A project on rapper and speaker Dee-1 on personal branding.

1. Case Study: Personal Branding
Rapper and speaker Dee-1
By Jermaine T. Thomas for Professor Derek
Scheips in CMN 6015: Intro to Digital Era at
Northeastern University College of
Professional Studies February 14, 2015.
For further contact email me:
Jermaine.t.Thomas@gmail.com

2. Why I chose SlideShare for this project
I chose SlideShare because it is like YouTube for Scholars

3. What outcomes did I expect from this
course and case study?
• How to make adjustments toward the E (Entrepreneur) Path
• How to begin investing in Personal Branding

4. Why I chose the brand of Dee-1
• The brand of rapper Dee-1 is in essence a native of New Orleans who graduated from Louisiana
State University sharing his journey through rap to reach teens and adults with his message called
Mission Vision.

5. Dee-1’s Mission Vision
“Mission Vision is a state of mind where you are committed to focusing
on three things in life:
1.An ever-growing relationship with God.
2.Using your skills and talents to create a better existence for yourself
and your loved ones.
3.In everything you do, be real, be righteous, and be relevant.” (Mission
Vision, 2015)

6. Versatile branding (Rapping and
Lecturing)
The thing that sets Dee-1 apart from other rappers is that he once was a teacher to middle school students in his native New
Orleans, and he now still lectures in academic and community settings. His message is seamless, the same thing you hear in
his music you hear in his messages on record. The Dee-1 stamp on hip-hop music provides “The Ultimate Moment Of Truth”
that creates fans who will share the unique mission though “blog posts, YouTube videos, reviews” (Solis, B., 2013, p.74).

7. Social media handles to keep up with
Dee-1
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
Tumblr

8. A cultural snapshot of Dee-1
Who inspires and keeps Dee-1 grounded
Health and wellness
Having multiple streams of income and branding (endorsements, businesses, and investments)

9. I want to call it Relationship-Rapping
Dee-1 has an impact on the K-12 and College/University environment because of his
story in song and speech, he’s transparent and convicting about pursuing goals
Brian Solis had 2 great things to say about “The Importance Of Brand…”:
• “Give people something to stand with, something to believe in.” (2013, p.
147)
• “A strong community is the net result of something designed to be
meaningful and remarkable. The brand is then a collection of shared
experiences aimed at creating alignment between your vision and
customer appreciation.” (2013, p. 147)

10. Staying mobile and seamless
One takeaway from this class regarding personal branding is to remain mobile and seamless through
tools such as HootSuite, TweetDeck, and there are many others.
Dee-1 does it

11. Dee-1 leverages his personal brand
with RCA
To leverage his 10 years of impacting people as a “One Man Army” Dee-1 decided to
join a record label and make it happen on another level (Dee-1, 2015).

12. I hope that this presentation has
inspired you to brand yourself in the
thing that is uniquely you
Dee-1 is a bold example of pursuit of his dream

13. Works Cited
Dee-1. (2015). Dee1music.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://dee1music.com/about-dee-1/
Dee-1 and Lupe Fiasco eat dinner and talk music [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YePz1ULsPkc
Dee-1 – “My American Dream” [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Owm0_9if4
Dee-1 Signs Record Deal With RCA!!!!! [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uoz7c0gqExs
Dee-1 – S.U.A.G Life EP. 3 (Brown University w/Prof. Tricia Rose) [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ig11y_i_I
Louisiana State University. (2015). Lsu.edu. Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.lsu.edu/
Marshawn Lynch Panthers post game interview 1/10 “I’m Thankful” [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJWkoXsuE8I
Mission Vision. (2015). Dee1Music.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015, from
http://dee1music.com/missionvision/
New Orleans. (2015). New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved February 14, 2015, from
http://www.neworleanscvb.com/visit/
Solis, B. (2013). What’s The Future Of Business? Changing The Way Businesses Create Experiences. Hoboken,
NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.