I’ve always loved music. Growing up in Queens in the ’70s and ’80s, hip-hop wasn’t just entertainment. It was a movement. It was a new language. It was a way for people from different backgrounds to connect around a shared experience.
Long before social media connected the world, music did.
Music has a unique power. It can inspire people, bring communities together, create opportunity and even change the direction of someone’s life. I’ve seen that happen firsthand.
As a teenager, I knew I wanted to be part of the hip-hop movement. There was only one problem: I couldn’t rap, and I definitely couldn’t sing.
So I found another lane.
That journey eventually led me to start the global fashion brand FUBU, but it also led me to one of my earliest mentors: Charles Fisher.
Long before Shark Tank, before New York Times bestselling books and before FUBU became a household brand, Charles was helping shape culture behind the scenes. He worked with artists like LL Cool J and the Lost Boyz, but what always impressed me wasn’t his position in the music industry. It was his ability to connect people.
I’ve often said that success comes from mentors and mistakes, and Charles was one of the mentors who helped mold me into the man I am today.
Why Relationships Matter in the Music Industry
Charles understood something that many people overlook. Music isn’t just about songs. It’s about relationships.
The artists, managers, promoters, entrepreneurs and community leaders who come together around music create something much bigger than any one person could build alone.
When I was trying to get FUBU off the ground, Charles helped get our products into the hands of LL Cool J. More importantly, he encouraged LL to support a young Black-owned business from his own community.
That act of generosity led to one of the most famous moments in marketing history.
How LL Cool J’s Gap Commercial Helped FUBU
Many people remember LL Cool J appearing in a national Gap commercial while wearing a FUBU hat and working “For Us, By Us” into his rap. People like Charles were helping make those connections happen behind the scenes.
The lesson was never really about the hat.
It was about the connection.
The Power of Music in Bringing People Together
Over the years, Charles continued using music as a force for good—mentoring young people, building organizations and creating opportunities for others. He understood that music could be more than entertainment. It could be a bridge between generations, cultures, opportunity and possibility.
The same lesson applies whether you’re building a business, growing your career or strengthening your community.
Don’t just ask yourself what you’re trying to build.
Ask yourself who you’re bringing together.
Daymond John is a dynamic speaker, founder and CEO of the global fashion brand FUBU and star of Shark Tank who shares real-world lessons on entrepreneurship, branding and mindset. Through his consulting firm, The Shark Group, and his CEO Access mentoring programs, he empowers others to turn vision into action and build their own path to success.
This article was first published in the November/December 2026 issue of SUCCESS® magazine. Get your copy here.
Photo by Sight & Sound Film, LLC / Courtesy of Daymond John
