Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 8-14-20

Feature
Entertainment Company CEO Is Finding Success In All Genres, Including Country Music
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
As a culture, African Amer- icans have not traditionally been huge fans of country music. In a lot of circles, the music seemed so intertwined with the old south and the good ‘old boys that most Black folks wanted no part in country music, and the feeling was mu- tual.
In the 70s, Charley Pride explored country music and at one time was the biggest record seller for RCA since Elvis Presley. Unfortunately, there were no young Black people waiting in the wings to take over.
It was not until Lil Nas X rocketed to the top of the charts with his 2018 release, “Old Town Road” that Black people came back to country music in numbers. The mix of country and rap immediately spoke to fans of both. Lil Nas X won multiple awards and a ‘Best New Artist’ Grammy award. Even then, there was contro- versy.
Billboard removed the song from its Hot Country Songs, saying that the song did not in- corporate enough elements to fit the category. The decision caused accusations of racism and when Wrangler and the Lil Nas X collaboration hap- pened, racism again reared its ugly head when whites threat- ened to boycott.
Despite all the controversy, Tampa resident, Rashad ”Shad” Burrell, owner and CEO of Breeze Money Team (BMT) Promotions has never been afraid to go where he wanted to go and get things done. He and his partner Japan Pandya have built an entertainment powerhouse that handles artists and music productions, and have diversi- fied into film, television, ap- parel, and merchandise. They also have their own TV Net- work App, Dent Damage TV where episodic shows can be viewed.
Burrell has used his work with several well-known pro- fessionals, including his cousin, Stanley Burrell, aka MC Hammer, and Outkast to ex- pand his knowledge of the in- dustry. His many contacts in the music business included his good friend, Edward “Holly- wood” Burkes.
RASHAD ‘SHAD’ BURRELL ....Tampa resident and CEO of BMT Promotions
Burrell hired his old friend (Hollywood), from Pascagoula, MS to be the Pres- ident of BMT for A&R (Artists and Repertoire.) As they worked together, it became ap- parent that ‘Hollywood' was a country singer. Burrell made a call to one of his contacts who was then working at CMT (Country Music Television) so they could hear Hollywood’s latest single, “Worried.” CMT loved it and asked if they could make a video so it could be aired on the network. Before long, the record has gotten over 216,000+ views and two televi- sion stations in Pascagoula ran features on Hollywood and his new hit.
For more information and see the video, go to https://www.breeze- moneyteam.com.
Burrell and Burkes are working hard to ensure that this is just the beginning of the Breeze Money Team Country music division.
Burrell was born in Omaha, Nebraska before com- ing to Tampa with his parents, Jim and Betty Burrell, and his siblings Trumaine and Sonya. He credits the support his family for his success. The CFO of BMT is his fiancée, Kyaufa Johnson. He is also the proud father of one daugh- ter, Khayah, who is currently attending the University of Central Florida.
He is extremely proud of his recording artist brother, Trumaine Burrell, who per- forms under the name, ‘Tremaine Lamar’ and is im- mensely popular on the music scene. Both Burrell brothers are graduates of Armwood High School and FAMU.
Burrell’s new album “King Kong” (New Era King) is now out and available on all plat- forms.
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