Abebe Lewis is the owner and operator of CH, an iconic recording studio in Miami. The studio attracts recording artists, local and otherwise, in all genres, who are drawn to its excellent ambiance and its history of making top hits. Ian Lewis, Abebe’s father, and his Uncle Roger were the founders of Jamaica’s Fatman Riddim Section. They were also the bass and guitar players with Inner Circle, a pioneering reggae band. When singer Jacob Miller was killed in an automobile accident in Kingston, the band moved to Miami and reformed, writing the popular tune, “Bad Boys (Watcha Gonna Do.” Their experience forms the back-story for CH. As a child, Abebe watched his father during and after the making of that hit song. He noticed that he didn’t buy a lot of fancy cars or other luxury goods; he put the money he made back into his businesses, telling his son that it was important to “invest in what you’re doing to see a nice outcome out of your income,” Abebe said. And so Inner Circle set up the recording studio in Miami. They called it CH in hopes of replicating the feeling of a Jamaican studio. The life experience of Abebe Lewis, a former basketball player from American High, has taken him from his childhood in Miami Lakes when he Nas and Ne-Yo for friends to operating the well-loved and respected CH. He is humble in his everyday life, however, taking his daughter to school, going to the gym, and buying new equipment for his studio so that it remains on the cutting edge of the business. Here is our conversation with Abebe Lewis.

Q: What is your connection to Jamaica?
I’m born in Jamaica. I was raised in Miami, FL. My Father Ian Lewis & my Uncle Roger Lewis are the founding members of the Iconic Reggae Group Inner Circle

Q: Are you a business person, entrepreneur or both? 
I’m both. I run many different businesses including my own Marketing Company, Abebe Lewis Marketing & Branding Group, which is one of the top Marketing Companies in South Florida. We special in clubs, private events, artist management, and consulting.

Q: What was your profession did you want to go into before you started your business? 
Before I started doing what I’m doing, I was a Top Basketball Prospect. I feel like Basketball & Business works hand and hand.

Q: Currently what is our biggest business challenge?
My main challenge is to stay motivated every day because when you’re dealing with marketing & branding, you have to stay on the cutting edge from everything to social media, graphics, etc.

Q: What motivates you on a day to day basis?
My Family !

Q: How do you motivate people that aren’t close to you and enable them to see your vision?
With results.

Q. What time do you wake up and do you have a routine?
I wake up at 6 am every morning to drop my daughter to school.

Q. Do you have any hobbies?
Playing Basketball & Bike Riding.

Q: Do you still play basketball? What is your favorite NBA team?
Yes, I still play. My favorite team is The Heat

Q: My favorite Jamaican food is…
Oxtail.

Learn more about Abebe by following on Instragram and Facebook.