Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz are one of the entertainment industry's power couples. They are giants in music as well as in the world of art. We had the pleasure of collaborating with both of them while at Nike very early in their careers and completely separately, long before they were the Deans. In this episode we share stories of working with Alicia the week her debut album was released with an epic Trace magazine party which shut down NYC's 57th street as well as working with Swizz to...

New York native Leslie 'Big Lez' Segar is a legendary hip hop dancer, choreographer, on-air radio and television personality, producer, fitness specialist, and actress who has danced for artists including LL Cool J, Bobby Brown, Salt n' Pepa, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. In this episode, Big Lez joins us to share her journey starting out as a gymnast to working as a dancer/choreographer with some of the icons of music highlighting the behind the...

In this episode we dissect the role race plays in marginalizing outspoken and unapologetic black executives and high level professionals in music and sports with particular attention on divisive tactics that may have been used to cause splits between superstar talent and their “controversial” representatives/partners ie Jay Z and Damon Dash, Richard Williams and Venus and Serena Williams, Matthew Knowles and Beyonce, and even Joe Jackson and MJ.  We question if black professionals are given...

The Sole Chronicles co-host Nekeda Newell-Hall evolved from the corporate world as an executive (and future leader at Nike) to a career in philanthropy which was inspired by R&B/Pop Icon, Usher! In this episode Nekeda shares her story of meeting Usher as a teen when she worked at the NBA and then again while at Nike to serving as an advisor for Usher's non profit organization which showed her the power of philanthropy and impacting lives. It is evident that Usher is still out here...

This episode of The Sole Chronicles is dedicated to the memory of one of the greatest rappers...The Notorious BIG celebrating what would have been his 50th birthday. Muhammida shares the many times she crossed paths with Biggie including casting Junior Mafia's first music video, picking up tickets from the original Bad Boy Records office and how the artist inspired one of her legendary entrepreneurial endeavors, the former cafe/creative space, Frank White in Brooklyn. Take a listen to this...

This episode features guest and advertising genius JIMMY SMITH. Throughout his career, Jimmy – a 2012 Fast Company magazine Top 100 Most Creative member – has worked his magic in a variety of roles as a copywriter, creative director, author, TV writer, video game creator, film and record producer. His work has been recognized for its fresh advertising approaches (One Show, Cannes, D&AD, ANDY, Time magazine), for its TV show originality (Emmy nomination - Gatorade Replay) and for its...

If you listen to The Sole Chronicles frequently, you will have heard our hosts mention Chonita Floyd often! During their tenure at Nike, Chonita was a marketing executive at the legendary Def Jam Records working with some of the biggest names in Hip Hop: Method Man, Redman, Scarface, and Jay Z just to name to name a few., In this episode, Chonita shares her journey from college intern to rising in the ranks at Def Jam, entrepreneurship, life after Def Jam working at other labels,  overcoming...

In this episode we discuss working with Andre 3000 and Outkast while at Nike, collaborating with the group for a youth action donation on their tour with Ludacris back in 2001 and Andre's feelings on the pressures of the industry and social anxieties which have caused him to take a step back from music.  This conversation was inspired by Andre's recent podcast conversation with Rick Rubin on sometimes being inhibited by the expectations of the public and the music industry which parallel...

With the sneaker, sports and entertainment industries being so male dominated, we are excited to share stories of some of the groundbreaking women in the industry for this episode. From sneaker queens Aaliyah (RIP) and Missy Elliott, to R&B royalty Mary J. Blige and Keyshia Cole and finally the hip hop icon herself, Lil Kim, this episode is packed with experiences our hosts shared working with these legendary women at the NBA, Nike, and as independent marketing consultants. ---...

In this episode we are joined by guest, Zuhirah Khaldun-Diarra an award winning global branding and communications specialist, with over 20 years of experience in the creation and execution of powerful and impactful marketing and communications initiatives and events. Before focusing on improving the world developing marketing and communications strategies for cause related organizations such as UNICEF USA and the National Urban League, Zuhirah began her career as a Hip Hop publicist...

Influencer Africa was a virtual forum that served as a platform for brands, marketers and influencers to explore trends, best practices and successful case studies of influencer partnerships as well as highlighting opportunities for influencers to best take advantage of their social platforms and online communities, navigating negotiations and the role brand partnerships play in the new normal. Influencer Africa was produced by The Sole Chronicles co-host, Muhammida El Muhajir through the...

In this episode, our hosts discuss projects with Nelly while working at Nike which included a sneaker design project of an Air Max 2 (Charles Barkley), supporting Nelly’s stadium tour and contributing towards the production of a giant Air Force 1 and producing Nelly’s 2003 star studded AMA After-Party. Nekeda makes sense of Muhammida’s conviction to produce the After-Party event to mark the launch of Nike Shox despite budget constraints and internal brand conflict. Nelly was responsible for...

It is safe to say that Sean O'Shea is one of the leading footwear designers in the world! He has had an illustrious career spanning nearly 20 years that includes design roles at nearly every major sneaker brand such as Converse, Adidas, GBMI (Diesel, Pony), Nike, Hilfiger, Guess, Head of US Footwear Design at Puma, and currently the Head of the US Design Center for the Chinese brand, Anta. In this episode, Sean shares his sneaker industry journey which started as a college basketball player...

When The Sole Chronicles hosts Muahmmida and Nekeda brainstormed for Season 2 of the podcast, Muhammida completely forgot she had a Beyonce experience that was worthy of sharing. "Most of the stories we share on The Sole Chronicles was during our time working in the sneaker/sports industries. My experience with Beyonce actually happened years after I was out of the sneaker game while I was working with a non-profit so I didn't recall it initially but I shared it with Nekeda and she couldn't...

In this episode of The Sole Chronicles, hosts Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhammida El Muhajir share their experiences working with Method Man and the behind the scenes controversy of the Wu-tang Dunk while working at Nike. Muhammida recounts casting Method Man in a Nike Basketball commercial and Nekeda shares an emotional recollection of the sexism that exists in the sneaker/sports industry and the incidents which led to the two having a private meeting with Nike's Vice President and Nekeda...

Ric Wilson, the Senior Director Sports Marketing at Nike shares his 25 year sports industry experience having had positions at the Jordan Brand, Converse and Nike. A former NBA player, during his career in sports marketing, Ric has been responsible for setting the long-term direction and strategy for basketball, identity partnerships, organic brand initiatives, and endorsement agreements for superstar players such as Dwayne Wade, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant. Listen to...

In this episode, hosts Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhammida El Muhajir recount the time a very pregnant Madonna, then-husband Guy Ritchie and daughter Lourdes narrowly escaped LA paparazzi to make to the Nike celebrity showroom for a family gifting session. It was a major coup to get Madonna into the Nike showroom as she had been fiercely loyal to Adidas for many years. Listen to Hall and El Muhajir as they share their experience with the icon and expertly handling celebrity interactions. The...

In this episode, host Muhammida El Muhajir recounts selecting Pharrell to collaborate on a Nike sneaker design project and working with the iconic producer to bring his luxury-inspired Nike dunk to life as well as booking NERD to produce music for Nike Europe's Stickman ad campaign. Both Nekeda and Muhammida discuss artist/brand collaborations in depth and the need for artists/managers to stay close with brand reps while also highlighting their experience as young women working in the very...

This Sole Chronicles episode features first guest, Richard Murphy who has an entertainment career spanning 25 + years. He is currently the CEO and founder of Emancipated Talent and started his journey at one of the top talent agencies in the world - ICM handling the careers of global artists such as Ashanti, DMX, Usher, Faith Evans, and Charlie Murphy. He has executive produced projects ranging from Charlie Murphy’s Live Stand Up DVD “ I Will Not Apologize” (Image Entertainment/Comedy...

The Sole Chronicles Brandy + Monica episode highlights hosts, Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhammida El Muhajir's interactions with the R&B icons during their tenure at Nike and was inspired by the pair’s recent record-breaking Verzuz battle. In the first episode dedicated to female artists, Newell-Hall recounts her experiences working with Brandy at the NBA early in her career and eventually again at Nike while maintaining a close relationship with the then teenager’s entire family....

In the summer of 2003, Diddy was preparing to run his first NYC marathon. He reached out to Sole Chronicles co-host, Muhammida El Muhajir then Nike's Music Marketing Manager to explore a partnership with the brand. The episode recounts the inside story and the way brands approach partnering with celebs/influencers.  The Sole Chronicles highlights the experiences two sports and entertainment industry veterans, Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhammida El Muhajir shared while navigating the sports and...

In this episode of The Sole Chronicles, co-host Muhammida El Muhajir recounts designing a custom Nike with Eminem and quelling he and his team’s issue with not having a sneaker deal during a car ride after personally picking up  the rap star from the airport en route to a performance.  When Muhammida El Muhajir tries to recall why it was that she picked Eminem up from the airport,co-host Nekeda Newell-Hall chimes in that it was actually a practice she brought over with her from the NBA where...

In this episode of The Sole Chronicles, hosts Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhammida El Muhajir recount stories of working with Snoop Dogg to bring his custom sneaker line, Doggy Biscuits, a collaboration with Pony, to life. The Sole Chronicles highlights the experiences of two sports and entertainment industry veterans, Newell-Hall and El Muhajir shared while navigating the sports and sneaker industry, Hollywood, and corporate America as young Black women with roles and projects with The NBA,...

On this episode of The Sole Chronicles, hosts Nekeda Newell-Hall and Muhammida El Muhajir share their experiences working with Jay Z while working in the sneaker industry, Hollywood, and corporate America. Their failed attempts at co-sponsoring an NBA All-Star event, delivering special order product, and getting on the hip hop mogul's bad side during their tenure at Nike are highlighted in this episode. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. ...