“Our goal is to transform potential “Cons” and “Ex-Cons” into “Icons”, and to enlighten the world about the on going changes in this business we’ve grown to love.”
One of TLynn Willis’ favorite quotes is from Dorothy Vickers Shelley,
We are always at war against ignorance
Consequently, TLynn has taken up her sword and shield and is fighting for those whose voices deserve to be heard through Mastermind Publishing, an Atlanta-based hub for urban literature and music production/promotion.
The main site, ChinoDollar.Com is the Hip-Hop Nation’s go to site for urban entertainment, education, and opportunity AKA “Edutainment”. Chauncey Stevens, AKA Chino Dollar, is the CEO of Mastermind and has been involved in the entertainment business since 2001 , and TLynn came aboard in 2013 as the Chief Operations Officer. “Chino Dollar began his career in the music business and brought me on because he heard about my background in ghost writing and urban editing so we married the two. I joined forces with Chino Dollar initially to edit his memoir, A Hustler’s Dream, and after working on that project in 2013, we formed MasterMind Publishing.”
TLynn informed us that the books have a balance of street smarts and business empowerment as well. “10 Rap Commandments is the “How To” book written so that others don’t fall into the same trap that Chino did as a result of him not knowing enough about the business side of things. I always use the TLC documentary as an example when I tell people about this book. “Don’t become a TLC documentary because you weren’t informed about what to sign.”
“FYI…. A Hustler’s Dream I tells the story of the fast street life and rise to fame and then Part II (when we publish it) tells the story of being incarcerated and how all of that fame means nothing if it costs you your freedom. I’m just sharing this so that you can see that although the book is a little street raunchy, the empowerment and positive part comes later. ”
“To all of you street hustlers and aspiring entrepreneurs who are seeking extraordinary success in the urban market. We here at Chino Dollar.com are here to assist you. In order for you to change the game, first you have to know the game you playing. The entertainment game that we as a Hip-Hop nation have creatively designed, is forever progressing. This is the music game, movie game, and book game…….the fields of play that we’ve dominated and elevated since it’s initial conception.”
Tracey and the Chino Dollar brand is definitely a source of empowerment. “We are giving life to the voice of men who were/are incarcerated and needed someone to believe in their writing skills enough to publish their work. Doing our part to reverse the trend of recidivism, we’ve been able to publish titles of three (3) inmates, and 2 of them have been released and are working towards being productive members of society. In order to breed more C.E.O’s, business owners, producers, and highly marketable artists, proper guidance is needed.”
