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Lucky Daye hit rock bottom before finding fame. According to Vice, the New Orleans, LA, native, who lived through Hurricane Katrina, uprooted his life to live in Tyler, TX. In his earlier years, he attended a church that discouraged secular music and enforced strict rules on singing only church hymns and nursery rhymes. Daye also mentioned that the church was an environment that reportedly used harsh discipline toward children in the congregation. His mother would later leave the church and brought his family into various organizations in search of a new church home. Daye would later choose Christianity through new eyes, which separated him further from his family before the 400-mile trip to Tyler. “I went [to church] and said, ‘I know I’m supposed to sing, but God is telling me that this is not what I’m supposed to be doing,'” he explained. I left and never went back to [that] church. They never talked to me again. My grandma, my mama, my uncle—none of them. Nobody talked to me....
Fantasia Barrino had to answer to Uncle Sam and almost lost her home in the process. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the singer had vocalized her financial troubles that followed her “America Idol” win in 2004. She was sued by her father two years later and had difficulties with money management and understanding contracts. “It wasn’t easy,” she told PEOPLE. “I lost a lot. I lost everything.” Barrino’s circumstances almost even cost her the mansion she had been living in with her family in North Carolina, according to Forbes. She was served by the court for the first time due to owing $1 million in taxes, and her home could have been put up for auction as a result. “I had a bunch of people on my team who said ‘hey we’re handling all the business,'” she shared during ForbesBLK Summit 2024. “I look up and I owe a million dollars in taxes. So, because of that my lawyer didn’t show up to court, and then they put my house up for auction.” She continued, “I get a knock at the door, and...
Jay-Z intervened to help Hit-Boy out of a music deal he signed when he was a 19. During an interview on “The Shop” podcast, Hit-Boy, born Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., reflects on an ongoing deal with Universal Music Group. When he first signed with the record label in 2007 a $50,000 check sounded like a must-have opportunity at the time, he says. He had come from a home where his father had lived in prison for most of his life and his teen mother was not financially stable. It was Hit-Boy’s upbringing that pushed him to set higher goals for himself. “I never really had the sh-t I wanted. I always had what I needed, you know what I mean? Something to eat, place to stay, but I wanted more for myself,” he explained on “The Shop.” “So, you know, just like, I took that opportunity and didn’t know, didn’t have the guidance, didn’t have those figures around me to tell me like, ‘Nah, they got you locked in this for a long time.'” The deal would be “the worst publishing contract” Hit-Boy’s...
A conversation with Beyoncé inspired Megan Thee Stallion’s latest business venture. Launching A Tequila Brand In April 2024, Megan Thee Stallion, the rapper born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, announced plans to launch her own tequila brand during Adweek’s Social Media Week (SMW). She will be part of the $2.5 trillion spirits industry, which will reportedly reach $5.7 trillion by 2032, per Fortune Business Insights. During Adweek’s SMW, Megan Thee Stallion also revealed that she was working on bringing new music. “I create the things that I want to see. I don’t create things for other people to like them,” she said, per Essence. “I create the music I want to hear, I go and do my own thing and stay true to me.” In May 2024, the “Savage” rapper embarked on the Hot Girl Summer arena tour featuring GloRilla. During the tour’s visit to Chicago, IL, Megan Thee Stallion gave fans an exclusive first taste of her tequila brand, per a May 19 Instagram post. She has yet to reveal other details about...
GloRilla has revealed one of her greatest decisions since making her presence known in the music world. The Memphis, TN-born artist, born Gloria Hallelujah Woods, is known for her 2022 single “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” produced by Hitkidd, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. The song sold more than 1 million records, reached the top spot on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and climbed to No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, per Revolt. ”It didn’t take the song long to blow up. It blew up in like three days,” GloRilla said during an interview on “The Shop” podcast. “So, I was just traveling the world like two days after I dropped that song ‘cause all the labels were calling me everywhere. So yeah, my life changed, changed right after I dropped that song.” After that, GloRilla set out to prove she would not be a one-hit wonder through the release of “Tomorrow” and its remix with Cardi B; “Yeah Glo!”; “Wanna Be” with Megan Thee Stallion; and most recently “TGIF.” GloRilla credits her success to...
GloRilla had to take control of her spending after her first hit single took off. In 2022, the Memphis, TN-born artist, born Gloria Hallelujah Woods, found success with the release of her single “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” produced by Hitkidd. ”It didn’t take the song long to blow up. It blew up in like three days,” she said during an interview on “The Shop” podcast. “So, I was just traveling the world like two days after I dropped that song ‘cause all the labels were calling me everywhere. So yeah, my life changed, changed right after I dropped that song.” Her newfound fame came with some learning curves, such as keeping her spending habits in check. During the interview, she notes that she shifted her mindset with spending when rap-artist-turned-music-executive Yo Gotti intervened and suggested she hire an accountant. “My first year I blew up, this was before I got an accountant. I was just spending money, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m getting it. I’m making it but I’m spending it too,'” she...
Trina gave her first check from Atlantic Records to her mother. The rapper, born Katrina Laverne Taylor, signed to the label in the late ‘ 9 0s after making her first appearance on Trick Daddy’s song “Nann N–ga” in 1998. Trina was able to launch her music career as her presence on the track caught the attention of Ted Lucas, the founder of Slip-N-Slide Records to which Trick Daddy had been signed. “This is what they want to do. This is the deal. They going to merge with Slip-N-Slide. This is the deal coming through this Trick and Trina record… and it was a great deal, and we just I did it and immediately this was in ’98,” Trina said during an interview on the “R&B Money Podcast” hosted by Tank and J Valentine. Despite receiving her first check, Trina was more focused on finishing her debut album than making a major purchase. So, she gave it to her mother who used the check to invest in real estate. “I gave the check to my mom actually and… I had introduced my mom into like buying...
Yo Gotti did not pay his property taxes for years due to a lack of information. During an interview with podcast “Earn Your Leisure,” the rapper revealed he was unaware he had to pay back taxes to the government. He viewed taxes as a celebration as he recalled the gifts he would receive from his mother around tax season. He didn’t know these gifts were likely coming because she had received a tax refund. “I grew up thinking, when you heard of taxes, my mama and ’em got tax money. That’s when we got new Jordans. We got new outfits… It was a celebration when it was tax time,” he said. “We was waiting on tax time. It was better than Christmas. So, I didn’t know… even in my early stages of getting money, I didn’t know we had to pay. I didn’t know because of a lack of information; they didn’t teach me that in school.” Lack of financial literacy carried over into how Yo Gotti did business too. As an investor in real estate early on, he purchased 10 to 15 homes with cash. However, he...
Shaquille O’Neal once invested in Ray J’s music career. During an interview on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast “Club Shay Shay,” the R&B singer-turned-entrepreneur reveals he received $1.5 million from the former Los Angeles Lakers basketball player to support “Sexy Can I,” the first single from his 2008 studio album “All I Feel.” The single featuring Yung Berg would go on to become a top 10 hit on Billboard. O’Neal saw a big return on that investment , Ray J says on the podcast. “He gave us $1.5 [million] for the ‘Sexy Can I’ project, which was the ‘All I Feel’ project, and ‘Sexy Can I’ was the record to lead off. It sold 8 million copies,” Ray J told Sharpe. “We recouped the number back for Shaq, and I don’t know five months, six months, and everything else has been profitable ever since, so shout out to Shaq.” He added, “If you look at the ‘Sexy Can I’ video, you see Shaq in the video. He’s the one with the camera.” Photo Credit: YouTube/ MNRK Music Group O’Neal has distinguished...
Rihanna is expanding her empire! It is no secret hair has been important to Rihanna’s identity. Now she is taking that passion into the business world. The mogul took to social media to announce Fenty Hair will launch on June 13, 2024, and cater to every hair type. “A new family is moving in! @fentyhair is pullin up and it’s time to finally have the hair experience you’ve been waiting for,” she wrote on Instagram. “You know how much switching my hair up matters to me. I’ve had almost every texture, color, length, from weaves to braids to natural- so I am launching a flexible line of products for not only every hair want, but every single product is designed to strengthen and repair all types of hair, which is what we truly need! It’s time to play and get stronger by the style . WE COMING 6/13, but sign up NOW so you can get access and shop before anyone else FENTYHAIR.COM.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) At the time of this writing, it is...
Usher’s nonprofit organization, Usher’s New Look, is working to make tech career paths more accessible for underserved youth. Essence reports that Usher’s New Look teamed up with IBM’s SkillsBuild program to provide young people who are supported by the nonprofit with free tech training including in AI. IBM’s free global platform provides educational pathways and content, particularly focused on career prep resources. “We serve more than 1,500 youth per year, and all the students we serve will have access to SkillsBuild,” said Usher’s New Look CEO and President Careshia Moore, according to Essence. “AI is being infused into every part of our lives, particularly the workforce. We want to make sure that our young people are prepared for what’s coming.” IBM Vice President and Chief Impact Officer Justina Nixon-Saintil chimed in, “In the United States, we very much focus on partnerships like Usher’s New Look, where we can to bring the free training, the expertise from IBM, even job...
A resolution has been reached for a song that was removed from Kanye West’s “Vultures 1” album. Per Rolling Stone, “Good (Don’t Die)” had been pulled from streaming platforms Spotify and Apple as it allegedly infringed on the rights of Donna Summer. Her estate claimed the song was created through a “blatant theft” of her single “I Feel Love” and had filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in February 2024. “In the face of this rejection, defendants arrogantly and unilaterally decided they would simply steal ‘I Feel Love’ and use it without permission,” the lawsuit said, according to Rolling Stone. The outlet also stated: “The filing accused the songwriters of re-recording ‘almost verbatim’ the most ‘memorable portions’ of Summer’s song, using the material as the hook for their own song, and releasing their infringing track ‘knowing they had tried and failed to secure legal permission.’” Furthermore, the official Donna Summer account had shared in its Instagram Story on Feb. 10 that...
Mary J. Blige’s fans have been asking her for a boot collection for years. Now, the music legend has delivered on her promise. In May 2023, the “Good Morning Gorgeous” singer exclusively shared with AFROTECH™ that her signature boot line was on the way. “It’s in the works,” Blige told AFROTECH™ at the time . “For some reason, this is taking longer than everything else, but we’re gonna get there. Trust me. Everything else is here so that’s on its way.” The time has officially arrived as Blige teamed up with Giuseppe Zanotti in May 2024 for “The Mary Boot.” What’s more, she was a part of the design process. “Giuseppe Zanotti and Mary J. Blige have transformed their longtime friendship into an exclusive, limited-edition collaboration,” Giuseppe Zanotti shared on its Instagram page. “‘The Mary Boot,’ a stunning over-the-knee boot co-designed by the two talents.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Giuseppe Zanotti (@giuseppezanotti) During the 2024 Strength of a Woman Festival...
A trademark has placed Pharrell Williams in legal drama. In April 2024, Pink, also known as Alecia Moore, sued Williams for trademarking “P.Inc” for his music-focused promotional marketing services, Rolling Stone reports. The pop singer’s lawyers are requesting for the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to not authorize his trademark as they claim that it resembles the “PINK” trademark, which court documents show she applied for in 1999 and registered in 2001. Pink’s lawyers also claim that Williams’ trademark has the potential to damage her business and create confusion for her fans as they both operate in the music industry. “[Williams’] P.INC Mark is similar to the PINK Marks in sight, sound, meaning and commercial impression,” the filing wrote, according to Rolling Stone. “[Williams’] and [Pink’s] goods and services are identical and/or closely related. … [Williams] is likely to market and promote its goods through the same channels of trade...
Disruptors, in the evolutionary sense of the word, are people who have abandoned the status quo. They thrive in their differences and are typically unbothered by the societal boundaries designed to box them in. There are countless examples of these people in the world, but one clear example is Tyler, the Creator. Evidenced by his stage name, Tyler Gregory Okonma is a California native and award-winning producer and musical artist. He burst onto the scene co-founding the Hip-Hop collective Odd Future and releasing his debut mixtape 2009, titled “Bastard.” However, it was in 2011 when he released his first studio album, “Goblin,” that he started getting noticed. Reflecting, he acknowledged his musical growth and was honest about his work then. In a conversation on the “Rap Radar Podcast,” Tyler was pretty candid that while his lead single, “Yonkers,” is still one of his favorites, the album itself was not his favorite body of work. “Bro, ‘Goblin’ is f-cking terrible, but I still love...