Who.I.Am
In the fall of 1994, before the idea of an "urban market" was born, a driven, young visionary and bold tastemaker, Omar "Animal Steele" Barnes exploded into the fashion industry. He was, at that time, the first and only African American buyer on the specialty store scene. S&D Underground (and Jimmy Jazz), a then budding urban contemporary shop in need of direction, recruited Animal Steele to capture and sustain an affluent customer base. With small yet distinctive locations in Canarsie and Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, the owners were immediately captivated by his uncanny skill of forecasting and pioneering trends. With his focus on brand building, point-of-sale merchandising and staff productivity, Animal Steele propelled S&D
Underground into the number one specialty store in the country. The store carried once inaccessible brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Polo, Nicole Miller, Betsy Johnson, Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY, Versace, Moschino, and Iceberg. This, a feat no other specialty store, let alone department store, had accomplished. Animal Steele's understanding of how fashion and entertainment interconnected led to the feature of these super-exclusive items. These items soon attracted elitists and influentials. Before long, celebrities such as Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. frequented the store.
Controlling and networking with this demographic would prove to be a key factor in the days to come. Animal Steele was working overtime on a path that would impact the music business. While buying and consulting famous brands of style, design, and fit for these elite and influentials, Animal Steele became a key component in the creation of Tha Supa Group "US". Innovative sounds, creative, yet, strategic branding, and grassroots marketing made sonic and objectively impactful waves on the independent scene. Animal Steele's aggressive concepts propelled the independent label through the filming of digital videos and Electronic Press Kits. This tactic controlled cable access and major video shows,both national and international. Unfortunately BET and MTV wouldn't accept this new digital format but the Source and XXL magazines published feature articles on the unsigned group, which was, at the time unprecedented. The group had major success at the college, mix-show level, and even Howard Stern but not enough funding to take it to commercial heights. The invaluable lessons learned empowered Animal Steele in his comprehensive work at the A&R/Artist Development arena, and, spawned producer powerhouses Dangerous LLC and Midi Mafia.
Finding the "next big thing" became priority. The music business was
changing rapidly and Animal Steele knew that mixtapes would become the new "mix-show" radio. Branding Mixtape DJ's gave Animal Steele the ability
to work with, and develop, a plethora of rising and unsigned recording artists. Delightfully witty, clever, and refreshingly honest, Animal Steele built invaluable relationships and indispensable alliances with the next-generation of greats. Working with these key DJ's and distinctive artists were the pieces of the enigmatic music puzzle that created Moguls like P. Diddy and Russell Simmons. Animal Steele set his eyes on likes of DJ Boom. DJ Boom's mixtapes became the launch pad for Rap's New Generation, more specifically, Kanye West. Animal Steele was the first to break Kanye into the grass roots world of Mixtape Marketing, and this later lead to Kanye West's own artist mixtapes. After the Mixtapes mainstream impact in 2003 Animal regionalized his operation. DJ Vlad "The West Coast Mixtape King" was added to the arsenal. Animal Steele created the concept behind the award winning "Rap Phenomenon" series, which dominates the mixtape scene to this day.
In Spring 2003 Animal Steele was exposed to the poetry of the seminal hip-hop group "The Last Poets". An affinity towards the group immediately formed. The Last Poets founded hip-hop by means of recording spoken word to the music of times (the late sixties), which has stretched to present day. Animal Steele had an epiphany. By bridging the generational gap with contemporary artists, Animal Steele could create Hip-Hop's version of Carlos Santana's "Supernatural" album. Animal Steele immediately called Dead Prez, Common, Kanye West, Erykah Badu, John Legend and many more. A documentary, a classic album, and Common's smash single "The Corner" was born.
When Animal Steele was nearing the project's end he was determined to start a Consulting Firm, with a distinctive niche in the middle management of music and fashion, entertainment marketing, and cross
branding. Animal Steele has founded "Option To Buy Ent., LLC," whilst
partnering up with entrepreneurs everywhere to embark on cutting edge endeavors.
