Capitalizing on the success of his massive single, “Dance Like a Stripper,” artist M.E. built an empire with a chain of restaurants and a sports agency. He exemplifies the power of believing in yourself.
Your hit song, Dance Like a Stripper, has amassed over 100 million views and streams. How did you come up with the concept for the song, and did you anticipate it being such a massive hit?
I mean, that’s a great question, especially a great starting question. I mean, we have the short story or the long story, but the short story is we’re still growing and we’re still learning every day. What my goals were at first are now at new heights with the new levels that I’m reaching. So yeah, 100 million streams. I wasn’t even thinking about that because when the song, Dance Like a Stripper came out, we had ringtones… We were selling a million ringtones back then.
Now we’re switching over to streams. We came up with the concept because everybody loves strippers. We just found a reason for everybody to love everybody.
The name M.E. stands for motivate everyone. How do you incorporate this mission into your music and your business venture?
That’s just naturally my aural… I feel like my purpose in life is to motivate and inspire. I do that by just being myself. So that’s where the name M.E. came from, because it was just me. When I did the music, they were like, who made the music? I would say that was me. Okay, cool. Well, who made the clothes? I was like, well, that’s me also. They were like who has the restaurants? I’m like, that’s me. And I had to spell it out for them. Me, M.E. That was me.
I feel you. That’s like how they say I’m him now. I get it. As a pioneer in both, music and Dallas culture, what are some of the unique tests and opportunities you’ve met?
You must have self-discipline, being your own boss. It’s actually easier for someone to just listen and follow directions because technically, if they do what they are asked, they can never really go wrong. As an entrepreneur, the challenge is that you have to be a self-starter. You have to be self-motivated. You have to be disciplined. And those things aren’t really aren’t naturally innate in everybody. Sometimes you have to activate them, even at the times you want to rest. Sometimes you might want to do other things. Sometimes you might get distracted. I feel like those are some of the key things.
You and your brother have successfully operated and franchised 10 restaurants with Wings World, selling over 20 million wings. What inspired you to venture into the restaurant business?
Well, I could say my family was in it years prior, like when I was in college. As for me, I traveled around the world doing the music, during which I just ate at a wide range of restaurants. I would seek out restaurants and try new food from different cultures.
The restaurants that I liked, and thought would do great in my area and part of town, none of them wanted to come here. They said it wasn’t the right demographics, the right household income, or there was not enough through-street traffic. So, knowing that people did not want to come to those areas in Dallas, we had to do it ourselves. We had to be the pioneers. I’m not sure how familiar you are with Dallas, but for everybody that I invited to come to Dallas, I have now shown them the reason they needed to be there, and now they are there. I guess that goes back to the M.E., motivate everybody.
Can you tell us about the combination of film and fashion in your business model?
Oh yeah. I feel like everything is in alignment. I only move with things that are in alignment. You know, what is for you is for you. First, fashion was us wearing clothes and expressing ourselves and the way we feel about the world. Now we’re doing that in the restaurant industry with uniforms and merch for the customers. We still do the same thing. In video, whether it is commercials or films, we are storytelling, which is very important. And then, of course, the music. The music is the rhyme and reason for everything we do. No pun intended.
With an impending tour and a self-titled album on the way, what can fans expect from your upcoming projects?
Oh man, I just got back to myself. The album is called Same You, New Me. And that’s basically about the new things that happened to me during the time when I was launching new restaurants and new business ventures. I am also now an NBA agent and a father. There are so many new things for me, new heights, new accomplishments, new accolades, and new journeys. If we go back to the M.E., I just want to motivate people through what I’m doing, letting them know that it can be done.
How has fatherhood influenced your business decisions?
That’s a great question. So, now everything that I do, I do it for legacy and I do it to last. You know, it’s not just about the now, it’s about the future. Even though now it’s so important, the future is even more important. The easier I make it for him, the easier I make it for others because what he can create from what I give him, others can benefit as well.
What do you believe sets you apart from the other artists and entrepreneurs in those industries?
I think what sets me apart is that I’m the same as them. That’s what sets me apart. Me being the same as them makes me different.
Okay. I am going to need you to expound on that.
Well, so back to the M.E., motivating everyone. A lot of people want to be different. If you did a survey in front of everybody, everybody would listen to what the person said before them and then prepare their answers. Now, if their answers were the same as the person before, they probably wouldn’t even take that route or that road because they want to be different. Everybody wants to be different since everybody wants to be different and everybody is different. That means, in a way, everybody is the same.
