CEOs Gone Wild: Luther Campbell-Minyanville

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CEOs Gone Wild: Luther Campbell

Justin Rohrlich Aug 28, 2008 12:55 pm


		2 Live Crew frontman's firm has $2,000 market cap, freakiest girls.

According to www.stockspam.com, which bills itself as “The Pump-and-Dump Chronicles”, First Petroleum & Pipeline, Inc. (FFPL) “is an independent gas and oil exploration and development company. The main company goal is to apply advanced technologies to systematically explore and develop its oil and natural gas opportunities.”

But let’s say you’re not an energy speculator at all. In fact, your investing interests lie in entertainment and hip-hop.

Well, sometimes the stars align.

On November 15th, 2007, First Petroleum and Pipeline Inc. changed its name to Luke Entertainment Group Inc. (LKEN), a “cutting edge entertainment company focused on using technology-centric solutions, such as mobile, Internet and streaming video to reach the current global audience.”

It’s helmed by none other than Miami hip-hop pioneer Luther “Luke” Campbell.

You may remember Campbell as a member of the seminal rap group 2 Live Crew, best known for their 1989 hit “Me So Horny” off the then-controversial album As Nasty as They Wanna Be.

In fact it was so controversial that Charles Freeman, a Broward County, Florida record store owner, was arrested for selling to an undercover police officer after Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled the disc illegal on obscenity grounds. (Two years later, the ruling was overturned and the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear Broward’s appeal, rendering the case moot.)

So, how exactly does an oil and gas exploration firm suddenly become an entertainment company? Don’t expect any answers from Luke Entertainment Group’s new website (www.lukeentertainmentgroup.com). It seems the “technology-centric solutions” the company lauds in its forward-looking statements are in need of a solution of their own - the site doesn’t work.

How did Campbell establish his company? A reporter for the Village Voice asked this very question. His response: “I started doing a little bit of research on companies like Nestlé and Volkswagen, thinking about how to actually do this.”

Nestlé and Volkswagen - the guy aims high.

After looking into the ins and outs of going public, Campbell decided that “the traditional way is a long process” and decided on a reverse merger, taking over the shell of First Petroleum & Pipeline.

Luke Entertainment Group’s stock doesn’t seem to be operating very successfully, either, although at one point it did break the $1.50 mark.

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With 199,000 shares outstanding, and the stock currently trading at $0.01, the company’s market cap is a shade under $2,000.

A call to Luke Entertainment Group’s investor relations firm, AMD Marketing, failed to turn up actionable information. But the representative was happy to share that Campbell coaches a Pop Warner football team in South Florida. They’re called the Liberty City Warriors and compete in the Division I Junior Midgetbracket - and certainly live up to their name.

In the 2006 Youth Football Classic charity game between the Warriors and Snoop Dogg’s Rowland Heights Raiders, referees canceled the game during the third quarter when an on-field brawl erupted between the two squads.

But make no mistake, Campbell’s as much a lover as he is a fighter.

He calls himself the black Hugh Hefner and, through his lightly traded public company, says he wants to raise the level of quality in adult movies that feature minority actors.

“No Motel 6 and grimy stuff,”Campbell told an interviewer.“We want to have classy done plots and tastefully done scenes.”

Well, tasteful is in the eye of the beholder. Here’s a snippet from a Q&A with Campbell on the HipHopRuckus website:

Q: Alright, I know you've got a model search going on called “Ms. Freaky Soul.” What’s the criteria for someone to be “Ms. Freaky Soul”?

A: Just looking for the freakiest girl that I’ve never met.

Not long ago, Campbell did find someone special, though at press time, it wasn’t known whether she was “freaky” or not. What is known is that her name is Kristin Thompson, she serves as Luke Entertainment Group’s general counsel and the happy couple met at Jerry’s Deli in Miami Beach.

They tied the knot on July 19th at -- get this -- Dallas’s Saint Luke Community Methodist Church.

Luther Campbell: The world’s first CEOh My God.


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