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Kenny Burns & Rob Hill Sr. Break Down the Meaning of "Living Life for a Living"


Hosts of the Living Life for a Living Tour Kenny Burns and Rob Hill Sr. made their way to Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC to talk about their rise to success, dreams, the LLL Tour and being inspirations. After being welcomed with open arms, I knew I would be in for a treat to sit down with these two gentlemen and learn all about their story.  
Both men are known for their strong social media presence in addition to bearing buzz worthy names throughout several industries. If you’re not familiar with their work, check their resumes! Living in Atlanta, I’ve seen Kenny Burns at some of Atlanta’s hottest events, and followed Rob Hill Sr. on Instagram, where he delivers his daily inspirational quotes. Interestingly, these were two people I had no idea knew each other, but I knew they were two people to meet. Our conversation was lots of laughs and side jokes, but more importantly a great exchange of genuine energy and lasting impressions. 

Kenny you call yourself “The Lifestyle Specialist,” Rob you’re “The Heart Healer,” how did you come up with those names?
Rob: I think we were both trying to fill voids. That’s probably the basic answer. He understood business in a way to where they needed lifestyle guys in order to connect to pop culture and I understood relationships , love, and our generation in a way that I knew we needed to speak more life into one another and I knew a lot of us had different pieces that we are broken in different areas. I believe we were the key to healing each other, Tupac said it. It’s time for us as a people to start making changes. Change the way we eat, change the way we treat each other and that resonated with me, but I also understood that it was our responsibility to do that for one another. If I can break you I gotta be able to build you.

Kenny: What he said! I came up with the title, I think there’s a high value on someone who is experienced in all aspects of lifestyles. I’ve been blessed to be the second black designer in Sacks 5th Avenue; I’ve been blessed to be the Vice President at one of the greatest dynasties in Hip Hop with Roc-a-Fella Records. I’ve just been a part of a lot of greatness and when I decided that my life was about sharing what I know I wanted to create a strong enough title that would last and inspire. We see that corporate America has mandates for that and people call themselves lifestyle specialist, so it’s working.
How did the two of you first link up and come up with the idea of putting this tour together?
Kenny:  I admired Rob from his “teachings” on social media. He reached out one day and was coming to Atlanta and was like “Yo man I would love to take you to lunch,” we went to Houston’s on Lenox, talked for like an hour and I actually asked him an hour into the conversation how old are you? He was like “26” and I was like get the f*ck out of here! He has an old soul about him, he’s been here before. He’s definitely ordained to do what he’s doing. Like all of you beautiful ladies that admire him and follow him, I fell in love with him too. That’s my little brother, I was like we’re gonna do a tour and he was like “yea? I have a book coming out that’s perfect timing” and I was like I got a book coming out perfect timing! We did the first date in Chicago at the Harold Washington Cultural Center, 500 plus people in 5 degree weather in Chicago and it was an amazing experience and it has been since.

Rob, you captured so many people through social media with your daily quotes and inspirational messages. There’s one post in particular that I still read when you shared how it’s taken you 7 years to become “an overnight success,” starting with an email list of 22 people that has now turned into hundreds of thousands. During those years, what inspired you to be the inspiration?
Rob: Just getting it wrong, a lot a lot.  I remember drowning and having to teach myself how to swim. I use that as a figure of speak but it wasn’t a lifeguard, you know it’s not always lifeguards in life and I decided that I would become one. I wanted to be somebody who helped people. Life is tricky you know? It takes you on some turns and you don’t always know if you’re gonna come out of it, but I’ve been blessed to come out of some rough stuff and for me to be able to put that back into people.
Say I was on a road with no signs, I’m trying to put some signs here like slow down around this curb, go a little slower right here, take this exit right here there’s another way. I just started really small. When people say started from the bottom, it was the bottom. I was broke as sh*t seriously. I saved up pennies to do my first set of books. We ran a set of 500 and I was hustling trying to move those books. I built my own first website and I suck at stuff like that, but it was just one of those things where there was no limit. I knew I was starting small, but I was committed to the work that’s me with everything. Whether it’s finding love, maintaining love, building friendships, building businesses, I’m committed to the work in its whole process.

I think every person I saw giving inspiration so to speak , was like 50-60 and they’ve been saying it so long that we kind of tune their voice out, and there wasn’t anybody young who could inspire you here and have a drink with you here and still not make you feel like they were talking at you or preaching, so I wanted to be that person. I wanted to fill that void.



Kenny your first book The Dream is Real recently came out, which shares your story of your grind to success and working in the entertainment industry. Along with Rob you also give your daily “Isims”, which inspire people. Do you believe being positive and sharing positivity with others has been rewarding to you in your life?
Kenny: I’m fulfilled every day with a comment, a testimony of how I’ve affected someone’s life. To be honest, that’s what it’s all about. I’ve never been one to be driven by money. I always tell the people I mentor I put myself in money’s way so money is never going to be an issue for me, but at the same time teaching what I know. I didn’t have the opportunity for someone to teach me when I  got into the music business or when I got my first big check, no one told me how to save and not spend it all, so I didn’t have the guidance that I’m giving to a lot of people so that’s the most fulfilling part.
Even like Rob, I mean, when I met this guy he had 200,000 followers, he’s already almost at a half of a million but, he was still into what I had to tell him. I’m like you got two hundred thousand more followers than me but I think it was the OG contribution that I could bring.
Rob: it’s that genuineness. Kenny’s a genuine person. You find people who give with no strings attached and like he said he puts himself in money’s way and I’ve always believed that when he told me that. I’ve never stressed about money, I know I’m gonna get it. I know it’s gonna find a way. If you make yourself valuable enough and if you add enough value to enough people you’re gonna get it, you’re gonna be fine. It reflects what he says about social currency, takes you places money cant.
We just believe that and sitting down with that connection. I’m the type of person I feel like I can learn from anybody. I can learn from somebody who’s technically accomplished nothing and somebody who technically has it all.  I try to find something that can make me better. I know that when I do it I can give it to my son, I have a responsibility to Kenny’s sons and a responsibility to your future kids. I just feel like we’re all here for one another.

What would you (both) say to those who are on a quest to pursue their dreams full time, but stuck with the dilemma of not having a “real job?”
Rob: Personally I say figure out where you are, where you wanna be and don’t let anybody tell you, you don’t deserve to be there. Don’t shoot yourself low. Don’t say “eh I’m just trynna find a job.” I want to support my family for generations, period. I know that may sound big headed but why shouldn’t I? I’ve seen Wal-Mart do it. I’ve seen Johnson Johnson do it. I’ve seen all of these brands do it so why shouldn’t I have that same legacy? It was figuring out who I wanted to because I’m somebody who thinks big!
Kenny: For real! We walked in the Drake concert, like we’re gonna speak in here next year, in Phillips arena.
Rob: You can’t tell me no. You can’t tell me it’s not for me. I don’t care! If I’m not dead right now, you can’t stop me from working for it and that’s just how I see life.
Kenny: One of my biggest and most popular quotes is “don’t let your expectations exceed your effort.” I think we all think so big sometimes where it’s not realistic and I think we should always reach for those things and be comfortable where we land. That would be my advice, when you stop it, it stops.
Past and present you’ve worked with two of Hip Hop’s biggest moguls. Who’s harder to work for Shawn Carter or Sean Combs?
Kenny: When creative’s get together it can be stressful at any point. The beauty about working with geniuses is that genius comes from the relationship. I really haven’t had any super issues, I mean you all publically know my issues I had with Puff but it’s been more ego stuff than it was business, because I’ve always admired him and wanted to be him in business.
Rob: Kenny Burns is the hardest person Kenny Burns ever had to work for!

Both Kenny Burns and Rob Hill Sr. are busy traveling and touching people from coast to coast. You can find Kenny Burn's hosting the livest party in your city or on the road with REVOLT TV, while Rob Hill is healing hearts, motivating, and promoting his books.  Even though these two are no rookies in their fields. You can see them both together on the "Living Life for a Living Tour" in a city near you.



Photos: Danielle Jackson -FARRINHEIT 411

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