Rayshawn Brown

Have you ever dreamed of becoming a Pro-Basketball player? The cheering, the lights, the cameras…

Rayshawn had that dream and in the blink of an eye that dream was abruptly taken from him. On April 23, 1998 two New Jersey state troopers opened fi re, shooting Rayshawn and three of his friends, as they were on their way to basketball try-outs in North Carolina. It was in that moment, that Rayshawn realized his life would never be the same. 

Rayshawn Brown, born April 17, 1978, in the South Bronx section of New York to a loving family of talented people in basketball and beyond, was not born with the gift of balling. He learned as he played, he worked hard but it didn’t come easy. Growing up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the Bronx, Rayshawn was also no stranger to what society had to offer in the event that he wasn’t on the straight and narrow. So with that known, Rayshawn acknowledged that if he wanted to succeed in life, it was going to take the hard work and persistence and those two things led him to excel on and off the court. As a child, the enterprising, Rayshawn had a favorite game that he played with his siblings, “Offi ce”. In this game Rayshawn took on the role of the owner of several business and his siblings all worked for him. 

At 15 years of age, having developed into a very mature young man, Rayshawn had met Mr. Winton Marsalis on the basketball court. Mr. Marsalis, having taken an instant liking to the determined young man, introduced himself and become a mentor to Rayshawn. Their friendship developed into more than a mentor/mentee relationship but a father and son relationship and has helped to guide Rayshawn through the years. It also provided Rayshawn with the great experience of touring across seas with Mr. Marsalis where he was able learned more about his own musical talent. Again, being the enterprising young man he is, Rayshawn became Mr. Marsalis’ assistant road manager. Mr. Marsalis always told Rayshawn to stand strong, and do what you believe in and Rayshawn has done just that. On May 24, 2004 Rayshawn graduated from Bloomfi eld College with an honorary degree and high honors. Today Rayshawn is a successful entrepreneur, running two businesses; Mpire Entertainment, which provides management services and houses a record label and printing house and Meggr Recording Studio, a studio located in Bloomfi eld, NJ. In addition to these two businesses, Rayshawn also fi nd the time to be a personal trainer and is highly recognized by his clients. What can we expect in the near future from Rayshawn Brown? Outside of his growing his existing businesses into mainstays in their industries, he has plans to open his own fitness center in the next few years.