“For his weight class, by far, he smoked everybody. For a few weight classes under his too. He’s consistent with the drip head to toe. Shirts, shorts, pants, jackets, all types of trenches. Whatever. Footwear - immaculate. And it’s because he’s got a fashion sense, but it’s really because he’s got a good heart and his plugs are immaculate. You’ve got to be special to get everything. It’s not about money - we all got money.”
J.E.: Jadakiss says you’re the most stylish guy around.
H.H.: Kiss is one of the superfly dudes. It’s a secret society. When you see another Jedi, you salute.
H.H.: I’ve always had a love for fashion and sneakers. When I was a child, my sister worked in Harry’s, the sneaker store on Belmont Ave. in Brownsville, Brooklyn. She’d get paid every week and we’d get a pair of sneakers. My older brother was a fly dude too. So, I’d see that. Then, coming up and living in the area, you’d see the older guys. They dressed nice in Jordans and dope clothes - Polo, Tommy Hilfiger. So, that’s where it became part of my DNA, from as early as I can remember. Charcoal 9 Jordans. My 8th grade prom, I wore Prada. I started wearing Dior, Armani Exchange, other European stuff. Those were the gateway brands into European and high fashion.
J.E.: How did you come up in the music game?
H.H.: There wasn’t a ‘come up’ per se. I had a friend that was rapping and out of necessity, I became his manager. I didn’t intern anywhere. Nobody put me on. I just assumed this position and I started on my journey on a “paid internship.” I learned as I went and happened to get good at it. I was good at business before music. I was a business minded person. Learning the language and the position in music was the biggest challenge. That led me to working with other artists and partnering with my partner now, Johnny Shipes at Cinematic Management, and the rest is history.
H.H.: Now there are two separate entities.. at Hovain Doing Good Management, I manage Styles P, Lloyd Banks, Emmett Dupre and Tracey Chaney. At Cinematic, we represent Paris Bryant, Smoke Dza, Joey Badass, Big Krit, Big Yavo, Yungn Ace, and others. Cinematic Management is important. It was once the home of Nipsey Hussle.
J.E.: Who’s your top five?
H.H.: All time is Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Lloyd Banks, Styles P and Jadakiss. Favorites right now would be Lil Baby, Drake, still Jay-Z.. shit, I listen to R&B. I listen to a lot of R&B: Summer Walker, Jazmine Sullivan, Ari Lenox and Lucky Daye.
H.H.: My lifestyle has calmed down. I used to go out with 50 people and we’d be in the club turning up and in environments that cultivated aggressive music. Now, I’m going out with the fam, going to dinner, so it’s calmer music. Music is a soundtrack to my life, and life was a little more hectic at a certain point.
J.E.: What do you look for in a new artist?
H.H.: I need to see uniqueness, star quality, if you’re a hard worker. I need to see a sense of knowing where you are going. If I talk to an artist and they don’t see a vision for themself, that’s a problem. Because then I need to show you who you are. If you are interviewing for a job, and I’m asking what you bring to the job and you don’t know - that’s a red flag.
H.H.: It has to be a focused attack, you know what I’m saying? I love putting new artists out there. I liken it to running for President. Candidates have to present themselves in a certain way to connect with the people. So, running a successful music campaign, you’re running a campaign for President.
J.E.: You’re a college professor now.
H.H.: I want to share my knowledge. The older heads used to tell me, “Keep doing your thing.” What does that mean? There’s very few people that are open to giving the keys and giving advice. People try to hold that shit close to their chest. I feel like when you’re able to give information back to people, it helps the kids. It doesn’t make sense, like why would I want to keep this information? I’m not holding on to it until I die.
H.H.: If I tell you how to get on, and you use it, and you apply it, that’s not taking any money out of my pockets. That’s more money you’re bringing to the industry. You’re bringing more revenue into it. Then, on top of that, that helps me. Because you’re going to be using my name and saying: “Hovain helped me.” So now, my artist may need a feature with your artist. That grows my network. I manage Lloyd Banks but I also manage an 18-year old kid in Jacksonville Florida who’s coming up. There’s established artists who know what they’re doing, but I’ll always like the younger artists too.
J.E.: What else are you getting in to?
H.H.: I’m a hustler so I do all types of shit. I got AirBNBs, I got a podcast coming. I believe in the premise of saving your money because one day it’s going to save you. Products for your home. That’s a passion of mine. Candles, that type of shit. I’m looking to open something. I don’t know if it’s going to be a restaurant. I want it to be like Goodfellas where they go through the back and have a drink in the back of the office. Might be a sneaker store, restaurant, bar, lounge. I’m going to own something.
J.E.: What are you doing with fashion?
H.H.: Nothing. I’m buying art, collectables, home goods. I just designed my man-cave. Most of my spending is home-based, and then clothes are like, I don’t even think about it. That shit is like whatever. It’s come to the point I don’t even buy a lot of shit. Someone will send them. It’s not as important as it used to be. It’s just part of who I am.
H.H.: You know what it is, the way I dress, means more to other people than it means to me. They’ll say, “Are you getting ‘dressed dressed’?” But, I don’t think about it like that. Material shit means something to me until it means nothing to me. Then, it doesn’t move me. A lot of times I don’t take a picture, because what do I have to prove now? To whom? It’s not like anyone’s in competition. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. There’s going to be some pieces you want that are crazy, but then you’re like, what now? One is not enough, but 100 becomes too many. I used to be the type of guy that really loved the Air Forces. If I could wear a clean pair of Air Forces, a clean polo tee, and shorts, I would do that.
J.E.: You don’t care about your material goods any more, so it’s all for sale right?
H.H.: I feel lucky. I have a beautiful wife and beautiful children. To be honest, I won. I’m on my third life. I was running around the streets, then in the music business, now in other businesses. I know what’s important in life. I will always try to get back home for my kids. I have material goods, but it doesn’t make me.
H.H.: I mean, just making it to this point is fucking luck and hard work. There’s a ton of people that probably started in the business and they didn’t make it, and there’s a ton of people who have dreams of being here. So, just sustaining is something that doesn’t happen on the regular. There’s adversity in the music business. Now, in 2022 I’m more successful and more knowledgeable than 2014-2015 when I was ‘on top’.
J.E.: What about the lows. Did you ever think it was over?
H.H.: Never, never to that point. No. I had doubts, but I had people who loved me and I believed in myself. I never thought: “Damn, it’s over.” Self-doubt, preaching. That didn’t last longer than a couple months, under a year. Maybe 5-6 days in a row of “What am I going to do?” I had loved ones.
J.E.: And then what?
H.H.: I have two really supportive children, who don’t know what’s going on with this, but them just being there. The purity of a child, that’s inspiring enough. I had a very devoted fiancé, now wife, who was nurturing and tough. She is supportive and she wouldn’t let me wallow in self pity. I had a group of friends that are all entrepreneurs and hustlers in their own rite - Charlamagne tha God, Sickamore. People who will do everything in their power to be supportive. And, watching them do their shit, it gives you the motivation to get your shit together like no other. Great friends, great artists. A lot has to be said for other managers, other executives that I will see out and about. Just getting words of support from the people. You never know who’s watching, but they’re always watching. People like B.Dot, Rob Markman, Wayne O, Steve Carless, Sav, Karen Civil and many others, we were all on the come up together. It’s almost like we all went to college together. If we went to college together, and I see you driving the road with a flat, I’ll pull over, see if you’re good. We may be competing for market share, but it’s still all love.
H.H.: I feel there’s another level. Me running a record label. That’s the final level. I would love to be an urban marketing strategist for a home company or for a mainstream brand.