Hip-Hop Wired: As an executive producer at MTV News what responsibility do you feel you have to cater to the expanding needs of Hip-Hop audiences?
Sway: I’m working on transcending even more who we are, who we can be. I want to change the zeitgeist of our audience and open their minds to conversation beyond the perimeters that we set for ourselves. Just because we come from Hip-Hop culture there’s no reason we shouldn’t be discussing the State of the Union Address, immigration, i wage, or healthcare reform… It affects us all on a daily basis. That’s why I look at Jay Z. That’s my peer, but I look up to this dude in the sense that he is fearless in his approach to things now. And I see now that he’s found a peace and calm, and being secure and confident as a man. You know he’s embracing love in front of the world openly. He’s acknowledging his child and it’s beautiful. At the same time he’s walking in areas none of us have seen or been exposed to. In terms of Hip-Hop journalism, I’ve been able to walk in areas that a lot of us haven’t been exposed to, and not just in front of the camera but in the corporate side just navigating up that Viacom corporate ladder.
Hip-Hop Wired: How has that journey changed over the years?
Sway: They come to me now and ask me to lead the charge when it comes to selling those networks, not just MTV, when we do our upfronts and we’re talking to our clients and advertisers, I’m the guy whose at the helm of that talking about the metrics and our quarterly results and stock. That’s a whole other layer to it all. It’s just so much bigger than taking a picture next to a rapper and getting your views and your likes. You got to go through those steps and I get that but you also have to think about your legacy and contribution to it all. I never wanted to be a customer I always wanted to be a contributor.
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