WASHINGTON (August 17, 2023) – Harlem native David Powell was a member of the Howard University baseball team under Jimmy Williams.
 
After graduating from HU in 2004, he completed the American Association of Advertising Agencies MAIP Internship, which celebrates its 50^th Anniversary this year.
 
David has always been inspired by the frenetic energy of New York City.
 
After a short stint in advertising, he tested his entrepreneurial aspirations in the Entertainment Industry. From 2006-2012, he was one of the most sought-after unsigned artists in Hip-Hop.
 
His "ESSOcentric" trilogy with Industry Veteran Sickamore led to the prestigious Unsigned Hype column in The Source (2007) and Show & Prove in XXL (2009) for remixing Michael Jackson's Off The Wall Album.
 
In 2012, he left music and took a nine-year journey through the Hospitality & Liquor Industries that saw him working with many of the most prestigious brands in the Spirits Industry, such as Hendrick's Gin, Hudson Whiskey, and D'Usse Cognac among others. As he traveled and saw more of the world, much of the creativity that fueled his music career found other outlets.
 
David has leveraged his degree in advertising from Howard University, along with the skillset developed from marketing his own music and applied that same hustle within the Spirits Industry.
 
As a former National Brand Ambassador for Flor de Caña Rum, and then Hudson Whiskey (2017-20), he traveled across many of the major cities in the US, along with the UK, Scotland, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Mexico.
 
A true Harlem Renaissance man, David has also been responsible for the Creative Direction of Consumer Packaged Goods, along with Experiential Marketing activations and has a keen eye for photography and design.
 
He also completed an Art Residency on Governor's Island for his visual art in 2020, as the COVID-19 Pandemic forced him off the road for the first time since 2015. Before the end of 2023, David will be moving into his latest Art Residency on the 69th floor of 7 World Trade Center as a part of Silverstein Properties Arts Initiatives.
 
Never one to grow up ultimately, he still has a childlike affinity for LEGO sets and would still work for NASA if they asked him to one day.
 
Music has come full circle as well and there are lots of projects on the horizon to share over the next few years.
 
About Where Are They Now?
 
The weekly series of "Where Are They Now?" appears on Thursdays throughout the year.
 
The series will feature former student-athletes from all sports and eras, highlighting their careers as athletes at the University and what they are presently doing.
 
All interested former athletes and their coaches should submit a short bio, a recent head shot and contact information on how they can be reached via email to Jade Spurlock (jade.spurlock@bison.howard.edu) and Derek W. Bryant (derek.bryant@howard.edu).
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.