Avukile Mabombo, 28, Hennessy Brand Manager

MY GRANDFATHER

A true gentleman at 89 not out. Wise, honest, funny and hard working.

MY MOTHER

My mom worked extremely hard for me to be able to be where I am today and because of that, failure is not an option for me. I don’t think as a child you fully appreciate the sacrifices and hard work a single parent has to make so it’s up to me to ensure that the effort she put in was not in vain.

SOUTH AFRICA

We are a people with a profusion of stories and experiences. The good, the bad and the ugly is what makes us unique and once you accept this is when you open yourself up to the richness of the country. If you allow yourself to step out of your world and engage with people of different cultures, religion, geographic areas and interests you grow yourself as an individual. We tend to think that being agreeable and diplomatic is the only way to operate. The “Rainbow Nation” and “Ubuntu” is all gravy but don’t be afraid of conflict or disagreements (non-violent obviously) because that’s the only way to achieve progress.

NEW YORK CITY

The energy. The hustle. The contrasts. The only place I have visited outside of South Africa that I can easily see myself living. There is no mediocrity in New York. You can draw inspiration from the guy at the top floor of an office building on 5^th Avenue to the old lady running a Laundromat in Greenwich Village. New Yorkers just make it happen.

MUSIC

Music is my companion in whatever I’m doing. If I’m in a good mood I listen to music. If I’m in a bad mood, I listen to music. There are so many artists that inspire and influence me for various reasons.

Kanye West for his creativity and unapologetic ego

Jay Z because he is the smartest that has ever done it

Robin Thicke for the way he speaks about love with no reservations

TKZee & Bongo Maffin for being the shining light for many young, black artists of today

The Roots are the epitome of musical excellence

Zakes Bantwini for the care and effort he puts into his craft

Ciara just for making that “Ride” music video *_*

AUTEUR DIRECTORS

Very often in life creativity is marginalized in the name of business and one place where this is most prevalent is Hollywood. I have huge respect for directors like Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone, Woody Allen and Spike Lee who have managed to retain their creative influence and credibility within their work in the face of the finance machine, to the extent that the creative doesn’t give way to the business side of things but rather their creativity is what drives the business.

GOLDEN CHINA CONSOLE

This has been a metaphor that I have applied to so many aspects of my life. “iTV game” as we referred to it back in the day is the first materialistic thing I can remember wanting with all of my heart. I learnt about patience. I learnt about priorities. I learnt about saving. I learnt about humility. I learnt about friendship hierarchies. I learnt about jealous and envy. I learnt about status and social class. I learnt about setting goals. I learnt about reward and I learnt that I can stay up all night doing one thing.

COMPETITION

Iron sharpens iron. I enjoy being in an environment of winning people who can challenge me. I have a very strong competitive spirit and I don’t like losing.

PASSION

I don’t believe you can be truly successful in anything you aren’t passionate about. I always look to do and put myself in environments that are not only stimulating but that I have strong affinity towards. I find people with passion in their lives are just generally more pleasant to be around.

ME TIME

I love going out and spending time with my friends and family but one of the most sacred things to me is my time alone. It’s when I get to zone out and think about my life. I’m also not very big on small talk so if I don’t have anything to say to someone I’d rather retreat into my own thoughts as opposed to try force conversation. I’m Ray Charles to uncomfortable silences. I always have something to keep me occupied in my head

The first ever Rocawear commercial is a retrospective of Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter’s journey as a kid growing up in the humble projects of Brooklyn aspiring to make music and eventually making history. On that journey, the first business beyond music was the birth of Rocawear. Carter’s Rocawear brand represents his prowess as a business man who continues to challenge himself to be more than merely a musician.

The Oracle of Omaha aka Warren Buffett aka The 3rd Richest Person in the World partied with his new pal Jay-Z at the grand opening of the rapper’s 40/40 club in New York.

The Billionaire is seen here throwing up the infamous “Diamond ROC’ sign … And peep the pic below, you can only imagine the business deals that these two are cooking up for the future.

Roc Boys!!

Jeeeeeeezy is back!!!! ATL’s self-proclaimed TRAPSTAR has been cooking up TM103 for a minute now. After having a spot taken by the likes of Rick Ross, Jeezy is ready to snatch the streets back. On his latest joint “I do”, he recruits Mr 3 Stacks and Hov to drop some legendary verses.

This could be that joint that brings Jeezy back! Listen to it  or download it by CLICKING HERE.

Ever wondered who forms part of Kanye’s entourage?  The high-flying music impresario rolls with childhood friends, fashion afficionados and talented musos who offer him daily inspiration. Check who makes the cut:

Via NY Mag

1. Don C – Best Friend, Manager

The two grew up together in Chicago, and Don has been Kanye’s right-hand man since day one, first as a D.J.–road manager, now as general-access conduit to the throne.

2. Virgil Abloh – Lifestyle Creative Director

Oversees set design (he studied architecture and structural engineering); advises Kanye’s personal fashion choices and forays into the world of fashion, including Kanye’s aborted clothing line, Pastelle.

3. Pusha T – Guest Verse Assassin

Kanye guested on Pusha T’s Clipse track, “Kinda Like a Big Deal.” Pusha T laces West’s beats with his trademark overenunciated shit-talking (he’s got the primo spot on “Runaway”).

4. Ibn Jasper, a.k.a. Ferrari Murakami – Barber, Image Consultant, Shopping Companion

The Chicago stylist has been known to charge $1,500 a cut; Kanye presumably gets a wholesale discount. Assisted with Pastelle.

5. Gabe Tesoriero – Publicist

6. Taz Arnold – Creative Consultant

Kanye signed Taz’s group SA-RA, then became infatuated with his style. Now Taz has his label, Ti$a, and operates as a conduit between West and the fashion world; conceived the crew’s infamous trip to Paris’s 2009 Fashion Week

7. Mike Dean – Secret Studio Genius

The two met while mixing Scarface’s The Fix. Dean, a multi-instrumentalist (he even plays bassoon) famous for southern-rap production, executes West’s vision in the studio; the original instrumentation on the tracks is often Dean’s.

8. Cassius Clay Junior Stylist

West met the then-19-year-old Clay (that’s a family name) at Barneys. Impressed by Clay’s crest-embossed shoes, West persuaded him to leave Yale, and now Clay is assisting with Kanye’s new shoe for Stubbs and Wootton, makers of those lucky slip-ons.

9. Jay-Z – Mentor, Friend, Collaborator, Boss, Role Model, Rival

West made his name on Jay’s The Blueprint, recording beats for tracks including “Heart of the City.” Later, Jay Z signed West to Roc a fella. The two released a joint album, Watch the Throne, in 2011.

Stuntin’ 101 …

The highly-anticipated annual Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list is finally out. And Jay-Z has once again taken the no. 1 spot. Riding high off this week’s release of his collaborative album with Kanye West, “Watch the Throne, Jay-Z has once again proven that not only is he the top rapper in the game but also the top earner.

Jay-Z’s earnings stem from his portfolio of companies such as Rocawear, Roc Nation, New Jersey Nets, 40/40 Nightclubs, and not to mention income from his music and tours. Hot on Jigga’s heels is the indefatigable Diddy, founder and owner of Bad Bad Worldwide, an empire that consists of a successful clothing line, fragrances, record label and a deep catalogue that includes music from Notorious B.I.G, Mase, 112 and many others. Another major source of Diddy’s income this year was Ciroc Vodka.

Diddy struck a lucrative partnership with Diageo, producer of Ciroc, which requires him to market the product in exchange for a share of the profits. Since he started hawking Ciroc, the sales of the spirit have shot up by more than 400%.

The rest of the Top 10 is rounded up by Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Akon and Ludacris. It’s also good to see fairly new artists like Wiz Khalifa, B.o.B and Nicki Minaj also making a pile of cash. See the full list below.

Cash Kings 2011: Hip-Hop’s Top 20 Earners

1. Jay-Z: $37 million
2. Diddy: $35 million
3. Kanye West: $16 million
4. Lil Wayne (tie): $15 million
4. Birdman (tie): $15 million
6. Eminem (tie): $14 million
6. Dr. Dre (tie): $14 million
6. Snoop Dogg (tie): $14 million
9. Akon: $13 million
10. Ludacris: $12 million
11. Wiz Khalifa (tie): $11 million
11. Drake (tie): $11 million
13. Pharrell Williams: $10 million
14. Timbaland: $7 million
15. Swizz Beatz (tie): $6.5 million
15. Nicki Minaj (tie): $6.5 million
17. Rick Ross (tie): $6 million
17. 50 Cent (tie): $6 million
17. Pitbull (tie): $6 million
20. T-Pain (tie): $5 million
20. B.o.B (tie): $5 million

Watch The Throne … Out August 1 … GENIUS.

Late last night, the duo dropped what seems to be their new single from their collabo album “Watch The Throne”. “Otis”, which samples the Otis Redding’s “Try a little tenderness”. You can download ‘Otis’ HERE.