Reasons Brown: That's why we did the Patreon, because now I don't want to, I don't wanna exclude you, but I need to, you gotta, sometimes you gotta show people Yeah. Know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Before they can actually be. Exactly. And the thing is, I know that's a show and improve world. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. So that's why it's like, I know what I'm doing.

[00:21:58] Reasons Brown: But, okay. How can I. [00:22:00] Speed up the process of my first adapters, you feel me? Mm-hmm. Like those first, those 50 people that come to an event, those are your first adapters because they're directly in, in line with what you got going on. They can tell the next person. Mm-hmm. They got the experience, you feel me?

[00:22:12] Reasons Brown: Exactly. Yeah. So now you relying on those people to tell another people. Mm-hmm. To tell more people compared to I'm offering that and then, Online, you're still getting a similar experience. Not exactly, but it's making you want to come in person like a little taste. Exactly. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Because the in person, you get a packet, like for the, um, listening sessions, like you get a grading sheet.

[00:22:30] Reasons Brown: We wanna know what songs you like, so that's dope. The people are actually gonna get to pick the songs. Oh, okay. So because like, nobody heard it yet, so like this is gonna be the first time we doing the top seven songs we like for the first one because like I said, we got 18 songs, so now you get to grade them.

[00:22:45] Reasons Brown: Whatever song gets the highest grade. That's the single. Y'all looking 

[00:22:48] DJ And?: like Motown. So you including 

[00:22:50] Ta-Myia: them into the experience. Mm-hmm. So y'all can actually be like, oh yeah, I was a part of that. 

[00:22:55] DJ And?: Exactly. And they're that way. They're gonna 

[00:22:56] Reasons Brown: support the project. Exactly. Going forward, could, the project didn't even drop yet.

[00:22:59] Reasons Brown: The [00:23:00] first installment drops on Valentine's Day, because we have it broken down into categories now. Okay. Because now as you start, like as I do my research, trying to get like, okay, how do you put a project out? Right. You can't just put out music. Mm-hmm. Like you can't just have 10 random songs. No. Because now it sets up for Pan G to be an actual short film.

[00:23:19] Reasons Brown: You feel me? Pan G is a person, like you see how everythings unfolded? Keeping alive. Yeah, exactly. But sees not a dead thing. That's how I'm able to do everything at one time. I'm combining my talents, you feel me? Yeah. Like my artistry. I'm able to make my album covers and stuff like that. Yeah. My music, I rap, but now I'm sharing a platform with other artists.

[00:23:36] Reasons Brown: I'm not trying to gain. 8 million followers. You know what mean? I'm focused on the niche, you feel me? Who's with us? Mm-hmm. And we gonna keep feeding them. Mm-hmm. That's why we do the listening session. The, um, the Patreon. As long as you a member, you could come to the gallery in person or virtually. Yeah.

[00:23:51] Reasons Brown: Because the art classes are gonna be up there too. 

[00:23:53] DJ And?: That's what I like too. Yeah. Okay. If you could speak to our listeners about that. Fact, I wanted to touch on this because of the [00:24:00] involvement in the local community. Mm-hmm. Um, if you could just touch on the financial classes and the art classes Yeah.

[00:24:04] DJ And?: That you do through. So 

[00:24:05] Reasons Brown: we actually gonna get back to the financial workshop classes next month in March. Okay. Um, just because we're removing it from the bank to the gallery like we talked about before, leverage. Mm-hmm. You see what I'm saying? So if I'm bringing. 30 plus people to your bank once a month.

[00:24:19] Reasons Brown: You know what I mean? We gotta start talking something, right. Yeah. You right. You know what I mean? They open up an accounts. Yeah, they did though. That's the thing. Like they did. They did. That's the crazy thing. Like, no, no real story. Like the first one we did, it was 55 people there. We saw we had ice cream.

[00:24:34] Reasons Brown: Like I had, it was like we saw, we had a little big art exhibit in the bank. That's literally what it becomes. Oh wow. So they was giving out $300. So I had like out of the 55 people, maybe like 27, signed up. So you got. Banks that a quarter to on account they want to, you know what mean? Once you start learning these things, you know I thinking about that from the other side.

[00:24:55] Reasons Brown: 'cause most time when you're dealing with a bank, you're a consumer. Right. True. True. You know what I'm saying? You're asking for [00:25:00] something compared to you, like bringing something to the table. To the table. Yeah. Mm-hmm. You know? So now when we're doing this conversation and I'm like, oh, we did eight of them consistently, it's a partnership now.

[00:25:08] Reasons Brown: Like, yeah, you should be you. I'm your partner. Yeah. So what are we doing? You know what I mean? I need to do more than just be able to use your logo and stuff like that. Like mm-hmm. Can we. Go both way. Can you come down to Gastonia? Can we, can we do more? Can we do more outreach? Mm-hmm. Yeah. You know what I mean?

[00:25:23] Reasons Brown: Like, can we get outside the bank a little more? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But, um, that wasn't, not saying that they didn't, but they, it just didn't work out. You see what, what I'm saying? So now we moving into the gallery. Okay. Because it's like, now it's like the powers with done, like I said, like so now it's about what you gonna stand on.

[00:25:38] Reasons Brown: I'm not gonna stop doing them. Yeah. It's just that now I had to find somebody who. Consistently wanted to teach the finance part once a month. Mm-hmm. So that way I can still offer the service. 'cause it's not about me being a master of it. Mm-hmm. Because, like I said, we growing together. Yeah. I'm in a class with y'all.

[00:25:53] Reasons Brown: I, I need instruction too. Exactly. Just a different avenue. Mm-hmm. 

[00:25:57] Ta-Myia: Going okay. Exactly. Are you just creating 

[00:25:59] Reasons Brown: your own [00:26:00] avenue? Exactly. The platform is ours. We use it how we see fit. Mm-hmm. You feel what I'm saying? We just keep, like I said, we keep feeding our community. As long as you with that, you can be able to come to the workshops for free.

[00:26:09] Reasons Brown: I never charged you to learn. Oh, cool. That's what I thought 

[00:26:11] DJ And?: was the most, yeah. Oh, wow. It reminded me of almost like how the Black Panther party used to run it. Like, well, they're gonna have a class. They aren't gonna charge the people. Why? Because they know they don't have. Mm-hmm. So you don't, you don't get your ends from the The people lowest.

[00:26:24] Reasons Brown: Yeah. By sucking people drive, you know what I'm saying? 'cause then when it comes time to really support you. Mm-hmm. Do I need you to support me? For you to learn? Right. No, you feel me. That's a good point. We need to. Be engaged with each other, you feel me? Mm-hmm. Like a lot of times you support people because you know them, like you interact with them.

[00:26:42] Reasons Brown: It's like, oh nah, I feel that personal relations. You see what I'm saying? That has nothing to do with anything else but that. Mm-hmm. So it's like, why wouldn't you? You know what I mean? Why would I charge you to come learn? No. Come learns so crazy. It's so dope zen. It's like, oh, he does this for free. What else do he do?

[00:26:58] Reasons Brown: Yeah. You know what I'm saying? I'm giving you the [00:27:00] knowledge. I'm bringing you to the water. Yeah. There's no 

[00:27:01] Ta-Myia: reason why you shouldn't be there. 

[00:27:03] Reasons Brown: Yeah. You feel what I'm saying? That's why it, it 

[00:27:05] DJ And?: breaks down that because usually that is a wall. Yeah. That keeps people from getting things they need. It's alright.

[00:27:10] DJ And?: I don't have five or $10 or 15 or 20, 

[00:27:12] Reasons Brown: but 

[00:27:12] Ta-Myia: I remember all other episodes we talk about different ways of support and it's like people want certain things and what are you giving instead? 

[00:27:19] Reasons Brown: Exactly. That's what I'm saying. But artists once again, leverage. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? You can't really have leverage until you having people behind you.

[00:27:25] Reasons Brown: Right. You know what I'm saying? Like social currency. A lot of things don't come down to. Dollars. Right? When you trying to get dollars, it's not about having dollars. You know that. I know it. I always, people like say like weird. It take money to make money. When you start thinking about, okay, I need to make a partnership, you don't come to a partnership thinking like, man, I got this amount of money.

[00:27:44] Reasons Brown: I need to be going do this. Because why would you need the partnership? Mm. You feel you just do it yourself. You would just do it yourself. You feel me? Yeah. But you need that partnership because it's like, You might have the dollars. Mm-hmm. But I have the people. Right. There you go. Mm-hmm. And you can't even use your dollars without these people.

[00:27:58] Reasons Brown: Yep. Yep. So you need me. You [00:28:00] need me, you feel me? Mm-hmm. So it had nothing to do with no dollar amount. I'm not a millionaire. You feel what I'm saying? But I know that if you want to, you want to rock with me, you gonna have to help the people too. That's 

[00:28:11] Ta-Myia: tough. Yeah, tough. That's a, that's a mindset 

[00:28:15] DJ And?: right there.

[00:28:15] DJ And?: I like that mindset. Um, how about the art classes? Could 

[00:28:18] Reasons Brown: you explain that a little? Yeah. The art classes, we do those on Saturdays. We do two, three of them technically. So we do 11 o'clock and 1230 for kids. Oh, right. And then at five o'clock we do adults. We just add the adult classes. Mm-hmm. Just because, um, we added another art teacher.

[00:28:32] Reasons Brown: Yeah. So now we still got, we got two art teachers and then we have, um, an intern now. So, you know, The space is growing because I have the gallery and then I have the store that I run as well. Okay. Yeah. So just being able to have both of 'em running at the same time. That's the goal. Where's this at? In Gastonia.

[00:28:47] Reasons Brown: Oh, okay. In East Ridge Mall. East Ridge Mall. So we do the art classes. It's small. We try to keep it 10 to a class. Mm-hmm. Um, just because we wanna make sure you learning. It's not like one of the art classes where you just like doing a project. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So like this week we [00:29:00] might be learning, blending, you know what I'm saying?

[00:29:01] Reasons Brown: Because we want it to be. You keep coming. So the best way to keep you coming is you keep you learning, you know what I'm saying? Piece by piece. Yeah. And we're going once something we're going to add to the art classes starting next month in March. Is like the networking piece to it, because like, y'all haven't been in this space yet, but it's a game board on the floor.

[00:29:19] Reasons Brown: Oh, cool. I was wondering what, yeah, it is a game board on the floor and it's called The Game, like the Honeycomb Experience. So it the Honeycomb Experience game, it's the game. So it's three aspects to it. It is the youth part where we teach the kids like communication skills. Mm-hmm. Like what is the L L C and things like that.

[00:29:34] Reasons Brown: So you roll the dice, you pluck the car, you answer, you get it right, you move forward. Oh wow. You feel me? We have the adult version that I like to do during my events too, where it's like, okay. You got 30 seconds, you might roll the dice and now you pluck the card and the car might say you got 30 seconds to meet three people get their Instagram.

[00:29:50] Reasons Brown: Oh, wow. Yeah. That spot. Yeah. Like, but, 

[00:29:54] Ta-Myia: but making it fun and interactive. 

[00:29:55] Reasons Brown: Exactly. So I'm really not forcing you. Yeah. Because I honestly, you move. Why you came [00:30:00] anyway. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You feel me? You came to my events, the network. But a lot of people don't like the chart. They shy. Yeah, exactly. So it's like, how can I teach you without putting, you feel like you in a classroom.

[00:30:09] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. That is 

[00:30:10] DJ And?: so dumb. Yeah. 

[00:30:11] Ta-Myia: You are all around creative. 

[00:30:13] Reasons Brown: Yeah. So that's, that's what we going add to the art classes. 'cause then we also got like the, like the dating edition. Okay. Mm-hmm. You know, so it's like, let's say you on your first date with a your lady or whatever. You could roll the dice. Yo, what's my favorite color?

[00:30:25] Reasons Brown: When's my birthday? Yeah. Mm-hmm. But then we got the middle room where we could give you a dinner. You know what I'm saying? Because we do, we have those resources. Oh, wow. Mm-hmm. You feel me? So now it's like you are in the front room, you did the game room, you get the game in the middle room, you wanna do dinner?

[00:30:39] Reasons Brown: Then we could do an art class with you in the classroom. That's, that's all you see. I'm, 

[00:30:43] Ta-Myia: that's so cool. Yeah. I'm have to come check this out. You gotta 

[00:30:45] Reasons Brown: work this out. I'm interesting. Now you got to, the space is amazing. Like that's really like, that's my baby outside of my children. Like that's, that's really my baby right there.

[00:30:56] Reasons Brown: With that. We got murals in, in every room that's been painted by [00:31:00] different artists. So it's like, it's not just, like I said, it's not just me. Like we got 10 artists in there right now. You know, one of 'em is 10 years old. One of 'em is 10 years old and another one is from Hickory. She's in 10th grade. Well she's in 11th grade now, but she just got an award.

[00:31:13] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. For being like one of the top artists in Hickory. Oh. So it was, and I used to train her in basketball, so it was dope for me. That's So be able to like her in something else outside of basketball. 'cause I know how that was for me. Yeah. What I'm saying, like, I'm gonna help you 

[00:31:26] DJ And?: get over this 'cause.

[00:31:27] DJ And?: I had to do it by myself. 

[00:31:28] Reasons Brown: Yeah, exactly. So it was dope to display like a 70 year old artwork in the, in the gallery. Yeah. Compared to then I have somebody's artwork who was made in like 1968. Wow. You know what I mean? Like, she made it when she was in high school, you know what I'm saying? Like, and I know her, like me and her son are like this.

[00:31:44] Reasons Brown: So she was, he was like, my dad, my mom's a artist. Was like, what? He brought the pieces in. I was like, wow. She made these win. Let me get 'em. Let's put, let me get 'em, let's put 'em in here. And that's the thing is like the artist get to keep they bread. You know what I mean? So let's say you sell your piece is yours.

[00:31:59] Reasons Brown: Oh, wow. Like I, [00:32:00] why would I charge you to be you? You feel me? Like you might have to come teach a, a kid that's, you know what I mean? I would rather you come teach the kids a art class or something like that instead of me trying to charge you. Mm-hmm. You feel me? It's like a percentage 

[00:32:10] Ta-Myia: of your, 

[00:32:11] Reasons Brown: your profit's.

[00:32:12] Reasons Brown: Right, exactly. Because like, I see the space as like the Y M C A for artists. If you think about the Y M C, you pay a membership and you could do whatever you wanna do. You could grow how you need to in the Y M C A. You could play basketball. You could lift. You could go swim. Exactly. You take a yoga class.

[00:32:27] Reasons Brown: Exactly. So as long as you a member on the Patreon, right now it's only $5. You feel me? So the first, 20 slot that we doing is only $5. So you get to come in person or virtually for $5 as long as you within the first 20. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's not bad. So yeah, because we load the art classes up, we gonna learn them up every Wednesday.

[00:32:44] Reasons Brown: So you could do 'em at home. You could come in personal on that Saturday. Okay. But you still have access to the art classes as long as you're a member. Okay. You see what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah. You were honest. That's smart. Exactly. Access. Access is everything. Yeah. But then it's still exclusive too. 'cause it's like you can't just do, you can't [00:33:00] just go look at it if you're not a member.

[00:33:01] Reasons Brown: Right. 

[00:33:02] Ta-Myia: You need options. Sometimes they can't make it to everything, but they still wouldn't be a part 

[00:33:05] DJ And?: of it. So they still come through the 

[00:33:07] Reasons Brown: gate. Exactly. But you get access options. Mm-hmm. Exactly. Quick question. 

[00:33:11] DJ And?: Mm-hmm. And I know Kevin and I. Mr. Skip and myself, we were discussing this on the way up, the ability to work so well and do that business aspect and support people.

[00:33:23] DJ And?: Mm-hmm. How, how has that affected your own career as an artist? Because I know what we discuss all the time is it's hard to. Be a hundred percent businessman and get that moving. Mm-hmm. At the same time trying to be aided. Mm-hmm. It's almost like you have to have an off season. 

[00:33:37] Reasons Brown: You do, you do art? Can you explain?

[00:33:39] Reasons Brown: No, absolutely. and I'm honestly, this is something I'm really just learning, you know, like maybe like, but. That. And, and that comes with, like I said, like shifting from a hobbyist to a professional. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Like hobbies don't really understand the pressures of the business though.

[00:33:53] Reasons Brown: Right. You feel me? But once you start making headway, like, oh no, I wanna do this, I wanna do that, you start like, okay, let [00:34:00] me analyze this real quick. You know? Um, books. Books in order. Yeah. But, also like once you know who you are, you know, your creative peak times, you feel me? Like I know I'm creative at night.

[00:34:10] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. You know, so it's like during the day, I don't want to be on my phone, like I need to get to it to do things I don't want to do. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? It's a discipline. It's more of a discipline than anything. Yeah. Because when I wake up in the morning at five, I know that that's a perfect opportunity for me to do the things I don't want to do and still have my day to do what I love to do to you.

[00:34:29] Reasons Brown: Feel me? Yeah. At the same time, it gets to the point where you have to balance it because. The creativity is really pushing the business. Mm-hmm. So it, it doesn't matter how much you know about this, if you're not pushing this at the same time. Mm-hmm. Use that. I didn't found a, I, I'm enjoying this process now.

[00:34:45] Reasons Brown: You feel me? Mm-hmm. You enjoying? It's, the business is really helping me fuel my art because I'm sharing it through the art. You feel me? Got you ate. Exactly like my events is my art. You know what I mean? My clothes, because like I said, a one-on-one piece, that's my art. That's your art. Yeah. [00:35:00] You feel me?

[00:35:00] Reasons Brown: The business, 

[00:35:01] DJ And?: you found 

[00:35:01] Reasons Brown: a way to exactly bon purpose. Mm-hmm. The benefit of the art too now. Yeah. You feel me? Because at the same time, Once you start, it is a craft. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? I'm working at that every day. And once you start working that you start developing your own techniques.

[00:35:15] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? Because we gonna do a workshop for youth, you know what I mean? Starting probably in April. Mm-hmm. So that way we teach in that, you know what I'm saying? You're gonna teach 'em these concepts Absolutely. Dang. From kids from eight to 16. And they need to 

[00:35:28] Ta-Myia: know workflow at a young age.

[00:35:30] Reasons Brown: Yeah. We did it. Um, I've been doing it for two years. Like I said, a lot of things, I just don't post it. Okay, got you. Okay. You know what I mean? Like anything I feel like is real, like community based. I'm not, I'm not clout chasing you. Feel me? Yeah. I don't, I don't need you. I don't need a hundred likes on Instagram for me to feel like, oh yeah, I'm really doing this.

[00:35:46] Reasons Brown: Like, it's a validated, you know, the, you're touching their lives, right? When you got these kids and they like, yo, Mr. Brown, boom. Boom. Like the first year I did it, I had like Rick Ross tour DJ come in. Yeah. One of the, one of the kids, she was real [00:36:00] like, I forgot her name, but she was 12 years old. She was really dope, A really dope artist, but she wanted to be an anime illustrator.

[00:36:07] Reasons Brown: A lot of black females do not be in that field. Yeah. Yeah. So it was dope to be able to find one. You know what I mean? Yeah. The connector with that, that's impact. Yeah. That's dope. You know what I mean? And that's what we're trying to do. So yeah, of course we're gonna teach him that. God do. I'm telling you.

[00:36:22] Reasons Brown: I mean, I like the fact you say a bunch of old 

[00:36:24] DJ And?: black man stuff worse right now. When I went, 

[00:36:26] Ta-Myia: when I went to Instagram, I was like, I don't really see anything on Instagram. Like I don't know what they're about. And Kevin kept telling me and I'm like, I don't know what they're about, but then you telling me all this stuff.

[00:36:35] Ta-Myia: So, so it's like I have to go to the event. They get the whole experience. I like that. It's like that's the catch. It's like you 

[00:36:41] Reasons Brown: have to come to me. You got to, you 

[00:36:43] DJ And?: know how I got the information about what he was doing beside Kevin telling me what was going around other people that follow you and what they were saying about you.

[00:36:48] DJ And?: Oh, you know how they say when you're out of the room, how people talk about you? Mm-hmm. They talk highly of you. That's bad. That's what I thought. I was like, wow, these people talking about this man, it ain't like you said nothing was posted on your stuff. That was on his [00:37:00] stuff about it. So I was like, good Lord.

[00:37:02] DJ And?: So he must be really touching people 

[00:37:03] Reasons Brown: because that's it. I try, I try to be like in person, like I'm not Instagram savvy and that's, I'm not even gonna say Instagram savvy, I'm just not into it. You, that's my thing. Yeah. That's not my thing. I feel like I'm not gonna say it's unrealistic. I use it as a business tool, right?

[00:37:16] Reasons Brown: My intent for Instagram is that right? You know what I'm saying? It is a tool. So I'm trying to, okay, promote my events on there, things like that. Because I'm not the type that gonna be putting flyers in every car, stuff like that. But I'm gonna do a community event. And then people tell people that we're doing it then you feel me?

[00:37:34] Reasons Brown: Yeah. Because now it's like, okay, if you rock with me, you gonna come to the event because it's like I'm doing it. Right. Yeah. See what I'm saying? But then once you come, you gonna meet other people like me. Mm-hmm. Because now the room is filled, is filled with everybody that's on the same time the energy is on point.

[00:37:49] Reasons Brown: Exactly. But then we weeded each other. We weeded the ones who not a part of ones that don't fit out. Yeah. If you kinda a honeycomb experience event and you don't got no business cards, You ain't got nothing to promote yourself. You don't want to talk [00:38:00] about your business, you don't want to add no value to the person next to you.

[00:38:03] Reasons Brown: You gonna look like an oddball. Mm-hmm. That's true. True. I didn't, I seen it. Like I, I have all my events. I might've had like two people not have fun, but they didn't come there to network. They intention was off. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And that's what I love and that's what I could tell. Yeah. Um, just from a conversation we had.

[00:38:20] Reasons Brown: But then, like I said, everything that I saw online, um, like I said through um, Instagram and then just like everybody's responses. 

[00:38:27] DJ And?: You can tell this is something black 

[00:38:30] Reasons Brown: people get so mixed up. Yeah. When it comes to us with networking, we think about, a lot of us think about networking as a social activity.

[00:38:38] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. And we think about it as, this is where I go to have fun. I go to get drinks, I listen to music time. That's, that's, that's really like people just advertising, networking because they want people to come, you know? I mean, like, it's a difference. But they They aren't networking. Exactly. They aren't really networking.

[00:38:54] Reasons Brown: They aren't. And that's why you, my events are, Curated to network. That's why I did the game. You what I [00:39:00] mean? Thank you. That's why we do a networking scavenger hunt. Like when you walk in, when people walk in on the 10th, the first thing you gonna get is to packet with a rating sheet and it gonna be a scavenger hunt on it.

[00:39:10] Reasons Brown: If you the first one to complete the scavenger hunt, I'm gonna give you some art. You feel me? So now it's like that'd be a art collector. Now I'm pouring back into the community. You feel me? Goddamn. He's co-creative everything. Coming back to that. No. Wait, wait. When you start hustling, right? Startling.

[00:39:25] Reasons Brown: Wait, wait, 

[00:39:25] Ta-Myia: wait. New 

[00:39:26] Reasons Brown: York, state of mind. Yeah, for sure. We just don't get 

[00:39:29] DJ And?: it. But it's where it's supposed to be. Like your hustle's in the right energy. It's where it's supposed to be at. You're gonna, you're gonna see good feedback from it. Man. I'm trying to tell you, energy is so good, bro. 

[00:39:37] Reasons Brown: Appreciate that.

[00:39:38] Reasons Brown: I'm just me, you know what I mean? Like, and I feel like that's what makes it come natural. Like I don't feel no pressure. I don't feel no added stress. People be like, yo reason busy. Like, I'm like, nah, this is just Thursday. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's another day. It is what we doing because we here to execute things.

[00:39:55] Reasons Brown: You feel we're here to complete something. You know? Once you know you're here, like, I'm here to do this, I [00:40:00] wanna do this. We there, you know what I'm saying? Mm-hmm. You're executing them, 

[00:40:04] DJ And?: man. All But before we move on, 'cause I know we want to get you dropped. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's going on with the events?

[00:40:11] DJ And?: How do you balance your everyday life while still creating art and being in the community? What is like, when do you go to 

[00:40:19] Reasons Brown: sleep? Sleep. What is that? What is that? You know what I mean? Um, I take naps, you know? Um, I take naps. But as far as like a full sleep, like my mind don't even let me sleep. You know what I mean?

[00:40:32] Reasons Brown: Like I said, I'm more creative at nighttime, so. So you're up. Yeah. I might be asleep, but I'm not asleep. I might be thinking about an idea, you know what I mean? Working through it. Exactly. Working through it. 'cause by the time my feet touch the floor and kind get done. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I mean? That just how I am.

[00:40:45] Reasons Brown: What your sign? I'm a Virgo God damnit. Damn.

[00:40:53] Reasons Brown: You 

[00:40:54] Ta-Myia: kidding me? Birthday September 9th. It was a lady before the lady [00:41:00] sitting in that seat. Sitting in the same seat. Her birthday was September 10th 

[00:41:03] Reasons Brown: from Philly Word. Oh, she's fire. Sorry 

[00:41:11] DJ And?: man. Don't ever, yo, ain't no Aries in the 

[00:41:15] Reasons Brown: house. Nah, no Aries. God, we, it's our attention to detail. No, you ain't lying. Is we 

[00:41:22] Ta-Myia: execute everything.

[00:41:23] Ta-Myia: We're good at everything. And it's just like we got that vibe, man. We vibe with 

[00:41:27] DJ And?: everybody. Damn Virgos, bro. There's Virgos, god 

[00:41:30] Reasons Brown: damn it. I like y'all. I ain't got no hate. Nah, ain't no need for no hate. You know what I mean? Ain't no hate. Ain't no hate. But I appreciate we left to educate. Exactly. But as far as a balance, you know, I just try to make it to where.

[00:41:42] Reasons Brown: Everything is incorporated. You know what I mean? Like even with the store, I try to do honeycomb things in the store so that way it's not just so fashion driven, you know? Mm-hmm. No lost time. Exactly. There's no lost time. Exactly. You're not 

[00:41:55] DJ And?: wasting any like, so even like people say, neighborhoods, you get that.

[00:41:59] DJ And?: You get that [00:42:00] animal you ain't wasting none. The fat using all the parts. Mm-hmm. You putting the skin on your body, you're gonna wear this sun, you're gonna use 

[00:42:05] Reasons Brown: everything. Right. And I wake up, I try to wake up as a overachiever, you know what I'm saying? Like my list. To do todo list, it'd be events. You know what I'm saying?

[00:42:15] Reasons Brown: For a day, but it's like realistic. I know I'm not gonna get to it all. Yeah, but why not try? I I try to, you feel me? Because I was reading, um, this Elon Musk quote, you know what I'm saying? He was just like, It's going to take you as long as you want to get something done. You feel me? If you feel like it's gonna take you three months to clean your room, it's gonna take you three months.

[00:42:32] Reasons Brown: True. If you feel like it's gonna take you three days, it's gonna take you three days. True. So now it's like, if I got this list, if I could break it down the right way, I can get it done. Mm-hmm. I haven't mastered that yet, you know what I'm saying? Working. But I'm still working on that every day. But then that also helps me.

[00:42:45] Reasons Brown: Develop things for other people. You know what I'm saying? I know. I'm not the only one who struggles with that. True. You know what I mean? That's how I came up with the workbook. I got like a workbook for kids too. I saw your workbook. Yeah. I'm gonna drop, I'm dropping that. I'm excited about that. Um, I just finished getting the copyrights and stuff done.

[00:42:58] Reasons Brown: Dope. But that just feel like the youth and [00:43:00] adults, like by the end, by the time you finish the workbook, you should have a solid business idea. It takes you from like start to finish. Yeah. Not just not starting the finish, but having the ideas. Yeah. Identifying you. Mm-hmm. That's the whole purpose of it, you feel me?

[00:43:11] Reasons Brown: So that way when you get volume two, it's more like the nooks and cranny, like the budget and like what you need, supplies, who you need to reach out to first. Mm-hmm. In terms of trying to get things off the ground. You feel me? Sometimes don't always need to be your family. Sometimes they might need to.

[00:43:25] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. But you gotta start thinking about certain type of people, like, who's really supporting me? That's not your mom. Then don't go ask your mom, help you. True. You feel me? If it's your mentor, your coach, that's who you go to with your idea. Mm-hmm. Because they see you in a certain light already. Yep. You know what I mean?

[00:43:40] Reasons Brown: People already have their perspective of you. Mm-hmm. Think about it. Your parents, they don't get upset with you a lot of times because you necessarily doing something so wrong if they, they have a certain vision for you. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. And sometimes they don't align. So when it doesn't align, it's like, how can I get you back here?

[00:43:55] Reasons Brown: You know what I mean? But sometimes you just need to be you. Yeah. So when you understand who you are, you gotta start. [00:44:00] Boom. Okay. My coach sees me like this, he's gonna keep me grounded to this. Mm-hmm. Lemme keep 

[00:44:05] DJ And?: exactly pouring into that wealth. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Man, I'm, I'm gonna tell you like this, man, just, just from speaking to you today and seeing what you're talking about, man, I'm telling you man.

[00:44:15] DJ And?: It's because, all right. Our podcast is about finding ways for millennials to get information that sometimes we feel the elders left without dropping. Mm-hmm. And for us, It seems like you're working as hard as you can to make sure that gap is bridged. Mm-hmm. No facts from whatever you've got and whatever you can do, whatever you learn and that influence that you have, you're bringing that through and it's just cool.

[00:44:40] DJ And?: It's refreshing to see that for, 'cause a lot of times when folks in your position, their big thing 

[00:44:44] Reasons Brown: is me. Yeah. Facts. I mean, me, I, I, me and I ain't gonna lie, like sometimes, you know, naturally 'cause we're all human, you know, you fall into that, but you know that. It bothers me more, like I get more hurt than anything sometimes because of the fact that things are not for [00:45:00] me.

[00:45:00] Reasons Brown: Yeah. So it's like when people don't, you know, Necessarily follow, you know what I'm saying? I don't, I don't like to use the word follow, but I just, for lack of better word, you know what I'm saying? Or they don't want to be with the, it's like some people just want be around. They don't want to do, you know what I'm saying?

[00:45:15] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. Like, I'm giving you the steps. Yeah. Just follow 'em. Let's do, let's, let's do, I'm a do you, like you can't be around me and not do anything. You better be uncomfortable. Right. You know what I mean? You gonna be like, ah. You always doing something. You know, like people do. We say nothing 

[00:45:28] Ta-Myia: about Virgos.

[00:45:29] Ta-Myia: They like, do you ever 

[00:45:30] Reasons Brown: just raise, it's just relax. Just relax. I'm like, why are we relaxing? Relaxing? We ain't done, ain't done, ain't dead. I ain't dead. We here. You know what I'm saying? I tell my team all time like, we here, why are we stopping? And I tell people, my, my 

[00:45:40] Ta-Myia: mom's like, she taught me how to.

[00:45:42] Ta-Myia: Overwork people. Mm-hmm. That's one thing about Avego. I know how to outwork you. I ain't better than you. Right. I just know how to outwork 

[00:45:47] Reasons Brown: you. Yes. That's it. Yeah. Even when it came to basketball before I got good at basketball, I would just outwork you. That makes sense. I was in, I was in shape. Mm-hmm. I was going to guard you full court.

[00:45:56] Reasons Brown: Yep. Yep. That's how I got Minnesota on the court while I was developing. You see what I'm [00:46:00] saying? That's nothing that you can even translate that to being an artist, entrepreneur, whatever, like Yeah. Sometimes, like for instance, like, like I said, I'm the number two at my store. You feel me? Like I learned from the guy who actually runs started the whole thing.

[00:46:12] Reasons Brown: Why? Because I have a gallery I'm trying to run. Yeah. You feel me? Sometimes you might need to be under that. Sit. Sit and be a 

[00:46:17] Reasons Brown: student. Exactly. 'cause I'm getting all that hands-on experience. 'cause like I said, I run it from like all the operations of it. Mm-hmm. You feel me? Mm-hmm. So now when the gallery is like, okay, let's copy and paste.

[00:46:28] Reasons Brown: Yeah. Because you know it works. Exactly. You know, it works. And then I could also add what I want to add to it. That's how I came up with the Patreon. But we still do my show in the store. Mm-hmm. And I still can, time can like. Mixed in with the honeycomb because velocity vibes with the fashion and music.

[00:46:43] Reasons Brown: Mm-hmm. Like a 1 0 6 and park. Yeah. Okay. So we show like the music videos in the store every second Tuesday. Oh, cool. Yeah. So we take five artists, five business owners, and we let the business owners talk about their business. And then the music artists, they show their videos, they get to talk about it real quick.

[00:46:58] Reasons Brown: And then we always do like fashion [00:47:00] reviews. Okay. And that's it. We shoot it like a whole in an hour. And that releases on a Patreon as well. Now it's almost almost like our own channel. You know what I mean? Literal, 

[00:47:07] DJ And?: you're, you're building a 

[00:47:09] Reasons Brown: channel. Yeah. But then that's leverage, though. Artists gotta take the time to think about, let me build this up 'cause I'm not worried about getting followers like on Instagram.

[00:47:17] Reasons Brown: You feel me? You wouldn't followers for likes. You gotta, you gotta really pay the, for people to see you on Instagram compared to the Patreon. It's like, lemme see. Let's say all three of y'all sign up, right? Yeah. Three people. I'm just gonna keep feeding y'all. Why am I worried about trying to pay for all these people who might not even get to see your spending?

[00:47:34] Reasons Brown: You know what I'm saying? I'm not worried about no algorithm. Yeah. What algorithm am I worried own? Exactly. I'm just going keep feeding. Like I said, on Wednesday, we load the art classes every, um, once a month we gonna low velocity vibes. We got the first two episodes on there right now. Yeah. You feel me?

[00:47:50] Reasons Brown: We about to shoot the next 1st of February 14th. After that, once we shoot it the next week, it loads up on Patreon. You know what I'm [00:48:00] saying? So now it's like on that, on top of the events. 'cause all the events are live streamed now. Yeah. So now you can watch 'em back. You know, that's no different than watching the b e t awards we run.

[00:48:09] Reasons Brown: Right. And that's what people do anyway. Exactly. And then, you know, now looking at day and age. Yeah. And then now we able to offer things for small businesses in terms of like ads and stuff like that. You don't have to go paid for the probability of. Many people seeing you mm-hmm. Know. Yeah. I got, okay, I have X amount of people on my Patreon account.

[00:48:29] Reasons Brown: I know I do my events. This is gonna be this many people in person. Mm-hmm. So now I can calculate a package to where like, okay, small businesses, we gonna prerecord a commercial for you. Because while, even though we might be playing a game in person at home, they watching your commercial. Yep. Yeah, it is different.

[00:48:47] Reasons Brown: God, different. You 

[00:48:48] Ta-Myia: ain't every avenue, so that's why I, 

[00:48:51] DJ And?: because like the way you can tell the energy's good and you're really about making a, a positive movement. Mm-hmm. Man. Yeah. Get [00:49:00] you, I don't know if you don't do no motivational. Speaking, but good lord. Good as you want. I'm gonna tell you before we finish up, because I know we're, um, about to be short on time.

[00:49:07] DJ And?: Mm-hmm. I wanna make sure you let us know what current projects you're working on and what we can expect from you in the future and we'll make sure we get this information and 

[00:49:13] Reasons Brown: move it out. No, definitely. Um, really honestly, just pay attention to honeycomb experience for Pangea. That's our project. We gonna be dropping them in increments of four songs every month.

[00:49:23] Reasons Brown: Um, and you're not gonna know the names of the songs. It's gonna be called Rough Draft One, rough Draft two. So that way by the time the Real Project drops, it is going based off the streams. Like what's the most popular. Oh, cool. You feel me? It's more like you gotta grow with the process. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And then you gotta be on the Patreon to understand like who's on what song or whatever.

[00:49:40] Reasons Brown: Right. You feel me? So, um, that. Just the art classes, anything that deals with community, we there. Yeah. Money. 

[00:49:47] Ta-Myia: I like that. How you driving everybody to the Patreon? Like 

[00:49:50] Reasons Brown: subscribe. Yeah. Because that's, where you gonna find me as exclusivity. You know what I mean? Like you said, like you not gonna see me everywhere.

[00:49:57] Reasons Brown: You know what I'm saying? Like you're not gonna see everything [00:50:00] on my Instagram. Like, okay, he's doing this, he's doing that, he's doing it. No, but you just know I'm moving. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like, I don't know if y'all watched the American gangster, but did y'all see the part when he was like, people don't know me, like they know the owner of General Mills.

[00:50:12] Reasons Brown: Got you see what I'm saying? Got, I see. It's like that's why the honeycomb experience don't have no face. Big game. You feel me? I was wondering that too. But you know the product. Yeah. I was like, who 

[00:50:20] Ta-Myia: hits this person? Like, 

[00:50:22] Reasons Brown: was like, yeah, can't, I'm like, bro, you, you know how long I had to been searching for you to like the, you were like an enigma.

[00:50:27] Reasons Brown: Yeah. 

[00:50:28] DJ And?: At least I knew you because I was like, I was listening to your music and I was like, yeah, that was the voice I was talking to on the, yeah, 

[00:50:32] Reasons Brown: yeah, yeah. So 

[00:50:32] DJ And?: I know this must be him. Lemme make sure I'm looking at it. But now that's a positive part because what it does is, It allows people to pick and choose you as an option because of the works, right?

[00:50:42] DJ And?: Not just. Not a pers not a, not a a, a thought about or idea 

[00:50:47] Reasons Brown: of a persona. Exactly. You know what I'm saying? And it's not what it is. And it's not just for me, it's for everybody. So why would I put my face on it? You feel me? When somebody got they face on you actually assume it's about them. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean?

[00:50:58] Reasons Brown: Compared to I got a [00:51:00] house because it should be a house for artists. If you look at the logo, you feel me? Yep. And then you see the pillars we go through. Yeah. So, If you come in the gallery, you'll see him like, it's called, we go by fame, so face fashion, art, music, education. Oh, wow. Yeah. It's like, 

[00:51:13] DJ And?: like I said, he believes in the, pop 

[00:51:15] Reasons Brown: five pillars of hip hop.

[00:51:16] Reasons Brown: Yeah. Like, yeah. You serious about this? Yeah. We, we gonna definitely grow. We're gonna definitely keep doing our thing. So my goal is to just keep having people come. Grove. I don't gain nothing from people. I tell people all the time, like, I don't want nothing from you, but to be the best you. Mm-hmm. Don't tell me you wanna go to the moon and I've got all this stuff ready to help you build, to go to the moon, and now you don't wanna code for takeoff.

[00:51:37] Reasons Brown: That's insanity. You know what I'm saying? And that's, and that's why you gotta do things exclusive. You know what I'm saying? You can't just get to me, you. Mm-hmm. You feel me? Mm-hmm. If, if we doing, if we are working, we gonna work. You know what I'm saying? And I don't have to necessarily be in the face of everything.

[00:51:50] Reasons Brown: Like some people feel like they gotta be, Present everything, everything. You could be, you, you, you have a greater chance of being omnipresent by not being visible. Mm-hmm. You feel [00:52:00] me? Because you don't have to be seen. Good point. You know what I mean? Like my good point, like if I'm training my interns and things like that, right.

[00:52:06] Reasons Brown: Reflection of me. Yeah. That's the point. Yes. You know what I'm saying? I don't have to be there. Am I still omnipresent? Yeah. Because the honeycomb experience is still like, and in essence, me, can I tease you 

[00:52:16] DJ And?: about this too? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The idea of a, of a be beehive and how beehive operates. Mm-hmm.

[00:52:20] DJ And?: That's 

[00:52:21] Reasons Brown: why when you were talking Yeah, for sure. That's what it is. That's exactly what it is. Everybody is on 

[00:52:26] DJ And?: code. Mm-hmm. They're all on point. They're all working. You may not know who it is or what this person's over here doing they thing, but they're doing something to build to make sure that that experience or that 

[00:52:35] Reasons Brown: honeycomb exactly.

[00:52:36] Reasons Brown: Is profit. Exactly. This was a good episode. Great episode. No, this was fire though. Hard man. But, um, Man, I want to thank you for joining us today. Nah, no problem. Appreciate. Oh yeah. Drop your, Instagram and website. Yeah, please drop your, yeah. Okay. Follow me at Reasons Brown, nothing in between. It. Reasons Brown on Instagram, but most importantly, follow the Honeycomb experience.

[00:52:56] Reasons Brown: Don't worry about following me. Follow that because that's for the [00:53:00] opportunity. We always say a community that engages, creates opportunity. Yep. So that's what we on. But I also, while we, while we still here, if y'all wanna do a workshop, I know y'all seen y'all doing a workshop. Oh yeah. If y'all wanna do something at the spot, you know what I'm saying?

[00:53:13] Reasons Brown: Yeah. Like let's do that. You feel me? I'm with that. Okay. You know, even if y'all wanna do it at the store, like I, I got spaces, you know what I'm saying? Now it's just a matter of a date and how we want to, formulate it, facilitate it, you know? Yeah, yeah. Cool. For sure. But let's do that. We're gonna do that.

[00:53:26] Reasons Brown: Yeah, man. Shoot. Pleasure speaking with you. Oh nah, for sure is mine, man. DJing 

[00:53:31] DJ And?: what? Tamaya, what's up? Skip. Yep. 

[00:53:35] Reasons Brown: Reasons. Ah, this is the Hilltop Glove Podcast, 

[00:53:38] DJ And?: signing off Peace.