What projects have you been working on over the last few years?
I wanted to shift myself over to the film side. So, I developed First Family Films, which is an urban Christianity-based film company. I did a piece called Every Soldier Counts, Outrighteous, and The Laying On of Hands, which is currently in development.
Are you considering any major movie productions?
The blood of the film business is straight to DVD, that’s where the real money is. That’s the lane I want to be in right now. I’m producing another film called Love Chronicles II with Vivica Fox, Ving Rhames, Rockmond Dunbar, Elise Neal, Faith Evans and possibly Michael Epps, a good friend of mine.
Is it true that you’re currently writing a tell-all book about the music industry?
I have two different books. The working title of one is Reversing the Game, and it deals with the ins and outs of the record industry … the truth behind the truth. I wouldn’t call it a ‘tell all,’ it’s just a different view. Kind of like [laughs] ‘the gospel according to Tony Mercedes.’ My book will be written in a language that a 13 year old can understand. That’s one of the things that is killing black music, we don’t understand the language. Instead of ’40 acres and a mule,’ they’ve given us a big house and a Benz. And we continue to give the masters to the master. I got out of the music business a long time ago and got into the business of music. And, I’ll go on record and say it was never designed for blacks to make money in music. After writing my book, I’ll probably have to move out of the country because some people are not going to be happy, I will have let people know where the bones are buried.
What would you say are the three best business lessons you’ve learned?
1) Respect and appreciate your limitations; don’t think you can do it all.
2) Make time for your family, don’t marry the business.
3) When you look into the mirror and you’ve become what you despise, that means it’s time to get out. That’s why I took about five to six years off.
Are you working with any artists at this time?
Right now, I’m currently working closely with Red Diamond, who I think is the most talented artist that I have from a female rap perspective, Kraze (Def Jam’s artist) and Miki Howard. The working title of her new record coming out is Reach. –cp
