Meet Kentrell
Kentrell Jones, founder of Trell Nation, has a bit of a unique Harlem story. His grandmother came up from South Carolina and bought and managed their building in the 1960s, “So I've been in the same building my entire life. And so my mom, my aunt, they live on the third floor. My grandmother lived on the 3rd floor. And then when I was old enough [I] put some money down and I moved up to the fifth floor. [My] uncle… he's passed since, but his two sons, they have the apartment on the second floor. And we just have a bunch of family friends… [My] grandma kind of got everybody together and.. put them in position to have an apartment. And a lot of the people that… still live in my building, they… helped raise me… Like my next door neighbor, she… bought my first [Sega] system... We're really close knit… [and] we're still there.”
He met his first real friend just walking out his building, “When I stepped off the stoop, he grabbed me like, ‘Yo bro, I'm Len,’” The community provided by his building and Harlem as a whole helped him feel safe and supported, with someone always being nearby. He says, “The first time I went to the store on my own. You know, the friend I told you, Len? His mom sent me back upstairs.” Even his friends would look out for him, “I'm not [only] talking about… somebody's grandmother, somebody’s aunt. No. My homeboy, like, ‘Trell. What you doing over here, bro?’”
“[My] grandma kind of got everybody together and.. put them in position to have an apartment. And a lot of the people that… still live in my building, they… helped raise me… Like my next door neighbor, she… bought my first system... We’re really close knit… [and] we’re still there.”
Kentrell loved writing and being active since he was a kid, going to Central Park and climbing trees, playing street basketball, and watching games at the Rucker. He remembers how different the community was, “It was a lot of tables out. And we would walk past and everybody was selling… incense, books, and things like that… [There] was a point where it was all taken away… That’s what made me understand we're responsible for our culture… It’s like, ‘Well, where am I going to get that from?’ Harlem is a place where you could get that, where you could see yourself…”
His mom, grandmother, aunt, and sister have had a major impact on him, “My dad was always in my life, but I was basically raised by four women. My mom. My aunt. My sister. And my grandmother. So it kind of… forces you to be emotionally intelligent… [They]… kept me more aware of what I was doing… [and made me] more giving and less selfish.” His grandmother helped him as an entrepreneur, serving as a role model and teaching him the importance of time management, how to invest, and to always be responsible. She has even influenced his personal style, “My grandmother was very elegant… It's like long dresses… [and] the church hats, and I get my style from my grandma.” His sister saw his potential early. She was always showing him the different paths he could take and encouraging him to be his best self, “She’s very instrumental. And I credit her for helping me grow up… Like… she got me my second job, which led me to all the food experience that I have [had]… She’s invaluable to me for sure.”
Always having “ the entrepreneurial spirit”, he looked for something he could do on his own so he started training and got certified in 2013. “[In] 2016 I left the job and I started training on my own. And that’s what I’ve been doing since.” Kentrell has known Jah, founder of JTW Fit and Harlem Kettlebell Club, since he was younger, and after reconnecting as adults on similar paths they began to work together. Kentrell started training clients at JTW Fit and now he is a personal trainer for multiple clients and teaches classes on Wednesday and Saturday at Harlem Kettlebell Club. He wants to continue building Trell Nation, has goals to have his own space and help promote fitness as a lifestyle. He also has big personal goals, especially because of his daughter, Bliss." She just asked me about a duplex..." he says. "Personally, I want some property. Something for her, of course, because now we need a duplex..." he jokes. "She said, 'I want an apartment. You know, the one with the stairs.' ...I was like, 'No, baby. You mean like an elevator. We live in a walk-up.' 'No, stairs... inside the apartment.' And I said, 'What?'", he laughs.
Raising his daughter in the neighborhood he grew up in, he says, “I let her have her own experience, but I just keep her away from the things that might endanger her. That’s all. I mean…I grew up here. I'm doing fine.” He wants her to experience as much as she can, form her own perspective on life and Harlem, and know she always has her parents’ support. He says, “I'm… very, very [proud of] being where I'm from and learning the things I learned from the people that I learned from. I got a lot of good information from people you wouldn't expect.” He loves Harlem and envisions continued growth for him and Bliss.