By Ismael AbduSalaam
Hip-Hop power broker Steve "The Comissioner" Stoute is set to receive his highest award achievement on November 18, as the accomplished executive will be honored and inducted into the American Advertising Federation's Advertising Hall of Fame.
The prestigious award is decided by the American Advertising Federation, the senior and most esteemed organization in the advertising industry.
"Getting accepted into the advertising hall is something that I proudly accept on behalf of the entire Hip-Hop community," Stoute told AllHipHop.com. "This will open up doors for diversity in general market advertising which the industry definitely needs."
Stoute is the co-founder of Translation, a joint advertising firm he runs with fellow mogul and rapper, Jay-Z.
The company's focus is partnering music stars with corporate brands as spokespersons.
To date, the company has brokered deals with Beyonce (Tommy Hilfiger), Chris Brown (Double Mint Gum), Justin Timberlake (McDonalds), Gwen Stefani (Hewlett-Packard), and Jadakiss (Reebok).
Stoute's recognition as a Hip-Hop representative will set a precedent, since the award has historically been reserved for major executives of Fortune 500 companies.
Acutely aware of this, Stoute expects to see many ambitious minorities follow in his footsteps.
"Hopefully young, talented African-Americans and Latinos with ideas and creativity will look at this accomplishment and become inspired to get into the communication industry," he states.
Steve Stoute is well known as the former manager of Queens lyricist Nas, assisting in crafting the rapper's image for It Was Written (1996) and 1997's supergroup project The Firm: The Album.
Recently, Stoute partnered with Mary J. Blige to create the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), an organization focused on the upliftment of women.