Kevin Liles to release book on hip hop generation guide to success

Now, more than ever, this book's message of hope needs to be heard.

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- His groundbreaking book, based on 10 Rules of Business, is the first and only one of its kind on the market to share the wisdom of success with America's urban youth. Since that time, this same demographic has faced the ongoing aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and, according to U.S. census data released last month, poverty levels are at a record high. Some 13 million children now live in extreme poverty, an increase of 22%. Never before has this country's young people been faced such economic hardship on such a massive scale.

Kevin Liles is the face of the new generation of business leaders. At 38 he is the youngest and highest ranking executive in the music industry today, offering a guiding voice on how make aspirations for a better life become reality, and he does it in a clear, concise way that resonates with young readers unlike any "how to" career guide on the market.

The thousands of email messages he received from readers after the book first hit, thanking him for teaching and inspiring them to "break their chains," is testimony to that. One woman in New Orleans, who heard Liles' speaking on the radio, even vowed to learn to read so that she could access his book.

The author, who is responsible for helping discover and direct the careers of Jay-Z, Ludacris, Ashanti, DMX, Ja Rule, Kanye West, LL Cool J, and many more stars, possesses all the necessary "street cred" to deliver this message. His phenomenal success is more than just a modern-day Cinderella story. It's a tribute to his incredible work ethic and unwavering belief that anyone, now matter how tough their circumstances, has a shot of making it in the business world if they do it right.

In his book he tells how he rose from intern to president of Def Jam records in only nine years. He describes the experience of his meteoric climb from an urban street kid with dreams of making it in hip hop to a top executive at a multi-billion dollar music company and demonstrates to readers how they, too, can attain their goals by applying a set of principles based on what he calls, "the hip hop way."

"Every real success story in hip hop comes down to the same thing: someone who finds the will, the focus and the drive to achieve," Liles writes. "It doesn't matter if you are male or female. It doesn't matter what race or religion you are. It doesn't even matter what hustle you choose." What does matter, he continues, is that you do not take "no" for an answer or abide the negativity of others. You empower yourself and make it happen.

Infused with street smarts and the fresh pulse of hip hop itself, Make It Happen embodies Liles' manifesto, "The only ghetto that can hold you down is the ghetto of the mind."

MAKE IT HAPPEN: THE HIP HOP GENERATION GUIDE TO SUCCESS by
Kevin Liles with Samantha Marshall
(Atria Books; October 2006; Trade Paperback; $13.00)