This week I got to meet two of my biggest musical idols. I value each of them for different reasons, but both have been incredibly instrumental in shaping how I listen to music.

I was at a club on Saturday night celebrating a birthday party. As I was sitting talking to a friend, I saw a group of five walk up to us. I've been around enough to recognise a security team when I see one, but this time they were a little more difficult to spot. Especially here in the States, bodyguards tend to be these giant hulking mountains of men with no necks who you can spot a mile away. The visual-intimidation factor of bodyguards is the first line of defense, after all. But this time, these two guys dressed all in black were a little different. They were ... short. No taller than 5-foot-4. Don't get me wrong, they were both as wide as a bus — but boy, were they short! Finally, I saw their boss.

Standing at 5-foot-3 (in high heels, no less) was one of the biggest names in music: Prince.

I was amazed at how young the 51-year-old Prince looked. Whatever his secret — whether it's his diet, sex life, no smoking, bathing in milk, whatever — Prince is doing something right. No word of a lie: Prince looks the same as he does in Purple Rain. I was stunned and left with many questions. I wonder if he clones himself to stay forever young? I wonder if he purposely hires bodyguards who make him look tall? Am I heightist? Is that even a word? I'll ask him next time.

A few days later I was invited to a lunch with His Royal Highness Prince Edward of England, who gave a speech to various business types, philanthropists, investors and me. But HRH wasn't the only royal in the room, as one of the guests was king of producers Quincy Jones.

There isn't enough room on this blog to talk about all the great work the man has done in sculpting the world of music, but one thing is for sure: The guy is one very cool cat. Jones worked the room like it was his first, giving everybody a hello handshake, never tiring of meeting new people. When he came to me, he asked, "So ... who are you?" Taking it as an invitation, I told him ... everything! And you know what? He listened to every word and gave me advice that I will never forget. Want to know what it was?

You'll have to ask Quincy next time you see him.

By Steven Roberts

Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label runs the gamut from well-known MCs like Common to lesser-known artists like Consequence, Big Sean and GLC. Now, Kid Cudi is emerging in the mainstream — with his hit song "Day 'N' Nite" and appearances at mtvU Spring Break and South by Southwest — and it looks like the future of Kanye's label is in good hands.

"My job is to make not only myself look good, but to make 'Ye look good," Cudi said. "I tell him all the time: 'Don't worry, I got you. I'm going to make you look better than what you look right now.' "

The Ohio MC said he and West are building toward the future. "He's like my Quincy Jones, and I'm the Michael Jackson," Kid said. "Eventually, I want to be the Quincy Jones and find my Michael Jackson. It's a circle, the circle of life, circle of music, circle of good things."

Cudi said he was invited to Hawaii to record tracks for West's 808s & Heartbreak, and Kanye rewarded him with a chain. Cudi was grateful, and he texted West to thank him. "I definitely told him that I appreciated him more than he knew and just to say 'thank you.' He hit me back, like, 'Man, you inspire me too,' " Cudi recalled, saying he was shocked by his response.

Kid said West thanked him for the future of G.O.O.D. Music: "When he told me that I inspired him on his project, and he's thanking me for adding years to the brand of G.O.O.D. Music, that's just so crazy."