Back in 1992, I was going to a lot of conferences. I had read that networking was key—that it was how you expanded your clientele and actually met people who could open doors. New York was the hub for music conferences back then, so I was everywhere.
That’s where I met Rampage.
Rampage was a young, fun rapper. His parents were Jamaican and Panamanian, and I’m Panamanian myself, so we connected off that alone before anything else. We met at a conference during a music industry panel. I remember him raising his hand and saying something like, “My cousin is Busta Rhymes. He’s trying to put me on. How do I get in the door the right way?”
I’ll never forget one of the panelists responding. She said, “If someone opens the door for you, you pick that door up and walk straight through it. You don’t wait. Not everyone gets that privilege.”
That moment stayed with me.
After the panel, I went up and introduced myself to Rampage—we just clicked. We became friends. So after the conference, we linked up and I helped Rampage with some photos for his demo tape. No money exchange. Just friends working with one another.
At one point he said, “Yo, why don’t you come through to this recording studio session? I’m working with a group signed to RCA.” He told me to bring my camera..
When I walked into the recording studio, the room was full of energy. In there was Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Busta Rhymes, and the whole crew—Leaders of the New School. Everyone was signed. Everyone was moving.
That photo people see of Q-Tip holding my book?
That was my first portfolio ever.
I showed them my work. The energy shifted. They were impressed. I wasn’t pitching—I was just sharing what I had already done. That moment showed me how preparation meets opportunity in real time.
That was when I understood: when the door opens, you don’t hesitate—you walk straight through it.
I showed them my work. The energy shifted. They were impressed. I wasn’t pitching—I was just sharing what I had already done. That moment showed me how preparation meets opportunity in real time.
That was when I understood: when the door opens, you don’t hesitate—you walk straight through it.
And just like that, I have two album covers in the game.
