AZTV7/Cable 13 & RTV 7.2/Cable 93, Phoenix-Prescott, AZIn the Music Biz, Life Can Be One Great Ride

In the Music Biz, Life Can Be One Great Ride

By: Robert L.M. Smith III
and Matthew De Paula
Provided by

Producing hit albums for music artists like Justin Timberlake, Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas enables Venus Brown to fill his garage with dream cars.

Brown, the founder and owner of Buddah Brown Entertainment in Los Angeles, credits growing up as a military kid living abroad with opening his mind to a world view that has been instrumental to his success. And he takes satisfaction from the fact that the music business, in turn, helps broaden the minds of other people.

"You go to China and you're at a concert and these kids - 20,000 that don't speak English - can sing every word of every song of, say, the Black Eyed Peas. It's a beautiful thing," he says.

Brown sees a confluence of cultures and diverse points of view - from rappers to soccer moms - influencing many facets of life, cars included.

"Everything is melding," Brown says. "You have a rapper like Jay-Z talking about, ‘I'm 30-something, I don't need to put rims on my car anymore; that's something you do when you are younger.' Well, that's kind of the corporate, older, white male executive imparting some influence on us 30-something-year-old hip-hop heads. And then you reverse it: You'll drive where I live in Agoura Hills and you'll see a 38-year-old soccer mom driving an Escalade with 22s on it, with those little rubber-band tires, and you figure, ‘Wow, I would've never thought.'"

Brown's garage is itself a melting pot. He's a fan of American muscle cars and has driven a silver Corvette Convertible - "my midlife-crisis-mobile," he calls it - for the past couple of years. But now he favors a British droptop, the Jaguar XK Convertible.

A Maybach 62 limo is on hand for days when the business of making and marketing music albums keeps him too busy to drive himself.

Despite all of his accomplishments, what this successful 37-year-old music mogul is most proud of has nothing to do with his work. "I'm most proud of my kids. It's real simple," says the father of four. "And I'm actually proud that in this day and age in entertainment, my wife and I have been together for 14 years."

ForbesAutos: How did you get into the music business?

Venus Brown: I started as a D.J. back when I was in high school and kind of one thing led to another from listening to records and playing records at parties to the point where I would actually learn how to make records. So I started as a producer and a musical director, first. And then it naturally progressed to becoming a music executive.

Were you always into cars?

When I was younger, I didn't even notice cars. My dad loves cars, and he was always a car buff. Being in the Navy, we traveled all around the world, and he would always have a really nice American car, whether it was in the Philippines or in Spain or other places we would be. He always had a nice muscle car coming from the '60s and '70s.

What was your very first car and what happened to it?

When I was 16 - it was 1986 maybe '85 - I bought a 1974 or ‘75 Volkswagen Scirocco. It didn't have any paint on it; it was all gray primer. And my dad suggested that I don't buy it, but I was 16. I was like, "I'll fix it up; I know it needs some work, but whatever." I bought it from a mechanic and it worked for about two weeks. It allowed me to at least drive to school without having to take the school bus. It was so cool, but I actually left it in the parking lot at the school, because that's where it died.

Why did you pick the Scirocco?

I liked the lines of it back then. It looked like the poor man's DeLorean - the front of it anyway. The DeLorean was brushed steel and this was like gray primer. It was like, "I'll get a little Playboy gearshift and I'll get some lambs-wool seat covers and I'll be good to go." I put money on everything but the engine.

That's quite a contrast to the vehicles you own today. What made you want to get a Maybach?

One of the cats that I work with is a producer named Timbaland. He actually picked up one and I really started to pay attention to the convenience of that car and the things that it has in the back seat. The real deciding factor was when my business partner bought a 57. He is a little guy and I was like, "Well, if I'm going to get a Maybach, I want to get a 62. I want to stretch out and lay out." And it actually works for me because I'm in my office at probably 10 in the morning and I'm rolling between what I do during the day and then I'm in the studios at night, and then five or six in the morning I'm still on the phone dealing with Europe and I'm dead tired because I've been in the office all day and the studio all night. I needed something that I could sit back, recline in and have someone else drive so that I don't fall asleep on the freeway.

Have you customized the Maybach?

A car like that you leave it be; it's a work of art. All I did was the paint because the name of my company is Buddah Brown Entertainment, and I got the chocolate brown exterior with the champagne two-tone on the inset.

Inside the Maybach 62 + see Maybach photos read a review > (© Maybach)

What motivated you to swap your Corvette Convertible for a Jaguar XK Convertible?

I've always been a fan of British cars, just because they are so quirky and they have their own unique vibe. When I went to the auto show in L.A. last year, I saw the new Jaguar XK and then I saw the new Aston Martin and so I got some inspiration. So I went to the dealership and I checked out the XK Convertible. I ended up buying one and I got some beautiful Asante rims for it. The rims are one of a kind, you can't even buy them anywhere, and it looks like a little Batmobile.

How did you end up with one-of-a-kind wheels?

The owner of Lexani, Frank Hodges, had these wheels specially cast for this car under his Asante brand. He wanted to make it a one-off and that's just what he did. I was extremely lucky: When Frank was ready to sell the XK - and he didn't keep it for very long - I was able to come in and scoop it up. This car is simply amazing; it doesn't look like any other XK.

Another thing that made me buy this car is that I love droptops, but with the Corvette you only have seating for two; it doesn't have a backseat. At least with the XK, it allows me to put my smallest kid in the backseat, or I can throw my briefcase back there or a set of golf clubs and be on my way. Mind you, it's not a real backseat, but there's room enough for somebody to throw some junk in the back instead of piling stuff on the person sitting next to you.

So what other cars do you own?

My wife drives the Cadillac Escalade ESV. I'm also in the process of getting another SUV for the house and leisure work for myself. I also own the big Bentley, the Arnage T. That's the one with the turbo and all of the bells and whistles.

Did you customize the Arnage at all?

Because music is such a huge part of my life, I had to have a killer sound system designed and installed. I listen to most of the music and remixes that I produce in my car, so of course I had to have an automotive music system that was as close to recording-studio quality as possible. I've got to hear the music a certain way. I don't need bass that you can hear from five blocks away; I need clear and clean sound that I can increase without all of the distortion that OEM systems are infamous for. That's why I'm so pleased that my system really came together quite nicely. Digital Design Audio and Bassforms were gracious enough to work closely with me in designing an Alpine/Digital Design Audio system.

How do you like the Arnage performance-wise?

I'll be honest with you, the Bentley Arnage T, because it has so much power, when I step on that bad boy I feel like I'm driving a Corvette. And it's scary because the Arnage is so much heavier, but it still has all of the power and muscle that the Corvette has. When you're on the freeway, the pickup is great. And when that turbo kicks in, forget about it.

And the Jaguar XK Convertible?

With the XK, it's fast. It has a smoother transmission of speed. It's not just gorilla muscle like the Corvette has. The XK may not defeat the Corvette at the track, but when you get the XK on the freeway, you can maneuver it and it will still do what you want it to do performance-wise. But it's also smoother than you would think it could ever be; it's not just the roaring of the engine. The XK's ride and agility stays at an exceptional level even with the addition of 22-inch rims that would adversely affect other vehicles.

How does being in the entertainment industry affect what you drive?

Because I do work behind the scenes and I enjoy making the records and making them sell really well and getting involved in the marketing strategy and all the behind-the-scenes stuff, I love a car that allows me to still be comfortable and enjoy myself inside, but the outside is not too overstated. There's one thing I like about the Maybach: A lot of people when you drive by, they really wouldn't know what it is.

What motivates you to do what you do?

My dad was always about, 'don't wait for someone to give you something; go get it yourself.' And one thing he always said was that no matter what, ‘make sure you have your own.' It took me a while to figure out what he meant by that phrase ‘make sure you have your own,' which means, simply, 'go out and get it for yourself, don't expect it.' My mother was always about being passionate, about enjoying yourself and doing what you enjoy, but also make sure you take care of yourself. And so the two, the combination of my mother and my father, really made me who I am.

How do you define success?

Success to me is being able to wake up every morning and do what you love to do and someone actually pay you for it. To me, it's that simple. Whether you're a carpenter, whether you're a landscaper, or whether you're a musician, it doesn't matter how much money you make because that's not success. Some of my wealthiest friends are going through a lot of stuff. And some of my friends that are just living the most humble existence have the most. They smile more, because they just love what they do. It's really that simple to me.