started in the 90s.
How do you feel
about the legacy
you left behind with
that brand?
DJ: People ask me
all the time how do
I feel about FUBU
and the fact that it’s
a globally recog-
nized brand and it
has empowered a
lot of people. It’s
created a legacy. It
made other people go out and
try to start their own business-
es and even Solange is putting
it in her records. Of course
it’s an honor that something
you created in your basement
would go on and people would
recognize it around the globe.
But also on the flip side, it’s a
big world out there and rumors
spread ten times faster than
the truth. It sometimes con-
cerns me or troubles me that
people thought that FUBU
was only created for one color
because if I did that then I
would be guilty of the same
prejudice that I felt the other
brands were shunning us in our
market because of our color. It
was created for a culture. That
is a hip hop culture that is gen-
erated by African Americans
because let’s face it—everyone
wants to be American, every
American wants to be Black.
I joke and say that because
we’re amazing individuals and I
wanted the world to know that
it was inclusive for every single
person. But it’s an absolute
honor to know that the brand
has legs and legacy.
MADE: Speaking of legacy, do
you feel like you MADE it?
If not, what does that look like
for you?
DJ: If I had to consider if I made
it, I would say yes—and it’s not
because of the size of a bank
account or a corner office. I
didn’t feel like I made it until I
was probably about 39 years
old. I had already had financial
success at 29, but I felt maybe I
got struck by lightning. I came
up with the FUBU idea, I bit the
apple one time and then I had to
fail a couple more times by trying
to launch other brands. Then
we came back out and launched
COOGI and then I became an au-
thor and then the books started
to move. I aspired to try to advise
people on what they’re going to
face in their lives as entrepre-
neurs like I had faced.
Now, the reason I can say I am
successful is because I have three
amazing daughters, and you
never know as a parent if you
did the right thing, but the day
that you realize your daughter
is the woman you hoped she’d
grow up to be. I have my health,
I have amazing people who work
around me. I get to sit on public
stages and inspire people and
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