Naji’s early worldview was shaped by his Queens, NY, upbringing, but it expanded further when he joined a step team in middle school, which allowed him to travel the world. By the time he graduated from high school, he had been to Africa, Europe, and Australia multiple times. “I saw and met a lot of different people who I admired, and it kinda inspired me,” he shared while reflecting on his childhood.

I didn’t necessarily have a vision of what I wanted to do, but I was like, “I gotta get on.” I don’t know what that means or what that looks like. But I was always someone who knew I wanted to be greater than the circumstances I’d seen around me growing up. You know what I mean? I wanted to be greater than that, and I felt like I had the ability to be.
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So I didn’t necessarily know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to do something I could make money from and put on for my family while having a lot of fun doing it.

Yeah, bro, it’s always “I wanna be on.” It’s still that today. You know what I’m saying? Like, that just sticks with me. But in college, I was a business major simply because I just wanted to make money. And I didn’t know what I wanted to do yet.
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And I wasn’t a great student. I mean, I was good at taking tests, but I just wasn’t disciplined enough. Like I ain’t do homework and stuff like that. I didn’t get into the colleges I wanted, so I ultimately stayed in New York and went to city schools. I remember graduating from high school and Googling, “What jobs make the most money?” And a hedge fund manager was the thing. So I was like, “All right, we can go into hedge funds.”
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I literally built my career path around a Google question. So I got into business school and started studying that, then I interned for a hedge fund. And then I realized, “Yo, I actually don’t like this.”

Definitely, man. Shout out to the Councilman, Mark Weprin. Good dude, solid dude. We still talk to this day.
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But before I actually worked there, he had a community meeting, and I went just to see what was going on. Mark’s brother, David, was an assemblyman of District 23 in Queens, and I met him when I was there. We talked for a while, and I told him my story, and I was like, “Look, I don’t know if I can help you in any way, but like, I’ll go get the coffee, I’ll drive you around, like whatever. If you ever need any help, just let me know.” And he was like, “Actually, my assistant just left, and I do need someone to drive me around.”

So I drove him to an event, and I ultimately ended up building a relationship with this guy. So I was his driver for a while. Now, mind you, this guy is Jewish, so I’m the only black guy going to all these Jewish events. And again, this is politics, so I’m meeting Mayor Bloomberg and all these different people who shape the city.
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So I would just learn from him and get them whatever they needed. Like, “Yo, you need a coffee? Cool. I’m gonna go get it. You need this? Cool. I’ll do it.” One time, he asked me to do his dry cleaning. I didn’t care, man. I just wanted to find my way in and figure out how to do this.

Anyway, at a certain point, he was moving on from the state assembly, but he was like, “Listen, my brother is running for city council, and he’s going to need help.” So he introduced me, and I started working with him on the city council.

To be honest, that was one of the most difficult transitions in my life, bro. So a city council term is four years, and Mark Weprin ran for Congress.
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At the time, it looked like he was gonna win, but ultimately he didn’t end up winning. And that put my future in jeopardy as well. Like, I’m tied to this guy. And if he would’ve went to Congress, I would have been right with him. So I’m thinking, “Yo, we about to be on!” And when he didn’t win, it ultimately shifted my plans drastically.
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He’s like, “I gotta figure out what I’m gonna do.” And ultimately, that meant I had to figure out what I was gonna do. I’d built up a network by then, so I was trying to find my way into another city council spot.

I’m applying for everything, I’m trying to network, I’m doing my best, and it wasn’t working out. But even when I was doing politics, that was my day job. I ultimately became interested in working in the music industry.
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A friend of mine — shout out to my boy; we all call him 360. Anyway, he rapped. This is my man from the block, and I thought he was dope. Everybody in my hood thought he was dope. So I remember one day we went to Vegas, and after a party, we’re drunk and he’s freestyling, and it was so fire. And I’m like, “Yo, we gotta do something, bro. We can’t just do this block stuff. Let me manage you.” And he was with it.
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So I started making a plan. So during all this time, during the day, I’m at City Hall, suited up. And at night, I’m in the strip club. I’m in the clubs. We had events. We moving around the city, and I’m tryna get my boy hot.

This is the blog era, so Two Dope Boys, Nah Right, Rap Radar, were all in their peak. And my guy started getting some notoriety in the city. So I kinda had these two worlds that I was juggling, where I’m doing politics during the day, and then at night, I’m doing this rap thing. And when the politics route ended, it just forced me to be like, “I got to step it up with this rap shit. We have to make it, bro.”
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So, how the Wexington Entertainment thing happened, there was a guy that we met named Josh — salute to Josh. He played a major role in my story. Josh was an agent at the Agency Group, a major booking agency. They had Macklemore, A$AP Rocky, they had all the top rappers at the time, and they would book shows. So I was tryna get him to book my guy for shows. Ultimately, he didn’t sign my guy, but we stayed cool.
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But the rap shit is still actually working. We were on the radio, and even my mom heard it. So I’m thinking, “Man, we about to blow up! Like it’s only a matter of time.” And then my artist ended up getting locked up and sentenced to five years. So at that point, my whole world felt like it was crashing. I’m like, “Damn, I tried this politics thing, and it failed. And then I had this music thing, and I was at a place where I was just stuck, man.” So it’s like, damn, what am I gonna do?
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So I just spent that time doing a bunch of odd jobs, bro. Like we had built this studio. So I was managing the studio and trying to bring in clients to scrape up money for it. I was driving an Uber. I’m just doing everything to stay afloat, man.
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I’m like, “You know what? I’m applying for music industry jobs. I can’t get a call back. Like, this is a span of maybe two, almost three years. I’m just hustling, trying to figure it out. And I felt like I needed to do something that would be a virtual resume, because if I don’t, I’m gonna be stuck in this loop of people overlooking me, even though I know I can do it. I knew that if I got a job, I could kill it. I just needed to get in.

That was around the time the podcast era started, and I already knew a lot of people from my man rapping, being outside, and networking. So I figured that if I could just get all the people I know to come on my show, I could create enough buzz that a record label would look at me and be like, “All right, this guy, he’s making shit shake, man.” So I ultimately started Cigar Talk because I couldn’t get a job.
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But Josh ended up leaving The Agency Group to manage Macklemore full-time. And he was like, “Yo, I need some help, and you’re the guy that comes to mind. Would you be down to come with me?” And I’m like, “Hell yeah.” Ben — I guess Macklemore to everybody, lived in Seattle. And so I spent a lot of time out there.

You know, to be honest, man, that’s how I am, bro. I’ma jump straight in, and we make mistakes as we go. That’s how I’m wired. Let’s jump in the pool and sink or swim. And thankfully, he had faith in me to navigate his career. But I can’t say I did it by myself either.
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One of my closest friends is a guy named B. Dot. He worked at Rap Radar. And at the time, he was working for XXL magazine. So he was a popular blogger, and this is my guy, right? And I was a plus one at all the events with my boy. He and another gentleman, Elliott Wilson, had one of the hottest podcasts, too.

So, salute to him, because a lot of what I was able to accomplish was Dot kinda helping me out and giving me guidance on things he’s seen in his journey in the music industry. And then it’s also like, once I get in these rooms, it’s my time to shine, right? Once you’re in the room, you make some connections and figure out who’s who. I think that’s one of the lost arts today. I feel like, because everything is so internet-based, people forget the real-life building phase.
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And to me, one of the keys to getting to the next level was being outside so much that I kept seeing the same people over and over. And they’d be like, “Yo, what do you do?” At this time, I’m not really even doing anything except managing 360, but it’s like you see somebody so much and you kinda create a presence. And I was able to build and learn from there.
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But it was so frustrating, man. I spent all of these years applying for jobs and getting turned down. I always tell people I gave up a thousand times, and then a week later, I’m like, “All right, fuck it. I’m back.”

Well, ultimately, my Cigar Talk plan worked. I had a lot of big artists and rappers on my show. Like I interviewed Nicki Minaj. That was like one of the biggest moments of my career. We did a Cigar Talk meets Queen Radio show, where she brought me to her studio in LA, and I interviewed her on Queen Radio. I also interviewed 50 [Cent], Lil Durk, and DaBaby when he was hot. I interviewed a lot of big artists, and it did a lot of numbers.
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And one day, somebody hit me on LinkedIn saying, “Hey, we came across your profile. We’re opening up this manager job in urban [sales]. We saw your podcast, and we feel like you might be a good fit. So could you come interview?” And I was like, “Hell yeah! I’m all in.”
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But I think having that [Wexington experience] on my resume, plus what I was doing with Cigar Talk, caught their eye. So I interviewed, and luckily, the person who was my boss took a liking to me, and we’ve been rocking ever since.

Man, it was crazy, bro. I realized in my life and career that it takes a long time, and you don’t know when the moment’s gonna hit. It could be years from now. And it’s like, do you want to be committed enough to put in the years of work without results that it takes to get to the moment where you’re like, “Finally, I’m here?”
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And even that opportunity — I started at the ground level. I was just a manager. But I knew that once I got in the door, I could flourish. I just needed my shot. And I’m just so grateful and thankful to Orchard. Shout out to Sony, man. They gave me a chance to show what I could do. But yeah, it definitely hit different, and I’m super grateful that they gave me the opportunity.

Just more responsibility, man. As a manager, your responsibilities and expectations are like this: here’s your description, and do this. And you’re just tryna figure it out. But how do I continue to elevate?
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And for me, I didn’t get hired to like sign people, but I come from the school of thought that nobody turns down good work. You know what I mean? And that’s everywhere. That’s corporate America. That’s the streets. And that’s what I learned in my journey. If the work is fire, they’re gonna be open and receptive.
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Again, I started as a Manager of Sales and Commerce, so it was my job to get people on playlists. Like when you go to Spotify and Apple Music, there are people who program these playlists, and these playlists ultimately lead to discovery. Like, there are millions and millions of people who listen to these playlists. And the higher you are on the playlist, the more chance you have of getting your art discovered.
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So I needed to get cool with the people who programmed these playlists so that our artists can get as high up as possible. But I can only be as successful doing playlists as the artists we got, right? If I don’t have dope artists, they ain’t gonna program the playlist just cause I’m friends with them. Like, they have a job to do, too.
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Keep in mind, I’m tryna summarize ten years of stuff, but there was a point where my guy B also let me be a blogger for Rap Radar. So, in that process, a lot of artists would hit me up like, “Yo, check me out, check my music.” And the one artist who I really took a liking to was this kid named Baby Keem.
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He sent me his music in 2016 or 2017. And this is actually before I had the Sony job. But I just thought the kid was super dope. I felt like he could really blow up. So I just stayed in contact with him. We did a lot of stuff together — you know, studio sessions, and we chilled together.
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And when I got the Sony job, I would go to the guy who was the boss at the time, and I’d be like, “Yo, I know we don’t know each other, but this kid, Baby Keem, he fire. I’m telling you, like, y’all need to sign Baby Keem.” And I’m just this new guy, so everybody’s like, “Get outta here, man.” But I would go to this guy’s office every week, like at least once a week, and be like, “Yo, I’m tryna tell you — Baby Keem, don’t miss the train.”
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Eventually, he’s like, “All right, all right. Let me, let me check out this Baby Keem thing.” Now, mind you, I don’t know if you’re familiar with Baby Keem at all, but he’s Kendrick Lamar’s cousin. So we got an ace in the hole.
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And ultimately, once he tapped in, he was like, “Damn, this shit is fire,” and he signed him. And the same thing with this other girl named Tems. So I was bringing people to this guy who could sign them.
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And once it ultimately blew up, everyone’s like, “Yo, who bought this kid in?” And that ultimately changed my life. When you make a corporation millions of dollars, people start paying attention to you. Your word means a little more.
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So I didn’t just stick to my job description. How do you find holes in a larger entity and plug them? Like I said, nobody’s turning down good work. And I feel like I brought the good work to the table. And once everybody else realized the quality of the work, ultimately, that leveled up my position in the music industry.

I think the most critical skill was not giving up. I just never quit, bro. I just took all my licks. I got mad, I got frustrated. I’ve been like, “Man, this ain’t fair.” And then I get back up, dust myself off, and go again and again.

I’ve always been interested in boxing since I was a kid. I remember my pops showed me the Ali vs. Foreman fight. That was the first fight I’d ever seen as a kid. I just remember hearing the announcers talk about this big killer, George Foreman. But Muhammad Ali just had this unwavering confidence, and nobody believed him. But he talked it, and he walked it. And that just inspired me to a different place, man. And from there, I loved boxing, bro.
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I always wanted to do boxing, too, but boxing wasn’t like hip hop was around me. Like, if you open the door and step outside my block, somebody outside has a radio, you know what I’m saying? It’s hip hop all around. Boxing, you have to go find it. But I’ve always said I wanted to work in hip hop or boxing, and it’s always been a large part of my story.
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But like I told you, I actually did the podcast to get a job. I didn’t do it because I wanted to be a podcaster or to interview rappers. But I think once I achieved that goal, I started wanting to chase my passion.

I’d built up this page to 100,000 subscribers, and I wanted to do something I’m passionate about. And I think at the time, you know, hip hop podcasts started getting oversaturated. The podcast world was shifting, and I felt like it was a great time to pivot to the thing that I love, and my passion — at least from a media standpoint — is boxing, man. So after I achieved my goal, it was time for a rebrand, so I pivoted from interviewing rappers.

Nah, bro. Same hustles, just a different strip. It’s just funny how certain stuff impacts your life or your journey.
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Roc Nation had just announced they were jumping into sports. That’s a big deal. Jay-Z’s jumping into sports! The president of Roc Nation Sports is Juan Perez. I met Juan — everybody calls him OG Juan. But I met Juan at an event at the 40/40 [Club] one night. And you know, I’m just a young kid at the time talking shit like, “Yo if y’all want to do good in boxing, you need to come see me, I’m telling you.” So I’m just talking. He’s just like, “Who the hell is this guy?” But you know, I’m from New York, so I’m talking shit.
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And then he was like, “All right, so if you were to sign somebody from Roc Nation, who would you sign?” And I was like, “Yo, y’all need to sign Andre Ward. Ward is the man, and I feel like with the right resources, he could start to sell,” and blah blah. This was right when Andre Ward was having contract problems and had just gotten out of his contract.
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And when I said it, he looked at me, and he was kinda interested. So he gave me his email. What I didn’t know at the time was that they had just done a deal with Andre Ward, but they hadn’t announced it yet. Nobody knew it. I mean, he knew it, but I guess the fact that I was thinking that way, he was like, “Shit, maybe this kid knows a little something.”

So I was emailing him every day like, “Yo man, let me come to the office.” And one day, he let me come to the office, and I just never left, bro. I overstayed my welcome. I would just be coming to the office all the time like, “Yo, what’s up? What y’all need over here? I can get some coffee. What y’all need, man?”

And I’m just trying to understand the lay of the land, what they’re doing, how I can help, what gaps I can bridge. And that’s how I met Jay. It was crazy, like surreal shit. I had this guy’s poster on my wall, you know what I’m saying?
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But one day we’re in the office, and I told Juan, “Yo, let me work here, man. I’m telling you, I can help. And he’s like, “You want a job? Find me a good boxer that makes sense, and I’ll give you a job.”
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Now this is like 2015, maybe. So this is the point where I’m still hustling, and I’m broke right now, bro. I had enough money to pay my phone bill and to pay my car note, and that’s it. And when he said that, I was like, “All right, this is my mission. I gotta find somebody.” So I started going to all the amateur boxing tournaments. So, every amateur boxing tournament that was anywhere near me, I was there.
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And the people that I saw that I thought were really good were Shakur Stevenson, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, and Richardson Hitchins. Those were the three guys that I gravitated to, and I reached out to them. I was over there capping like, “Yo, listen, I work with Roc Nation.” I’m just saying anything to bring them to the office so that I can try to push some shit together.
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And Shakur Stevenson was the first person that I met, and I was like, “Yo, I’m with Roc Nation, and they wanna sign you.” And I’m just saying this shit because I’m like, if I just put him in the office, they’re gonna understand. They’re both gonna see the vision, and we’re gonna make it happen. So he told me, ”If you wanna sign me, I’m in Virginia, come pull up.” So I was like, “All right, bet.”
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So I drove down to Virginia and was there with him in the gym, just talking to him and watching him spar. And he’s maybe 16 or 17 at the time. And how I told you I saw Baby Keem — this is what I saw when I looked at this guy. I’m like, this kid is different.

Anyway, long story short, I went back to Roc Nation and talked to the person in charge of operations. He was like, “Nah, Shakur is too small. I don’t wanna do it.” And I’m like, “Yo bro, this guy’s gonna be a world champion! I’m telling you!” And he didn’t get it. He didn’t see the vision, so nothing ever happened.
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But ultimately, I tell the story because, back to Cigar Talk, I’m still interviewing artists at the time. And like I said, I wanted to switch to boxing, but I didn’t know where to start. I did an interview with a rapper, Finesse2tymes, and he had just got out of jail. He’s like one of the hottest things out. So I had him on my show, and it kinda went viral.
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So Shakur DMs me one day. Now, mind you, I haven’t talked to this kid in years. This is maybe like seven years later. The Roc Nation shit didn’t work, whatever. I’m just watching his career from afar as a fan, but that was it. But he reaches out to me one day like, “Yo, I’ve just seen your interview with Finesse2tymes. You the guy that came to Virginia from Roc Nation, right?” And I was like, “Yeah.” He’s like, “Yo, that’s crazy! I remember.” He’s like, “I seen this interview and I remembered you like, shit, this is the guy from Roc Nation back in the day.” He was like, “Yo, could I get on your show?” And I was like, “Hell yeah!” And that was the first boxing interview I did.
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And it went viral, too. He said a bunch of stuff about Floyd [Mayweather], and it did a whole lot of numbers. The boxing community really embraced it. And from there, other boxers just started reaching out to me because they saw that, and it just kind of created a chain reaction.
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So I’ll just tell you that story to show you how crazy it is. Years ago, I tried to sign him, and it didn’t work. And I’m like, “Damn, man. Another failed opportunity.” And then later, he turned out to be the person who literally transitioned me to the boxing game.

I can’t say too much right now, but I’ll say that Cigar Talk is bigger than media. I think everyone currently knows me as the podcast guy, which — cool, I’ll take that. But what I’m building is not just a media brand. It’s bigger than that.
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So yeah, I’m doing a lot of other things in the boxing business that I’ll be revealing soon. I think when it’s all said and done, people are not going to look at me as the podcast guy. I think you gotta get in the game first, and then you make your mark. So the podcast is what I used to get in the game. And now I’m looking to make my mark.