Conversations with Greg “Olskool Ice-Gre” Lewis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg “Olskool Ice-Gre” Lewis.

Hi Greg “Olskool, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story began in my hometown of Chicago. I’ve been an uncompromising dreamer and a child of music for as long as I can remember. I grew up loving and listening to r&b, soul, funk, disco, gospel and a little jazz and blues. By the time I was able to buy records myself, I fell in love with hip hop. A few years into the culture, I really started to gravitate towards rap music. It became my favorite genre and a vehicle that would take me all over the world, creating unbelievable experiences with a laundry list of notable individuals who make the music and entertainment business tick.

I began my journey as an entertainer break dancing and poppin but found my passion as an artist and song writer. The decision to pursue music as a career motivated me to learn as much about the business of music as possible. Upon graduating college, I was presented with an opportunity to work in the Los Angeles offices of one of music’s most successful independent record labels in the 90s, Loud Records. The label is responsible for introducing the world to legendary hip hop acts such as Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Tha Alkaholiks and Xzibit.

The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. Getting a record deal was a goal very early on but my interest in the business of music grew tenfold at Loud Records as well as doing what I planned to do independently. I’d known since college I wanted to have control over what I created but my experience in Los Angeles allowed me to see what I thought could work, actually work. When I left Loud and returned to Chicago, I started my very first company called 4 The Soul Productions. I had 3 partners: a producer, manager and female writer/vocalist. I was also a writer, but our collective didn’t last long.

I later formed an entertainment company with the director of operations of a fortune 500 company. We liked the names of our individual businesses so much that we decided to hyphenate our company name so we could keep both. We called the company 4 The Soul-Reciprocity Inc. This is where I honed my skills as a label head and artist manager. We released albums and mixtapes on a few local artists but the most impactful were the releases by my own group Abstract Mindstate. The notoriety of Abstract Mindstate became the conduit to the relationship I built with then up and coming producer Kanye West.

That relationship, which spanned twenty-three years, brought me back to the West Coast. LA is where I established my current company Honest Management LLC. It is the foundation for everything I’ve done visually and musically to date.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I personally don’t believe “smooth road” can be in the same sentence with “entertainment” or “chasing your dreams.” One of the most consistent struggles is financial. Creative projects require financial support which isn’t the easiest thing to secure in most cases. I had a situation where we secured an investor who was a successful real estate guy. He was also a very active member of my business partners church, so knowing this gave us a level of comfort. After weeks of back and forth with our attorneys, he legally submitted half of the agreed investment. Before we could receive the final installment he was arrested and sent to jail for bank fraud. This was a total surprise to us.

On another occassion, I secured an investment with a guy who was a millionaire. He was also a real estate guy. After months of back and forth negotiations, we finally agreed and were preparing to move to the next step. As we were in the process of solidifying the business, he recieved a call about one of his land development projects out of town. Unfortunately, he was hit with a few very expensive and unexpected construction costs. At that point he decided it wasn’t in his best interest to commit to the six figure investment between he and I.

Outside of financial struggles there were ongoing inner struggles such as not choosing myself first, in certain situations. I’ve grown since, but there was a time when I used to get so caught up and committed to an artist or the goal of a project that I’d sacrifice more than I realistically should have. I recall moments in the past when I spent money on artists that I shouldn’t have. I exhausted resources and relationships on the wrong project or artists and I’ve made myself small to satisfy the insecurity of individuals in the business. I’m proud to say, I’ve outgrown the struggles but this were some of the challenges I dealt with along the way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Well, I’m an author, speaker, artist, and entertainment visionary known for turning ambition into action. As founder and CEO of Honest Management LLC, I’ve helped shape the careers of countless creatives and continue to redefine the boundaries of Hip Hop culture.

Although I’ve lived in LA for several years, I’m a Chicago native and Jackson State University alumnus, who has worked behind the scenes and on stage — from serving as G.O.O.D. Music’s first A&R under Kanye West, helping to develop artists like Big Sean, to co-founding my own pioneering group Abstract Mindstate. My creative journey spans work with legends like Mobb Deep, Raekwon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Tha Alkaholiks, and many more.

In recent years, I’ve become known as the voice of ACH because I championed the recognition of Adult Contemporary Hip Hop (ACH) — a genre I coined over two decades ago. I wrote and submitted proposals to very prominent and independent award shows like the Grammys and the Hollywood Independent Music Awards. This led to ACH becoming an official category at the HIMA’s in 2023, marking a milestone in Hip Hop’s evolution.

Beyond music, I’m a published author of an inspirational memoir titled “I Refuse to Quit! The Autobiography of a Dreamer” and creator of a YouTube series titled “An Honest Minute.” My latest music and film projects include the new album by Abstract Mindstate titled “The Art Project” (produced by Young RJ of Slum Village) and the documentary “We Paid, Let Us In! The Legend of Abstract Mindstate,” currently streaming on MusicDocumentariesTV via Roku.

My visual creative partner and I also produced a live tour documentary on my group called Still Paying: An Abstract European Experience. We’re currently exploring options to make it available to the public. To represent the audio and visual releases of my company, I created two legal dba’s called Honest Music and Honest Media.

What I’m most proud of is the fact that I never lost who I am at my core and I’ve maintained extremely long friendships. I’m also proud that I’ve remained being the same honest, loyal, integrity filled, reliable, dreamer at my lowest to my highest point in real life as well as this circus labeled music and entertainment. What sets me apart from others is my level of discipline, my ability to adjust as well as take on different roles, and the fact that I refuse to quit!

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice for anyone starting out is don’t be a know it all and always be open to learn. I’d also say study your craft, perfect your craft, learn the history of your craft and show respect to those who paved the way for you to do your craft. Also, don’t believe or buy into the hype, especially your own. It will always become bigger than you. The most successful and stress free people in any field are those who remain grounded, focused and fair.

One thing I wish I knew when I was first starting out is no promises are promised, what appears to be real is fake, the person you thought who would never, is the one who will, the things that mattered most will become the least important and people you barely know, will help you the most.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.irefusetoquit.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olskool_icegre/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olskoolicegre/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-olskool-ice-gre-lewis-00183429/
• Twitter: https://x.com/olskool_icegre?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HonestManagement
• soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/honestmanagement
• Other: https://www.abstractmindstate.com/