Thug Life Army

Kevin Liles who is responsible for helping discover and direct the careers of hip hop and rap artists Jay-Z, Ludacris, Ashanti, DMX, Ja Rule, Kanye West, LL Cool J, and many more hip hop personalities, possesses all the necessary "street cred" to deliver the message contained in his book ‘Make It Happen: The Hip Hop Generation Guide to Success’. Liles 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 impressive 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."

Kevin Liles groundbreaking book, ‘Make It Happen: The Hip Hop Generation Guide to Success’ is based on 10 Rules of Business, and 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.

"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 is available in paperback from Atria Books September 26^th.