A hip hop power player for the better part of two decades, Kevin Liles continues to prove why he's been able to remain a respected mover-and-shaker in an industry notorious for short-lived careers. Liles has worked as an executive for Def Jam and executive vice president at Warner Music Group under industry stalwart Lyor Cohen. Liles continues to be one of the most powerful managers in music, shepherding the careers of stars ranging from Big Sean to Keyshia Cole to Trey Songz.

Eager to pass business knowledge on to the next generation, Liles launched a twoweek entrepreneurship course at Morgan State University called the Make It Happen Summer Business Academy. The program provides economicallychallenged youth with tools to help them be successful in business. In June, Liles gave the keynote address at a panel in New York City called "Leveraging Black Music in The New Media Marketplace."

"I wanna build a entertainment company – not because I need to build it," Liles said in an interview. "But because I have a lot of people that I wanna make rich." With his invaluable advice and experience guiding several of today's biggest stars, and with his unwavering commitment to sharing the knowledge, Liles looks to be doing just that.