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Commissioner Luke
September 5th, 2006
by Michael Tillery
Luther Campbell has come a long way since being the power behind the groundbreaking Miami bass group the 2 Live Crew. He's parlayed that early visibility into incredible success. Without his influence who knows what the climate of Southern Hip Hop would be. He is extremely focused in getting the National Youth Football League off the ground in Miami so kids will learn to play football the right way and effectively continue Miami's rich football tradition. He was one of the first rap stars to affect music, law and politics while also being a successful businessman. Always the activist, Campbell, keeps a close and very involved eye on the local and national political climate, and in 2004 launched a massive voter registration and awareness campaign, “Election 2004: The Movement Tour”. Campbell partnered with State Representative James “Hank” Harper Jr. to educate the Hip-Hop generation on the importance of voting and the critical role they play in elections. Simply put, Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell is a man who gets it done. For more information on his program go to www.thenyfl.com. Recently Blacksportsnetwork.com had the pleasure of picking the brain of a true icon.
Michael Tillery: What's going on with you personally? How's life?
LC: Life is great. I can't complain about anything. I'm feeling good.
Michael Tillery: Any projects that you are involved in?
LC: I got a couple of things going on. I have an album and audio book out. Rebuilding Luke Records. You name it. I'm just trying to stay busy.
Michael Tillery: Talk about your youth football league, how it started, it's success and impact on Miami's youth.
LC: I had a dream 17 years ago to start something like this. I wanted something for the inner city youth of Miami. I always said if I got a couple of dollars I would do this. I wanted for kids to have something to do instead of just running the streets. I wanted to start something in my own neighborhood so kids wouldn't have to come home eleven o'clock at night because they were on the bus all day and get up at six for the same reason. We've had a lot of successful people come out of the program. We've had doctors and lawyers come out of the program. Antonio Bryant and Chad Johnson came out of the program. Many kids at the University of Miami came out of the program in the seventeen years it's been in existence. I went back and started coaching about three years ago and took my team to the Pop Warner championship which we lost. Last year we won the Pop Warner championship. By those experiences of playing in different parks and playing different programs, I saw that there were a lot of different programs that were in need. Parks ran down and other deficiencies. I wanted to help people so they wouldn't worry about irrelevant stuff and get the kids that wanted to play, on the field. That's why I formed a league. I didn't want my name all over it like the Snoop Dog League—an ego thing—so I came up with the National Youth Football League. This is the first year. This will be the model with what we are trying to franchise across the country. I talk to a lot of my celebrity friends and they were more than willing to help. It is a cause for athletes, entertainers as well as city government to give back. We kicked off August 19th, and we've been meeting every week for six months. I went to the Orange Bowl committee (who sponsors one of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games). They came through with a grant of one hundred fifty thousand dollars. This is something that hopefully will grow across the country. It's real expensive for some of these teams to get into these leagues. Some leagues are for profit. Some leagues the fees are astronomical. Some leagues are cost five thousand dollars to join. Our league fees—Pop Warner—cost anywhere from twenty six hundred to nineteen hundred. This year the fees are about one thousand per park. Hopefully we can raise enough money so that the parks won't have to pay a league fee. Eventually I hope through raising money that no kid will have to pay to play football.
Michael Tillery: Besides your philanthropy, how are you getting funds raised?
LC: I have received a lot of help. Warren Sapp would donate. Brian McKinnie would donate. Chad Johnson would donate. Antonio Bryant donates big. Edgerrin James is one of the biggest contributors to the Liberty City Optimist program. Alonzo Mourning donated to help us start the computer lab. Dade County as well as the entire city of Miami have been very generous. Whoever I've reached out to has given of them self and I'm very thankful. We are trying to teach other programs that there are ways to run a successful league the right way. Hopefully they will learn from us so we all can help the kids.
Michael Tillery: Why are you so involved in sports?
LC: When you play football in Miami, you start at five years old. Football taught me a lot about life. It taught me a lot about responsibility. Some of my best memories came from playing football in Miami. Not just me either. A whole lot of my other friends are the same way. It really shapes you and gives you a sense of responsibility and camaraderie. That winning attitude down here starts in youth football.
Michael Tillery: How's your golf game?
LC: It's all lovely right now. I'm beating the mess out of people.
Michael Tillery: What is the Liberty City Optimist program?
LC: Probably 30% of University of Miami football comes from our program.
Michael Tillery: How's the University of Miami looking this year? What's your affiliation with that top ten program?
LC: These days I have absolutely no affiliation. After all the championships we won, there started to be a lot of jealous writers. They wanted to know why Luther Campbell is on the sidelines. Why I was talking to kids. They came up with their own reasons. Saying that I was paying people. All of that stuff was lies. I kind of disassociated myself from the university. You had writers like Dan Le Betard (Miami Herald, ESPN). Through his lies about me paying the players, he became a big sports writer. He was a regular beat writer. When he broke the story about me after doing all kinds of so called investigating it made him a hero. A lot of writers across the country depend on stories like this to elevate themselves in the field. In the process they ruin a lot of innocent folk's lives. That ain't right. One thing about me, when a lot of stuff was going down at Miami with kids getting in trouble in all kinds of ways, I said to myself, what can I do? I became a mentor to all those kids. It just wasn't about music. I ended up on the sideline to help these kids mentally though years that shaped them. That's all I did. I helped the university out a lot in doing so.
Being that I was this big time rapper and entertainer, unfortunately a lot of people put their own spin on the situation. In the process, a lot of kids lost that person who would stay on them and make sure they were going to class and doing the work like they should have been doing anyway. Some became lost and it became a real sad thing. Through me becoming successful in whatever I did, I helped kids out tremendously by inspiring them. Look at Willie Williams. I could have talked to him and helped him stay in line. I'm getting off the airplane and pick up the paper and see that he was suspended? I could have prevented that. I've done it before. When the late Jerome Brown, Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp were there. I helped them and other players by just being a positive person in their life. To make sure they made the best of the opportunity that they had. I had a relationship with these kids. When I see Dan Le Betard on the TV talking about these kids, I can't help but what to think about what may have been. It's a shame and just ridiculous that I can't even talk to these kids now. I can't even do as much as purchase a ticket to the games. They won't even sell me the ticket. It is what it is. Hopefully though this article people will have a different understanding of what my intentions are with kids. Let me be a man to them.
Michael Tillery: What do you think about Maurice Clarrett?
LC: See that's what I'm saying. A lot of situations like that could be prevented. If I can catch them before they turn bad then I've done my job. The NCAA wants to talk to me right now because of some rumors that are falsely circulating about my contact with some players and something they heard in my audio book. It's crazy man.
Michael Tillery: I recently spoke to Dj Irie, the Dj of the Miami Heat in Vegas? He is loving Miami right now because of all the love. What's it like down there with the Heat winning it all?
LC: Dj Irie, my man! It's a beautiful thing to see. The city is still celebrating. You had your fair weather fans, but overall the city deserved that championship and I'm glad the fellas brought it to us.
Michael Tillery: In the car, limo or your crib, what's making the speakers pop?
LC: Sirius radio! Luke laughs. Got you on that one didn't I Mike? More laughter
Michael Tillery: Yes you did! Whose hot out there?
LC: Sirius radio. Continuous music without all that bs talk. Luke and I are laughing hysterically.
Michael Tillery: What makes you the successful businessman that you have become?
LC: I keep it simple. I keep it simple man. I'm on the ground floor. I'm always available to anyone who needs me within reason.
Michael Tillery: Talk about the impact that the Supreme Court decision had on the music world and your role in getting Southern rap to the forefront of hip hop.
LC: I see the waves from that decision all over the music world. Protecting the 1st Amendment. Freedom of Speech. Look at Dave Chappelle if it wasn't for us coming along there would be no Dave Chappelle. There would be no humor because you couldn't poke fun at people and get away with it. It was an important decision because it allowed artist to be creative.
LC: Thanks for contacting me. Keep up the good work Mike.
Michael Tillery: Thanks Luke for the soul flow.
