Lenny S’ approach to business and life is based on one simple mantra: Relationships are everything. That may sound simplistic, but considering it’s coming from the senior vice president of A&R at Roc Nation, the message takes on a bit more weight.
Lenny has definitely paid his dues in the game. When he was starting out, he interned for everyone and anyone in the music biz who would have him, knowing that the one thing he needed to succeed was a shot. While he never attended college, Lenny had something that isn't taught at most higher education institutions: tenacity. Even though he wasn’t entirely sure what his specific strengths in the music business were at the time, he made himself available to people who would help him figure them out. And once he located those dudes, he kept pursuing them until they finally gave him a chance. In short, Lenny wouldn’t take "no" for an answer.
A large part of what drove Lenny was growing up among other Puerto Ricans and African-Americans in the Bronx. He was raised in the birthplace of hip-hop, and Lenny was front and center as hip-hop began to truly flourish; first as a musical genre, then as a larger culture, and ultimately (as Lenny puts it) as a movement.
Now that Lenny has made it to the top, his primary hope is that he can be an inspiration to kids from the Bronx and other places like it. He wants them to know that they can make it too.
For more on Lenny S and his rise to Roc Nation royalty, be sure to check out the video above, presented by Brisk.
