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Music Mogul Reveals Dark Truth About PR in Hip-Hop 🔥 | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
Jan 16, 2025
🚨 Industry veteran Angelo Ellerbee exposes the raw truth about PR manipulation in hip-hop and reveals shocking behind-the-scenes stories about working with Michael Jackson during his darkest controversies. From being one of the first openly gay Black executives in the music industry to managing DMX's complex public image, Ellerbee holds nothing back in this explosive interview. Discover how this PR mastermind shaped the careers of legends like Mary J. Blige, DMX, and Michael Jackson while fighting discrimination in the industry. Ellerbee shares untold stories about the real DMX, reveals the truth about social media's impact on modern PR, and calls out the music industry's ongoing racial biases. In this must-watch conversation, Ellerbee discusses his groundbreaking 55-year career, his revolutionary "charm school for rappers," and why many of today's publicists are "more ambitious than ambitious." Learn how this trailblazing mogul broke barriers on New York's 7th Avenue and helped some of music's biggest stars navigate their most challenging moments. The legendary publicist also addresses the industry's treatment of Black PR professionals and reveals why major artists often abandon Black publicists as their careers grow. Don't miss this powerful interview with the man who helped shape hip-hop's golden era while breaking down barriers for the LGBTQ+ community in the music business. #musicmoneymakeover #diymusicbiz #angeloellerbee #howtopromoteyourmusic #entertainmentnews #digitalmarketing #diymusicbiz #howtopromoteyourmusic #musicmoneymakeover #navigatingthemusicbusiness CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 01:24 - Angelo Ellerbee Biography 05:50 - Overcoming Adversity in Life 11:32 - Before I Let Go Analysis 11:58 - What is a Publicist? 16:50 - Angelo Ellerbee’s Impact on Mary J. Blige 19:54 - Angelo Ellerbee’s Influence on Michael Jackson
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0:00
big round of applause for the voice right there for the man behind that voice the voice of power I've known this
0:06
man for decades and watch his work as he excelled to the higher Echelon of
0:12
Executives that we have seen go through this music business because of him he's been able to assist many of Mega stars
0:19
in their path into their careers to success uh I'm just going to name a few that this man has worked with he's a
0:25
multimedia marketing Maverick um he helped launch the groundwork for to legitimize the legacies of a lot of
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luminaries as producers musicians and recording artists James and tum is one
0:37
of them who he kindly helped us um book him to be on this show prior to his
0:42
passing his his family member Damu and T was a good friend of mine a brother to
0:48
me melbour Moore to name a few AG ALB Shore DMX Mary J BL Dion Warwick beanie
0:56
man um Beverly Johnson Big Daddy Kan Bishop weeks Bishop W Brownstone buddy M
1:04
you know buddy from the boxing World Tracy Foxy Brown come on it keeps going Grace Jones genu wine the list goes on
1:12
and on and ladies and gentlemen we are blessed to have this man share his story and his journey of his life in the book
1:19
Before I Let You Go I want to welcome him to the show The One and Only Angelo
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Elby is here Mr El what an introduction man Angelo Elby the introduction does
1:31
not do you justice I want to I want to also include um his influence and he's
1:37
been recognized with his inclusion in the uh in the out 100 most impactful
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lgbtq plus people list and um and this is his latest book congratulations to
1:48
you brother congratulations thank you very much you know I got to First say you know I got to give honor to God
1:54
first cuz he is ahead of my life and I'm not I'm not shame of that right yes so I want to say to you guys I I really
2:01
appreciate this m um I've been doing this now for 55 years wow and wait hold
2:07
on man he said 55 years yo come on stand upow stand 55
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years come on 55 years and I always tell people who are waiting on their time
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uhhuh wait on it yeah wait on it don't give up stay in the race it takes the
2:30
same energy to stay in the race and to come out of the race which one we want to do
2:35
we want to stay in the race right we want to stay in the race because we get the opportunity to win staying in the
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race it has been this year has been overwhelming for me and I'm so very
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thankful to people like you and so many other people that I'm on finally for me
2:58
as a as a talent I'm looking at myself as a talent at these at this stage of the game and it's like a national
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attention and you're getting them Awards and I'm like I'm you know I do media yeah but it's it's just good to know
3:12
that you can influence lives you can lift people by books by words by having
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conversations and I wanted to do this book man because I just think that this
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this Society in this world is at a loss and I think it's really important that we collectively yeah begin to give back
3:33
I remember the U The Honorable Elijah Muhammad yes said many many many years ago they were always calling this man
3:40
racist he wasn't racist he was a collective and he wanted us to come together to own to own our own to have
3:48
our own right could you just imagine if we had our own farms and we had our
3:54
wouldn't we just be an incredible culture of people absolutely
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they say it takes um it takes a village to raise a child can somebody tell me what does it take to raise a culture mm
4:07
what does it take to raise a culture I just think that it's time that we come together to understand the important of
4:14
togetherness our people must come together we must stick together we must be together we got to stop doing this
4:21
backstabbing we got to be Collective if I I think when we Collective we we get a
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sense of understanding of the importance and which our contributions have been
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and that's what this book is about for me man so many kids are going through what they're going through in their
4:38
lives I believe very much in chances everybody gets a chance you can't shut
4:44
the door because somebody got incarcerated when they was 15 years old they deserved held the president now I
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guess everything should be okay now right first first uh convicted felin yeah so I guess it should be okay for uh
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brown and black brothers and should put that on our job applications right exactly so so my thing at this stage of
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the game is just like homelessness HIV and AIDS
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Cancer all these things are people and then demestic violence people give up
5:18
because they go through things yeah but we got to give them chances but we always sitting back trying to be judge
5:23
and jury over someone's lives I'm not about that so I wanted to write a book
5:31
that would inspire people that would motivate people and tell them the story of my life and what I had to go through
5:38
wasn't easy um still ain't easy still not easy right um but I wanted to let them know
5:46
that what you put in is what you get out yeah Angelo Elby is here man and I know
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Angelo from representing um as a um in marketing and PR some of the biggest
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names in the music business including Michael Jackson but I hear you tell this story and you have a lot of empathy and I wonder where
6:04
did that develop because I know growing up when I read this book I hear about you growing up as a kid and even being
6:10
bullied yeah you know a whole lot but um it was your mother yeah who became Eva
6:16
leaks right Elby yes who became your foundation yes ma talk about your
6:22
upbringing and what was it that she gave you that makes you so empathetic today you know you know man my mother was uh
6:28
an incredible incredible lady um she loved me unconditionally M and I
6:34
remember her coming to my room each and every single morning from 5 to at least 15 years old and she would said good
6:42
morning my last born did I tell you that I love you and I was like no mind 6 o'clock in the morning you didn't tell
6:48
me that you love me too early in the morning but she powered she empowered me with love and then I had to sit down and
6:54
talk to her she said you don't have to sit down and talk to me about nothing soz I'm going to tell her about my life I'm going tell her what you know she
7:01
said I'm your mother all I want you to do is to be great greater and then I want you to be
7:08
the greatest of what you go to do that doesn't bother me about where you're at in your life I want you to be you I want
7:16
you to be original I want you to be authentic I want you to stand I don't want you to follow nobody I want you to
7:23
stand up and be a leader so my mother gave me just all the kind of strength
7:30
and power and love and dedication and she just St by my side man you know and
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and it's really hard very very difficult growing up like in the in the 70s and the 80s because there was so much that
7:43
one had to go through to get throughh uh but my four sisters my mother my brother
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uh they loveed me unconditionally and they accepted whoever and whatever I was
7:56
and and and that's how I went on with life so as went coming into a society or
8:02
coming into the world it didn't matter what nobody thought it didn't matter you know so so so when we were going through
8:09
the hip-hop stages of not this one didn't wouldn't come to me because I was
8:14
this and this one come to but but it was because you were because you were gay oh yeah absolutely so when then what year
8:21
did you start seeing any kind of resistance uh because of that in the music business oh my God it it was it
8:29
was early 70s was in the early' 70s and you know the the thing that I that I
8:35
learned and that I love today about this man James M tum he gave me so much man he was like
8:42
my dad you know he taught me what this music industry was about he would
8:48
lecture me he would sit me in his the yellow room in his house and lecture me
8:53
about the who the whats the wins the wears and the wise and we talked about my sexuality mhm what did he say I don't
9:01
give a damn okay yes he said I don't give a damn that's that's what you do bro that's what you do bro that's what
9:07
the thing for me and especially with him T it was really about him wanting you to
9:14
learn he wanted you to learn he wanted you to be a part of a culture he wanted
9:19
you to be committed to whatever you said you were going to do I'm doing music now because of M toe MH not because my
9:27
degree is in fashion design MH you know M2 taught me the music industry he paid
9:33
for the house he paid for the cars because he taught me how to make money
9:38
how to earn money I've never had a job outside of what I do I've never had to
9:44
sell real estate I never had to I do what I do still to this day because he
9:50
took time and that's what I'm trying to do is take time and teach young people and old people alike how to win how to
9:58
stay in the race and how to win but man my my my life has been very very challenged with the fact of of me being
10:05
a gay uh being a black male and being on sth Avenue you know uh I was on sth
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Avenue when there was no black people on sth Avenue yeah and it when was that oh
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my it was no black owned business on 7th Avenue and this was I was on 7th Avenue
10:23
for 27 years and a 46 7th Avenue and 54th and and 55th Street it it was very
10:31
difficult because how I had to get there I know I couldn't walk up there and get and rent no office up there so I called
10:39
this Italian guy who was a lawyer had him go up there to look at the the suite
10:45
which was a floor he booked it I gave him the money
10:50
to for the lease for seven months when the white man came to my office to see Angelo my name is Angelo Antonio uhhuh
10:58
lby uhhuh so he thought that I was Italian so when he got up there and came
11:04
to the office and opened up the door he said I think I'm in the wrong place I said no he said his name was John lay
11:11
and he says no I'm looking for Angelo Antonio and I go and Living Color and
11:17
and and and and and the reality the reality to it all he could I
11:23
paid for seven months yeah and then I turned around and paid for 2 years uh so they couldn't get rid of me and I W up
11:29
like 27 years wow man Angelo Elby is here U promoting this new book and it's
11:34
a great book for you to read Before I Let Go life lessons from an industry Guru who's worked the names I've
11:40
mentioned I haven't mentioned I only mentioned a fragment of names but I did say Michael Jackson and Dion Warwick uh
11:48
that that should be enough for you but if you need more I can add Mary J blig and DM X on that too that should be
11:53
enough but if you need more I can keep adding names right how would you describe your entry um into the music
12:01
business you were a what I was a publicist publicist what what in P
12:09
publicity as an occupation has morphed into a whole different thing especially in a digital age what it is what it
12:15
could be that's true but what are the fundamentals what what how would you describe that job what is a publicist
12:21
job I'm going to tell you what that should be okay um because in this day and time these young kids are not doing
12:26
it the way it should be MH so what they do is they're dealing in a very
12:32
rudimentary side of it all when you got to think great and be great you
12:37
understand that you are hindered already by being black and it's very difficult for a black publicist to uh be
12:44
recognized in a mainstream Arena um so it's very difficult and then our black
12:50
stars are not supporting our black publicist but their job is to oversee supervise and or manage the day-to-day
12:57
visibility of their artist but my my whole thing has always been
13:03
not just getting publicity I have to I remember I remember many years ago and
13:09
working with Mary I didn't Mary J blig yall go ahead M he just dropped the M
13:15
bomb Mar I I I didn't I didn't read bios man and I don't listen to music so I
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want to talk to the mothers and fathers and cuz that's where you get the real bio at and I want to spend time with you
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I want to know who you are uh I'm not just going to do publicity I'm because
13:33
because you're a part of my life I want to know I want to know everything about you and I want to work with you I don't
13:39
just want to get a check these kids today are just getting checks and then they want to put you on social media
13:45
they think that's press no we got to go after things like TV and movie and films
13:51
and if you're not going to do it see the thing that really works my last nerve is they want the money but they don't want
13:57
to do the job mhm you have to be thorough in doing your job it's the same thing with management I think that
14:04
management there's a courtship then there's an engagement and then there's marriage you have to give
14:11
yourself time to know who you bringing into your Camp who are you bringing into your Camp what kind of time I say give
14:19
you six give yourself six seven months you give yourself as long as you need in order to feel comfortable and that's
14:25
what is happening in this day and time young people today are more ambitchous than they are ambitious do you
14:32
understand wait wait wait run that back they are just everywhere on the map
14:37
but say what you just said they're more they're more ambitious than they are ambitious you know everybody is all over
14:45
everybody is all over the map but nobody's doing anything wow no one's going anywhere and nobody's going
14:50
anywhere but then they want to become accusatory and they didn't want to blame no you got to do you you know man I I do
14:57
things like and things that I started out doing was for Mt when I really
15:02
didn't even know what publicity is is cold calls I remember when he was doing his
15:08
first movie the native son he didn't have a publicist I became the publicist that's how I started gave
15:15
me $100 he said go buy 100 newspapers pull out the by lines back then it was
15:21
no was no computer exactly so you had to pick up the phone and call and I remember calling the New York Times
15:26
bowling crazy lady picked up the phone she coughing she you know I knew she didn't want to
15:33
really talk to me but I got her name I got her address she coughing got into the car went into the car went down to
15:40
the gift shop to the drugstore got 40 packs of cough drops went next door had a gift box with a bow on it went down
15:48
the street the Federal Express overnighted it 4 days later two pages in
15:53
The New York Times for on M2 man mhm so you have to think outside of the box MH
15:59
you can't just do what is the norm you got to I mean if you really have strategies have strategies and you got
16:05
to work for those people don't just try to give the give them a report saying I called all these people but there's no
16:13
but there's no uh there's nothing that came no evidence of it and then you want
16:19
the money then you still want to get paid I just believe that if you you have to invest in yourself and I think what
16:26
has happened with me and so I cuz I've had more employees in the Empire State
16:31
Building have steps yeah um I I really earnestly believe that it's important
16:37
that you learn the trade and you got to get personal from management to business
16:42
management to PR people you can't just bring people on because it's your boy
16:49
yeah let me ask you this in the book Before I Let Go Before I Let You Go this is Angelo Elby the book is available
16:55
right now let me um correct myself Angelo Antonio L building don't forget the Antonio and
17:02
when you talk about Mary if you go through this book and you're being you're very modest about the the the
17:10
people that you've worked with like I don't think there's anybody in the business today that has a client list
17:16
that can match yours you know and what you've done for them even Beyond uh
17:21
Beyond PR you say in this book helping Mary J blig find her style right had
17:27
nothing to do with changing her clothes or connecting her with high-end fashion designers so that she could wear
17:33
expensive outfits it was also about discovering that she was a young woman who now had a public and an audience who
17:39
were listening to her every word she needed something meaningful to say and the skills to say it real and raw but
17:46
ready for TV not tabloids what kind of Direction can you recall a moment with Mary J blig and
17:54
that you was able to offer her something and give her some direction sure I can man I remember my first day meeting her
17:59
I think it was Jackie Reinhardt who had called me up and asked me to tell me about this young creative artist Mary J
18:07
blig so I had a 24-week artist development program uh that they call the charm
18:14
school for rappers MH so she came up and she was an hour
18:19
late she got off the elevator cuz when you get off the elevator you're in my office and I'm standing there and she
18:26
goes yo is Angelo here you talking about Mr
18:34
El whoever oh my oh oh no no no no no no no
18:40
no no no I'm not a whoever this is what we're gonna do you hour
18:46
late we we're g to do this tomorrow let's start this tomorrow I'm going to
18:52
have my lunch got on the elevator next day she was there two hours early yeah okay two hours early I
19:00
I believe how you start is how you finish and then it was a relationship we got into reading books we got into
19:07
writing showed her her videos uh all of her interviews and today I mean this
19:13
girl hated doing interviews I mean hated interviews today I mean we're talking about a what are we talking about a
19:20
Oscar nominated actress yeah yeah yeah so so what I do is not instant coffee
19:26
it's brw coffee it takes time it takes time I like that and you are part of her
19:32
success DNA give him a big round of applause I want to ask you another question uhhuh um because I want people
19:39
to understand the gravity of your work thank you man and and the people who have worked with you and I I've seen it
19:45
firsthand with DMX right and I've always seen you Dapper and deire and the way
19:52
you walk throughout your work but I want to ask you about the '90s when Michael Jackson was start um facing a lot of
19:59
complications and a lot of these allegations that were that were going on against him you were hired right yes you
20:05
were called yeah who called you to help fix the image it was um Bob Jones which
20:11
was his senior VP of publicity uhhuh and um he had a lot of allegations right oh
20:18
he had a whole lot of allegations and my whole thing is man the truth is never un strike MH tell me the truth don't tell
20:26
me a lie don't give me a press release tell me what it is because if you tell me what it is maybe I can fix it but if
20:33
you don't tell me what it is and you're going to lie to me don't don't waste don't waste your time and don't waste my time did you talk to Michael direct oh I
20:40
did how'd that conversation go do you know what man I I'm gonna I'm laughing at this because he called the office
20:47
uhhuh and I answered the phone and I thought somebody was joking
20:52
around so I hung up on him wow and he called back this time Bob
20:58
called back said Andel Michael just closed your office but that voice was not a squeaky
21:05
voice that was a hard voice you know it was like it's Mr El and I'm like
21:10
Anyway the nicest man open and very
21:16
honest um I said this is what we need to do I believe in going back to the scene of the accident and so since it's
21:23
children related we need to do we need to come up with something it's children related let's create something called
21:29
The Children's Choice Awards and there was a a plethora of entertainers that get S
21:39
to give some awards to but Michael was going to be this Center and we were filling this uh
21:46
rotunda full of kids and we did it at Cindy center right across the street from my
21:52
office um he was very honest and very open yeah
21:58
and and give away the privacy of the conversation uh I am going to say this
22:03
that he was very private and very open very thankful uh after we got the kids inside
22:09
of the uh Auditorium it was like The Parting of the Seas he dealt with what he needed to
22:16
deal with dealt with he apologized generally open to just apologize for whatever it was and that's all we have
22:23
to do and I think I think when you apologize and you confront your
22:28
situation mhm you're good when you don't confront it and you lie and you go and mix up the truth cuz again the truth is
22:35
not on strike and I think that's what's going on now and I think you understand what I'm saying yeah uh that's what's
22:42
going on now in Hip Hop the truth is on
22:49
strike the truth is on strike in Hip Hop and people need to be set free with
22:55
the truth Angelo Elby is here man give this guy a big round of applause wow um I
23:02
want to talk DM X who was the first was he the first mega Hip-Hop star to re to
23:08
really accept your work or bring you in or um so so many you don't know him right
23:16
would you what you call shabar ranks that well he's in the culture he you know he was yeah yeah shabar ranks yeah
23:22
shaba shaba I mean was so many man but I really want to talk about X okay because
23:29
I think people have this man so wrong how so had a heart of goal okay he had a
23:34
heart of goal man I I listen I was with him for like six or seven years um I started off as his publicist
23:42
I became his manager um all he ever kept saying to me
23:49
at the end of the month and the beginning of the month Angelo did you pay my ties wow Tiding is where you go to
23:57
church and he cared more about making sure that his soul was saved by giving
24:05
back and he gave so much back to the community man he had a heart of gold I
24:11
think people just took advantage of his heart they took advantage of where he was at in his life and all all of what
24:17
he was going through he loved children he loves he loves the children uh he did
24:23
everything in the world for children we used to do something every year year uh
24:29
up at the Mary Ellen Center his grandmother Center up in Yankers where he would feed kids and buy them clothes
24:35
and I remember one time we went to MTV did something where we went to where he
24:41
was uh born and raised at with some kind ofage and um Mount Vernon where it was
24:48
like 300 400 houses toys it I mean it's not just the toys or the gift back he
24:55
would sit and talk to those kids you know I don't I man listen I
25:01
can't be judging jury over someone but but when you see somebody suffering like we know he had you know um challenges
25:08
with vices right and you were there during those challenges how how did well
25:13
how they were challenges yeah how did you cope with that what did you try to tell him you know I would this is what I
25:18
said I would say to him every time it got like really crazy Erol did we did you pray today Errol he said Andel no I
25:25
didn't pray I said man maybe we need to pray m that will calm him down um you know I I mean I'm from nework New Jersey
25:33
yeah um my family has had uh that kind of addiction in it so I really know from
25:40
brothers and sisters and cousins you know how you have to deal with it uh and I dealt with it accordingly um he would
25:49
come and he would go and when he goes you know that he was yeah going to go
25:56
and that's where you left it at uh he had some incredible people around him Ray Copeland uh who was his manager
26:03
before me his uncle uh was wonderful she taught me the techniques of how to deal
26:08
with him um but I just want I just want the world to know wow that he was not
26:15
what the world thought he was yeah he was a great guy and he had a good heart Angelo Antonio Elby is here uh music
26:23
MoGo executive PR fashion yes Tracy
26:28
before before you jump in I I just thought about you you've been here 55
26:34
years we had Dapper Dan on the show mhm really da man what an amazing
26:40
conversation that was but this not you guys are like rare you know what I mean
26:45
you guys are there's not a lot of people been in the business as long as you right black men right been successful
26:52
throughout the decades Still Standing what was your relationship like I you know what I have been I
26:58
I think I met him through June Ambrose June Ambrose salute to June Ambrose star
27:04
um I don't really have that kind of relationship um I I'm I think I met him
27:10
a couple years ago through June but not a sit down and good conversation what I'm finding myself doing more now with a
27:18
lot of the elders that are still doing what they're doing is having conversations and trying to do
27:24
documentaries and trying to have conversations so that we can share it back to young people I think that we
27:31
have been robbed from our history particularly as we speak about fashion
27:36
we speak about music we speak about all these things no no one knows our history
27:41
and so I'm trying to come together with all of those great leaders in fashion in the Performing Arts and try to do
27:48
something with it like a documentary man I would love to see that happen Tracy jump in before yeah um you're so
27:54
freaking marvelous bro I really appreciate you Mr Elby um and I have like a a particular interest in your
28:02
history because like you I come from a fashion background I went to fit for semester and when I realized I was going
28:09
to have to switch it up I remember going to Google and putting some key um skill
28:15
sets I had put persuasion I had put music culture writing and that's how I
28:20
found out about public relations and so much of my college education was
28:26
centered around that eventually I ended up in journalism so I have so many different questions for you I want to
28:32
get your personal critique of social media as the main source of publicity
28:38
for a lot of the young artists today you had um touched on it a bit earlier and I know in a lot of ways we're in an
28:44
attention economy and so you see a lot of antics happening on social media um
28:49
we always have heard the adage uh you know any publicity is good publicity
28:55
what is your take on social media how are we using it right and wrong to amplify um or to diminish the voices of
29:03
the culture I don't look at social media as a part of Journalism at all it's just what it is social media um I I'm a
29:11
researcher um I'm original and my so first first if we have a strategy about
29:18
our clients yes that's what we're going after I am not going and after posting things on social media what is my
29:25
strategy so he's a chemist so do I need to go and find out all the leading Publications for a chemist I
29:33
need to do that what podcast do I need to try to connect with I'm a publicist I
29:39
am not um someone that's going to go doing a bunch of posting I'm a real publicist yes you know what I'm saying
29:46
this is what I do for a living I'm not going to sit up and take your and take
29:51
uh take uh your media clips and post it that that's not publicity that's nothing
29:58
to do with journalism it's a post you know and so Andy wol said that everybody
30:03
was a star for what 15 minutes yes and so what happens after the 15 minutes yeah so so the reality for me is that I
30:11
never looked at social media as a part of what would be media at all so something like the shade room wouldn't
30:17
be a part of the publicity roll out for an artist that you represent it it would be a part of the marketing strategy for
30:23
my roll out yes uh it would not be a part of my public but it would be a part of my marketing absolutely you got to
30:30
explain the difference then to folks cuz I don't think folks understand the difference between marketing and publicity okay so we have publicity
30:39
which is uh electronic press uh it's print press okay um electronic press
30:45
being TV being radio blah blah blah right when you start talking about social media what are you talking about
30:53
you're talking about posting on Instagram and all the other outlets it's
31:00
it's a distinct difference it's really clear it's very distinct um I don't even like posting at
31:07
totally at all Kito um I don't like phone is that whose phone is that call
31:13
call Mr Beast Kito busy man I got you got we got a policy you got to answer the phone if it rings on air live on air
31:20
yeah you didn't want me to do that one trust me trust me that was my sister telling
31:27
me what you talking no no but so so so so and that's what I think the mixup is okay with
31:34
young people you you had to make a selection you went and you made your selection Journal list right right but
31:41
young people today are ambitious they don't know what no PR is they don't they
31:46
don't know what it is they don't see the value they don't see the value in it they don't know what it is but they going to do it they're going to do it
31:52
because it's going to make some money for them what is the value in PR right now when you when everyone can have a
31:57
microphone create their own platforms artists are also content creators now in a way it can kind of feel that the
32:05
publicist gets xed out of the equation if you thinking about someone's budget they might focus more on their manager
32:12
um and their social media manager what what is the place of the publicist today
32:18
it should be in a very it should be third in command that's what it should
32:23
be a lot of people do not accept and willing to accept the placement of a
32:28
publicist I remember just a couple weeks ago uh it was some it was some kind of
32:34
Outlet it was a music program show where they said um we can't thank the
32:40
publicist so yeah like the publicist is is the least it's yeah really seriously
32:45
it was a star who said we were told not to thank the pr people so we're almost like the last people in the totem pole
32:52
why we were some of the most important people on the totem pole right but
32:58
it also depends on the color of your skin in terms of
33:05
being a publicist it does it really really does and and and I would really have an appre
33:11
a stronger appreciation for our Black Talent to support black PR people in
33:19
abundance but we don't do it but we don't do it we believe white is Right
33:24
black get back and and everybody screws up so you don't want to hire me because
33:30
I'm black or because I'm gay or whatever the hell it is well they white they gay and they mess up too so give give us all
33:37
a chance is what I'm saying but that's not the case you usually see folks start off with a black publicist right and
33:45
then as the star Rises and they become mainstream the next time we see them in this studio they got a whole new
33:52
Publishers right and it ain't the one that they started with exactly even if they're positioned as like a black icon
33:58
yeah yeah let me tell you something the only the only one that I see that favors
34:04
and stick with her publicist was Beyonce I don't know Beyonce beon show
34:12
yeah yeah ready B I mean it's it's like it it's but but that that's what I
34:18
respect though yeah she started with her and she's still with her and she helped her to build her company and that's
34:24
what's important who's her publist the wells tore that's right wow Round of
34:30
Applause I like that because and people looking at this do not realize we've been talking Kelly Jackson and I talk
34:37
about this all the time we see the artist come in here they got a black publicist that publicist is working
34:43
their ass off probably for next to nothing and then the artists start growing and they get these big Deals
34:48
they get these sponsorships these uh Partnerships and they get rid of the black publist next time they come in
34:54
they got a new one meanwhile their homeboy that started out was their manager is still in the management seat
35:00
so I mean you might want to consider that that's some um just a message to artist yeah you you were one of the
35:06
first people you you you were included in the out 100 most impactful lgbtq plus
35:11
people list and you were one of the first people who were who didn't hide
35:17
your sexuality you know what I mean and um you were always fly out there it
35:22
didn't matter right I never even considered it right um but
35:28
that ain't always the case with our community no it's not talk about that I love mea me yeah I'm I'm romantically in
35:35
love with Angelo there you go all right I think when you love you when you love you you can love somebody else man and I
35:41
this I'm not ashamed of my lifestyle yeah if my mother accept me and my sisters accept me why do I give a damn
35:48
about you accepting me it doesn't matter to me um keep your eyes out of my bedroom and put it in the boardroom and
35:55
you will find out how effective I am after the 55 years I don't care about
36:00
what you think about my sexuality I do care about what you think about my
36:06
ability to be effective as a publicist or as a strategist or as a manager or as
36:12
whatever it is that I go to do so so so so clearly for me um it's bothersome
36:21
because I was strong there's so many young kids out here that are not strong man mhm Fall by the prey they fall by
36:29
the wayside because they're confused and mothers and fathers and people and in
36:34
the industry I I remember someone saying to me at at
36:40
Sony I was sitting in a meeting I was sitting in a meeting for him too mate Sony Music Sony Music the guy said to me
36:46
he said oh you speak so well and I go you know I was going to tell you the same thing but the but the bottom line
36:54
was um they did not want me there and they
37:00
used to tell him T and they would say to him T is he and T would say what the
37:06
what you know what he would say and so we talked about that man we we we talked
37:13
about that because I find that that is something that is really hurting so many
37:20
people that want to go and grow in my in in my community they're afraid to be who
37:25
they are and I say you you got to be original you got to step on your own ground um I I think it's it's accepting
37:33
who you are yeah and I think when you accept who you are you you just better for it all what's the message to the
37:38
community though those who aren't accepting of you you know you know what
37:44
man I I I really wish that I can had an answer for that okay I don't have an answer for that's fair enough I really
37:50
don't have an answer for I want to ask you this man I I named all these Grace Jones Dion Warwick
37:58
I'm naming all of these huge names you work with man what do you consider a milestone moment in your
38:05
career right here right now say word seriously wow this meant this this
38:12
interview has meant so much to me you know why cuz I followed your career yeah
38:18
I saw your struggle so what you had to go through black white all the other things that you had to do and yet you
38:24
still stand that's why wow man Angelo Antonio Elby man I you
38:32
didn't see that I didn't see that this guy is better than me public give he been doing it longer
38:38
than me I'm at my match right here wow um who out all your clients who do you have real real friends I mean I know
38:45
you're friends with them all but who who do you continue to speak with uh I continue to speak each and every single
38:52
morning to Dion War can you send my love bro uh you know what man I was at the Ken Center when she the other year I was
38:59
there really yeah when she got the Kennedy Center award please send my I absolutely I'm going to make sure I send
39:05
you a bunch of her stuff she got some marketing stuff that she's doing um I talk to cool like cool in the gang they
39:13
you know cool provided us with his alcohol for our year end party he sponsored our year party right right who
39:21
else man well you know um I don't know it's I I I talk to I just talk to them
39:27
all man I don't Melba more I talked to Melba a lot Melba come on up Melba uh
39:33
we'll make we can make that happen Mel please come up I want to see your smile in this room but you know way there's a lot of authors there's a lot of lectur
39:41
people that lecture I it's not all about for me the artist anymore right it's
39:47
really about trying to just help people get you know so many people live in they live in a vum where they believe that
39:55
they're not important anymore and what I try to do is I really try to nudge them
40:02
I try to inspire them I try to say you have no expiration date on your life why are you giving up somebody asked me when
40:08
I was going to retire I said I'm still getting checks I ain't retired I know that what am I retiring from so you know
40:16
the thing is man I just want to see people helping people to help people
40:22
that's at the end of the day man Angelo Antonio Elby the book is called before I let you you go life lessons from a
40:29
industry Guru Amazon number one besteller oh before you go Mr El are PR
40:35
couples a real thing what PR couples where one person two people are in a
40:42
relationship so they can take advantage of the collective attention they're going to Garner because their publicist
40:48
had a coffee date and said yeah oh when they put together put together couple yes like I'm going put this star with
40:55
this star and make a super couple let's not let's not hope that happens
41:00
right you know I relationship is relationship you can't put relationship
41:05
together because it's supposed to fit it's like two bookings no don't
41:12
fit let it let it nurture let it let it come together yeah but a lot of people
41:17
what they do they they'll put Tracy and torch together cuz Tracy got a big follow and he got a big follow and let's
41:23
put them together they movies about to come out at the same time yeah but but and guess what and guess what the movie
41:29
comes out the movie don't happen now he hates you she hates you and whatever it
41:34
ain't real fair enough be real yes right yes anything you want to say um in
41:40
closing yeah thank you you thank you very much man you don't understand thank
41:47
you thank you thank you thank you to all the people that have been supporting me
41:52
and double exposure for the past 55 years it's people like you who give me
41:58
who has given me an opportunity to talk about this book to sell this book and I
42:05
want to let everyone know I make no money from this book I'm giving all the money from this book to an organization
42:11
in New York called wow and what it does it takes care of HIV and AIDS victims so
42:18
every dime from this book goes to that organization love you brother Angelo Antonio Elby thank you oh my god thank
42:25
you thank you man and continue success this ain't the this is like we at
42:31
halftime we got two more quarters to go Wow Let's Get it man come on you're looking good look at you man I see your
42:37
shade game he brought that jacket Tracy pull the pull the jacket up
42:43
Tracy the jacket up we want to thank y'all for tuning in today man we want to thank all of you for tuning in today
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