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Danny Clark, a starting linebacker<br />
for the NY Giants, is<br />
involved in much more than<br />
tackling on the field. he’s also<br />
attempting to tackle the music<br />
industry. Among many other<br />
ventures, Clark is actively developing<br />
his production company<br />
Family Biz Entertainment.<br />
How did you get involved in the music business<br />
Music is ultimately my second passion. It ties<br />
into so much in my life. It can be an inspiration<br />
to others, it’s uplifting when things are bad,<br />
and it can get you pumped up for an active<br />
situation like playing football. At home my<br />
dad always made sure music was played at all<br />
times. It worked for us.<br />
Where did the idea come from for your company<br />
Family Biz Entertainment<br />
The way Family Biz was constructed was my<br />
best friend was a drummer in a band growing<br />
up and he had aspirations of doing more. I<br />
couldn’t sing or play an instrument, but I was<br />
always a fan of music, and seeing someone as<br />
passionate about it as I was sparked Family Biz.<br />
The name came from two of the most important<br />
things to me, outside of my faith.<br />
What exactly does your company do in the<br />
music business<br />
We’re a production company. The producers<br />
are Severe Garcia and Black Vega. They’re a<br />
team, like the Cool n Dre situation and their<br />
tag is “Garcia/Vega.” We make tracks and<br />
construct whole songs. We have writers and<br />
people that make the tracks. What I’m finding<br />
out is that artists are lazy and I’m not saying<br />
that in a negative way. If they can get a whole<br />
package delivered to them where they can<br />
just sing or rap it, it’s more attractive to them<br />
than just getting a track. That’s what’s makes<br />
us special.<br />
Switching over to some football talk, how did<br />
you feel when the Giants put the offer on the<br />
table for you to come to their team<br />
I had mixed feelings. Our head coach Tom<br />
Coughlin was my coach at Jacksonville. This<br />
was a very strict guy and it wasn’t a very<br />
personal relationship. So I wasn’t excited but<br />
I liked the team concept that I saw from afar.<br />
Once I stepped foot on the [Giants field], I<br />
realized he was a different man. He genuinely<br />
cared about his players and how they can<br />
be better. The team concept is unmatched. I<br />
haven’t seen anything like it. We have a family<br />
mentality on this football team and that’s one<br />
of the keys to us being successful.<br />
You’re actually a well-rounded business man<br />
with several businesses. Talk to me about<br />
some of the other things you’re involved in.<br />
The Danny Clark Foundation was established<br />
this year. You can check it out on www.dannyclarkfoundation.com.<br />
It was inspired by my son<br />
who was born three months premature. He<br />
was born 1 lb, 3 ounces. What me and his mom<br />
had to deal and not knowing what to expect, I<br />
felt it was important to have a support system.<br />
The idea was sparked back then in 2002 and<br />
it wasn’t formed until this year. When I met<br />
with the board of directors, I was urged not to<br />
limit myself to the issue of prematurity. I also<br />
felt uplifting the youth was so important, and<br />
creating positive role models.<br />
How do you uplift those children<br />
I do a number of different activities. I have<br />
two free football camps, one in my hometown<br />
in Illinois and one in my wife’s hometown<br />
Magnolia, Mississippi. We have 400 kids come<br />
out for free and we guide them on their way.<br />
Of course we have teammates from across the<br />
league come out and support the event. We<br />
enjoy helping out the kids any way possible.<br />
Our most recent event was Shop with a Jock<br />
where myself and fifteen other teammates<br />
take fifteen children to Wal-Mart and give each<br />
one a $100 gift card. We’re picking up steam<br />
and doing collaborative efforts with the March<br />
of Dimes and a couple other youth foundations.<br />
What’s in store for the near future I’m sure<br />
you have big plans for Family Biz in ‘09.<br />
We produced some tracks for 50. We’re gonna<br />
have one or two tracks on his album. We’re<br />
real excited about working with G-Unit. We did<br />
something with Cupid. Pablo Escobar, Jr. is doing<br />
a movie of his dad’s life and he offered us<br />
a chance to do a few songs on the soundtrack.<br />
We’re doing some things in all genres and we<br />
wanna work on doing some things for the<br />
movie business as well.<br />
Is there a website where people can listen to<br />
the music<br />
Myspace.com/doublenixx and www.dannyclark55.com.<br />
Words by Ms. Rivercity<br />
Photo by Jay Lawrence Goldman<br />
OZONE MAG // 27
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