Why You Need to See HBO’s “The Defiant Ones”

Look at the bigger picture. Don’t breathe in your own exhaust. Two sentences simply put, yet — if seen under the right light — thoroughly impactful. If you’ve tuned in to HBO’s newest four-part docuseries, The Defiant Ones, you know exactly what we’re talking about. If not, time to ditch the computer and commit the next five hours to your TV. It was that abstract advice, to take a step back and avoid self-involvement at all costs, that launched sound-engineer-turned-record-executive Jimmy Iovine into a realm of music producing success. And, there he stayed — in total orbit. HBO, you’ve cosmically blown our minds.

 

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Why are F. Ron Smith and David Berg, two real estate brokers, recapping The Defiant Ones on a blog titled Tacos & Tequila?” While that’s not a far-fetched question, we have an easy answer: we’re an unlikely duo. Tacos and tequila is the ultimate pairing, but two real estate partners writing about tacos and tequila? Not your average home-selling approach. Perhaps we’re not as unlikely a duo as Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, but we’d like to believe it’s all relative.

 

We won’t spill the beans on the entire series because it’s certainly worth the watch, but we’re going to give you glimpse into our takeaways—one duo’s perspective about another. To sum it up (which, we realize, is a complete injustice to the beauty of Allen Hughes’ production)…

 

 

Jimmy Iovine, epicly successful record producer and former CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M, began his music career as a janitor. Yes, you read that correctly. Working amongst musicians (like John Lennon — casual, right?) at a recording studio in the 70s — as a custodian — Jimmy began to humbly and discerningly understand the blueprint of record management. With modest yet intense ambition, he catapulted the careers of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks (who Petty gifted the lyrics of Stop Draggin’ My Heart, unaware that she was Jimmy’s girlfriend — Petty is still bitter), Patti Smith, U2…the list goes on forever. Name a legend and we’re pretty sure Jimmy Iovine was, in some way or another, responsible for his/her success.

 

Then there’s Dr. Dre. This docuseries is intercut with incredible footage from the streets of Compton, where he and the rap industry’s undeniable O.G.s founded the controversial yet revolutionary N.W.A. On an absolute rollercoaster of highs and lows, Dr. Dre rose to the top with the establishment of Death Row Records, signing Snoop Dogg and 2Pac (among countless others) and — consequently — down again with the introduction of Aftermath Entertainment (a branch of Interscope Records). It wasn’t until Jimmy Iovine suggested that Dr. Dre sign Eminem that he transcended all previous blights. Aftermath Entertainment endured to sign several game-changing rap artists, from 50 Cent to Kendrick Lamar. Again, the list goes on forever.

 

The result is an inspiring story of defiance. Two men of entirely different yet modest means challenged what was expected of them and strove to achieve more than they even expected of themselves. When the lives of the Brooklyn-born Italian and rapper from South Central Los Angeles finally interlocked, an unlikely and influential partnership was born. Together, they managed to sell Beats Electronics to Apple for a whopping…wait for it…$3 billion. If that doesn’t redefine audacity, then we’re not sure what does.

 

Are we comparing ourselves to Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre? No. But, we’re definitely an unlikely duo that seeks to defy the norm within the real estate industry. You may not find us producing music anytime soon, but when it comes to home-selling, we have all sorts of defiant tricks up our sleeves.