For over five decades, Angelo Ellerbee has been a transformative force in publicity and artist development, working behind the scenes to shape the careers of some of music’s most iconic figures. From his humble beginnings in his mother’s basement to developing superstars like Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, and DMX, Ellerbee has established himself as an industry pioneer who sees beyond talent to the full potential of an artist.
In his new book “Before I Let You Go,” Ellerbee shares wisdom gathered from his extraordinary journey, using celebrity experiences to inspire readers facing their own struggles. Named one of this year’s leading Storytellers and Leaders by Out! Magazine for his commitment to the LGBTQIA community, Ellerbee also continues his dedicated philanthropic work in HIV-AIDS research. In this revealing conversation, Ellerbee opens up about breaking barriers in a segregated industry and the heartfelt mission behind his latest work.
How did you begin your journey in the music industry?
The name Double XXposure was not created by Angelo Ellerbee. It was created by a young and very talented intern that was working for me some 45 years ago. We were sitting up talking about what we were going to do, I was just leaving James Mtume. I started Mtume’s company, and I outgrew myself. So I said, “Okay, I started in the basement of Mtume’s house, now I’m going to go to the basement of my mother’s house, and I’m going to create what would be a public relations company.”
I had nothing but interns because I had no money. I was flat broke, didn’t know anything about where to get money from, but I was full of vigor, and I was full of ambition, and I was full of just wanting to be a success for my family. So I went in the garage and took out my mother’s dining room table.
Then what I did is I boarded down in the basement, and I had what was a teen phone. That teen phone, it was no call waiting, it was nothing, it was a teen phone, that’s what I could afford.
I began to go down a list of people that I’ve known in the music industry as dance artists, club artists. So I did the Jocelyn Browns and the Sybils and the Blazes and all of these people.
I had to create something different for them because they were totally unaware of what a publicist was. Mtume gave me the wherewithal to understand the popularity of a publicist and the importance of a publicist, so I did no more than spring that back on them by educating them and stimulating them about the awareness of how important a publicist is for them.
What challenges did you face as a Black executive in the industry?
Black people are not supposed to be intelligent, they’re not supposed to be smart, they’re not supposed to know their craft, they’re not supposed to know any of these things. “You’re just going to come and follow me.” Angelo Ellerbee is not the one that just followed you, my mother created a leader, and that’s what I was going to do, I was going to lead.
But also, back in that day and time, there was a separation of what was Black music and what was mainstream music. I always thought music was music, but it was like society, there was segregation within the music industry. There was separation within the music industry, and so thus we had a Black music division, and we had a mainstream.
You could not, as a Black person, go inside of the mainstream marketing meetings, you just wasn’t going to do that. You could stay on your side of the street with your Black music.
What are the three keys to success for working with a publicist?
I think that the first thing, before aligning yourself to any team member that you bring on board, is that it has to be a relationship. I believe in courtships, I believe that you must court somebody for six or seven months to see if they are for you and about you.
Split the word “friend” in the middle, and what do you get? “End”—an end of a friend. Particularly in the music industry, you’ve got to know you have no friends in the music industry. So if you’re going to come and be a part of my life, be a part of my career, you’re going to orchestrate and supervise and manage my career, I want to court you first.
You’ve got six months for me to court you. You passed it, now, now, now, you’re courting me. Oh, while we’re courting each other, I’m still paying you your percentage. It’s like a month-to-month apartment, a lease.
Now, after you pass that six months, that means that I have some bit of trust in you, now I think it’s time for us to go into an engagement. Now I want to see what you’re able to do, I want to see what your overall mobility is, what your energy is like, what your alignment is like. What can you actually do for me?
What inspired the title of your book “Before I Let You Go”?
Because I’ve been so blessed, I tell people each and every single day, I’m romantically in love with Angelo Ellerbee, I love me.
As I go through life, I’ve seen so many disappointments with those incarcerated, with the homeless, with the HIV and AIDS victims, it bothers me. It really, really bothers me when I walk in the streets, and I see people sitting outside and below temperatures with a blanket on in a box, and I see them eating out of garbage cans, it bothers me.
It bothers me when a mother and a father put their children out because they don’t understand their sexuality, and they’re in the streets selling their bodies in order to survive.
The book is to set an example. I take the Mary J. Bliges, the Alicia Keys, the Dionne Warwicks, all these people went through some of the same things that these people laying in the streets and at a disadvantage did. I use my celebrity stardom to give examples of what people went through and how they have to get through. It’s not about winning every race, it’s about staying in the race, eventually, you have to win.
Can you share a story about DMX that people might not know?
I really think that the impression of DMX, is that he didn’t give a damn, that he had an addiction, he didn’t care, and that is the wrongest story for anyone to ever believe.
I worked for him for five years—six years, I started as his publicist, and then got into his management, the president of his record label, Bloodline, and Earl and I went through what we went through.
Every time I would say to him, “Man, did you pray today?” He was like, “No, man, can we pray?” I’m like, “Yeah.” That was the only thing that would calm him down, but for five years, every Friday, he would call me up and say, “Did you pay my tithes?” I said, “Not yet, Earl, I paid your tithes.” This is what this man did, churches all over the world, he would give donations, large donations, particularly in Mount Vernon, New York, where his grandmother was because he was really raised by his grandmother.
There was an institution called the Mary Ellen Foundation, which was his grandmother’s name. Every year, he used to host about five to a thousand families that did not have Christmas, or he would buy like 50 bikes, would buy—oh, my God—sneakers! We had so many sneakers in the office once! I think it was maybe a thousand pairs, sneakers, hoodies.
Sometimes he would show up, sometimes he wouldn’t show up, but those presents were there, full food, catered food, every single year. The man had a heart of gold.
