This week Urban Bridgez Group will launch our much awaited UBpodcast.
As someone who was a pioneer of online urban promotions since 1998, it was important to clarify what listeners can expect from the podcast.
UB, nor our previous brand T M H Entertainment, have ever been known to be messy, in sorts.
So with the transition of the new podcast and upcoming documentary we wanted to do an interview with Founder AriesUBG.
Conducted by UBG President Jason Richards.
JRich: Why launch the podcast now? AriesUBG: We’ve been wanting to start this podcast for some years now. We actually had started prepping it and COVID hit. So once that happened the focus went more into website content, with Zoom interviews spiking. So we had to put it on the backburner. But everything happens for a reason and it’s always about divine timing. We’re still celebrating our 20th Anniversary until the fall, so there could be no better time!
JRich: What’s your intention with #UBpodcast AriesUBG: To educate, entertain and encourage the listeners who are fans of this entertainment business. I started a message board in 1998. That was the first place I could communicate with people about the music industry, and they understood and followed as well. With this Podcast I want to do the same. I’m not a big Podcast listener to be honest, but I see the viral clips. I have yet to see these entertainers, journalists or YouTube host talk about some of the topics we plan to. These fans are so clueless and it’s sad! Because they are spending their hard earned money on people who could give two-fucks about them at all!
JRich: For those unaware, how did you get started in this business? AriesUBG: I started like most, as a fan of many artists such as Whitney Houston, Shanice, and TROOP. My mom was really into music, especially R&B. She was one of those people who had all the albums. Between her and two of my uncles I always had access to great music. As I got older I started being interested in promotion. So I would make signs and posters for new album releases, concerts, etc. I would hang in my room and locker so my friends could see. That continued to feed my appetite for the music industry.
So between the ages of 15-19, I worked for a St. Paul Cable TV Public Access channel in the summers. Editing, producing, as well as doing street and studio interviews for shows we developed. Followed by working at Sam Goody, later being promoted to assistant manager (youngest ever at age 18, in the Twin Cities district).
By that time I was also in college at McNally Smith College of Music for music business. Where I learned the ins and outs of the industry, by our department head Craig Rice, an industry legend! During that period, I interned for a digital radio station WRNB, LaFace Records, and attended music expos in Minneapolis/Chicago (WGCI) yearly. I was also granted a once in a lifetime experience, by being connected to Sue Owens at Flyte Tyme via Craig. Who invited a few of us to visit the legendary studio. I was in the studios where Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis made all the hits. Sue even showed us African rainsticks from Africa, that made the rain sound on one of my favorite Janet Jackson songs “Lonely.” So after that I started my own message board, followed by full entertainment website T M H Entertainment in late 1998. As they say, the rest is history!
JRich: You’ve never been one to hold your tongue, is it going to be messy? AriesUBG: See that’s the thing (laughs). Yes! And as you said, I have never been known to hold my tongue. However I have never been known to lie or be messy either. So I think the balance of what people are use to from me, versus what they will get from me on this podcast will even out eventually.
Meaning I have never been one to bad mouth anybody publicly, I’ll cuss anybody out behind the scenes if I feel it calls for that. But I learned very early on from a mentor, not to bad mouth anybody in the industry to someone else in the industry. There are so many reasons not to and not many reasons ever to do so. Everybody’s experience with someone is different. From that, I plan to tell MY story.
There are some momentum and glorious moments I’ve had in this life, due to the industry I work in. But, there has been a lot of turmoil that many people don’t know about. Many in this industry have been on a mission to “humble me” for some time now. With this podcast, I’m going to open the gate to what many don’t know, in order to move forward with what’s next. So again yes, it will get messy, but it will always be real!
JRich: What’s your goal with the podcast and brand moving forward? AriesUBG: With the Podcast to really tell my story, while having great discussions regarding the entertainment industry. Some of the guests and hosts really are people who don’t give a damn! People who have worked in and out of this industry and they also have some stories to tell! I can say it’s a limited podcast. So we don’t have plans to keep it going past this year. As for the brand, the 20th Anniversary is what we’re celebrating now. Moving forward there will be some shifts/changes, but all for the positive and for the sanity of the UBGteam.
JRich: Talk about the T M H/UBG documentary? AriesUBG: Wow! Let me just say this, I have never in life been so excited and scared about something at the same time (laughs). Reason being is the doc is again my story, BUT it’s being done as an education tool. I want this doc to be as definitive to the music industry, as “All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by Donald S. Passman. We’re going to tell you the raw and real journey from T M H Entertainment to Urban Bridgez Group. With no filter, and with receipts.
I started in this business young ambitious and green AF! I really allowed some bullshit to happen to me and my brand on my watch, where I want to now teach and let other young creatives know what to look out for. There are some snakes in this business, from every angle from artists, PR, manager, product manager, etc. They will tell you anything they think you want to hear to get what they want. Then throw you away like yesterdays trash.
So many people, especially artists have benefited so much from me and my brands, numbers don’t lie! Only to constantly over look us when it counts. I want to prevent other young bushy eyed black creatives, from experiencing the betrayal and gaslighting I did.
JRich: Any last words? AriesUBG: Stay tuned for everything this year! We got a point to prove and in 2026 its gonna be cemented in history!
(Aries (1994) Founder of T M H Entertainment + Urban Bridgez Group)
The CEO of Urban Bridgez Group Aries, brought T M H Entertainment online after graduating for Music Business at McNally & Smith College for Music in 1998.
Since as early of the age of four, Aries first love has been music! If you listen to the stories told by his mother and older brother, they’ll share with you how Aries use to make music with his mouth around then if none wasn’t playing. As a child his mother Emma would always play the latest music and buy the latest records for her collection.
Fast-forward years later it was Aries who was buying the latest music releases and recording music off of the radio on cassettes.
As a kid Aries played around with the singing aspect of music, thinking he could and would be a recording artist one day. From being a member of a group he put together in second grade which he named “The Kiseyes” (Kiss-Ease), to recording multiple solo demos years after & even receiving a call from an A&R; of Michael Jackson’s now defunct MJJ label to come to California to meet; Aries missed that meeting and shortly realized singing wasn’t the path he wanted to go, but music business as a whole was!
After graduating from Central High School in Saint Paul, MN, Aries enrolled at McNally & Smith (formally Music Tech) and majored in you guessed it…music business!
“I learned a lot from the staff who also work in the industry. I learned the ins and outs of the music business including marketing, publishing, production, you name it. My free time was spent in the computer lab, where I first got interested in websites and online promotion!” Aries happily remembered. Computers was always an interest to Aries when he was in grade-school and all the content on the computer was green without a mouse. His desire to learn the development of computers, laid the path to his future success.
During that period Aries was an assistant manager of Sam Goody (Musicland Group), in downtown St. Paul, MN and later in Atlanta, GA. Aries was promoted the youngest assistant manager ever, in the district at age 18. After working for the retail giant for two years part-time while finishing high-school.
Aries was constantly praised by the store and district managers for knowing the music and how to find it. Before smart phones, people would come in the store and sing parts of songs to Aries to see if the store had it. Aries would know the tune more than likely and be able to help the customer. That gift along with his passion for promoting led to him being in charge of store endcaps. The space where posters and retail items are placed to promote an album.
As a teen, Aries would make promotional pics by hand, for upcoming album and concert releases. He would post in his room and at school in his locker. His friends would learn from Aries before radio, what was new and coming out. To the point, he would get phone calls from friends and friends of family, asking him what tape or CD they should purchase?
Aries also helped elevate and help local hip-hop & R&B artists sell their CD’s at the location. By doing consignment with the artists, it helped them sell their independent releases in the major chain that was Musicland Group. Unlike today it wasn’t two or three clicks to get your music on a major retail platform, you had to hustle!
His ear for music is undeniable, which led him to an internship at WRNB digital radio, now Black Music America. Owned by Pete Rhodes and his wife Kim, it’s a Minneapolis based, black owned, interactive music company. Who at the time were one of the first literally to have a digital radio station on cable network.
Aries was assistant music director. A job that Aries was born to do and loved every minute of. His job, listen to all the new releases coming in (there were mostly over 80 a day) and decide which ones should be added to the playlist. The playlist was digital, so Pete would add the songs and they would generate and be added to the playlist.
During that time Aries flourished in his role and happily remembers a funny submission. “I will never forget when “My Baby Daddy” came out by B-Rock and the Bizz. They sent a case and the radio singles were wrapped in diapers,” Aries laughs. “I thought that was the most brilliant marketing ever at that time! Of course the song went on to be a huge smash. I still have that promo single.”
During that time Aries also interned for LaFace Records for a short time.
In 1998 Aries D. launched The Music Hall (T M H), a message-board named after the home-made mixtapes given to family and friends when he was younger. The name was also shared for Scrapbooks, Aries made of entertainment stories as a teen.
The online message-board is where people came to discuss the music industry as well as the artists involved.
T M H rapidly grew to a full-fledge entertainment website in 1999 named T M H Entertainment.
The site featured news, media, contests and reviews. The only thing the website was missing was exclusive interviews with recording artists. Something Aries had dreamed about doing since his early teens, when he use to host a weekly top 20 show for his mixtapes which he had subscribers who would pay monthly & receive approximately 6 mixed tapes per month. So to be able to interview an actual recording artist would be just what T M H needed to really stand out from other un-branded e-zines.
The following year, an opportunity arose for the site to interview the late singer Nate Dogg.
When the interview was published on the website, requests began pouring in from various record labels to have their artists interviewed for the site.
Aries went on to interview singers Brandy, Deborah Cox, Ann Nesby, RL, New Edition, Jon B, Tamela Mann and Ciara, rappers Nelly, Kurupt and The Eastside Boys, actor/comedian Katt Williams (who T M H designed his first official website) and a host of others for T M H Entertainment‘s E-zine.
T M H eventually expanded in the realms of fan-sites by creating sites especially designed for promoting artists new projects. Aries worked day in and out creating sites online viewers would notice.
After opening a fan-site for Faith Evans, he was determined to meet someone from Faith’s camp to let them know of the site. Faith happened to be visiting Aries home in the Twin Cities for a concert. With his driven nature in overdrive, his dream came true when he met Todd Russaw, Faith’s manager and then-husband. He gave him the site information and in return was invited to Faith’s after party.
This chance meeting eventually led to phone calls placed to Aries to create Faith’s official site for her third album, “Faithfully.”
In 2001, Faith Evans first ever official website faithfullyfaith.com debuted in time for the release of the album. The site was designed and maintained by T M H Entertainment. That wasn’t all, T M H also had creative and full control of the site. In English terms, not even Bad Boy Entertainment, could go in and access or modify the site content without T M H Entertainment‘s permission.
T M H had its first major project under their belt and little did Aries know, more was on the horizon.
“Shanice World,” another fan-site created by Aries, was visited by Shanice’s family whom he became acquainted with via the message board. The success of Shanice’s fan-site led her assistant to invite Aries to meet Shanice while she was on tour with *N’Sync. His chance came on her final night on the tour in Atlanta. Aries interviewed Shanice for the site and the two became friends.
T M H Entertainment went on to develop a plethora of websites for artists such as Janet Jackson, Kandi, Alicia Keys, LaFace Records, Lil’ Mo, Mint Condition, official fan-sites for recording artist Monica through J Records and R&B group 702 through Universal/Motown.
Usher World a fansite created by Aries was later named his official site, the reason for “the one and only official site” after Usher’s management took over the name. “I hate to brag, well I actually I don’t” Aries laughs, “but we started the world.com’s. The first one to my knowledge was Shanice World, then we did Monica’s World, Usher World, Kandi’s World, Lil Mo’s World, etc. then all of these official sites started being named world sites.
In 2002, a chance came after Aries had moved to Atlanta, GA to attend the Lil Jon, Krayzie Bone and Mystikals “I Don’t Give a Fu**” video shoot. The video was shot at Club 112, little did Aries know he would be given the opportunity to be in the video. That experience taught him some of the ins and outs of video shoots, something that had always been one of his favorite pastimes.
As he embraced his success with open arms, a tragedy nearly caused him his life. In June of 2003, Aries was in an automobile accident on Highway 94 West in St. Paul, MN. He lost control of his car causing it to flip numerous times and crash, ending up on 94 East upside down! The car was totaled and he had a broken femur. Anyone who saw the car after the accident was shocked to know the only person in it survived. “I was introduced to God at an early age by my Grandmother, so I knew the power of prayer. Since I survived the accident, God had another plan for me,” says Aries. After months of therapy and determination, he made a full recovery. Till this day, he still has a metal rode in his leg from his operation.
In 2005, Aries and business partner Jason Richards decided to take T M H in a new direction. They both decided to re-invent their mission and provide more services than fan-sites.
Urban Bridgez Group was then born with a mission to tackle multi-media, marketing and management. A name Aries had created for his mixtapes he made as a teen.
Aries credits his industry friends and family for advising him to branch out to cover more projects. “I’ve been blessed to have three industry mentors, who helped develop me in this industry. Craig Rice, Todd Russaw and Sonja Norwood. You can’t pay for that kind of knowledge! They’re legends in the industry and they all encouraged me to do more things, never get stuck doing one. They saw additional talents in me, before I did at times.”
Aries went on to say; “That along with the support from my mother and brother early on, molded me into who I’ve become. They’ve all left these little nuggets for me, that I never forget.”
In 2005 the name of the brand was changed to Urban Bridgez Group (UBG). The name Urban Bridgez, comes from a mixtape collection, Aries use to make as a teen.
Bridging Music + Lifestyle Together!
The site viewers have made UB one of the biggest urban lifestyle websites online and one of the top R&B sites for it’s entire 19 year run.
UB has conducted interviews with entertainers in music, tv and film. As well showcase new artists, hosts free movie/TV advance screenings, provide the latest urban entertainment news and of course, premiere new music & spotlight R&B greats.
“It will always be important for me to spotlight the legends in R&B! The site was really created around that, spotlighting talent I felt wasn’t getting promoted properly. Regardless of how far we branch out, that will remain the pulse of UB,” states founder Aries Dendy.
Music of course is the core of UrbanBridgez.com and over the years, the e-zine has been honored to present its site viewers with First Listens.
Including Saweetie‘s remix with Jhené Aiko & City Girls for “My Type.” The single broke the websites record of visits, when it garnered more than 2 million hits as the only place to stream the track.
(Ashanti’s 2008 “The Declaration” album cover art – Shown on MTV’s TRL with the UB tag)
UB became quickly known for their exclusive First Look’s as well, for album cover-art, promo pics and track-listings.
Including releases from Rihanna, SWV, Mindless Behavior, Lil Wayne, Johnny Gill, and a host of others. With posthumously art work and tracklist for releases from Teena Marie and Vesta, for their final albums.
UBG Honors, originally T M H Honors was started in 2002 on the original e-zine. A yearly round-up of the best of the best in music and online fans vote!
Over the years since UrbanBridgez.com, the names changed to the UB honors and have expanded into more categories and have been supported by artists and fans alike. For instance, in 2009 Beyoncé’s team posted her nominations on her official site. That year she was nominated for 5 honors, for her “I Am… Sasha Fierce” release.
Since then many artists have shared their nominations on their official sites and social media, including: Toni Braxton, Maxwell, Charlie Wilson, and more.
The UB Honors has become a staple for online fans, as UB receives tweets every year, asking when are they going to be announced? This year fans will get to experience the voting in a way like never before.
In Minneapolis, the home of UB as well as NYC and ATL. UB has held some great advance screenings! One of the ones they’re the most proudest of is the advance screening they hosted at The Mall of America for the Fox series “Empire.”
One of their other favorites is the “A Haunted House 2” screening, also held at the Mall of America with a Q&A from the star and producer Marlon Wayans. Aries from UB also met up with Marlon the following day in Minneapolis, to conduct an interview for UB.
Other UB coverage over the years has included; Being invited to cover Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in Saint Paul at Myth in 2014. Not to mention, being invited on stage by the group for their entire show.
The following year, UB attended OWN’s Breakfast with Iyanla Vanzant in 2015 for that season of “Fix My Life.”
UB has also covered many award shows live and music events including the first BET Hip Hop Awards, MTV Awards, Stellar Awards, and various years of Soundset and the BET Awards.
UrbanBridgez.com had the wonderful pleasure of helping Monica celebrate her birthday in Atlanta in October 2009, which included an exclusive live interview.
UB has also been on set visits. Like for Bounce TVs “Family Time.
In September of 2014, UB was invited to the Private Screening of ABC’s new show at the time, “Black-ish” that was hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross.
The special features have been a huge part of the success of UB. Starting with the Round Table Discussion, the first month UB launched in 2005.
The first was led by former president of BET Stephen Hill and RCA‘s Russ Jones. UB brought the highly popular feature back in 2019, with Round Table II that featured GRAMMY nominated songwriter/producer Ivan Matias and industry executive and entertainment journalist Billy Johnson Jr.
UB Special Features celebrating albums and legendary artists have been a big draw to the site for sometime now. R&B Bridgez has spotlighted albums by; Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Brandy, Rick James, Tevin Campbell, SWV, Miki Howard, Surface, LeVert, The Jets, and a Salute to The Teddy Bear, the late great Gerald LeVert.
During Black Music Month every year, UB celebrates the month with new features and exclusives. Starting in 2009, when the website hosted it’s first Interview Series, UB posted a brand new interview (some days multiple) everyday of the month. That included artists, songwriters, producers, and executives.
Over the years many of UB’s Black Music Month features have gone viral. The first was The Story of Tracie Spencer in 2019, which has garnered over three million views.
UB’s Black Music Month features on Damian Dame, MC Trouble, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder have all reached over a million and continue to trend on and off throughout the year.
Some other artists who have been spotlighted include; Prince, Aaliyah, Curtis Mayfield, Al Jarreau, Melba Moore, Guy, Ready for The World, Club Nouveau, Brownstone, Teena Marie, Klymaxx, MC Brains, 1 Of The Girls, Lisa Keith, and Jasmine Guy.
(AriesUBG with some celebrities throughout the years)
UB’s post on incarcerated R&B Singer Suavé also went viral and was helpful to the fallen stars family when it reached them.
Around that time due to the pandemic, video interviews began to take place more. Instead of phone conversations, they were face to face, for UB’s audience to actually see the interviews on a regular basis.
They quickly racked up views, such as with Cassi Davis, Loretta Devine, The Clark Sisters, Snoop Dogg, Coko, Nick Cannon, Mario Van Peebles, Kelly Price, Stokley, Kym Whitley & DeRay Davis, Ledisi, Shanola Hampton & Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Steve Wilkos, The Cast of BET Presents “The Encore,” and a host of others since.
The 2009 press interview with Christopher Wallace Jr. for the film “NOTORIOUS,” has over a million views.
Over the last few years, UrbanBridgez.com has become one of the leading websites for urban television and films. Beginning when UB started posting weekly features on TV shows such as; BET’s “American Soul: The Story of Soul Train,” The Oval”, “Sistas” and BET’s “Ladies Night” with SWV & Salt-N-Pepa.
To top off the success of the website in the last 19 years, they’ve also been a part of some great grass-root marketing promotions. including for Taraji P. Henson’s “What Men Want,” which went on to gross $72.2 million and “Bad Boys for Life,” which grossed over $148 million. Both films UB held advance screenings in Minneapolis and had exclusive previews and giveaways on UrbanBridgez.com in support of the films.
UB press has been picked up by some of the biggest news and entertainment organizations in the world including; Billboard, The Source, Black Enterprise, MTV, HELLO! Magazine, Perez Hilton, B Scott, Power 105.1, eurweb, musicserver.cz, and The Inquisitr.
UrbanBridgez.com has sponsored some great and important events in it’s nineteen year history.
R&B singer Trey Songz charity Songz 4 Peace, held an event for the teens at Brooklyn Center High School, in Minnesota in December of 2009.
Trey participated on a panel to discuss current topics related to the youth. As the sole sponsor of the event, UB provided gift bags for the teens that included music, shirts, posters & more, all provided by record labels and local retail and radio.
In 2022, UrbanBridgez.com was a proud sponsor of the “2nd Annual Benjamin Crump Equal Justice Now Awards.”
Honorees were Mario Van Peebles, Roland Martin, Brandon “Stix” Salaam-Bailey, Gilbert Cedillo, Bakari Sellers, Angela Rye, Charlie Rocket, Kiesha Nix, Diane Watson, Joyce Beatty and Melvin Van Peebles posthumously. UB appreciated Rev. Jesse Jackson and Mario Van Peebles, for stating and pointing out multiple times..how important Black Press is!
Founder of Urban Bridgez Group, Aries was inspired very early on by his aunt Arnellia Allen. Who owned “Arnellia’s Nightclub,” that opened in 1992 and remained open until 2017. So to celebrate his birthday Aries hosted a party at the nightclub, sponsored by UBG.
“To be able to intertwin Arnellia’s Nightclub and my brand in anything together, meant so much to me. She was always so supportive of me and just an amazing person.”
As a multi-media business Urban Bridgez Group, the brand has helped companies, talent and labels shine!
UB‘s team of web designers have created original, creative & professional websites and content for some of the biggest entertainers and brands in the business. Including Brandy, Ray J, Music World Entertainment, Nelbud, Paramount Pictures, Sony Music and more.
Sonja B. Norwood, mother of international superstars Brandy and Ray J was another important woman who encouraged and inspired Aries. Aries was first introduced to Sonja by her then assistant in 2002. Almost immediately the two begin communicating everyday, on the popular AOL messenger.
Aries began working with The Norwoods, not long after. First being an administrator on Brandy‘s official message board, followed by designing and maintaining her official MySpace Page. At the time, the popular social media platform took the place of official sites.
By the time UBG launched in 2005, Ray J was planning to release his first independent album “Raydiation.” Through his brand Knockout, Ray J and singer/actress Tasha Scott, who was on KO, signed on for multi-media projects with Urban Bridgez Group.
“UBG! Man I’m speechless. I mean out here I just got moms, me and the Knockout crew, so it’s like nine of us. But with y’all, we’re beating them. It’s more of us together!” – Ray J
That included roll-out marketing, biographers, logos, radio campaigns, and standard marketing promo. UBG‘s work relationship continued with the family, when Aries was asked to help design and operate the official websites for Brandy, Ray J and Sonja Norwood. As the family geared up to start filming the VH1 reality series “A Family Business.”
On one episode of the series, in a meeting the with family, Aries name was mentioned when it aired. “That was a cool experience, I didn’t see it coming. Once it aired I started getting a lot of texts and calls, with people telling me they heard my name on TV,” Aries happily remembers. “After it was all said and done, I realized the main reason I felt so good about the mention, is it showed how far I had come in the industry. To be known by first name alone,” Aries laughs.
Brandy was also gearing up for the release of a Timberland produced EP, for her rap alter-ego Bran’Nu, that was later scrapped. The theme of the site was designed around that release. It was also a online milestone for the Grammy winning artist, being it was when UBG switched her domain from foreverbrandy.com to 4everbrandy.com.
“That was one of the best experiences I’ve had working on a website. Brandy wanted to be involved and she was involved every step of the way. We brainstormed on ideas and came up with things like “Bathroom Bangers” for her singing in the bathroom videos,” states Aries. “She’s a fans focused artist, so she is always thinking about them when preparing and with this site we were able to come up with cool ways for her to communicate with them, before Twitter.”
A brand is nothing, without the right team! Urban Bridgez Group has been blessed to have some incredible talent that have been apart of our team (and still are in some cases). People who have went on to not only accomplish their dreams but, people who helped UBG become who we are.
* C.J. Daniels is a Digital Content Producer at WHAS-TV in Louisville, Kentucky, specializing in general assignment reporting.
* Josiah Hayward – Owner of Entertainment firm JDot. His clients included recording artists, actors & writers.
* Vaughn Alvarez is the founder and CEO of CR8 Agency, pronounced, “Create Agency,” an entertainment & lifestyle PR and marketing firm.
* Danielle Datu is a Social Media Editor now at HuffPost.
* Ashley Lewis (daughter of Terry Lewis & Karyn White) – TV News Reporter WTVR, Digital Host & Brand Ambassador.
Veronica Taylor, known to her online family as Ms. Vee, who passed away was also apart of the UBG Team (seen above in “Family Time” visit).
