The Role of a "Mogul" with in the Hip Hop Culture and Rap Music
             Before I can clarify the role of a mogul, one must understand what a mogul is. Webster's dictionary defines a mogul is as a person of rank, power, influence, or distinction often in a specified area. Miranda Jane and Jerry L. Barrow also give their definition of a mogul they said, "These are multi-faced, wealthy, entrepreneurs who often own and operate many business at one time." ("99 Ways to get by in Hip Hop") Within these definitions key words stand out such as power, influence, wealthy, and entrepreneurs. These words are all characteristics of a mogul; especially those of the hip hop community.
             There are many successful individuals who have created their riches from the music industry, but only a hand selected few are considered hip-hop moguls. These individuals are, Russell Simmons CEO of Defjam, Percy Miller CEO of No Limits Records, Sean Combs CEO of Bad Boy Records, and Damon Dash CEO of Rocafella Records. Being the owner and chief executive officer (CEO) of a record label doesn't automatically qualify a person as a hip-hop mogul, but being the owner and chief executive officer is a common denominator between these moguls. These moguls are highly respected in the hip-hop community but are not publicized in the mainstream media. These moguls are includes often in hip-hop magazines like the Source, XXL, and Vibe, but are seldom mentioned in Forbes or Money Magazine. This can be contributed to the lack of acceptance for hip-hop in the corporate world, even though many other businesses have capitalized on the commercializing of hip-hop. Kevin Chappell writes, "In fact, the world of hip-hop has been so low key that you would never had known that the music is as hot as ever, that one out of ever ten records sold in America is hip-hop, that eighty percent of the hip-hop buyers are now White."("The CEO$ of hi...