Elijah Torres, known in the streets as “Mista Bless” has played many roles across the industry. He’s worked on ventures in music, sports, and philanthropy and is currently working as a digital media consultant. Mista Bless has worked with some of your faves in the industry, such as 50 Cent, Oscar De La Hoya, Fila, Maina, and more. Torres uses his organic skill set as someone who “connects the dots” to make things happen for himself and his clients, including brokering a successful sneaker collab between platinum hip hop artist Maino and the iconic legacy brand Fila. The limited edition shoe sold out in a matter of a few hours.
Don’t be afraid to evolve.
Torres never set out to sell sneakers. He actually started out as an artist himself, rapping with a Wu-Tang affiliate, before moving on to producing mixtapes. From there, he realized his talents in other areas of the industry and started producing. From there, he eventually began working in artist and brand development, eventually leading him to him brokering the sneaker collab between Fila and Maino. “If you put yourself in a category or a box, you’re limiting yourself creatively,” he says. “Always be open to learning, growing, and evolving.”
It’s okay to have a wide variety of interests.
Many creatives are told that they need to hone in on their craft, and only their craft, at the expense of never learning or developing other talents they may have. Torres, who has also enjoyed success in event planning and production and in the celebrity sports world, advocates that everyone should take the time to explore everything they enjoy. You never know what it may lead to in the future, so be it a hobby or an exciting new job prospect. “An hour you spend developing yourself today may pay off in ways you can’t even imagine yet in three years from now,” Torres says. For Torres, his love of boxing later led to him serving as the executive producer of the sports section for rap legend 50 Cent’s popular This Is Fifty website. He is the executive producer of The Sweet Scientists, a boxing show on DAZN USA, which is a subscription combat sports streaming service. Guests who have appeared on his show include titled fighters such as Anthony Joshua, Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez, and Oscar De La Hoya.
Treat everyone you meet as if they can teach you something, because they can
We’ve all heard the saying about how if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. It’s easy to think that someone like Torres — who has access to a celebrity network like Maino, Oscar De La Hoya, and 50 Cent — is only interested in learning from the moguls and gurus around him, but Torres says the truth is that the wisest and most well-learned people treat every person and every situation they encounter as a learning opportunity with something to teach them. “Every moment is a teachable moment. Every person you encounter has something dope to teach you,” he said.Elijah Torres is the president of Hip Hop My Way, a digital community that aims to platform new and emerging independent artists, as well as provide them with valuable resources and assistance in artist development. If you’re looking for someone to elevate your brand, craft creative and lucrative partnerships with industry heavyweights, or create digital content that hits, drop Mista Bless a line to see how he can bless you at ceo@mistabless.com. Follow him on Instagram at @mistablessto see what he’s up to next.
Check out the collabo HERE
