DJ Envy has been making moves in the game for over two decades. The Queens native got his start on the mixtape circuit, dropped his own albums, and worked with the likes of Jay-Z, The Lox, and 50 Cent. Envy moved to radio on Hot 97’s “Takin’ it to the Streets,” co-hosted a morning show, and had several other shows on Hot 97. Since 2010, he has co-hosted “The Breakfast Club” on Power 105 with Angela Yee and Charlamagne Tha God.
DJ Envy dropped by StockX and talked about the influence of his family, the importance of investing in real estate, and taking some time to travel. Check out the latest installment of “That’s 5” below.
The following interview has been lightly edited.
What influences you?
Right now, my influences are my kids. Being able to create so that they can have something motivates me. I work hard, so my kids don’t have to work as hard. I’m busting my ass every day so they can have a step-up in this world. So that’s what influences me, every day when I go home and see those faces. I want them to have a bunch of things that I couldn’t have when I was their age, so that pushes me harder.
What’s the most overrated?
I think music sales are overrated. If you look at the way they do music sales, these days, it’s whack. Back in the day, you had to buy the CD. Now, if your song is on a good playlist, you can sell one million copies, allegedly. That’s crazy to me. If your [music] label is good with one of these companies and they put you on one of these playlists, you’re selling a million copies of your record in one week. That shit is trash. That doesn’t necessarily mean your record is good; it just means that your label is paying for a great playlist. That’s what I think is overrated.
What’s the most underrated?
My New York Knicks, I’m just kidding, they’re trash [laughs]. Real estate is underrated right now. I think a lot of people are scared to go into real estate, and they go into stocks or whatever, instead. I’m really pushing minorities to look into real estate. I own over 82 units right now, so even if the market goes down, does that mean people will no longer need a place to live? People are always going to need a place to stay. I’m pushing the community to own their neighborhoods, own their blocks, and own their neighborhoods.
What are you most excited about, right now?
Real estate, actually [laughs]. I just purchased a couple of schools in New York and New Jersey that have been vacant for about 15 years. We’re going to turn these schools into low-income housing. So think about it like this: every classroom is going to be a one-bedroom apartment. I’m not excited about the buildings themselves, what I’m excited about, and this is going to sound crazy, is that I’m going to be able to give them to my kids when I die. When my parents passed away, I had debt; but my kids and their kids will be good when I pass. I want to leave my kids a legacy.
What’s next for you?
There’s a lot. One is more real estate; one is “The Breakfast Club” expanding into more markets. The next thing for my wife and me is television. We have a podcast, a relationship podcast, and a family show since I have five kids. I also own a clothing line. I also own a juice bar. And more real estate. I’m actually looking forward to sitting back on my ass and relaxing a little bit. I’ve been busting my ass since I was 16, and I’m 21 now, so it’s been a busy five years [laughs]. I really want to travel more. I love going to places I can’t pronounce, sitting on the sand, and getting a suntan.
Bonus Question: was that 5?
That was; that was five.
