Wyclef, Dealing with Rejection & How to Make it in the Music Industry | #AskGaryVee Episode 212

- On this episode, a legend stops by. (hip hop music) - [Gary] You ask questions, and I answer them. This is The #AskGaryVee Show. - What's up everybody? This is Gary Vay-ner-chuk and this is episode 212 of The #AskGaryVee Show. And as we can tell we have a very, very special guest. I'm not sure how for the four people that don't know who you are you're going to introduce yourself for me from afar we're just getting to know each other but from afar music and political icon is where I put you my friend. Wyclef, why don't you make a little say hello to the Vayner Nation before we get into India's questions. - Vayner Nation how you doin'? My name is Wyclef representing 212. I used to do this in the cafeteria all day, back in the days I used to listen to NWA. You don't know me man? I'm from the Fugees born in Haiti, raised in Brooklyn, New York City then moved to New Jersey. - It's natural. It's what we used to do. - By the way, I just want to say if I could naturally do that I'd have 17. 9 million followers on Instagram. That's incredible. - Wyclef to the principals office now. - When did you realize you had that ability? When did that first happen? - Just the ability of words? - Yeah. - Man, being in a small village coming from Haiti,-- - When did you come to the US? - 10 years old. - Yeah and I tell my daughter like it's funny right 'cause she gets everything. Yeah, yeah, "You know your dad was in Haiti," and then she goes, "Oh, here goes dad with the story "that he rode a donkey one time. The same story. " - But it's true. I was born in Belarus in the former Soviet Union we were came here we were super poor. My daughter just had a birthday and I looked at my wife and I said, "She just got more presents on this birthday than "I got in my life. " - Facts, man. - I mean, that's just the way it is. - Yeah, man. India, can you flow? - No. - You want to rap battle with Wyclef? - [Wyclef] India, flow, flow! - That's not something. - That's not where you're going. - Too embarrassing. - Why don't we start the show? - Cool. - And so, I tweeted out to let people that you are coming-- - Yeah, man. - so there's some questions, business questions, music questions I'm sure, other questions. Let's see where people went. India? - First one from Omar. - Omar.

- [Voiceover] Omar asks, "Making connections is a huge "part of the music industry. "For somebody who is starting out, where do I start? " - Oh man that's a good question. I think it's a little more easier for you, Omar, than it was for me. - 100%. There's a thing called the fucking internet. - Yeah. The internet is key. Really for me we had to sit the Fugees literally had to sit through 7,000 A/Rs. Saying this shit ain't gonna work. Like rappers playing guitars and women singing and rapping? No, no that's too much. So with the internet you can actually build your own audience. - And you were going through that process, I'm trying to think back what that was happening '91, two and three before four and five? 93, 94 when it happened? - Man, it was going like '93, '94. Do you know how weird it is 1993 a group shows up with an acoustic guitar and we tell them that we hip hop. We from the 'hood. And then you have one girl and Clef grabs his and another kids a rocker and I start playing guitar and Lauren starts to sing John Lennon "Imagine" then I going to a freestyle. Can you imagine somebody who is A& amp; Ring that time? - They didn't know. - Do you know what I mean? The beautiful thing about the internet right here is that you get to create your world. And if your music or whatever you're doing is really original, it's going to find its key audience because through the internet we've learned it's a big universe, right? You got your crowd. - I completely agree with him and I say this all the time. The best way to sell is for people to come to you. The fact that there are things now like Musically and Snapchat and Instagram and all the other platforms we know, the fact you can actually produce music, put it on Soundcloud and actually serendipitously walk into shit because somebody heard it or shared it and changed your world. And that's just incredible. People didn't have that opportunity. There are so many, how many Fugees, how many this is, I'm dying to ask you this question: How many very talented musicians do you think did not get discovered in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s because there was just only some many A/R people, they maybe live in Memphis, they maybe lived in Haiti, they lived in Belarus? In your opinion do you believe that if you were great it would have just happened or do you think in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s a generation that we don't grow up any more there were actually real big-time talents that never got their opportunity 'cause they just didn't have the being in the right place at the right time? - Yeah but you know what's funny about what you said, right, is you see the music of the 50s, the 40s, the 60s, the 70s was a different thing because people wasn't worried about show business. - Right. People was more worried about-- - The music. - You see so this is how we know of the Loneliest Monk. could go back to Muddy Waters. - Mhmmm. (Wyclef singing) - It wasn't really about, because think about it now. Whenever we, this generation, want inspiration as a producer and we go out, I'm in the studio with Avicci. - Okay. - Right. And were sitting in winter in Stockholm. It's dark, right? - Yep. - We're sitting there and we're talking about chords and progressions. What's the reference? We go back to freaking Ray Charles "Georgia. " - Mhmmm. - At the end of the day, I just think that we have to understand that the idea of the Fugees was musicality. It wasn't like oh man we about to do something to get put on so people know who we were. - Right. - Man, if you listen to the first Fugees album it's called "Blunted on Reality". The whole album starts out with a poem where the Ku Klux Klan is trying to come and invade this generation and we talk about we are not going for that. - Allow that. - Yeah. If you trying to be in the music business this is not the first message that you want to put out. I think that the key to everything whether if it's art, whether if it's think of like a Picasso when you look at that piece. Or of think of Basquiat when you look at a piece or just the Miles Davis "Bitches Brew" no one thinking about so the idea is we have to think 1,000 years from now. Is this conversation going to be relevant? And I really think that's my key with this generation. And that's the only thing that I tell them. I'm like, "Yo, you're spitting out hits. Every second. " Every second on Musically my daughter is singing a new song. Right? - Yep. - And the new one is (signing in broken Japanese) and then she puts me on Musically and she like, "Come on, Dad. " (laughter) "No Dad. You're doing it wrong, come back again. " - Yep. Third take. - Third take and what I notice is like 70 songs, songs are playing and I say, "Angelina, who's this artists? " - She's like, "I don't know. " - She don't know but she knows the song. I think if we can push more musicality to your point because there are a lot of bad ass artists out there. They're on the internet, you know what I mean? We just got a focus on musicality. - Don't you think these platforms give musicality a better chance? Because back to your point you brought musicality and the human being that was thinking business is like, "Who wants this black guy playing and the girl sings? " Right. - That's what stopped musicality and now the open platforms I actually think give musicality a real opportunity. - Yeah, sexy black guy. - Respect. - Yeah. - Respect. Alright, India, let's move this. - [India] Next one's from Alexander. - Alexander.

- [Voiceover] Alexander asks, "What are some essential things "to do and to avoid when it comes to personal branding? " - From my standpoint the thing it's so funny. I make my parallels, I know you probably don't know about this backstory but I was in the wine business and I came out and made YouTube videos when YouTube first came out and I talked to people in Springfield, New Jersey. Not far from East Orange. - That's right. - In Springfield, New Jersey in my office I made videos just like this and I talked to people about wine. I told people wine tasted like Whatchamacallit bars or when you open a racquetball case. Stuff that nobody had ever done before. There was no Wine Spectator or Food Network that was gonna put on this guy that compared wine the Iron Sheik giving somebody a Camel Clutch. Nobody was going to put me on. The internet put me on and I think the personal brand thing is really no different than musicality a. k. a. real originality a. k. a. actually having the chops. I think so many of you and it's funny, you guys know, my crew knows, I compare entrepreneurship right now to rap and hip-hop because it's a genre that is getting looked upon and all of a sudden its fame and it all the stuff and you see a lot of fake entrepreneurs. That's the same thing as one hit wonders just following the melodies or the hooks that work and there's nothing there. I think the number one thing to building a brand, a personal brand, the number one to do is to be you 24/7/365 forever never waver regardless. You know, money and fame doesn't change you. It exposes you. It's binary one and zero, be yourself 24/7/365 and the thing not to do is alter that in any shape or form? My man? - Facts. Facts, man. In hip hop we call that you just spit some bars. (laughter) - I'll take it. - Bars. - Now I'm good. - Bars. - I'll take that put that quote card everywhere. - Bars. - Alright, let's move it. - [India] Brian. - Oh video. - Yeah.

- Good job, India. (lively guitar music) - Hey GaryVee, hey Wyclef, how are you guys doing? Thank you very much for taking my question. My name is Brian Ripps. I'm a musician and entertainer from New York City. For the last 10 years I've been making my living writing songs and traveling the country playing for the people. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is how to take no for an answer and press on. I'm curious to hear from both of you what some of the biggest no's that you been encountereed in your career are and how you overcame them and moved on to conquer them? - Great question. - Oh that's good. - It's very nice. That was well done. - Great guitar player, too. - You know how happy that guy is right now? - [India] So happy. (laughter) - You killing that guitar. He's in New York? - [India] I'm not sure. - Yeah, I think he said. Yeah. - Yo, do me a favor right now man-- - This is big. - hit me at okay we're gonna do, let's make this big. (laughter) - Now you gotta deal with this. They have to deal with this with me all the time. I love it. Do it, do it big. - Let's do this. - Go ahead. - When you come see me-- - In Jersey. - We come chill, don't worry I'mma have grass and everything. - No worries. - You bring the wine. - I'm bringing the wine. - So listen, why don't we bring the homey in? - Done. - Let's bring him in. Let's when Brian in and we could do a little jam session. Okay, that'd be cool. So this is what I'm thinking-- - Dreams are made on The #AskGaryVee Show. - To his question I would say the no factor is a motivation factor. And the thing about it it's goes back to what you said. Every day you constantly have to prove yourself. - [Gary] Only as good as your last at-bat. - You're proving yourself to yourself. Always remember that because the day that you wake up and you say, "Man, I'm already good on piano. "I'm already good on guitar. "I done wrote 50 songs. "I don't need to write anymore. " That's the day you're finished. - [Gary] Finished. - Because the thing that keeps us as human beings going is creativity. The day that we lose that we completely lose ourselves. So to your point is it's just about each one, teach one and constantly being inspired and whenever somebody told me no it was always a motivation for yes. - I couldn't agree more. Again, so many of you watch my content. Only as good as your last at-bat. Chip on the shoulder. I would say that I'm wired, I'm curious, I'm surprised how much I do want, I like sticking it to the market. I'm very competitive. Do you find yourself competitive? - You have to be. Naturally. - To me I've talked a lot about loving to lose. I do. For some reason, Staphon, you know this when we play basketball in the morning, when I lose I'm like weird. I like it. There's a feeling that I want. It motivates me so much. I truly believe that the thing that separates so many people is people are scared of the no and the loss. They think it's a scarlet letter and what that does it makes them not go. I love the way that he said, "When I get no's I push through. " For me, my early childhood to answer you directly because two guys that like to philosophize. I'll go right into it, my early childhood was probably my biggest adversity. I didn't have the same adversity of being a minority or gender or things of that nature. I didn't have a whole lot of money but the big thing that I had I was getting Ds and Fs. So I was making $3,000 a weekend selling baseball cards in the malls of New Jersey but I was getting D's and F's is a 13, 14-year-old and everybody thought I was a loser. My teachers, my friends' parents because that's when school was the game. - Mhmmm. - And so for me the market, the world was telling me I wasn't good and everything inside of me told me I was going to be good. I don't think you can be when unless you love yourself first. I think you're right about it being a one-on-one game inside your own dome. So for me my adversity was early on because once I hit the market, once my entrepreneurial flair came out my first year running my dad's business I grew substantially. It was over before it started. Adversity, I think the thing that is most interesting to me if this company doesn't do well next year, if my next five investments don't do well, if my next prediction is that Blah-Blah-Blah's going to be huge and it isn't when then I'm not as good anymore. I'm fascinated by the music industry. Three, four good albums in a row, iconic stuff, one bad album. It's amazing. You're just as good as your last at-bat. - That's right. Think about it. In our business we say 10 million is a championship ring, right? - [Gary] Okay. - So to be able to sell 10 million a few times and to do it for different people, right? - [Gary] Yes. - Not yourself. Because this is another thing. Okay, cool, you can make money but can you make other people money? Because the key is if you can make other people money, you create social entrepreneurship. - [Gary] That's right. Scale. - That's right. So for me that's definitely part of, so for me and my business I remember I did the, when we did "The Score" I got scared after we sold 10 million. - It's crazy, right? - 'Cause I said, no disrespect to Menudo. But I'm not dissing you. I love Menudo and New Kids on the Block. I love them 'cause they watching. I love them. But I was like, "Holy shit, we're a pop group now. " - Yep. - I disappeared man. Got an apartment on 66th street and third and I was in a small room. And I was like, "I have this thing called 'The Carnival,'" to do this thing. " - Now. - And I was like, "It's artsy, it's artsy. I have to do this thing," and from there that landed me Destiny Child, Beyoncé and them. Right? Somebody was like, "Yo, we love 'The Carnival'. "There's these four girls in the hotel room and we need you to "just go see them. " And then I went to this hotel. - Let me ask you a question about the hotel room? Was that a moment where you just understand immediately, did you under immediately understand Beyoncé had real big-time talent or did that develop? Just for you one-man, I'm just curious. Storytime. - I think for me I have a knack. Like Lauren as a kid 14, 15. - She's from Maplewood? - Yeah, Maplewood, New Jersey. - Right there. - Columbia. Right. So I get this gift from the church though. It's purely and the church called me the choir director. I can find a singer in two minutes. I'm like, "Well, this is the singer that's gonna sing lead. " So definitely when I first saw Beyoncé I was like wow. Right? - Mhmmm. - What do I remember about Beyoncé the most? I'll tell you. And she's watching, she know. - Thanks for watching, B. - Yeah. Every, every and this is taking me back, right? Destiny's Child was opening up for me. - Is that right? - Right? Watch this. But every time Destiny's Child got off the stage and I went on Beyoncé was always on the side-- - Watching. - studying the show. People be like, "Man why is she so invincible? " She's so invincible because she's a student of the game. - She put in the work. - Right? This is another thing when we talk about, right? So for me when I show up it's not about what I'm doing. I want to know what you doing. Right? - It's actually, what I do for living is actually only predicated on watching what other people are doing to figure out what they're going to do next. You know, I'm going to stick here and be selfish for a second because it's the thing I like the most. Just binary, who, one man's opinion, you're just one man-- - Yeah. - Who was the most talented person you came across and who was the hardest working person you've come across? Right now, so far, in your journeys, in your industry, in your industry. - So far, right? - Yeah, just so far. I'm just real curious. And I know like I'm sure is not what you think about everyday and it might not come that easy. As you debate it for me-- - For me it's a set up question-- - Okay. - Because I know Carlos Santana watching this right now. - Of course. Carlos, thank you. (laughter) - We have a lot of people to tweet. - You're setting me up right now. But I could, you know, it's just like Santana's like, "You better say me. " (laughter) You put me on the spot. - I know I'm putting you It's cool, it's cool. But it's a good spot. - But I'm curious. You don't have to answer but I'm really curious and I actually I really want to know hard work, I want the hard work one to be honest with you. - Everyone's gonna respect this answer. - Okay. Go ahead. - For me, the hardest working person that I've came across in my entire life so far will have to be Michael Jackson. - Hmmm. - Because and this is why tell you, right? So when you're hard working your like moving at the speed of light but somehow you're aware of everything going on with the culture and everything. You know everything at real-time. 'Cause you Michael, man. You're like in Asia somewhere so why are you calling me. And then you're like, "Yo, I was just watching this TV. " He's like, "Who's this guy? Gone to November. " I think I am being pranked and I hang up the phone. The first time. Michael calls back. I'm like, "Holy shit, this fucking Michael Jackson. " This guy is scheduled literally shows every, every day somehow finds time to land at Sony studio, come up the elevator, come see me sit down and that whole day changed my life. Ever since that I just see music totally different on the perception because I'm like, "Yo, this Michael Jackson and he's sitting there normally," and he's giving me the rhythms. While he's sitting there and I know the dude is coming from, the flight has to be super long. And he's in there and he's like, "No, this is how I'm hearing the bass. "This drums. " I'm hearing his whole body. And I'm like, "Yo. That's freaking Michael. " (laughter) - Dude when I'm telling you I'm tripping, I'm tripping. So for me, I would say the coolest, the coolest thing about Michael, man so then we in the room with two of us and he's like, "Man, you know your style reminds me of when we were younger they took us to Jamaica there was a guy he used to smoke a lot of weed. " (laughter) "Bob Marley? " He was like, "No, no, no. " I said "Oh, Peter Tosh," and he's like, "Yeah. " (laughter) - That's unbelievable. - So for me that to me-- - Was huge. - It was huge. And then I was amazed by the short time that I spent with Whitney Houston. - Yes. - She was insanely incredible. Jersey. - Yep. - Jersey crew. And, man, Whitney's work ethics was crazy. I guess I was lucky because when Clive Davis calls you and he's like, "Yo, man, I need a song for Whitney Houston. " - Yeah. - You start trembling, right? And then Whitney shows up. I'm like I know Whitney. I know your schedule and what you're going through. Show up on 24/7. - Ready to work? - Insane. Like it's the first record they're being recorded. And then you pinching yourself you like, "No, no. That's really Whitney. 'The Bodyguard'," and then she showing up as if this is the first record she's about to record. - Because money and success doesn't change you, it exposes you. - Facts. - It's just so real. India? - Bars. - [India] The last question was, "Who do you think the greatest "hustler in the music industry? " - Get out of town. - [India] I'm serious. - See I felt it. - [India] Yeah, you knew. You just knew. - We're you just laughing? Were you like this is so weird? - I was just like this is great. This is the flow. Obvious. - The flow. The bars. - [India] Yeah, the bars. - Wyclef, what excites you about tech, how old is your daughter? - My daughter is 11. - And so what is she about? - So Musically, she's all about it. - She's about everything tech related. - She lives in the phone. - As for as like audio, yes, she lives in the phone. - And what kind of music does she like? - Anything, she's eclectic. She's like Clef's daughter. (laughter) But anything that is relevant-- - Yep. - she puts me up on it. Whether if it's like from a DJ Snake remix. - Mhmmm. - "This is insane," To the Musically and this is how it has to be adjusted,-- - Yep. - to, "Dad," I don't know man, "you have to challenge Jason DeRulo "to a dance competition. " Do you know what I mean? She so in tune. - And what about for you? What comes most natural? Any of them? Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram? - What's funny is to every social media it goes with your certain likeness. - Mhmmm. - So for me, the one that naturally goes with me is the one that can be instant at real-time. And that would be Facebook Mentions. - The live? - The live. - You love that? - Yeah, I love that because what happens is-- - Sometimes you'll just go on? - Yeah it gives the fan real time. - Uh-huh. - I'm all about 'cause sometimes you're catching a vibe and you want to give the fan that exposure that they can only catch that lightning at that second. - Yep. - So for me I guess like for DJ Khaled it's Snapchat. - Yep. - So my version of Snapchat for me is Facebook Mentions. - I love it. - You know? - Yep. I love it. India, good show. - [India] Thanks. - [Gary] Wyclef, I really appreciate it. - Yo, so I'll see you at the studio. - 100%. - Bars. - What kind of wine do you drink? Are you into it yet? Am I gonna educate you? - Of course. You can never stop learning. You know what I mean? - He's the best. I love this guy. He's just right, he's right. - I look forward to being educated, you know what I mean? But shout out to my Russian Jewish friends when you're coming let me know because I have a few wine boys-- - Okay. - That are gonna show up with something they brought back from the caves. - Okay, I love it. - We gonna need your opinion on some stuff. - Alright, Wyclef every time we have a guest they get to ask the Vayner Nation the question of the day. Any question you want. We'll get hundreds of questions on Facebook and YouTube answered for you. Could be anything about music. It could be what you're thinking about. It can be absolutely anything. - Alright. My question to the Vayner audience an elections coming up-- - Oh, going big. - And Bernie started a movement and clearly Bernie's not going to be the candidate. But Bernie's movement has become so strong that it becomes part of America youth moving forward movement so my question for you is how would the candidate that you choose that you're going to continue with the idea of free education the different things that Bernie is talking about, are you still gonna be part of activating your communities meaning your mayors, your Congressman, your statesman on this movement that has started? And who are you basically going to be voting for and why? Wyclef wants a bloodbath in the comment section. - Yes, that's right, baby. - I appreciate it, man. You keep asking questions we'll keep answering them. What's up guys? Hope you enjoyed the show. Please do I get to link it up anywhere? Is it in here or is it down below? Is it in print or in my video? - [Staphon] It'll be down to your left. - It's here down to my left? Right here, there's a button for them to subscribe to my YouTube video? Yeah it's that little buggy thing. That's right guys, click this. That's right, use that.