Marc Ecko deciphers The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ten Crack Commandments”

After he set the scene onstage with an armchair and a stiff drink, Marc Eckō this morning shared the ten rules of business he uncovered in The Notorious B.I.G.’s song, “Ten Crack Commandments”. Never let no one know how much dough you hold. “In life, we use metrics,” Eckō said. “We will count everything. Quit…

Marc Eckō is founder and chief creative officer of Marc Eckō Enterprises, a billion-dollar full-scale global fashion and lifestyle company. He’s also founder of Artists & Instigators, a venture innovation company whose portfolio features Silicon Prairie startups Dwolla and AgLocal.


After he set the scene onstage with an armchair and a stiff drink, Marc Eckō this morning shared the ten rules of business he uncovered in The Notorious B.I.G.’s song, “Ten Crack Commandments“.

  1. Never let no one know how much dough you hold. “In life, we use metrics,” Eckō said. “We will count everything. Quit counting.” Stop seeking validation that can only be found in finite numbers.
  2. Never let ’em know your next move, don’t you know bad boys move in silence or violence? Silence is a rare commodity. “We are vomiting our every thought,” Eckō said. Being predictable in business is not healthy. And we’re not talking about hurting people. “Execute,” he said, is from the French word executer, to carry into effect. Be discrete and get things done. 
  3. Never trust nobody. Trust comes from the German trost, meaning comfort and consolation. “In business, there is no comfort zone,” Eckō said. “You will inadvertently create an ivory tower in your mind.” 
  4. Never get high on your own supply. Avoid getting deluded on your own success. “That is a dust you don’t want to get high on,” Eckō pointed out. Don’t be deluded by your own success. 
  5. Never sell no crack where you rest at. Don’t do business in the places that are precious to your home.
  6. That g–– d––– credit, dead it. “Not just money,” Eckō clarified. “Your time, your resources, your energy.” In business, be careful who you lend to. You’re not obligated. 
  7. Keep your family and business separated. “Business is rational,” he said. “We have to act rational.” Nepotism should not be tolerated in the workplace. 
  8. Never keep no weight on you. Don’t micromanage. That’s not the way business gets done. Let your partners and employees do their jobs, get out of their way.
  9. Stay the f––k from police. Stay away from politics. There’s no room for that in business. Cozying up with politics implies ulterior motives and could affect your course of transaction. “They’re going to organize you like soup cans on a shelf,” Eckō said. “When you refuse to be labeled, suddenly you play by your own rules not theirs,” he said.
  10. If you ain’t got the clientele, say hell no. Be careful who you take cash from. And not just money, it could be a product or service. “Seek partners, not lenders,” he urged. And don’t be an equity hoarder. “Distribute the risk to get rational thought around the decisions that you make.” 

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Credits: Video by Quadrant5. Snippet photo by Malone & Company.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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