{"id":4454,"date":"2014-10-13T15:09:58","date_gmt":"2014-10-13T15:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/?p=4454"},"modified":"2014-10-13T15:09:58","modified_gmt":"2014-10-13T15:09:58","slug":"cortez-bryant-shares-his-blueprint-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/2014\/10\/13\/cortez-bryant-shares-his-blueprint-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Cortez Bryant shares his blueprint to success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Taylor Bembery
\n<\/strong>Associate Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Homecoming is here, which means the campus will be flooded with alumni all week. There are plenty of successful people that have graduated from Jackson State University. Cortez Bryant, an alumnus of JSU and music industry mogul, has exemplified the true meaning of receiving a quality education and gaining life-changing experiences from his dear ol\u2019 college home.<\/p>\n

Bryant, who grew up as a disadvantaged youth in the streets of New Orleans, La., started his journey to JSU after receiving a scholarship for the Sonic Boom of the South band program under the leadership of Band Director Lewis Liddell.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to go the Southern University route like everybody else that were friends of mine, so I decided to go to Jackson State and become a part of the Boom. It was probably the best decision I made in my life,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n

He believes his experiences in the Sonic Boom molded him into the person he is today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have any family while out in Jackson, Miss., so the band became my extended family. It is like a big family environment and it\u2019s a big organization. I learned all my leadership skills there. Being a part of the percussion section, WT. I was the section leader, so I was able to be instilled with values that I even use with my employees today,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n

After graduating from JSU in 2004 with a degree in mass communications, Bryant decided to go into the music business. He was introduced to the industry by his friend Dwayne \u201cLil\u2019 Wayne\u201d Carter, Jr. Bryant faced some difficulties when starting his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most challenging part was the first four years and not getting discouraged, even though I didn\u2019t know anything about the music business. I had to keep learning and not be afraid to ask questions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ten years later and with a fearless attitude, Bryant is one of the youngest power players in the music industry. He is the Co-CEO of The Blueprint Group, which manages the careers of Lil\u2019 Wayne, Nicki Minaj, T.I, and many more artists. He is also the Chief Operating Officer of Young Money Entertainment where he conducts all the business side of Young Money.<\/p>\n

Bryant said the most significant accomplishment in his career was when Lil\u2019 Wayne\u2019s album, \u201cThe Carter III\u201d, sold one million albums in one week.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely changed my role in the music business. I\u2019m a young executive. I\u2019m probably the youngest executive doing what I do at such a big scale. People really started taking me serious after that. Numbers don\u2019t lie,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n

The road to success was not easy for Bryant. He shared some advice for students when it comes to reaching their goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your heart is in it and you feel like it\u2019s your calling, do it. It can be flipping burgers, the music business, being an artist, or a journalist. Just go for it and pray on it. I\u2019m spiritual, that\u2019s one thing that\u2019s a testament to my success. You have to stay grounded, prayed up, and always work hard. Don\u2019t be afraid of failure, in life there will be ups and downs. It\u2019s not going to be easy but don\u2019t give up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bryant pays homage to JSU for being a stepping stone for his success. He has donated funds to the university in the past and said it is very important that alumni give back.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Liddell believed in me by giving me that scholarship. I was a poor kid from New Orleans, so that was my outlet. I\u2019m pretty sure that money came from budgets that had to be put in place to give me a scholarship. The first chance I got, I gave back. It doesn\u2019t have to be a lot. A little bit can add up to something and that means an opportunity to grant somebody else the college experience that I had at Jackson State,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n

Bryant plans to participate in \u2018The Blueprint: One Tiger One Roar\u2019 JSU Homecoming 2014 festivities. He said his favorite homecoming event is the Yard Fest.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody is out there and you see people that you haven\u2019t seen in years. That\u2019s the best part of homecoming to me because you are connected to all of your genuine friends. Being in the music business, I get caught up in this lifestyle and it is kind of crazy. To come back to Jackson and come to people that I knew before the music business, it\u2019s very rewarding,\u201d said Bryant.<\/p>\n

To keep up with Bryant, follow him on twitter @CortezBryant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taylor Bembery Associate Editor Homecoming is here, which means the campus will be flooded with alumni all week. There are plenty of successful people that have graduated from Jackson State University. Cortez Bryant, an alumnus of JSU and music industry mogul, has exemplified the true meaning of receiving a quality education and gaining life-changing experiences […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4454","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-variety"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4454\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}