"The way the album came together, the 11 or 12 people that worked on it with me, Martin Luther, Ginelle Sumner, Jneiro Jarel, Jon Doe, Justus, Jeremy James, Maya Azucena, Ivana Santilli, Siji, Alma Horton, Sy Smith, Mark Hines, are all vocalists and musicians. If you pay attention to the liner notes there are a lot of dots to be connected there. Each person on it is an artist and has their own project they are working on."

Rich counts himself fortunate to be able to continually work with good people, many of whom he also conducts business with. He’s been a business partner to fellow DJ Bobbito Garcia aka DJ Cucumberslice in their Philadelphia record store and in the Williamsburg-based Friday evening party Just for Kicks.

"Bob is probably my best friend. Beyond work he’s my best friend. I’ve known Bob since ’89. I try to keep sharp people in my circle. My production partner Mark Hynes and my label partners in Amsterdam are also smart, forward thinking guys. They say you can only become the best if you have people that are smarter than you around you. I feel lucky."

Rich Medina uses the word lucky often. It comes up again when he talks about his worklife.

"The best thing is I get to exercise my brain and my body every day to maintain. I’m not stuck at a desk. I’m not at a job that I dislike. I love the people who are around me, from my family to the people I do business with. I’m lucky to have all those things."

But it’s not all luck. Make no mistake about it. Rich Medina has put a lot of work into his parties, into his spoken word and into his more recently acquired career in music production, and when pressed, will admit as much.

| next page