ATLANTA — Ray Daniels has made a monumental impact on the community, culture, music, entertainment and media landscape globally.

Daniels is a prominent music executive, writer, media personality, innovator and inspiration to many people. The most important title he has is family man.

“Family is everything to me,” Daniels said.

Growing up in the Bronx, Daniels was exposed to the golden era of hip-hop at a very young age. It was easy for Daniels to gain an affinity for hip-hop at a young age because New York was always known as the “epicenter of hip hop and culture.”

The self-proclaimed “Culture Referee” said the popular New York hip-hop duo Nice and Smooth lived in the building across the street from his family and their influence was evident.

“These were ghetto heroes that we could see and touch. That is what made rap so unique to us. They were one of us,” he said.

The first rapper Daniels ever heard on the mic was the legendary Rakim.

“For me, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Rob Base, Public Enemy, LL Cool J and Run DMC were my favorites growing up. I remember on “Eric B is President,” Rakim said, ‘I came in the door, I said it before,’ it was something about the way he did it, it was like he was rapping to a younger crowd. I remember thinking this is not for my mom.”

In 1991, when Daniels was 12, he took a two-day train ride and moved to Atlanta. As October marks the 33rd anniversary of when he moved to Atlanta, he reflected on how the community has embraced him.

“I didn’t start really learning lessons in music until I moved to Atlanta.” he added. “Nobody was listening to Atlanta but Atlanta at that time. Everyone had their own thing going. Atlanta showed me there was more than that. It was Kilo Ali, Raheem the Dream, Big Oomp, DJ Jelly. They were so important to the city.”

Daniels said his experience in the music industry helped him on his path to journalism and podcasting two-and-a-half years ago. He said he was going through a challenging time and wanted to use his experiences and his knowledge of the music and entertainment industry to create his own platform. He focused on moving the culture and community forward in a positive way.

“My back was against the wall. I was being blackballed for speaking up for people who were not being treated fairly. It happens. I didn’t have a choice,” he said.

He is the creator and host of three shows, including “Ray Daniels Presents “The GAUD Show,” (GOATS and underdogs), “Ray Daniels Presents Artist Spotlight,” and “Ray Daniels presents That’s Debatable.” He interviews music and entertainment legends and discusses a wide range of topics while offering many insights about the industry. Daniels continues paving the way for millions around the world in the music, entertainment and media industries.

He has created a lane for young and aspiring executives, artists, producers, podcasters, journalists, and media personalities. The podcast Ray Daniels Presents earns 10 million impressions and countless viral moments every month as the No. 1 ranked podcast in Atlanta. The podcast is available on Apple Music here.

He says it is important to understand what your passions are and to work towards them in order to find your niche.

“We’re all entrepreneurs, we’ve just got to embrace it. Entrepreneur means you own your position in your life,” Daniels said. “If you know deep down inside you want to go somewhere, start making your way there now. I like being behind the scenes and I like the privacy of it all. You have to put yourself out there. I’m not doing anything different, I just put myself out there.”

Daniels offers his decades worth of knowledge, experience and insight from working as a music executive, A&R for Warner Music Group, and the companies LYI Agency (Leverage Your Influence), and RAYDAR LLC.

He has worked with several artists including Usher, Bruno Mars, NLE Choppa, and more. Currently, the song “APT” with Bruno Mars and Rose has recently topped the billboard charts less than two weeks after it was released. The song went viral recently and has more than 128 million views on YouTube, adding another milestone to Daniels’ resume as an executive.

“I thank God for everybody who worked with me and my people,” he said.

Daniels said there was a time when he didn’t understand how to write songs, but he had a burning passion and desire to learn. As an executive, he says it is important to pivot and to learn new things about the ins and outs of the business.

“Our fear for not knowing should be turned into a desire to learn. My desire to learn is way more powerful than my desire for anything else,” he said.

Daniels said he is also grateful for his friend Larry “NuFace” Compton, a popular and well-respected hip-hop historian in Atlanta.

“NuFace is making fandom a priority,” Daniels said. “We’re actually seeing someone who is a fan. Because he is such a super fan, he is ushered into a room by everyone. If you do not learn anything from anyone in this city or in this culture, you can learn from NuFace. He literally gave himself a moniker, “NuFace Was There” and now, when he goes places, it’s like NuFace was there so it’s official now. He’s a gem to our city.”

Daniels said fans can expect to see him doing live events more often. He also hopes to bring rooms together to learn, play games and network with each other.

Daniels offered words of wisdom for anyone chasing after their dreams.

“Do not let the child in you die,” he concluded. “Life is a journey. Live it, love it. It is a journey. Enjoy it. If there’s something you want to do, put yourself out there. Once you put yourself out there, remember that you have to make sacrifices to get the things you want in life. Go do the work.”