How a Jacket Sparked an Epic Rise Through the Music BusinessThis entrepreneur opens up about how a Def Jam jacket given to him by Russell Simmons inspired him to start his own company.

I went to college for engineering. The problem was, I'd also fallen in love with hip-hop. I was the rapper and manager in a group in high school, the Numarx. I was deal-making at 15. So while my body was in college, my soul was in hip-hop. One day I turned on MTV and saw Milli Vanilli playing a song I wrote when I was 16. The record company I'd signed to had stolen my rights. The song was "Girl You Know It's True." It sold 18 million copies.

Related:4 Simple Strategies to Turn Your Passion Into a Paycheck