Mista Bless’ credits include work with industry legends such as 50 Cent, Dead Prez, Oscar De La Hoya, Roc Nation, Fila, Maino, Carmelo Anthony, Reebok, and more.
Think about your favorite rapper and one of their projects for a minute. Can you name anyone involved in the project besides the artists who had verses and maybe a producer or two? It takes a whole team to put out projects, and those teams put in a lot of work behind the scenes.
One of those people putting in that work behind the scenes is Elijah Torres, known as “Mista Bless.” His credits include work with industry legends such as 50 Cent, Dead Prez, Oscar De La Hoya, Roc Nation, Fila, Maino, Carmelo Anthony, Reebok, and more.
Torres himself got his start in the industry as a rapper. He was rapping with a Wu-Tang affiliate and then became interested in production, going on to produce mixtapes for some of New York’s most notable rappers, such as Tru Life, Saigon, and Dead Prez, before realizing he had other talents that would make him a valuable asset in the industry. He quickly figured out he had an affinity for networking and possessed marketing savvy.
He used his networking skills to create career opportunities around his passion for boxing, serving as the executive producer of the sports section for rap legend 50 Cent’s popular This Is Fifty website. He is the executive producer of The Sweet Scientists, a boxing show on DAZN USA, which is a subscription combat sports streaming service. Guests who have appeared on his show include titled fighters such as Anthony Joshua, Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez, and Oscar De La Hoya.
His networking game and ability to bring people together and broker deals have served him and his clients well in many other opportunities as well. One of the biggest accomplishments of his career is brokering a successful sneaker collab between platinum hip hop artist Maino and the iconic legacy brand Fila that sold out within hours. He’s also set up some other successful pairings, including pairing Olympian Samyr Laine with GNC, and Mob Wives star Karen Gravano with bookstore giant Barnes & Noble.
Torres recognizes that he is blessed and lives up to his name as “Mista Bless” by choosing to give back to his community, dedicating a large portion of his time to philanthropy. He’s been donating over 900 winter coats yearly from Macy’s to those in need throughout Brooklyn since 2011. When his friend and frequent collaborator DJ Pretty Lou was stricken with cancer, Torres executive produced a benefit bash in Lou’s honor. The Pretty Lou Benefit Concert at Irving Plaza was streamed live on TIDAL, and included performances by Fat Joe, Papoose & Remy Ma, Raekwon & Ghostface, The Lox, Bone Thugs, A-Boogie, Lil Dirk, Jim Jones, Maino. and more. All proceeds went to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for Cancer Research. Torres received numerous nods for his charity work, including a New York State Citation from the New York Assembly in 2019, a citation award from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams in 2016, a Certificate of Merit from New York State Assemblyman Felix W. Ortiz in 2014, and President Obama’s Volunteer Service Award in 2013.
Today, he’s a digital media consultant in brand development, lifestyle marketing, and artist management. He serves as the president of Hip Hop My Way, a digital community that aims to platform new and emerging independent artists, as well as provide them with valuable resources and assistance in artist development. The platform is co-founded by Saigon.
If you’re looking for someone to elevate your brand, craft creative and lucrative partnerships with industry heavyweights, or create digital content that hits, drop Mista Bless a line to see how he can bless you at ceo@mistabless.com. Follow him on Instagram at @mistabless to see what he’s up to next.