Ben Baller
24: First and foremost introduce yourself to the readers around the world who might not be familiar with you just yet.
What up y’all… my name is Ben Baller, not Ben “THE BALLER”. Born and raised in
24: I’m aware your first taste of stardom in the music game was back in 1993 when you met Denzel Washington and began djing at his restaurant in LA. Tell me a bit about how that situation came about.
I was hungry, a word of mouth rumor from 2 different acquaintances told me him and Jack Nicholson were opening up a new Jamaican restaurant/club/bar soon so I knew where it was gonna be and waited to see if I’d run into D…. seen Denzel, gave him my Mix-tape and sai “I wanna DJ at your restaurant”, he was like we’re gonna play CD’s, I said, “let me take the ambience level to “THAT LEVEL YOU WANT” if the tape is weak, I’ll work for free for a year. I know you like Hip Hop because I seen you at the Nas concert at the house of blues…. He said, okay Baller is that your name? baller? And so a week later a girl named Tish calls me and says I’m on Friday night…. From there it’s history. A few months ago, my friend ran into Denzel at a house party and told him that he was my boy… and that I’ve hit some success etc, I texted my friend and told him to tell D that I owe him much for that huge door he opened…. Denzel’s response was “Wheres my check at n*gga?” lol
24: In 1994 you met Dr Dre and started working for him at Priority Records and later started Aftermath Ent shortly after his departure from Death Row. How was it like working Dre around that time when Death Row was still a force to be reckoned with?
Man, this would take forever and a day to really get into, but Dre ran his label so different than Priority or Interscope or the normal labels… it was more of a family, we had dinner conferences, most of our work was based in a studio, not the offices… we smoked, we drank, but we handled biz! There were 2 run ins with Suge, but they were minor and I’m not going to fuel any bogus drama…. Dre was just making beats and our team was strong… but it really took a couple years for Dre to find his niche to me. Eminem helped HUGE, but really Dre never left, he had it goin on always… his beats that he has never used to this day are still better than 90% of the shit that these new hit producers put out. I just liked the atmosphere and vibe Dre had…. If he was staying at the four seasons, then so were we. The parties at his crib, the traveling was the shit. Nobody thought about Death Row, although I think they were thinking about us…. RBX would be on board, then he wouldn’t, I’d see some of the OG death row crew around, then not, then ghost writers, etc… come and go, back and forth. I’ve never said this before on the record, but I remember Pac talking about changing and maybe trying to leave(remember, he didn’t exactly say that, but I’m an amazing judge of character and I could sense that’s how Pac was feeling before he past)
24: Tell me about the shoe click AMC (Air Mack’s Crew) that you started alongside your brother Dj Homicide and Dj Ames back in 2001. What made you decide to get into the shoe business?
Well, me, Homicide and AM grew up/came up together… doing gigs for $50 a night, etc, starving trying to make it… but we always had a passion for kicks… when we started to get chips, we spent them on shoes… even when we didn’t have the chips, the footwear was crucial period… that shit was just hip hop, not this new hip/scenester shit now. We are all DJ’s and also crew, so we started AMC and the Air Max was 1 of our faves…. So we did the play on words(shout out to former Aftermath recording artist HITTMAN because he actually invented the name) We then started to battles cats online and show off our collections and it got serious… since we traveled all over the world, we’d search for kicks everywhere from NYC to Tokyo to Australia even…. We became notorious.
I never wanted to or thought I’d be in the shoe business…. I just would blog on benballer.com and talk a gang of shit on niketalk.com and one day NIKE contacted me and I came through and that’s where it all started. At first it was fun, I was getting checks for blogging, stating my opinion on shoes and also djing exclusive Nike events, but they got so fucking lame and corporate and robotic on me, I shook.
24: Is it true around that same time the brand was doing so well that Nike even offered you a consulting job.
Read above…. NIKE = biggest scumbag fucks period. Hate isn’t a word to describe them. I have NOT worn anything with a Swoosh since spring of 2004. I rather work for the liars in the record business than NIKE.
24: The many times I have seen you magazines and music videos I have seen you rocking LRG what’s your relationship with that brand of clothing?
1. My best friend of my life is the co-founder and co-ceo of the company…. Outside that, I’m the online marketing strategy cat who is also a part time online mascot for them… that’s family for real and I’m endorsed fully by the brand and I’ve been loyal to them as they’ve treated me like they have Kanye, T.I., Kevin James, etc….
24: I’m aware you also break bread with The shoe company Supra can you tell me a bit about what type of business you do with them? And how you are affiliated with them.
I’m endorsed by the brand… I have my own colorway and working on my own silhouette with them soon. They are also fam, my patna aka lil homey TK put me on with them, but my homey Ashley who was Dame Dash and Jay Z’s right hand man in the early 2000’s is their head marketing guy…. The owner Angel is someone I look up to crazy and we’re almost the same age, but his story is amazing. I rep them and I love being on their team. Remember these cats have outsold
24: Tell me a bit bout your Jewelry company Ice Fresh. I’m aware you are one of the biggest jewelers in the planet. Tell me a bit about your company and some of the people you have worked with? And on what pieces of jewelry?
Well Tiffany Jewelry the mothership was a store that my uncle had opened over 15 years, my other uncle had been making jewelry for over 30 years…. My cousin Steve’s dad who owned Tiffany Jewelry eventually decided to hand down the biz to his son and steve started killin it in the streets, there was some competition back in the day, but soon, Tiffany Jewelry and Steve reigned supreme…. My cuz hit me up many times asking to bring in some celeb clientele, etc, but I never even thought of it, it never even struck a light inside my head…. But I was always such a fan of diamonds and gold, I think it was slick rick that sold me on that shit in the mid to late 80’s… so anyways. I finally decided to give in spring of 2005, my cousins started making grills and custom pieces and started a with a name “Icee fresh”… I sat down heavy with my cousins and uncle and examined and asked questions like a 9 year old about the business inside and out. I knew I had the marketing skills, but I needed to know the guts of it, so I didn’t look like an asshole ever even though I am one. So anyways, we started our first Icee Fresh piece for the Clipse, from then, we moved onto Mariah Carey, then to Nas, then to Game, then to Fat Joe, then it just fucking snowballed into a huge business….. even to names like Tom Cruise, Paris Hilton and most recently Michael Jackson (RIP) who copped a diamond broach and diamond belt buckle. We have worked with A to Z list celebs, block stars, all the above. I know the recession is hurting the jewelry business, but WE’RE AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE!
24: What’s the priciest piece of jewelry you have customized thus far?
It would be the
24: How does a business man like your self get organized? I know it must be a very hectic lifestyle having to deal with so many different business ventures?
I just write a lot of notes to myself and email myself lists of shit to do each day and stay on top of my internet game… I’ve had assistants before, but they either weren’t fast enough or competent enough to stay/keep up with me. I don’t mind working with a team, but I can’t be slowed down. I don’t know what I would do without my blackberry
24: For all the Baller’s out there trying to get there business done the right way what phone do you recommend them to be using?
The new blackberry curve with 3G (the javelin blackberry 9000, but has a better trackball and 3g internet network) I think it’s called the ONYX…. Or the BOLD with the latest OS so that your batt doesn’t die. It really is a beast!
24: I recently seen you and Drake kicking it on different videos on many different media outlets .What’s your relationship with Drake? And what do you think of him as an artist?
He’s the fresh breathe of air that made me start listening to HipHop again, real talk… he’s my lil homey, he’s a client of IF and Co and I’m sorta like a big bro/concierge for him whenever he or 40 are in L.A.
24: I’m aware you are also big on bikes and that you have a street bike team called
Cocky Ridaz tell me a bit about how that got started? And what bikes you are currently riding?
I retired my motorcycle late last year…. After literally riding in the streets for 19 + years, I had to put up my helmet and hang up my colors….. sad as fuck. I’ve lost 5 close friends from just riding and many acquaintances have past away in the last 5 years rollin with us. I may later cop a Harley, but as of right now, I’m focused on starting a family and pumping my brakes… I got way toooo foolish on the bikes.
My Crew Cocky Ridaz are the most notorious known bike club in all of LA period. Nobody has ever started a beef with us, nobody has ever even gritted their teeth at us. We are the most respected and still most feared when it comes to the street bikes. The crew was started by Kymo (RIP, was killed in front of me on the bike) & CJ and the crew was just homiez and it grew and grew…. By 2005 we were deep as fuck! Killing bike nights all over So Cal.
24: What else can you possibly want to do or be involved in that you haven’t already done?
I’ve dabbled in acting before, but I’d like to do more of it. I’d like to own a business and actually run it day to day (I could never be at Icee Fresh every single day, if I was, we probably wouldn’t be as successful as we have been) but I don’t know, but something that would be a cash cow, I have a few ideas brewed up. I always wanted to start my own shoe company…. And I did with 3 other partners, but it dissolved and that dream went away, who knows… maybe again?
24: What is your main focus for the next few year’s
family, stop being such a scumbag, chill with the ridiculous spending
24: Ben Baller’s top five must have items?
The latest Blackberry
50” + 1080p plasma
laptop with a super fast internet connection
the latest v-12 vehicle
helicopter or private jet
24: Before we conclude this exclusive interview let the world know where they check out more of Ben Baller and where they can reach you if they have there bread right and want to holla at you for custom jewelry.
and info@ifandco.com if it’s jewelry related, it’ll get to me.
Thanks y’all
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