BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The stars aligned at The Beverly Hilton for the 6th Annual Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards, an evening dedicated to celebrating Black excellence, culture, and independent institutional power. On a night where icons like Tyler Perry, Patti LaBelle, and Meagan Good were given their flowers, the man behind the vision—Hollywood Unlocked CEO Jason Lee—took a brief moment on the red carpet to chop it up with ScoopB.com about the true meaning of a sovereign media ecosystem.

Walking the carpet, Lee didn’t hesitate to highlight the blueprint being set by Black executives who are actively shifting from mere “talent” to platform infrastructure owners. When asked about the network owners driving his own inspiration, Lee pointed directly to industry disrupters who are mapping out new territory for independent creators.

“Look at Lemuel Plummer,”Jason Lee told me. “He’s creating a platform for me to be able to take my following, my relationships, and my creativity. A Black-owned platform like Zeus allows me, as a Black owner of a media company, to build opportunity.”

Lee expanded his list of inspirations to include mogul Byron Allen, noting his massive moves in consolidating media properties under a unified umbrella. “He’s one example. Then you have Byron Allen, acquiring all these different properties and bringing them under one roof. He’s doing the work, I’m doing the work. And I just support all the others. My friend Angelica Nwandu from The Shade Room, my friend Charlamagne Tha God, my friend Robin Ayers from Baller Alert—all of us who own our own companies are going to be here helping each other. ‘Learn me something,’ as my late grandmother would say.”

The conversation pivoted to legacy building, framed through a classic sports lens: If Lee could construct a definitive “Mount Rushmore” of media personalities to anchor a network of his own creation, who makes the cut?

Unsurprisingly, Lee bet on himself first, alongside a few undeniable heavyweights of modern audio and digital media—including a notable, complicated rival.

“Charlamagne Tha God and me,” Lee stated confidently. “You know, I’m also going to throw Angie Martinez out there. And I would say—as much as I don’t really care for him, I think he’s loud but he has a voice—Joe Budden. Joe is undeniably a force. We don’t align on everything, but that’s not what it’s supposed to be about.”

For Lee, the sheer volume of independent talent making waves right now makes a four-person limit almost counterproductive to the larger goal of collective media ownership.

“I don’t like the fact that we have to limit it to four, because there are so many amazing people. DJ Vlad is a force. Akademiks, who I spoke to last week. I just love everybody that’s out there getting it for themselves and then collaborating so we can get it together.”

Given the inclusion of the Joe Budden Podcast frontman on his hypothetical network, the natural follow-up pointed to a classic hypothetical scenario inspired by Nas’s legendary track “If I Ruled the World.” If Lee held the keys to global power for a single day, how would he navigate finding common ground or settling the score with Budden?

Lee’s response put the entire landscape of media drama into immediate perspective, drawing a sharp, blunt contrast between internet-fueled content friction and the grim realities of global administration policies under Donald Trump.

“Listen, we have a president that’s bombing kids,” Lee concluded, dismissing the weight of industry infighting against real-world tragedy. “World peace with Joe Budden is the least of my worries. But I wish him the best.”

Full Red Carpet Q&A: Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson x Jason Lee

As the bass from Babyface’s live orchestration echoed from inside the ballroom and the energy on the carpet reached a fever pitch, Lee paused to give a masterclass in the realities of the modern media landscape.

For an executive who has built his legacy on raw, unfiltered conversation, the exchange was a testament to where independent media stands—and where it is heading.

Read the full, unedited red carpet exchange between Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson and Hollywood Unlocked CEO Jason Lee below:

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Jason, you’re self-made and you’re building your own media empire. Who are the network owners that have inspired you?

Jason Lee: I mean, look at Lemuel Plummer. He’s creating a platform for me to be able to take my following, my relationships, and my creativity. A Black-owned platform like Zeus allows me, as a Black owner of a media company, to build opportunity.

He’s one example. Then you have Byron Allen, acquiring all these different properties and bringing them under one roof. He’s doing the work, I’m doing the work. And I just support all the others. My friend Angelica Nwandu from The Shade Room, my friend Charlamagne Tha God, my friend Robin Ayers from Baller Alert—all of us who own our own companies are going to be here helping each other. “Learn me something,” as my late grandmother would say.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: In basketball, they often talk about the Mount Rushmore of players. If you could create a Mount Rushmore of media personalities to live on a network that you created, who would they be and why?

Jason Lee: Charlamagne Tha God and me. You know, I’m also going to throw Angie Martinez out there. And I would say—as much as I don’t really care for him, I think he’s loud but he has a voice—Joe Budden. Joe is undeniably a force. We don’t align on everything, but that’s not what it’s supposed to be about.

But I don’t like the fact that we have to limit it to four, because there are so many amazing people. DJ Vlad is a force. Akademiks, who I spoke to last week. I just love everybody that’s out there getting it for themselves and then collaborating so we can get it together.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Last question. You talk about Joe Budden and you guys not always getting along. Nas made a song called “If I Ruled the World.” If you ruled the world for a day, how would you find peace with Joe Budden?

Jason Lee: Listen, we have a president that’s bombing kids. World peace with Joe Budden is the least of my worries. But I wish him the best.

Conclusion

Lee’s reflections on the red carpet underscore a defining shift in modern entertainment: the transition from individual stardom to true institutional equity. By placing figures like Joe Budden on his hypothetical media Mount Rushmore despite their public differences, Lee demonstrated a rare, macro-level perspective that prioritizes collective culture and Black-owned media infrastructure over personal grievances.

Yet, it was his final, sobering pivot to the global political stage that left the deepest impression. In a landscape often consumed by short-lived internet drama, Lee’s blunt refusal to elevate media feuds over real-world conflict served as a stark reminder of his broader perspective. As the Hollywood Unlocked empire continues to expand, Lee is making it clear that while he will always champion the growth of independent media power, he remains acutely tuned in to the global realities that exist far beyond the reach of the red carpet.