“Simply put.. I am a Global Citizen, a Father, the Son of a phenomenal woman, a Businessman, and the bearer of light for the people. Who I am is ever-evolving as I grow as a person who is not afraid of life’s challenges and has made my mission to find truth in all things while living in honor.”
Where are you from
Lexington, NC, was where I lived for the first four years of my life. Later, my mother, Wanda Robinson Caton, got a job with the department of defense schools and moved us to Japan, where I spent 18 years of my life, so I was born in Lexington, but I grew up in Yokosuka Japan.
How did you get started in the music business
Music has always been apart of my narrative, but from a professional music business standpoint, I would have to say I started in the music business at 14 when I signed my first Sony Records contract to background sing for Mariah Carey for her 1996 Tokyo dome dream day tour.
Who all have you worked with in the past
In my early career, I was unsure of the exact direction I wanted to take, whether to be an artist or focus on the business of the music industry. It wasn’t until I Barabra Marks got me my first Sony contract at 16 years old to sing background for Mariah Carey for her 1996 dream day tour. While backstage one night Tommy Mottola saw me wandering around looking at the whole operation from the stagehands, dancers, band, sound and light crew and he said “Its pretty amazing right” In aww I responded “Yea this is magic” he then said to me thoroughly if this is what you want to do focus on the business and then he walked off
I have been fortunate to work with some of the world’s leading brands from Activision “Call Of Duty” and “DJ Hero” brand awareness campaigns. Hosting product launches for Microsoft
“Surface Pro. “Overseeing sponsorship deals with companies and brands such as British Airways, DHL, Karen Millen, Jaguar, and BCBG via Mirage Promotions Bahrain while assisting Ellisa Muntaz now the head of live nation middle east. These companies and brands sponsored an array of artists concerts in Bahrain from Gabrielle, Mel C, West Life, Rod Stewart, to name a few.
I was also the urban director for Executive Music Group, where we represented The Dirtyheads, 12 Stone, Alien Ant Farm, Khleo Thomas, and Jamiroquai.
As I continued to grow in this business, I began to focus more on independent ventures, funding my tours such as the southbound tour, which featured Lil Flip, Crime Mob, Trillville, Young Bloodz thanks to Jason Fields and Robert Turner.
Partnering with Waleed Coyote at Othaz records where we founded Dj Luke Nasty and later alongside Ghazi Shami owner of Empire Distribution, we saw two gold records back to back.
I have had a large cabinet of advisors, mentors and business partners from Vinny Kumar, Owen Lamb, Freedom Williams, Miami Mike, Wallace Marshall, Larry Blackmon, Steve Garza, Micheal Fontaine, Joesph Stewart, Joe Quinde, Sue Hrib, Jimmy Swan, Ralph Cacciurri, Kevin Jenkins, Adam Parker, Coach K, and TL Harris.
In Atlanta, I was able to catch the wave on the electronic music scene by partnering with the phenomenal Glenn Goodhand. Founder of Iris present, Iris promotions and Imagine Music Festival, where we have hosted headliners from Diplo, Marshmallow, Adventure Club, Bassnectar, and Kaskade to name a few.
Currently, partnered with Andy Tadic, founder of The Trinity Factory, www.thetrinityfactory.com where we represent such clients as Bow Wow, 99percent, Yvng Swag, Nick Cannon’s Ncredible, and Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def.
What was it like growing up in japan
Growing up in Japan over 18 years was like the best movie you never saw. Imagine a land of opportunity where you could live your narrative, and everyone in the community was open to know about your way of life. Becoming a man in a land built on high principles and culture, helped mold my mentality within my personal life and business. Japan made me who I am today. From its nourishing cuisines to its depths of respect and loyalty principles.
Exposed to underground culture and emerging businesses, as a kid, I witnessed people of my hue, whether retired military or of African origin, strive for and achieve success. These OG’s were my mentors. Men from foreign lands who had overcome struggles to be here in a growing market of commerce, providing products from my culture to Japanese people, whether it be music, clothing, hairstyles. Japanese people during the time of the ’80s and ’90s were intrigued.
Do you speak Japanese
Growing up in Japan, I attended Japanese school. I was taught Japanese. Over time more Japanese people that I associated myself with wished to speak English. This lead me to speaking half Japanese and English. After time with traveling and living in so many other countries, my Japanese is not where it was, but I remember the basics and the language principles, I can speak Japanese better than I can write Hiragana, Katakana or Kanji lol
Where are you residing now
I currently live in Medellin Colombia, where I have to homes one in Poblado, and the other is a Air bnb penthouse property I own in Centro @musicexepenthousemde
How is the culture there
Life in the Aburra Valley is spiritually breathtaking! Medellin or as it’s known to be called the “City of Eternal Spring.” Colombia offers many sights and wonders, but for me, I fell in love with Guatape Antioquia or as I like to call it heaven on earth. Guatape is well known for its landmark rock named “EL Penon” the rock soars 656 feet above its base and takes 649 steps to make it to the top. For me, it’s a great place to relax and enjoy its exhilarating views of nature.
With a temperature average of 75 degrees, “Paisa” the people of Medellin, share an idyllic vibration; everything is Tranquilo. The hustle is intense in Medellin; most Paisa have an entrepreneurial spirit and truly take time to focus on the importance of family. Also known for its fresh drinking water, coffee plantations, beautiful flowers, and nightlife Medellin is everything you would want from a city.
In my personal experience, In Medellin, the police are down to earth, and for the most part, everyone is friendly. In my opinion, I believe that Medellin is a great place to live and to do commerce. I know some people watch Netflix or have seen documentaries of the way things were in the past, but after living here two years so far, I have found that the city is thriving and has become a top tier tourist hotspot.
Do you have celebrity friends there
I have always kept a tight circle. So living in Medellin, where I had to make new relationships with a language barrier as a clutch, this was a typical scenario. I have lived in so many countries where I faced this same challenge. I do think that social media does make it a little easier to connect and build relationships. When I was growing up, you had to build a reputation based on a solid work ethic and continue to show initiative, which was a great way to analyze your character versus performing actions with your camera phone and making a post. When dealing with entertainment business worldwide, it’s the same; you can not just walk in the door. You have to be invited and co-signed.
Utilizing all of my resources, I managed to connect and partner with prominent Dj’s like Dj Deraout, who is also co-owner of the largest techno club in Medellin “Mute” and venue owners Christo owner of Greek Connection Restaurant. These were very influential people that embraced me and welcomed me into their inner circle. I started producing events like Trap House Sunday at Mute and studying the market through my research and networking I was able to establish relationships with many top tier artists like well known Venezuelan artist Clandes, Big Soto, Jeeiph. One of the most significant links that I was fortunate to establish was with Dayme and El High from New Order Inc. These two producers are the most respected in Medellin with working credits from Jbalvin, Myke Towers, JD Pantoja, to name a few.
Continuing to grow, I find that in every country I live in, I always look to find a way to infuse the music business and networking under one roof—what better way to do this than to own a rooftop lounge. In 2019 my company Azul Internacional inked a deal with Casacol in Medellin to create Vibezmde. Vibez has a music genre mashup from Hip hop to Techno. I designed the decor to give you an Atlanta lounge vibe. Always representing the culture, with wall features that include images of some of the greats from Micheal Jackson, Earth Wind, and Fire, New Born, T.I. To Burna Boy. www.Vibezmde.com located inside of Epic Hotel in park Illeras, is the exclusive rooftop lounge for the Celebrities, Artists, Business Owners, and Influencers here in Medellin.
