Rising Stars: Meet Neek Bey of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Neek Bey

Hi Neek, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been untraditional in my journey, going against the grain since I left New Jersey after high school. I grew up in a very strict Haitian household. Throughout high school, I played sports but never took academics seriously until I had a spiritual awakening and changed my life around. I was accepted to Howard University, and my entrepreneurial journey started as a music manager representing my ex-best friend, artist Ashton Travis. We ended up dropping out of college, and I moved to Los Angeles, thinking I was going to intern for Charles King at WME. That opportunity never worked out, but a friend I met through Ashton, Travis Scott, had also just dropped out and was in LA. We became close friends. It didn’t work out for us, so I moved back to New Jersey, and he went to Texas. I secured an internship with Epic Records through an A&R interested in signing Ashton to Mary J. Blige’s new label. Through that internship in the A&R department, I helped the label gain interest in Travis Scott, which jumpstarted his journey as an artist. He was very unknown but incredibly talented, shooting, editing his own videos, and producing and rapping on his own music. As an intern, I never really got my credit and was pretty much sidelined.

I left music and went back to Howard University to study computer science. I became a programmer and research developer with the National Science Foundation and went to Cameroon for an international research project. My assignment was to design a weather station with the University of Buea, which was successful. By the end of our trip, I was able to design and develop the first portable weather station in Cameroon.

After this project, I started my own software application development company, designing and developing mobile applications for women entrepreneurs and minorities. This led me to start Bey Moss right before COVID.

My entrepreneurial journey consists of many pivots, failures, and learning experiences.

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’s never been smooth; it’s been very difficult, especially when you’re not raising money and using your own capital. Almost every step in this journey has consisted of some sort of failure, but it makes me realize who I am: resilient, persistent, and as consistent as possible to be able to continue to survive and reach that light at the end of the tunnel. I have so much to offer the world, and the universe is not making it easy for me to show that. Although some can look from the outside and say I’m doing great, I’m nowhere near satisfied, and I have so much more to show the world. I work every day to get to that point.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am most proud of my work in Cameroon, getting Travis Scott signed, and having a significant part in his career, as he is one of the biggest artists of my generation. Additionally, I take pride in my ability to create and develop ideas, believing I am a huge asset to any team. I am also known for my involvement in the reality TV show “Black Ink Crew Chicago” on VH1. I’ve appeared in over 50 episodes as a partner to my wife, Charmaine Bey. We both met at Howard University and started dating on the show. You can see the trajectory of our relationship from boyfriend and girlfriend to getting married and having children. Being a husband and father is what I am most proud of.

My resilience sets me apart, rooted in my Haitian heritage. The way my brain is wired when it comes to cultivating ideas also sets me apart. Additionally, I am a jack of all trades. I’ve been editing since high school, and it is easy for me to adapt to new technologies. This versatility is why I also produce music, and I hope to score my own movies that I will direct and write.

How do you think about luck?
I never viewed bad luck as a negative thing; instead, I see it as a way to keep me away from something harmful. I’ve always felt protected, believing that what I personally want may not always be for the best reasons, and I am redirected to what I actually need.

People may say, “Wow, you missed out on that train with Travis,” but in reality, if I hadn’t, I would never have found my wife and kids.

Another instance of “bad luck” was when I was interning with Epic Records. One random night, I was out with friends and found myself arguing with Chace Infinite, who happened to be ASAP Rocky’s manager at the time. ASAP Rocky sneak-punched me, and it was all caught on tape. He ended up getting arrested that night, which boosted his image just before his album release and major record deal. I felt used. At the time, my brother’s manager, a lawyer, insisted we sue. I was 20 years old, furious about being physically assaulted, so I agreed. It backfired because they amped the story with partial lies, and it hit the press, affecting my credibility.

I always think about that day and how it impacted my fast-moving music career. I saw it as extremely bad luck, and it put me in a dark place, hurting my confidence and forcing me to retreat into a shell to rebuild myself and start over. Once again, life would be completely different if that hadn’t happened. Most importantly, I wouldn’t change a thing because my biggest joy is my wife Charmaine and my two daughters, Charli and Nola Bey.

I do hope one day there is a full-circle moment with my exchange with ASAP Rocky, who is now a father and can understand how detrimental his decisions can be. I hope he can put himself in my father’s shoes, imagining his child being sucker-punched by someone else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beymoss.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neekbey
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebeystv