My Favorite Cigar
Kevin Liles • Music Mogul
H. Upmann Magnum 56 EL 2015
When Kevin Liles goes somewhere, his Xikar Cigar Travel Case is never far behind. The black box holds 30 cigars, grouped by strength, with Humidipaks at each level. It never stays full for long. “I carry it with me wherever I go,” says Liles, chairman and CEO of independent record label 300 Entertainment. “I smoke four, five a day. If I’m playing 18, I might get up to six or seven. It’s my relaxation, to keep my mind off things.” He puffs in increasing order of strength. “I start off light and I end up with something that’s a little bit heavier at the end of the night.” During an early evening interview, he’s puffing a Cohiba. Cubans make up most of his smokes. Liles, 53, has been working in the music industry for his entire career, with stops at Def Jam and Warner Music Group. In 2017, he co-founded 300 Entertainment, a music company with an edge. As a younger man, a producer stole his work, leaving him with a lifelong ion for protecting the artists he works with. “These artists are trusting me with their life. My job is to protect the truth.”
