“Portia: Me, the B-girl, who loves Hip Hop, the mom, the single lady, and the transparent, real me who longs to inspire and change lives in a positive, impactful way. My mission is to tell people Jesus Christ really loves them and I do this just by living my life and sharing it.”                                                                                                               - PK

Talk of Fame 101 Interview

During your time as a writer, on Marley Marl’s production team, who did you write for?   Myself. I was a recording artist. I wrote for me.

I would say B-girl/hip hop dancer. Dancing is my first love. I think my mother and stepfather attempted to make me a singer first, but I wasn’t and I think there’s a difference. I could sing, but wasn’t a singer. Dancing was natural and second nature to me, and my mother put me in dance class at four. I trained in ballet, pointe, modern, and tap, but really fell in love at Alvin Ailey with a technique called Dunham. I recall my instructor having a stick and the drummers were awesome, Oh, those African drums! I also loved Latin jazz, which became another passion of mine. My stepfather was a jazz musician who played Latin jazz as well. I would dance, and dance, and dance during his gigs, rehearsals, and recordings at the Blue Note, Village Gate, etc. He’d be playing with these icons and there wasn’t really much for me to do, so, I’d dance! As a preteen, I was exposed to what we now call hip-hop. In fact, it was at Ailey at the Minskoff Theater, I recall seeing the b-boys on Times Square while at the bar and I knew then, THAT’S what I wanted to do. My mother was a bit disappointed that I chose dancing on the street over Julliard, especially because everyone thought of hip hop in the early years as a fad. All I knew was that I felt free. In dance class, I often felt stifled unless in Dunham. There’s nothing like the energy of dancing in the clubs/streets, battling, especially during the early 80s for me. It was our lifestyle and culture and your crew was your family. So, dance will always be first for me.  

What do you enjoy most about dancing?

Freedom. Dance is life. It’s another gift from God. Dance is one of my gifts and I am so grateful for it. It’s communication for me; freedom, my passion. It allows me to speak when I don’t have the words, whether it’s joy or pain. Actually, it’s music that is my passion and dance is one of the languages I speak. There’s no expiration date for it. We often limit the hip-hop culture, urban culture when we assume that it’s no longer “relevant” over a certain age. But with Fleetwood Mac or the Rolling Stones it’s titled CLASSIC rock. One of the reasons why I started the short #healthyheartsforhiphop vids was to say I’m still here. I can’t dance the way I used to, but I will always be relevant. My generation created this beautiful culture and we never said it died. Dance lives forever, whether you’re a senior or a toddler!

How did the conversation of exploring other areas of the music business come about between you and your mentors/close friends Eric “Eazy E” Wright and Tupac Shakur?

While I had the opportunity to write and support Tupac’s PR team, it was really Eric that I would say was the BIG brother and who I shadowed. I was a recording artist/dancer and living in Los Angeles. Eric was cool with my cousin who worked for CNN and she’d ask him to “babysit” and mentor me because CNN, Priority, and ASCAP were in the same building. Honestly, I wasn’t really interested. I was a dancer who loved hitting the clubs and a newly signed artist, who was young and wanted to have fun. Eric was older. Focused, and really a businessman. I don’t recall a conversation per se. Sometimes young people learn by WATCHING. I was watching, and I recall saying to myself, “He’s really working”, especially when he’d bring me to meetings with attorneys or was reviewing paperwork. I also understood that while Eric was an artist that he was a businessman first. When I graduated college after he passed, I knew I wanted to not just be an executive but someone who empowered others. He was a great mentor.

How did you hear about the marketing position at Universal Records in NYC?

I heard about the position outside of 1755 Broadway. I was coming from a meeting and saw Heavy D outside. We were talking for awhile, catching up and talking about how much things were changing in the business. I explained that I had just finished school and was not really sure what to do with my career. My dad was in radio and I really didn’t want to go that path. I thought from being in the business as a dancer and artist, I probably had some skills in marketing or PR. He told me to go upstairs, 7^th floor, and get a job. Uptown didn’t have positions, but Universal Records had an opening. I started in publicity at the rock department. They had an agency and I actually had to go through the agency for the job.

Would you say head of marketing was a hard job to fulfill?

It’s a lot of responsibility to lead any team. You’re essentially not just managing lots of different personalities but a vision that has to align with an end goal in mind or a strategic plan. It can be challenging to pull all of these great ideas together so that it makes sense, not just creatively, but also in the numbers. I think any label head has its challenges, particularly if you want to do more than just sell records. If you want to sell records, build brands that have longevity, and more importantly, inspire leaders and impact your community, you have to have the courage to do things differently. Some leaders are just concerned with the bottom line and not concerned with mentoring future leaders. So, this position is a tough position if you like to not just follow the trends but create your own. I think I learned that from Eric. You want to build a legacy and not just fans that will be here today and gone tomorrow.

Would you consider starting your own label?

I did at one time. I’m a single mom and divorced, so I decided to make my daughter a priority and starting my own label would’ve been too time-consuming. However, launching Mizay (BrickSquad/Asylum) with Debra Antney and India Graves, I think taught me that I didn’t need a label to break artists. When we first started, I was strategic marketing, PR, new media, sales, video promotions, touring, etc. I brought in India for radio promotions and she picked up booking/touring. Malcolm covered the streets and Cevere handled office operations. Starting my own label boiled down to time and of course, funds. So, I considered starting my own label, but God lead me down another path.

Would you say that the PK Faith Inspirational Radio Show has helped believers to be more understanding with non-believers’ hesitation to attend church and help non-believers to feel more respectful towards Christians’ beliefs?

 I don’t do the show any longer, but when I did…PKFaith might’ve been the toughest assignment I ever had because while I am a born again Christian, I think I am very untraditional and not “religious” per se. If you look on the CNN special, you’ll see I had a Catholic priest, a Jewish guest, a Buddhist, and a Muslim all praying together. The PKFaith show was a show where the “unchurched” could feel welcomed and our slogan was - discussing the topics the church won’t touch. My calling is for people outside of the church and to meet people where they are. I am not called to tell anyone they’re going to hell. I minister love and Christ has blessed me to do that. So, yes, I think the show helped people to give Christ a shot who otherwise felt unloved by the church or Christians.This also meant being shut down by the church because I wasn’t traditional and it also meant, not being embraced by the secular market because playing “Holy Hip Hop” didn’t fit or mesh well with the secular world. This was actually a painful experience because when I had an A list artist attached to my name everyone called. When I asked them to visit to discuss FAITH, they weren’t available. Still, I answered the call and think it was a blessing.

What do you want to be remembered for?

Blessing people. I just want to bless people and know because of something I did or said someone has hope. That’s what my life is all about. Being a vessel and loving on those who need it the most.