Meet the Miami mogul behind Pitbull, Trina, Trick Daddy and more

Ted Lucas, who founded Slip N' Slide Records in 1994, helped launch Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross and Pitbull, as well as newer artists like Teenear. (Check out her new song, "Lonely at Christmas.")

What's happening: Lucas will be honored at 8:30 this morning when City of Miami Commissioner Christine King and Mayor Francis Suarez present a proclamation and key to the city, celebrating 50 years of hip-hop.

Why it matters: Lucas' impact in South Florida extends beyond launching musicians to mega-stardom.

• He founded the Ted Lucas Foundation to help young people from inner-city Miami.
• Leading the nonprofit TechNolij, he now helps people get tech training at Florida Memorial University. Through The Source, he offers access to tech events.

What they're saying: Lucas tells Axios he was always business oriented and had a knack for recognizing talent.

• Growing up in Miami in the 1980s and '90s, he saw rappers and drug dealers as entrepreneurs. In Trina, other people saw "a pretty young girl out of Miami from Northwestern High School in Liberty City," he says — but he saw a superstar.
• He was inspired by 2 Live Crew's Uncle Luke — "not just an artist. He was a man who owned a record company" — and a Luke Records employee, Debbie Bennett, whom he later hired and who taught him the biz.
• "I was afraid and intimidated about going to meet attorneys and anybody wanting to do business," Lucas recalls. She pushed him to take meetings and cut deals.

Details: These days, Lucas wakes up at 5am, prays, works out and is in meetings by 9. He eats a mostly plant-based diet. On weekends, he lets loose at restaurants, parties and enjoys football games.

• Lucas says he's frequently approached by unsigned artists, but needs to see a strong presence on all social media platforms.
• "I want to know: Can we pack out a concert? Can we sell some merchandise? If I can see that, I still got a great production team that can help us get great records together and make great music."

Of note: During Miami Art Week, Slip-N-Slide held a packed event with Andrew Skate Company.

• "Trick and Trina was laughing at me: … ''Man, you're getting emotional.'" Lucas chuckles. "After all this time, just to see the fans turn out and appreciate the work that we put in together — it's a good, great feeling."