America has always dismissed and treated black women like we’re disposable, so I’ve dedicated my life to being one of the few people who will say yes to black mothers, no matter their circumstances. During this year’s coronavirus pandemic, that means bailing mothers out so they can be safe and providing for their…
The music industry is known to chew and spit out people who lack the vision and/or staying power needed to ride the ever-changing waves. But, if you have a creative mindset and can adapt to the many trends and flows of the game, you tend to stick around and add to your success. Entrepreneur Chanel Rae Pettaway just happens to fit that mold.
“The Culture Princess” is the co-founder of the Legion Media Group, a full service public relations and branding agency that is based in New York City. Amassing a client base that keeps her busy, she also makes time to co-host a new podcast for the millennial mom, “Our First Time–A Mommy Cast.”
Pettaway spoke to BLACK ENTERPRISE about who she works with, what she does, and how she manages to stay in the game while focusing on her personal goals.
What is the name of your company and how long have you been in business and who are some of the clients you’ve worked with?
The Legion Media Group was formed in July 2009. Current and past clients range in music, media, fashion, and entertainment. My current roster includes Hot 97, Jim Jones, Cam’Ron, Dipset, Cipha Sounds, Peter Rosenberg, Salaam Remi, Joell Ortiz, Chinx (RIP), Embassy Lounge NYC, DJ Juanyto, DJ Drewski, DJ E. Stylez, Fatman Scoop, Iman Nunez, and GiF the Great.
Understanding the inner workings of the music and entertainment industry, how are you able to navigate through this cutthroat game and still be successful?
I believe in staying true to myself. Though it will take me longer to get to the top, when I do, I will bring my morals and values along with me. Though I’m aware of what my peers are doing, I focus on my personal goals and what is ahead of me. My motto is to stay in my lane and mind my business. At the same time, I’m never going to allow someone to bully me. I will always stand my ground.
You were recently a part of a collaboration between Dipset, the NBA, Mitchell and Ness, and Bleacher Report. How did that come about and what was your role in making it happen?
Project Director Justin Dreyfuss of Bleacher Report reached out to myself, Peter Kadin, and Teff Mogus of Empire team (Dipset’s distribution label) and told us about the remix apparel they were doing along with Mitchell and Ness and the NBA. They told us they were possibly interested in a joint collaboration with Dipset but wanted ideas on what the capsule would look like. I expressed to them that we needed more than to just release the product. It’s one thing to do it, but if no one knows about it, what good is it?! I pitched my ideas for the roll out to all parties and it we collectively saw most of them through. Cam’ron and Jim were eager to see it come to fruition.
The design was done by Cade Beaulieu and Cam’ron did the finishing touches regarding the color pattern.
Do you have any advice or suggestions for anyone who wants to take a path similar to yours in this industry?
No matter what you want to do in life, you have to learn your craft before you can master it. Always be kind. My high school coach Carl Hawker would always remind us: Be careful of the toes you step on today as it may be connected to the ass you may have to kiss tomorrow.
What else are you working on that you’d like to discuss?
We are in the process starting a new weather show for Jim Jones with iOne, The Weatha Show. Initially, it would run across all their platforms and their radio stations and branch out from there.
In an industry where accomplishments are often overlooked, are there any that you’d like to talk about that people may not be aware of?
Most people don’t know that I was on Cardi B‘s early team along with Shaft. I was the first to get her music media placement (her first XXL music mention).
The travel industry has been brought to its knees due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Many countries around the world have been forced to close their boundaries to non-citizens and restrict leisure travel completely.
Caribbean nations have had unique challenges with dealing with the viral outbreak from low death rates and instituting mandatory stay-at-home orders early to stop the virus from spreading. Now with many countries looking to the future of travel once everything resumes, some countries are requiring returning citizens and tourists to test for COVID-19.
Antigua and Barbuda announced that they will be requiring COVID-19 test certificates to prove their negative results in order to be allowed entry into the country. The island plans for tourists to undergo rapid testing for the virus before boarding the aircraft to visit.
The Bahamas and Haiti joined in announcing their COVID-19 testing requirements earlier this week. This comes after the push for a new COVID-19 “passport” for travelers to prove they are negative in order to fly. Some critics say the action will be difficult to implement.
“Requiring some kind of COVID passport is going to be difficult,” said Carlos Espinal, director of the Global Health Consortium at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health at Florida International University to the Miami Herald.
According to the Miami Herald, in a national address last Sunday, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced that any citizen or legal resident who wanted to return will need to obtain a real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction diagnostic test from an accredited lab, “unless otherwise approved to have the test administered upon arrival.” The test, also known as RT-PCR, is considered the gold standard of testing due to its accuracy for detecting the coronavirus.
“All those returning will be required to be quarantined for 14 days in a government quarantine facility or self-quarantined,” Minnis said. This comes after the Bahamian Health Minister Duane Sands submitted his resignation, taking full responsibility for allowing six permanent residents to return to the country through a private air charter despite the border closure and testing requirement.
The travel industry has been brought to its knees due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Many countries around the world have been forced to close their boundaries to non-citizens and restrict leisure travel completely.
Caribbean nations have had unique challenges with dealing with the viral outbreak from low death rates and instituting mandatory stay-at-home orders early to stop the virus from spreading. Now with many countries looking to the future of travel once everything resumes, some countries are requiring returning citizens and tourists to test for COVID-19.
Antigua and Barbuda announced that they will be requiring COVID-19 test certificates to prove their negative results in order to be allowed entry into the country. The island plans for tourists to undergo rapid testing for the virus before boarding the aircraft to visit.
The Bahamas and Haiti joined in announcing their COVID-19 testing requirements earlier this week. This comes after the push for a new COVID-19 “passport” for travelers to prove they are negative in order to fly. Some critics say the action will be difficult to implement.
“Requiring some kind of COVID passport is going to be difficult,” said Carlos Espinal, director of the Global Health Consortium at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health at Florida International University to the Miami Herald.
According to the Miami Herald, in a national address last Sunday, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced that any citizen or legal resident who wanted to return will need to obtain a real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction diagnostic test from an accredited lab, “unless otherwise approved to have the test administered upon arrival.” The test, also known as RT-PCR, is considered the gold standard of testing due to its accuracy for detecting the coronavirus.
“All those returning will be required to be quarantined for 14 days in a government quarantine facility or self-quarantined,” Minnis said. This comes after the Bahamian Health Minister Duane Sands submitted his resignation, taking full responsibility for allowing six permanent residents to return to the country through a private air charter despite the border closure and testing requirement.
Two Sikh brothers in Canada, who are also doctors, have cut their beards in order to wear N95 masks when treating coronavirus patients.
According to Upworthy, both Sanjeet and Rajeet Singh-Saluja sported long breads as part of their Sikh religion.
One of the main pillars of the Sikh religion is sewa meaning selfless service or helping others without reward or personal gain. Another main pillar is kesh, the practice of allowing one’s hair to grow naturally out of respect for the perfection of God’s creation.
The two pillars put the men in a tough situation. The brothers told reporters they consulted leaders of the Sikh faith as well as friends and family. Eventually, the brothers decided their commitment to helping other heal was worth more than their beards.
“We could choose not to work, but in a time when healthcare workers are falling sick, we would be adding stress to an already taxed system,” Sanjeet said in a video posted by the McGill University Health Centre. “We could decide to simply refuse to see COVID-19 patients until viable protection is available to us, but that goes against our oath as physicians and against the principles of sewa,” he continued.
It’s the first time either brother, both in their 40’s, has shaved their beard, so naturally it’s not something they’re used to,
“It’s a decision that has left me with much sadness,” Sanjeet told the Montreal Gazette. “This was something that had been so much part of my identity. I look at myself in the mirror very differently now. Every morning when I see myself, it’s a bit of a shock.
Sanjeet added due to how easily the coronavirus is transmitted from person to person “it just wasn’t feasible anymore.”
The brothers knew they couldn’t sit on the sidelines, knowing ignoring hundreds of people were dying everyday and not helping would go against the Sikh religion. More than 60,000 residents in Canada have been infected with the coronavirus, but only 4,500 have succumbed to the disease.
American is having a much harder time dealing with the virus. More people in America have died than the the number of Canadians have been infected. However, Canada’s unemployment rate of 13% is not far from the 16.7% rate in the U.S.
