Antoine Allen, Filmmaker: Master P did it (he's a rapper), Cash Money they did it, 50 Cent did it,
Jay-Z did it because they built their own table.
Film Courage: Antoine when you were in the music industry how often was
the most successful artist the most talented?
Antoine: Not so much because a lot of times it's politics.
Sometimes politics override talent. So nowadays I tell people talent being talented is not enough.
You can't be a one-trick-pony. You’ve got to do different things so when I was in the music
business there were so many talented people but they didn't get they shot because they
know this person this is a little politics game so a lot of times the people didn't get to eat shot
yeah so it really came down to them not knowing someone yeah not knowing somebody this and that
and you have some people that actually made it but you know they fade out so now it's
a business a politics if you're talented as a bonus but it's a lot of politics in any type of
organization that's so popular yeah can we break down what politics means to the music industry
yes with any any industry so sometimes it'd be an individual that's really talented like really
talented artists but they don't play the politics game positives game could be you don't have a lot
of money to pay a DJ you don't know the certain producer you're not willing to sacrifice your
morals to get to the next level this is an oil and this is all type of fields this is a regular job
sometimes you have a boss that one take advantage of you to get to the next level that's go back to
my point about knowing yourself because a lot of leeches out there a lot of predators out
there in all industries in life so that's the politics so while they get around the politics
is the best moon yourself instead of waiting for a sea at the table you build your own table massive
p did it he's a rapper cash money they did it 50 cent did it jay-z did it because they built their
own table from their career they were trying everybody said no shut the door and they built
their own table that's how you get around politics because you become the nerve of your own story
did you see people with that mindset still get swallowed up not really I mean you're
gonna get a little bit but not really because you don't control your own destiny I've seen
people that didn't do that and got take advantage of because they didn't know the value of yourself
so that's why I tell know yourself like I had a friend well my homegirl talented artist
she was with this producer it was making music and he made advance at her and she said you know what
i'm not into it she he tried to blackball her so a lot of studios in the neighborhood don't
mess with this girl she's difficult she wasn't difficult you was trying to do something with her
that was inappropriate so these are things you got to watch out for the leech and and and know
and a lot of people if you don't know your value you're going to do it think you're gonna get ahead
but you don't have to do that that's what I love today now there's no gatekeepers
how long were you in the music industry before you realized that the most talented artist
was not always the most successful all right so I got into it because I've seen
some you see it now so many talented people but they don't get their chance and sometimes
it's like that life ain't fit right so you're gonna find that like me i'm a talented person
but i'm not there wherever I was at because i'm taking the long way it's times I could have took
shortcuts I could have done certain things but my morals and values won't don't allow it so
sometimes you gotta take the long way but eventually you get to your destination
what are shortcuts and then and in my world shulkers was I mean I went to this party
and I needed for one of my films and it was like a cult it's a coke party it was a cook party
so I went there and I wanted to meet this producer and he was interested in one of my projects to
invest in but he was doing coke and you know you should take a hit I don't do coke I didn't come in
and do coke I can't have a meeting so that's the politics in advance now if I didn't know myself
I would've took some coke I would've wanted to play the game but that just wasn't me
while I was filming Lola won I had an investor she didn't want to invest in the film because
my league actress Taja V. Simpson was doxing she wanted a lighted person so I knew my value
i'm not playing that light game to appeal to a wide orders a caucasian orders so I decided i'm
gonna stick to my guns i'm gonna get a darker female for my film I won't do the film like I
want to do it so those are things that we we don't hear about but it's all happening
behind the scenes of getting to the next level that was actually said yes and so
how I realized this is touchy but you know it's not okay yeah so for me when a person told me that
I said okay I invest in my own movie because i'm not going to be swimming by no dollar i'm from
no I come from a different era so we hustle our own things we don't that's why when I
came in the film industry it was so many things going on I was like why are y'all waiting like
but I have a different mindset maybe if I have the film experience I might be like
everybody else but I came in this game like really hustling invested in my own films and
because I realized that no one's going to be to hear about my story I got to be here with my story
yeah so when you when you saw that email or got that text or got that phone call you knew okay
this is time to part ways yes because you know at the end of the day if someone giving you money
it's going to come with some things that situation I ain't like that and I speak about it in other
interviews and I tell sometimes in the industry they would cast a lighter person a more light-like
person to appeal to white orders because they could sell it more and is it true I don't care
but is this true could people do it I’ll give you example Denzel Washington and he talked about they
talked about this you can find this article when they was promoting it overseas and try to make it
really big America Gangster they put Russell Crowe in the poster and Russell Crowe was a
he wasn't that big in the film but he put him in the poster the pillars of wide orders I even go
down to 50 cent 50 cent got show called power when he was promoting power they had to put
the guy that played Tommy on the cover the pilot orders it could just be the main actor Omari
Hardwick so this is a politics game people don't realize that that does happen in this industry
were you making good money in the music industry no it was making nothing it was horrible I was
spending way more money than because with the music industry it's like the lottery it's a hit
or miss yes I was making zero nothing what were you spending it on all this stuff videos I was a
manager so I was investing into the artist and not only make no money back but what I did made was
experience that allowed me to take it to the film industry so I used my short films as my mixtapes
and my feature films as my albums so I use that analogy they slide into the
film industry but I have I had some great experience I make no money but great experience
so you were working these other jobs hotels security all these different things and doing
this and how tired were you I was it when you have something that you love you don't tire
and it's so rewarding it's amazing to come up with ideas in your head and you don't need a
degree you don't need you just need a passion and a drive so I was tired and when did you leave the
music industry maybe 10 years ago right around the time you had sort of this revelation that you did
I was dibbling and dab I was sliding out but officially ten years ago
did you did you have to tell the artist some of the artists that you're working with that you're
sorry oh they know I was leaving oh they knew okay I was like i'm going yeah I got to figure it out
and I left and it was a great decision because it made me realize my value my worth and when I got
into the film industry I fell in love I know that I tell people too you want to do something with
your life fall in love with something when you fall in love with something you do anything how
many times do you have a relationship with girls or a guy you did anything for that fall in love
with something and it'd be the best thing so once you once you sort of like gave your own notice to
yourself you gave your two weeks notice what were some of the first things you started doing for
the film industry first building a company so I started Antoine Films and I wanted to brand myself
and do all that stuff and then I did my first short film switch decision won tons of awards
and then I did a feature film called Life Too Short went tons of awards international
domestically and I kept going and I loved every minute of it I was telling all different stories
and I really like it was it was great because I would control everything there wasn't an artist
with me out the artist and it worked out perfectly and you were still working these jobs too to pay
for okay hotels can pay really well yeah yeah I just gave up my job a year before covert oh
wow okay yeah okay yeah and sometimes these hotel jobs too you have these flexible hours yeah it was
makeups in union making like 35 hours wow so I was I was good but it sounds good but in New York City
it's like huh if I was living somewhere else like in Atlanta I’d be rich but in New York City
it's just not enough did you have a car or no no okay yeah Uber or every day okay oh over here.
Question For The Viewers: What is
your opinion on why the most talented artists are not the most successful?