this week on "our world with black enterprise" i caught up with one of the busiest men in the music industry, andre harrell and explore marriage in the black community. slice of life is looking to beat records. that is what is going on in our world, up next. [ stevie wonder's "i just called to say i love you" plays ] ♪ ♪ i just called ♪ to say i love you ♪ ♪ i just called ♪ to say how much i care ♪ [ female announcer ] chevy cruze.

from the top of your mind to the bottom of your heart, chevy runs deep.

for decades his name sin none news with mary j. blige and sean combs. now he's looking for the next big star. ♪ >> welcome to harrell records. >> i recently caught up with him at the studio. >> thanks for spending time with us, brother. >> my measure. >> you can't talk about modern music without talking about you. many of the big names, you're

connected to. how did that happen? >> i guess some of it was timing, some was luck. i think it was i was a rap star, i was in dr. jeckyll and mr. hyde. i used to work for r russell simmons, i wanted to do r & b, i bridged the culture with new jack swing. ♪ >> when you started off the group, you had hits yourself, three big hits. what made you leave being an artist --. >> what made me leave i was a manager as well as being an artist, l.l. cool j., when he got out there, he had screaming girl fans like new edition, i was already singing about rolexs and bentleys, if i have to break

it down and sing about boom boxes it's time to me to step to the back and put the young guys forward. >> by 1986 you started uptown. >> heavy d and the boys. ♪ >> how did you have the eye for targeting acts that weren't circulating at the time? >> it was timing and hip hop was becoming mainstream, i wanted to put it with r&b. my artist that fit my soul. >> another piece you added to the equation was love. >> 100%. i grew up on motown, marvin gaye, diana ross, i always had love in the back of my mine, i grew up with love, with heavy d, the concept with him was let's

take the eye off his weight and put your eye more on his style and his heart, and his swag. so when he was singing "i want somebody to love me for me" ♪ >> that was always the concept style and love and attitude. >> you gave us ghetto love, mary j. blige singing -- that is a great image. what happened to that stuff? >> in the 80s, radio, black radio especially was about rap. it wasn't necessarily a lot of love in rap. >> one of the things you mentioned was motown how the uptown sound becomes a response to motown and the critics said andre harrell was over his head, once he got to the big corporation he couldn't handle it. >> they knew me coming in the door they were this far in the

hole and they could have said to me "we should do it this way" had to tell me i'll let you build the biggest record company. takes five years to build it. i was only there for six months before stuff started popping up in the papers. >> that is one of the reasons most of the time taken over your own corporations, your own interests and new label. >> four guys from atlanta, 18, 19 years old, singing about love. ♪ >> it really is about love. one of the things you're doing is global talent search. >> correct. >> people can meet andre harrell. >> london, france, new jersey, kansas city, l.a., go to and have a live meeting with me.

>> you don't have any space for like an over the hill tv host looking to start his rap career? >> that boat sailed. >> i can do something. >> i heard you got obama rap. >> i got political rap. i could bring back dr. jeckyll. >> you could bring back public enemy. >> another opportunity you've taken up is the radio. >> yes, i have a radio show on 98.7. >> champagne and bubbles sunday with andre harrell, 98.7, kiss fm. >> what makes you sit every sunday to do a radio show? >> all the information i'm able to give my artists to get them to stand up strong and walk and run, i felt like i should be telling the whole city this or the whole nation this. i play the classic 90s music and all the new stuff. >> 98.7 kiss fm, that was 112 with only you. >> in the midst of all your

success you suddenly had a major health crisis. what happened? >> i had an infection in my blood that got to my heart. so when i went to the hospital, i went to my -- they performed surgery. it was scary but i wasn't in pain. i started texting my friends, texting russell, i was saying things to them like "if i never told you i loved you before, i love you. >> you get real spaz emotional. >> i texted chris rock and said something about 4:30 in the morning, puff was the last one i sent it, to okay i got to manage his response. ten minutes at 4:30 in the morning he walks in the hospital talking about this is my father. >> that speaks to the love you have in the industry. >> everybody says good things about you. a lot of people don't have the reputation. >> it wasn't just about the business, it was about giving black people opportunity. >> there it is.

he is a lover, an drape harrell. up next. >> if i have spent ten years of my life being educate and i married someone that doesn't it's obvious we have a different value system. [ benny ] so one day mark, the rav4 and me were chillin', right ya know, ridin' down broadway. the sun was shinin'... ...that's when my man mark had a great idea. so we picked up nina, greg and sheila. mark loaded up the rav... then nina loaded up the rav [ laughs ] ...even i loaded up the rav. and we head to the one spot... [ barks ] ...that could top it all off. you know what i mean? ♪ yeah... that was a good day. ♪

♪explosion i love telling big stories about big heroes: people we admire and look up to. but, at the end of the day, real life is better than any story. our service men and women are the real heroes. every day they make the sacrifices for their country; for my country; for my son's country. my dad was a marine and a navy historian. he was the first one to show me just how much these men and women give up. they leave their families and their homes. they train, they fight, they struggle for us, and so much of the time it goes unnoticed and un-thanked. and that is what i love so much about the uso. it gives us real ways to support our real heroes.

the uso lifts the spirits of america's troops and their families, and there is a way we can say thanks. you can go to uso.org and make a real difference in their lives today. do it. welcome back to "our world with black enterprise." around the country marriage numbers are falling. but in the african american community, the numbers are grim. what does this all mean? is marriage dead in the african american community? joining me to discuss this are marriage coach dr. derosario and

others, thank you for being here. when you hear the numbers, what do you say, what is your reaction when you hear numbers are crumbling? >> a cake, a ring and a sledge is no marriage, that is the business of weddings, a multi billion dollar industry that society is addicted to. without that, love is dead. the conversation should be about love and commitment to that, maybe reimagining of black love, but the idea that marriage is an institution is the be all and end all is problematic. >> there was a point people were getting married, now they are not. signifies something. what do you say? >> i think there is an issue concerning marriage with the black community and needs to be delved into. childrens well-being is determined by the marital status of the parents. if nothing for more than for the kids we need to think about marriage, resolving issues plaguing us.

>> when we look at statistics, most of the youth at risk, boys and girls, come from, even though there is not wrong with a single parent homes, come from single parent homes, when we see the father is not in the homes, those are the kids who tend to be in trouble. they can't get identification. they need the modelling from the father, they have always gotten it from the mother, they need the view point from the father. so yes, marriage is in trouble. i don't think it needs to be the goal that everyone shoots for but it is especially helpful for the african american community. >> let's also note 80% of the kids behind bars today are from single parent homes. i think we have to drill down. >> but is that just about marriage? or the commitment to co-parent and create kids and healthy spaces and healthy unions. >> if you can have a healthy, loving relationship without standing at an altar, you can

have a loving relationship. the question is the health of the union not the institution in which the union is formed and i grew up everybody around me, our parents were married. there was a message that was especially for women, stay if he beats you, stay if he kills, you stay if he hurts you, stay. lets be honest and concrete, when you have the piece of paper there, there are more dire circumstances, or more of an incentive to stay married, it costs money to get divorced, some people say in theconomy, cheaper to keep him or her, you have to look at marriage, a held marriage or even a partnership without the legality as far as being more than just a relationship. it's also a financial partnership and it has more teeth when that paper is involved. that is just the reality. >> part of what i'm hearing that incentive to stay, part of the

incentive to stay often keeps people in relationships they shouldn't say. >> if there is unhealthy, we shouldn't be in them. people lack the skillset to negotiate that. that what is we need to talk about. the fact is statistics are not there. there are not enough healthy models of two parents that are not together parenting the children co-parenting, it's not happening in the way it should. >> to be clear i'm not against the institution of marriage. i am about respecting all the different unions in which healthy relationships are formed and where marriage may or may not happen, to advocate for a healthy union and to be as emotional healthy. emotional justice. >> i want to focus on numbers, these numbers are black women who don't get married. why are black women not getting maried? there is a number of factors. they lack suitable partners. >> what is a suitable partner?

>> say --. >> people in jail, guys? >> right, maybe those suitable partners are incarcerated. they are not as educate as she is, do not have the traction in the job market she does. there is a less suitable candidate. >> esther, how do we point the finger? >> here is my notion you have to have matching resumes to create a heavy lasting perfect union is a problem. my resume matches yours and we have a better chance of having some long lasting healthy union? my way of measuring your ability to love is based on the years that you've spent in the classroom. that is what we're talking about and thinking about? >> don't people tend to find people in their vicinity? if you have a phd in biology, you may not date the dguy from

domino pts pizza. your ability may have nothing to do with emotional intelligence, capability, understanding of what it to love, a man or woman, to be present for that person, supportive of that person, love and nurture and be with a child. >> if i have spent ten years of my life being educated and i married someone that doesn't it's obvious from the onset we have a different value system. >> how is that obvious? how is it obvious you have a different value system? >> i did pursue that, that was very important to me. the now i will raise my children, when you integrate children in this whole equasion, things change. the way i want to bring my children up now i will press education. >> the reality is it's very difficult where people from two different backgrounds come together. it doesn't make it impossible. you have to recreate yourself. you have to believe in your self, if you want you can go and get an education, so you can get

a better job. but you have to see what you can contribute in that relationship that is equal to what she does. if you can't put the money in, then can you be there with the child? if you can't have the educati educational attainment --. >> where does the healing begin? >> it starts within. who you choose to hlove means yu have to deal with whatever situation you find yourself in who you choose to be with. the fact the black women say they can't find a man they want to be with, the fact black men say that, that is their truth in that moment according to what they live and feel. the reality is simpler, our emotional selves need the kind of serious, vigorous community work it a collective effort. my point comes back to the same

thing, a cake, a dress is not a mare ran. it's the union of two people, getting healthy, our emotions, our past, getting emotionally healthy. the foundation is love. love heals all things. >> i would love to continue but we're out of time. jeffrey, esther, jacqueline, thank you. i've got enletters from people who say your story about your trip helped me get through a hard time in life. when you hear that you feel wow, i can't screw up i have to get this done.

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this 29-year-old is preparing for the challenge of a lifetime. donald is our slice of life. ♪ donald lawson is a very clear goal in life. to be a black superstar in sailing. >> i grew up watching michael jordan, tiger woods, if he can win 14 championships why can't

i? >> a champion sailer with an unusual introduction to the sport. >> six years old my mother got me in sailing. she tricked me as a kid i didn't like boats, water. i was afraid to go out there. so summer camp she sent me out there, i walked on the boat, and first if thing i thought the boat didn't sink, hey, good, this is fun, i will be safe. >> got his first taste of danger crewing a trip for bruce schwab. >> when we left a hail storm, waves smashing through them, and i steered the boat for four hours and he told me that night he said awesome job out there, and that boosted my confidence, skills and abilities. >> from there, lawson launched his racing career. >> fearless. kind of willing to push the boat, push himself a little bit.

he's not afraid to take a couple chances, and try to push his boundaries a little bit. >> also out to break old stereotypes. >> i have been confused a number of times as the help at events, ask me to get them a drink, they don't expect to see you there. once they find out who i am and what i've done, they race against me, the respect comes then because my color doesn't affect my ability to beat them in the water. >> now he focused on racing around the world in the deluxe 5, five ocean test of strength, skill and stamina. >> my goal has been to win an around the world race. i like the race a lot, it's broken in five sections. south africa to new zealand, new zealand to south america, around cape horn. south america to the u.s. --

very good question. >> when donald is not training or racing after a world record, he makes time to be a role model and mentor. >> i want to sail around the world. >> do you really, that is cool. >> i would like to be in a race. >> now not just about me sailing. i have gotten letters from people who say hey, your story about your trip helped me get through a hard time in life. when you hear that you feel like wow, i can't screw up, i have to get this done, because you don't know how what you're doing is going to affect someone down the road. >> stay right there, we will be right back. [ female announcer ] looking for a bit of indulgence? look no further than the new chocolate chip frappé from mccafé. every bit as delicious as the mccafé frappés you love, only this one has a bit more wow. bits of chocolate chips in every sip, blended into mocha and caramel, all topped with a double drizzle of chocolate and sweet caramel.

you've never had a frappé like this. better get your hands on one quick, 'cause it's only here for a little bit. the simple joy of the perfect sip. i'd like to drop out of high school and get a meaningless job that makes me feel bad about myself. i'd like to fall victim to the old boys' network. i don't want anybody to notice me. i just want to fly under the radar. i want to splatter against the glass ceiling. i don't have an opinion. i want to be a straight "c" student. i'm going to be a biomedical engineer.

[ girls laughing ] i mean, i want to succumb to peer pressure all of my life. i'm going to be a best-selling novelist and win the national book award. i'm going to be a marine biologist. wait! i take mine back. i'm going to be a biomedical engineer. i think i'll be the president. i'm going to be secretary of state. world-class chef right here. race-car driver. artist. paleontologist. film director. surgeon. teacher. scientist. olympian. i'm going to be the boss. i'm going to change the world. that wraps it up here at our world. visit our website at blackenterprise.com/our world. fan us at facebook and follow me on twitter at #marclamonthill.

see you next week. uh-oh. [ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. fast. [ male announcer ] stop the uh-oh fast with kaopectate. ♪explosion i love telling big stories about big heroes: people we admire and look up to. but, at the end of the day, real life is better than any story. our service men and women are the real heroes. every day they make the sacrifices for their country;

for my country; for my son's country. my dad was a marine and a navy historian. he was the first one to show me just how much these men and women give up. they leave their families and their homes. they train, they fight, they struggle for us, and so much of the time it goes unnoticed and un-thanked. and that is what i love so much about the uso. it gives us real ways to support our real heroes. the uso lifts the spirits of america's troops and their families, and there is a way we can say thanks. you can go to uso.org and make a real difference in their lives today. do it.