| Celebrity interview series Self Made Tastes Better returns, bigger and better for 2022, kicking off with an iconic round-table discussion between Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and DJ Khaled. The four megastars exchange never-before-told hip hop stories plus wisdom on self-made success, from authenticity to knowing the worth of your art and trusting the process. This conversation – which is their first time together under one roof – came by way of their shared relationship with Sovereign Brands, owners of Luc Belaire, Bumbu rum, McQueen and the Violet Fog gin, and Villon.
This historic meeting of music minds provides fans with an insight into each of the artist’s journeys from hustler to business mogul.
Watch the EPIC full-length episode HERE
Key interview moments
1.06 – DJ Khaled’s progression from vinyl and cassette tapes to turntables and DJing
02.32 – Khaled remembers Hip Hop opening doors to new platforms and new people with intros to Ross and Wayne.
02.44 – Ross tells Khaled his biggest talent is his authenticity “You’re authentic. That’s the only way you could gain the trust of a Weezy or a Wiz. You know how much it would cost to make that call and put that record together right now?!” – Rick Ross
03.44 – Khaled talks about Wayne’s record store days being the platform for his first opportunity to take his music to the next level.
04.37 – Wayne on The Hot Boy$ and Cash Money and being too young to understand the magnitude of what awaited him career-wise. “I was way too young to understand the size of what it could be. When I was twelve, eleven, I saw no further than the city. The world didn’t matter to me. Just for (Cash Money) rolling with me, I was good.” – Lil Wayne
05.58 – Khaled remembers his breakdancing days and his “Special K” moniker. “They used to call me Special K. I always remember, knowing – man I love this hip hop. I had a graffiti shirt that said Special K, I would cut the cardboard, do the suicide…” – DJ Khaled
07.15 – Wiz recalls being influenced by all the artists at the table. “I’m a product of all of y’all. Your mixtape era, you going crazy, you figure out who the fuck Rick Ross is right at the time when you turned into the Boss. And that sh*t influenced me…and I was able to be like, you know what this is what I wanna do.” Wiz Khalifa
08.03 – Wiz recalls meeting all of the icons at the table on his way up and keeping great company
08.44 – Wiz discusses being the last of the generation knocking on doors to promote their music, and jokes about his kids only wanting to play “Fortnite”. “I’m the last of a generation knocking on the doors and asking, there ain’t no more of us.” – Wiz Khalifa
09.16 – Wiz on the mixtapes and DVD era, and mixing integrity with music
09.49 – Ross and Wiz talk about the business side of music and generating paper by investing in what they know
10.52 – Khaled champions the idea of hustling and having fun as the biggest pay off for success “I encourage anybody in business to do it because they love it, and then it will pay off even better because you love it.” – DJ Khaled
11.41 – All of the artists discuss trusting the process and being your own boss.“You already knew if you were the father of the program, and you were doing the things you were supposed to do, you were gonna become the boss one day.” – Lil Wayne
13.09 – Khaled, Wayne and Wiz state their kids being their motivation, and putting them in a position to pass on wisdom to.
15.11 – Wayne admires the greatness of George Flanders and Warren Moon.
16.04 – Wiz respects actors following their dream without money for motivation
17.16 – Wayne talks about being gifted McLarens
18.30 – Khaled new business ventures and receiving a Hollywood star
20.00 – Khaled discusses the origins of his relationship with Lil Wayne and being there when Wayne got his deal
24.00 – “I’m So Hood” and “Hustle” origins
27.05 – “We Taking Over” origins
31.50 – Wiz talks about being the youngest of the four guys, thanking the other three men for inspiring him and discusses Ross being an early fan
34.19 – Wayne and Ross paving way for Wiz/Khalifa Kush
37.06 – Ross asking “How do we go out with a bang? Where do we go from here?”
40.20 – Khaled answers Ross – inspiring the younger generation to keep going
41.06 – Wayne answers Ross – reaching his musical peak and being the ultimate artist, wants to transcend all communities
42.07 – Wiz answers Ross – all about investing in his mind, learning more talents, inspiring the younger generation to learn
44.40 – Ross answers his own question – motivated by the men around him
45.00 – All artists cheers to Brett Berish and each talk about meeting him for the first time
The Self Made Tastes Better series first launched in 2017 with stars such as then-newcomer Post Malone, and Crenshaw King Nipsey Hussle (RIP) recounting their self-made journeys to Sovereign Brands CEO Brett Berish, himself a self-made businessman. The interviews were a hit, with subsequent series released and tens of millions of views across YouTube and social media, in addition to coverage in Forbes, Billboard, XXL, The Source, Yahoo and other global publications. Berish’s smash-hit sparkling wine brand, Luc Belaire, was centre stage in 2017 but is now joined by Sovereign’s later releases Bumbu rum, McQueen and the Violet Fog gin and Villon.
Self Made Tastes Better with Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and DJ Khaled was filmed in-house, using bespoke sets at Sovereign’s new Atlanta headquarters, which is set to open officially to the company’s influencer network this summer, becoming a sister-hub to its much Instagrammed New York office.
Fans can tune into Belaire’s YouTube to watch the episode in full.
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