NFL's Bryant McKinnie Chats with Scoop

You may know him for his towering frame of 6' 8'' and 335 lbs.

You may know him for his dominating play on the football field as a powerful offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings.

You may even know him as an All-American standout from the University of Miami Hurricanes.

But one thing few fans of Bryant McKinnie may not know is that not only does he get his hands dirty on the football field but he has his hands in the music industry as well; being the Co-CEO of Miami-based record label Swagga Ent. with R&B hit maker Pleaure P, formerly of the group Pretty Ricky. Scoop correspondent broadKast got the chance to interview McKinnie via telephone despite his busy schedule to find out more about the Pro Bowler's musical endeavor.

SMAG: How did you and Pleasure P hook up to form the label Swagga Ent.? McKinnie: Well I had known Pleasure P for a few years from events, parties, cookouts and things like that throughout Miami and we had talked about getting together to make a label and since he was already heavy in the game and had experience, it just grew from there. SMAG: You're a big-time football star but where did the ambition to form your own label come from? McKinnie: It was always a dream of mine along with teammates in college like Ed Reed [Baltimore Ravens] and others. We had talked of always getting our own record labels when we made it to the pros and it was actually something we had been working on for quite a while since being at UM. We just continued to work at it and vowed to make it work once we got in the NFL.

SMAG: Describe how you manage your time because as a football player, you've got playbooks and gameplans to memorize and as a music exec you have contracts and record deals to structure. How do you balance it?
McKinnie: Yeah it's really busy. I don't usually have any off time except Mondays or Tuesdays when I handle the music side. Wednesdays through Sunday are pretty much football time from the practices to gameday. But I pretty much balance everything out as best as I can.

SMAG: Talk about some of Swagga Ent. signees in Pretty Money and others. What makes them standout from the competition in music today? McKinnie: Well Pretty Money is different because they're an all female rap group which is something you don't see in the game right now and they're in a joint deal with us here at Swagga Ent. and rapper Trina. We also have a group called Da Fr3shmen and a Haitian-bred rapper by the name of Mona Lisa. So our staff is growing everyday with new talent.

SMAG: What are your predictions for Swagga Ent. as an up and coming label?
McKinnie: We're planning for a big movement in the music biz. We want to be recognized as the next big label such as the Def Jams and labels like that. We're just trying to improve to become the best that's out there with Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, everything from every genre.

With two powerful and influential label heads steering Swagga Ent. in a lucrative, prominent direction and a show-stopping list of artists, it is only a matter of time before Swagga Ent. is atop record business success. For more information on Swagga Ent. and all of their fresh, new acts check out www.myspace.com/swaggaentllc.



(scoopsthemagazine.com)