Bryant McKinnie NFL superstar Bryant McKinnie is now making his way into the entertainment world with his new company Swagga Ent. With his new partner Pleasure P (formerly of Pretty Ricky), Bryant talks to WHO?MAG about his new businesses and the 2010 NFL Season.
by Thato Dadson
WHO?MAG: Tell me about Swagga Ent. BRYANT MCKINNIE: It’s a label I started a couple years ago with Pleasure P. It was a long process that ended up good. I’m currently getting ready to push out 3 new artist.
WHO?MAG: What got you started in the music business? BRYANT MCKINNIE: It’s something that I’ve always wanted to work on while I was in college. I was actually supposed to start it with some of my teammates from college, Vernon Carey, Ed Reed, & Jared Payton, but in the end, I actually went ahead and did it myself and linked with Marcus Cooper.
WHO?MAG: What kind of strategies to do have on how you’re going to push your artist? BRYANT MCKINNIE: Basically we will be working on giving our artist a buzz and to do so they need radio play. So that will be our first goal and then after developing a buzz, we will then start to contact the distribution companies.
WHO?MAG: What can you say about this year’s 2010 NFL Season? BRYANT MCKINNIE: I felt it was a really good season for us. It didn’t end the way we wanted, but we still made it to the NFC Championship. I feel that with all that said it’s going to give us motivation for next year.
WHO?MAG: How did it feel to take the Vikings to have the number 1 rushing offence in 2007? BRYANT MCKINNIE: That was a great accomplishment for the team, especially the offensive line. We really felt like we had a great part in that and its something we look forward to doing again this season coming up.
WHO?MAG: Tell me about your Foundations you’ve developed. BRYANT MCKINNIE: I have one for healthy kids living which I’m doing in New Jersey to get kids off the computer and out exercising. My 2nd one is in Miami and that is an AIDs awareness center for teenagers. And I’m going have a panel of celebrity guests like Pepa from Salt ‘n Pepa and actual doctors and we will be talking about the benefits of abstinence and safe sex.
WHO?MAG: How did it feel to be named a NCAA All-American. BRYANT MCKINNIE: It was a great accomplishment for me because a lot of people try to get that in college and I was able to achieve it 2 years in a row.
WHO?MAG: What kind of advice can you give an upcoming athlete trying to get into the NFL? BRYANT MCKINNIE: Some people try to rush so they can get to the money fast, but I recommend taking your time and getting yourself ready because it’s a whole other ball game out there.
WHO?MAG: What’s next for Bryant Mckinnie? BRYANT MCKINNIE: Next for me is to a charity event where I would play Venus Williams in tennis, but aside from that, I’m still training for the next season.
