Preview: Steve Stoute’s ‘Tanning Of America’ With Jay-z, Pharrell, Jimmy Iovine & Lady Gaga

Author, entrepreneur, former record executive and artist manager Steve Stoute has been a matchmaker of sorts over the past few years as founder of the marketing agency, Translations Consulting and Brand Imaging. His company has been responsible for linking pop and urban culture with corporate America including Justin Timberlake McDonald’s ‘I’m Loving It’ deal, Lebron James partnership with State Farm, Jay-z’s ‘S. Carter’ deal with Reebok, Lady Gaga Viva Glam deal with MAC Cosmetics and Chris Brown’s ‘Forever’ jingle deal for Doublemint Gum.
Steve has recently released a new book titled, “The Tanning Of America: How Hip Hop Created A Culture That Rewrote the Rules of The Economy” with an accompanying web series for AOL. In ‘The Tanning Effect’, he sits down with some of music’s most influential artists and asks pressing questions such as Jay-Z’s real opinion on Cristal’s comments about the hip hop community drinking their champagne, as well as how Pharrell put Louis Vuitton in the sunglass business with inspiration from the late Notorious B.I.G. Check out the trailer to his new show, plus a few excerpts from the interviews below:

Jay-z on Cristal comments about the black community drinking their Champagne
It’s a huge slap in the face. Here it is you’re promoting something you like and it’s not even promoting it, you’re just talking about it. Hip Hop is about expression, you’re talking about something you like and it catches on in culture and you’re an unpaid spokesman for this brand. You’re generating millions and millions of dollars for that brand and for that brand not to say…..at least say thank you….
Pharrell on Louis Vuitton’s inspiration for eyewear and how it was influenced by Biggie
I was on the front row of Vicky Secret and [Marc Jacobs] was like “What sunglasses are those?” and I was like, “they’re Bathing Ape.” He said “What made you wear them?” and I was like, “It just reminds me of B.I.G” and he was like, “I like them, what do you want to do? Let’s do something.”
Right then and there and he was like, “What other sunglasses would you do? I was like, “You’re going to think I’m crazy.” He was like, “What?” I love when Tony [in Scarface] says to Manny “You know it’s the money. First, I’m going to be a millionaire and then I’m going to take over the world.”
Jimmy Lovine on what influenced him to create Beats by Dre
All I ever wanted to do my whole life since I was 18-years-old was move the needle of popular culture. Just move it! Not copy it, not run after it, move it, move it forward. So I was with Will.I.Am one day and he says, “You know the record business is all screwed up, we’re losing money. Jimmy, Jimmy! Hardware.” I said, “Will, what are you talking about hardware?”  He said, “HARDWARE.” So I said, “Will, you know why they call it hardware? It’s hard! That’s why they call it hardware.”
About a year later I was walking on the beach and I ran into Dr. Dre and Dre is a guy of few words. He said, “Jimmy, my lawyer wants me to sell sneakers.” I just looked at him and I said, “Dre, f–k sneakers, let’s sell speakers” and he said, “Wow, that works. So I got this word ‘beats’ and I don’t know what to do with it.” I said, “Beats by Dre, headphones and speakers.” That was the beginning of ‘Beats.’

Watch snippets of interviews with Jay-z, Pharrell, Jimmy Iovine and Lady Gaga below