You know Ben Baller as the jeweler who has iced up the biggest names in hip-hop. But before that he was a record executive listening to Jay-Z's first album before anybody else. The guy's got stories. Like how he was fired by Dr. Dre for speaking out against the bad contracts Dre was giving to his artists.

So Baller gets fired? So what. Ben Baller is a master of reinvention. He sells his sneaker collection for millions and starts designing high-end jewelry. Now he's telling stories about making pieces for Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson.

In this episode of The Limits, Ben tells Jay Williams how he hustled his way to the top not just once but over and over again. The way he tells it, a Korean-American kid can do anything he wants if he just goes out and grabs it.

For sponsor-free episodes, weekly bonus content, and more, subscribe to The Limits Plus at plus.npr.org/thelimits.

Follow Jay on Instagram and Twitter.
Email us at [email protected].

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy