Wally Lockard III is a Chicago native & 19-year entertainment industry veteran and culture creator. Wally’s background in music, management, television and media led him to develop Urban Grind TV an award winning Hip-Hop TV show on Comcast Cable 25 for the last 12 years/24 seasons in Chicago. Wally is a dynamic Executive Producer recognized industry wide for his creative leadership and artistic innovation through his media outlets Urban Grind TV, Urban Grind Radio, Urban Grind Lifestyle Magazine.
FMM: You are a disabled veteran who has used music and entertainment as a form of therapy from the service. Tell us about your background.
I was born in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago on the lower west side, at the time Pilsen was predominantly a Hispanic neighborhood. Being a teen during the 90s in Chicago you had to move different if you wanted to survive out there. Respect and communication is key to not only life but to business. You quickly learn that miss-communication and disrespect will get you hurt on the streets. That is where I refined my gift of reading people and learning to communicate with them on whatever level they were on. I graduated high school at the age of 17 and soon after enlisted in the U.S. Army in a Field Artillery Unit. I served 3 years on active duty and during a training mission I suffered a near fatal injury and had to be medevacted from the field to a military hospital via helicopter. My heart and breathing stopped 3 different times between the Humvee and the helicopter before I arrived at the hospital. I was soon honorably discharged from Active Duty due to my injuries.
I returned home to Chicago a young man with a family to support and a dream to accomplish. I suffered from a terrible case of P.T.S.D. except I had no idea that I had it. I was just going through some things and did not understand what was happening to me. Music was the only thing that could quiet my soul, it was the one thing that I felt I could connect with during my toughest times. The times when people did not understand what I was going through. Music was my first love and I grew up working in my family’s business Jefferson Auto so I decided that I would combine the two. In 2002, I began to rehab a loft above my family’s auto repair shop and turned it into Smokey Studios. Smokey Studios began as a production company, then a record label, and eventually TV & Radio Production Studio. My record label 1913 Records developed and released music in Hip-Hop, Rap, R&B, Reggaeton and Latin Rock. I learned to produce, record, engineer, manage, tour, register music, shoot videos, marketing and promotions. Over the last 19 years I have refined my skills and now serve as an Executive Producer for Urban Grind TV and Executive Vice President for Kingz Kounty Media Group (Jaz-O’s Record Label). I graduated with my law degree with a focus on Intellectual Property law. I understand that music can unite people and also that most creatives do not understand nor appreciate how to make money with their music. So, our creative agency consults and supports small businesses, brands and entertainers in unique and innovative ways to brand themselves, grow their market share and protect their intellectual property.
FMM: Tell us about your 23X award-winning show, Urban Grind TV.
Urban Grind TV has really been a dream come true and has been a blessing to hundreds of entertainers over the past 12 years. Urban Grind TV is a 23 x Award Winning Hip-Hop TV Show + Creative Agency located in Chicago, Illinois. Urban Grind TV has been on Comcast Cable for the past 24 seasons/12 years producing a new 58-minute show every week featuring music, videos and interviews with artists and entertainers from all over the country. We are broadcast every Wednesday & Friday night at 11pm on Comcast Cable 25 in Chicago, streaming on YouTube, our RokuTV Channel Urban Grind TV and on our website UrbanGrindTV.com. Urban Grind TV was a platform that I created as an outlet for entertainers that I thought were dope in Chicago. I felt that we needed a platform that could both highlight the indie scene but still produce content with major artists. In 2009, I set out to do just that and Urban Grind TV was born. We have featured a lot of major entertainers like Snoop, Scarface, Mobb Deep, Neo, Music Soul Child, Rick Ross, Waka Flocka, Rakim, The Dogg Pound and more. More importantly we have helped hundreds of indie artists break their music and videos, get their events broadcast and more. More recently we have added Distribution via Universal/Ingrooves to our arsenal of Music, Media and Management.
FMM: You have built an empire working with hip-hop artists. What trends are you seeing?
The trends that I am seeing is that there are always new trends. Hip-Hop as a culture is always evolving so it is natural for the styles to change, progress and even regress. I have personally enjoyed working with both the legacy artists that have paved the way for culture and the new artists that are spearheading Hip-Hop music in a forever changing and exciting direction. I am a firm believer that Chicago has been setting trends in the music industry for many decades as producers, artists and executives. The music industry loves when Chicago sprinkles their sauce on a record, it definitely gives it some flavor. I would rather set the trends than try to follow them. By the time you try to catch the wave of a trend it’s old and people are on to the next thing. If you are the wave than you never go out of style because you have the opportunity to evolve and reinvent yourself. Evolution is the key to growth, that is the reason that artists, entertainers and businesses have come to Urban Grind TV for over a decade. We offer them opportunities to brand, market, promote, register, monetize their intellectual property and offer it to the masses at a cost that will not break their budget. People have watched 1913 Records become, Urban Grind TV, Urban Grind Radio, Urban Grind Lifestyle Magazine, Urban Grind TV Artist Management and more recently Urban Grind TV Music Distribution. People are excited when they see growth and progress, that means opportunities for artists. I would rather show them than tell them what we have going on at Urban Grind TV.
FMM: What will artists notice first about working with you?
The first thing that artists or brands will notice about working with me is that I am authentic. I will give them the real because we only have time to deal in facts. We will leverage our contacts, experience and resources to help them achieve their objectives. The first step is to help the artist understand what their actual goals are in the entertainment industry. Every artist is different and has a unique vision for their career, our job is to help turn their vision into a game plan and execute. We set attainable goals and markers that show their progress and allow the artists to be consistent with their grind.
FMM: You are known for your creative leadership and artistic innovation. Tell us about some of your artists. How have reached they success by working with Urban Grind TV?
Urban Grind TV has proudly helped hundreds of artists throughout different stages of their career by providing media coverage, marketing support, music videos, event hosting, recording mixing, mastering, management and more. Our talent has gone on to stream millions of streams across multiple platforms, have their videos featured on BET, MTV, Music Choice, Revolt TV, Footlocker TV, BET Soul, The Source, Hip-Hop Weekly, Vibe Magazine, XXL and more. Our artists have been featured on FM radio, XM Radio, Shade 45, Ruff Ryders, This is 50, and charted on ITunes Top 10 and Billboard Top 20. We have secured distribution deals with Universal, Sony, Equity Distribution, Rival Distribution and more through our contacts. No matter if their vision is big or small Urban Grind TV has what they need.
FMM: What is your advice for new hip-hop artists?
My advice for new artists is to learn the business. At least decide if you are going to just make music or if you want to be in the music business. There definitely is a difference between the two. Most artists just want to create music because it is their passion and I respect that. Others want to make a return on their investment in their career, that is where the music business comes in. The people around you will have the biggest impact on your career, they will literally make or break you. They can also sink your ship if you are not careful. I heard someone once say that “Opportunity Will Continually Test People’s Loyalty in Life and Most People Will Fail”. The said part is those people will fail small, they didn’t go big they shoot small. They take the first opportunity at something that looks shiny and because of their desperation and inexperience they don’t understand they are either not ready for that or it wasn’t the right opportunity. I would encourage new artists to get on the mailing list for my free eBook “MUSIC IS MY BUSINES: A START-UP GUIDE TO THE MUSIC BUSINESS”. They can get on a free download of the book when it drops at MusicBusinessEBook.com. I give some great advice on the music industry away for free along with some great deals on promo.
FMM: Urban Grind TV recently made an agreement of Music Distribution via Universal/Ingrooves. What does this mean for your company?
Urban Grind TV Music Distribution is yet another invaluable asset to the Urban Grind TV conglomerate that already composed of Urban Grind Radio, Urban Grind Lifestyle Magazine and Urban Grind TV Artist Management. Our creative agency’s focus has always been Music + Media + Management, offering worldwide distribution allows creators to not only fully monetize their music but to distribute it to over 150 stores in 100 countries. Urban Grind TV will be there to support that release with interviews, music videos, web design, press release distribution, music registration, booking, tour support, marketing and more. All they have to do is log onto UrbanGrindTV.com or call toll free 1-888-380-1913 Hit the Line Up & Get Your Grind Up.
FMM: Can you share your proudest moment of your career?
I truly have so many proud moments that I could never narrow it down to one. I have had an incredible career in the entertainment industry. I have been present amongst the giants in the industry and I have been privy to some incredible moves being made. There are so many stories that I could never share because of confidentiality agreements but I can promise you one thing, every day I wake up more excited than I was the night before when I went to sleep. No two days are the same in this business and I would not have it any other way. One moment that certainly stands out to me and has always been a dream was being selected to become a Professional Member of the Recording Academy (Grammys). The day that I opened up that box that I got in the mail and saw the letter and membership card with my name on it. That will always be one of my proudest moments having the honor to represent my peers in such a prestigious organization like the Recording Academy. This has certainly been a big highlight for my career.
FMM: What is next for you in 2022?
Urban Grind TV has some incredible projects in the works for 2022, new shows, albums, tours, talent, outlets, brand partners and more. 2022 will be the culmination for Urban Grind TV’s rise in the entertainment industry reinforcing Urban Grind TV’s position as a powerhouse in the Midwest. We are currently closing some new deals that will be announced the first/second quarter of 2022. People can follow us @UrbanGrindTV everywhere for updates. Thank you for taking the time to allow me to share my story with your audience, my hope is that we will inspire others to purse their passions and live their life with a relentless vigor as I have mine.
