Meet Anthony Stewart Jr | aka DJ Klepto

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Stewart Jr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony, how do you think about risk?
The first thing that comes to mind is gambling which is something I do quite often. My friends know I will go to Vegas spur of the moment every other week and I have comp rooms and free play waiting. I was raised in church though and in my Christian upbringing I always remember the scriptures James Chapter 2 verses 14-22 where GOD describes faith without works is dead. To me that means just wishing or praying for something isn’t enough you have to put your best foot forward and do the work to get the job done.

I Apply this philosophy to everything in my life. Everyone on earth has the same 24 hours in a day & only 7 days a week available to get things done. If I want to change something in the world or don’t like the way something is the only thing i know that works is taking the necessary steps to fix the problem and not let anything get in my way. This applies to situations in my personal life and while running my Business; The Better Entertainment.

I recall a few instances where I took a risk in order to achieve a personal or career goal. As a black man in America anytime Police are involved in a situation their is a chance I may be shot or put in jail based on statistics so naturally most live in a state of fear when dealing with them. I DJ and used to date the Performing Artist Rikiesha Pierce who attended University of Southern California at the time and we attended an event near campus that took a turn for the worst once the cops arrived. Long story short there were 2 events directly across the street from each other the cops shut down the event that had mostly black students and told the other event with mostly white students to stay inside. The cops called for backup and arrested the black event organizer, the white students began gather in the front watching the fiasco unfold. The only thing I could think to do was to record the situation we had not broken in school rules and the extreme use of force at a peaceful event was uncalled for. Riki and I began to tell people pull out your phones and record since most of the students knew each other and had friends at both events. The cops began to arrest students at that point including me and in the end we ended up building a case against LApd and won but that situation could have been worse if I didn’t take the risk of recording and filing a case against the department along with Riki writing letters to the president of USC to get the students released from jail.(https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l305HTqainE&list=PLl4YPKGkzLfEd6BFKdReTUGq2EG6_YYvC&index=21)

Another risk I will never forget is career based with the Artist ComptonAV & the one & only Belasco Theater in Downtown LA. I had been working at Belasco for a few years as a promoter and DJ before I decided to throw my own events at the 3 story 2,500 capacity venue in the heart of LA. On September 6th 2019 I decided to throw a concert with the hardest working artist I knew at the time ComptonAV. I was always the promoter voting for hip hop performances in meetings so one day I took the $15,000 risk of doing my own event. In preparation for the ComptonAV I reached out to every Business , Artist, News Outlet, Friends & family to see who wanted to be apart literally any and everyone I knew. The Concert was Epic and afterwards every major artist that blessed the stage ended up verified on Instagram. It was the best event I had ever done and the biggest bill I ever paid for 5 hours of partying. In the end me & ComptonAV produced a Documentary & Movie based on his career and influence in the rap game titled, Never Went Hollywood. We Also created an The ComptonAV app which has the Full Concert & Documentary ( https://apps.apple.com/us/app/compton-av/id1521816244 )

In both cases I took a risk I didn’t have to take in order to achieve the goal I wanted. You have to be prepared to sacrifice for what you want in life or else you shouldn’t complain about the results. One of my favorite artist John Legend has a song titled Preach that states,” I can’t see the use in me crying
If I’m not even tryna make the change I wanna see.” That line says it all You have to do something in order to get what you want… Take the Risk

Signed #DjKlepto

What should our readers know about your business?
Business wise I never wanted to work for anyone even as a kid I would always tell my parents I don’t need a job I will work for myself. Back in the day I had no clue what I was going to do but I was determined to figure something out on my own without a regular job. Fast forward to today I currently run a few companies my main source of income is Being a Dj which I started back in the class of 07 at Santa Monica Highschool. The Second is The Better Entertainment which is a marketing company I created after I graduated with my degree & certification in Marketing and most recently I started a clothing brand Stolit Clothing. I unfortunately wasn’t able to start opening businesses without working few places but I only picked places to learn certain skills. I worked for someone else only 3 times the first was Amazon.com because they are number in sales online with no stores to shop in person, the second was Pioneer Marketing group which sent me to various Costcos or Sams clubs and I sold products in store ( no not free samples) and lastly GoldLok Supreme Vodka which I was the Main Account Manager and Brand Ambassador. GoldLok was once my greatest accomplishment due to the fact I was the first person to put the brand in liquor stores and even sold it to Total Wine & More. The Vodka is 100% Organic distilled from Sugarcane in an All Gold Bottle so it looked great and tasted better. Any artist or celebrities with the bottle I most likely gave to them in person and have the pictures and videos to prove it the company could have been the next Ciroc but the owner had other plans and moved out the country after a few years without paying owed commissions and leaving people wanting more Gold Bottles. But with great risk there is a opportunity for a greater reward so I appreciate the life lessons I learned working for others and vowed make sure my businesses copied the best and omitted the worst of the skills I learned thus far in business. The main thing that keeps me going is I know the power of ownership and once you own something promotion and marketing is needed to increase your profit so I love helping people who own a business or have a product or skill make more money.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As a DJ people ask me every other day what my plans are or if I can find something for them to do In Los Angeles. The Issue isn’t a lack of things to do it’s deciphering which events are worth your time and nowadays which events are safe to go. Follow me on Instagram for Weekly updates @DjKept0 but I suggest you stick to the tourist Hot Spots when visiting the Area. If you can afford it the best area is Hollywood Blvd where you will find a plethora of upscale clubs and dining opened all night. The Downtown Los Angeles area near Staples Center is a nice spot to for dining or club nights and last but not least the Santa Monica Promenade , The Grove & Citadel are great places to go shopping any day of the week. From Vintage to Custom to Upscale you can find All the Brands you need between these three malls. Sightseeing has to be on the list of things to do in Sunny California so I would suggest Santa Monica pier or the The Pike in Long Beach which offers food and fun minutes from one of the many beaches.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m order for me to keep the right mind state in the Entertainment industry the main group that keeps me sane is @HRMovement. There slogan is Where Christ & Creativity Meet; and they are my support group. When most people think of clubs and parties they think of the fun part like dancing and drinking but the business side of events is very different and always stressful dealing with various people or situations. Holy Renaissance Movement under the leadership of Pastor John Revelator continues to teach me while I grow in my career and personal life. We are currently working on a gospel Mini-Series and new Album (https://music.apple.com/us/album/renaissance-man/1601937820)

Website: Thebetterentertainment.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/DjKlept0

Twitter: Twitter.com/DeejayKlepto

Facebook: Facebook.com/thebetterent

Youtube: YouTube.com/DjKlept0

Other: Stolit Clothing — Instagram.com/Westolit

Image Credits
1 – DJ Klepto 2 – Big Sean & DJ Klepto 3 – DJ Klepto & Brandon T Jackson 4 – Jerry Krecicki, DJ Klepto & Dorion Pentard 5 – DJ Klepto & ComptonAV 6 – ComptonAV, Gina Views & DJ Klepto 7 – Nipsey Hussle & DJ Klepto 8 – DJ Klepto 9 – Jamal Ross & DJ Klepto