Say It Skillfully® – Alonzo Brown, Pioneer of Rap
March 14, 2023
Hosted by Molly Tschang
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Guest Information
Episode Description
Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. Episode 172 features rapper, record executive, film & television producer, screenwriter and author Alonzo Brown. Growing up in Harlem during a time when New York was in turmoil, with a Father who died when he was 12, Alonzo shares the story of his early days. The poor conditions, crime, and pain of Harlem were hard for most to cope with. Alonzo opens up that the only things getting him by were the love and sternness of his mother, the escape he found in music, and his aspirations for the future. He would gaze out at the skyscrapers he could see from Harlem, dreaming of “living up there one day.” Alonzo gives us the full origin story of his pioneer rap group, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, skipping class to write songs, rehearsing in his Mother’s living room and performing at local community centers. Don’t miss stories from his later days as a rapper and from some of his other ventures in what seems like every corner of the entertainment industry. The show wraps up with Alonzo sharing a piece summarizing his thoughts on overcoming, not stowing, “the black experience” of growing up facing struggle and violence, living in the ghetto, and what it means to find a way out without losing who you truly are. Alonzo inspires us all to know no boundaries and to commit to taking action so that all can be safe, seen and heard, and our true best selves. Molly’s thought for the week: “I don’t know what success is, I’m too busy working at it.”
Say It Skillfully®
Tuesday at 8 AM Pacific Time/11 AM Eastern Time on VoiceAmerica Business Channel
Molly Tschang's Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you benefit from Molly's guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. She helps everyone from CEOs to interns to recognize that we are all both part of the problem as well as the solution, and that the path to solving any problem is to say what needs to be said.
Molly is a rare breed: tough enough to advise CEOs and company boards, but empathetic enough to understand the human costs of not allowing talent to shine. She has helped dozens of management teams navigate the human after-effects of mergers and acquisitions, and her show brings her expert guidance to a wider audience.
Say It Skillfully® every Tuesday at 8 AM Pacific Time/11 AM Eastern Time on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel.
Molly Tschang
Molly Tschang helps her clients' organizations gain the skills to Win As One, which most other companies never even try to do. She starts at the top, guiding management to commit to each other’s success and lead as one cohesive unit.
Molly is Founder and CEO of Abella Consulting, a New York-based leadership development and business advisory consultancy that helps senior leaders cultivate the collaborative capacity to elevate individual, team and organizational performance resulting in accelerated sustained, profitable growth. She created and hosts the “Say It Skillfully®” video series on LinkedIn, making it easier for all members of an organization to say what needs to be said in a constructive and productive manner.
Prior to launching Abella, Molly held executive leadership positions at Cisco Systems and U.S. Filter, where she led the integration of over 80 acquisitions. She holds a BS in chemical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from UCLA. In 2017, Molly was selected from among 12,000 applicants to be a protégé of Marshall Goldsmith through his 100 Coaches initiative. In her downtime, she enjoys tennis, yoga and cooking with family and friends.
