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Colin Kaepernick hasn’t taken an NFL snap since 2017, but he’s never been idle. While the league may have shut its doors, Kaepernick has been steadily opening new ones, quietly constructing an empire grounded in justice, creativity, and economic power. His path since leaving the NFL hasn’t just been one of resistance. It’s been one of reinvention. Kaepernick’s legacy began to shift in 2016 when he took a knee to protest police brutality and racial injustice while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. The moment cost him a job in the NFL, but it cemented his voice as one of the most powerful in American public life. And instead of retreating, he leaned in, turning his influence into a platform for economic change and cultural ownership. Kaepernick has proven that social activism and wealth-building aren’t mutually exclusive through a broad portfolio of business ventures, investments, and creative initiatives. They can be mutually reinforcing. Colin Kaepernick’s Storytelling Journey...
Russell Simmons , a pivotal figure in the music and fashion industries, has amassed significant wealth over the decades. This fortune stems primarily from his groundbreaking contributions to hip-hop culture, business ventures, and media endeavors. Simmons is best known as the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, a label that helped launch the careers of iconic artists like LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Run-D.M.C. Building Wealth Through Music The foundation of Simmons’ net worth lies in his revolutionary work in music. Def Jam Recordings , which he co-founded with Rick Rubin in 1984, became one of the most influential labels in hip-hop history. The label’s success, fueled by signing game-changing artists, established Simmons as a major player in the music industry. By the late 1990s, he sold his stake in Def Jam to Universal Music Group for a reported $100 million, cementing his financial success. Expanding Into Fashion Simmons didn’t stop with music. In 1992, Russel Simmons ventured...
Tierra Whack wants to normalize conversations around financial literacy. The rapper, originally known as Dizzle Dizz, has teamed up with Venmo for its financial education series, “Money Talks.” The series features a range of artists and entrepreneurs, some of whom are Whack’s peers. Kicking off its second season, Whack sat down with North Philadelphia designer and seamstress Adriana Williams, who works a 9-to-5 while scaling her lifestyle brand. “We realized, we have so much in common and we had the same struggles,” Whack, a North Philly native, told AFROTECH™. “I really was like enlightened when I was talking to my friends, when we were filming. I’m like, ‘Yo, this is crazy.’ These are friends I talk to almost like at least twice, three times a week. And then we sat in front of the camera and I’m like, ‘Yo, I never knew you were going through this. I didn’t know.’ I don’t know what it is about us, but that’s just kind of like the unspoken thing. Venmo helped us break the ice. I...
It’s a beautiful thing to be creative and paid. Black people drive culture around the globe. I t isn’t a secret. Yet, when it comes to the proper credit and compensation the conversation is strikingly different. In a recent study, MSL Group, a PR firm, revealed that there is a 35% pay gap between white and Black content creators, with the latter group making a significantly lower amount than their white counterparts in the content creation space. Day 2 of the 2024 AFROTECH™ Conference kicked off on Nov. 14 with a discussion between creatives Imani Ellis, founder and CEO of The Creative Collective NYC, known for its annual CultureCon, and Shannae Ingleton Smith, co-creator of influencer agency Kensington Grey, for a discussion called “The Business of Creativity.” As founders, the pair have a firsthand account of life in America as content creators, and they’ve developed platforms that pour into Black creatives. Whether it’s through time and energy, resources, etc., they’re on a...
Marquise Brown doesn’t want to have any regrets when his NFL career comes to an end. The Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receiver has met with various retired NFL players, and it has served as a reminder of what he can do now to maximize his time in the league. Brown was drafted in 2019 by the Baltimore Ravens as a 25th pick in the first round, the NFL mentioned. He then played for the Arizona Cardinals and now is on the Kansas City Chiefs’ roster, signed to a one-year, $7 million contract, which includes a $3 million signing bonus and $6.5 million guaranteed, per Spotrac. He intends on leveraging his contracts to create a better life for himself, family, and other players in the league considering life beyond the field. “I got pulled aside by so many retired NFL legends talking to me about what they should have done differently, what they wish they did. With me being in the league, I don’t want to be a guy to do this when I’m done. I want to be a guy to do this now. Not just for my...
By now, just about every television and film fan is well aware of the genre-defining legacy of Shonda Rhimes. The prolific showrunner has created and served at the helm of multiple hit series’, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Scandal,” and several others, and executive produced hit Netflix outings such as “Bridgerton,” “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” and “Inventing Anna.” Through these efforts, Shonda Rhimes has received universal acclaim, a Golden Globe , and a net worth of over $240 million, per Celebrity Net Worth . Shonda Rhimes’ generational wealth is truly a success story we can all admire, and her net worth tells a tale of her hard work and resilience. Beyond her financial successes in entertainment, Rhimes also maintains a diverse portfolio of real estate investments and other lucrative holdings. So, let’s take a moment to examine the life and work of the Emmy special honoree, and dissect the multiple streams of income she has utilized to create such...
Quavo is diversifying his portfolio with a new restaurant venture. On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, the rap artist took to Instagram to share with his 23.8 million followers the development of V12 Restaurant & Sports Bar in Atlanta, GA. “We finally here. We finally here,” Quavo expressed on an IG story. “The top secret project is almost finished. Yeah V 12. We live.” It was also revealed in the same clip, a soft opening will be held at the restaurant located at 610 Spring St NW, near the Varsity restaurant, per Hip-Hop Vibe. He continued, “We will be ready for the light open and light flex on Huncho Day, man. We appreciation the prayers. We’re appreciating the guys giving back. Where we at? Right across the street from the Varsity man. The heart of the city. Big blessings. It ain’t done. We ain’t done.” It appears Quavo had a jam-packed day as he was also seen promoting a white cognac in Georgia. View this post on Instagram A post shared by QuavoHuncho (@quavohuncho) According to a news...
Two Morehouse college graduates won a national championship together, and now they are winning in business, too. Fast Company reports Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper launched the golf lifestyle apparel brand Eastside Golf in 2019 to create more visibility in the sport among youth and those who don’t play golf.
Imagine being able to type your name in a Google search, and the whole world can estimate how much money you have. That concept comes to life daily regarding influential people and their perceived net worth. However, one often misconstrued fact about net worth is that it is a dollar-by-dollar depiction of how much a person has in their bank account. And when many high-profile people see their net worth amount or are asked about it, they often describe how the number is somewhat off base. Los Angeles rapper The Game is on that list of people who say that what they have doesn’t line up with what the internet reports. And while no one knows their bag better than the person holding it, there seems to be misalignment in what net worth is versus how it is interpreted. According to Forbes, net worth is the balance of a person’s assets and liabilities at a specific time. Certified personal finance counselor Elizabeth Keatinge broke it down in the Forbes report by saying, “Simply put, it’s...
Have you ever felt slightly reserved during your first day at a new job? You quietly take in many of the elements of the new environment and mentally observe the vibes of the people that come with it. At some point, an opportunity presents itself for you and your colleagues to come together. There are a few options for groups to engage with, and with very little thought, you choose the group you assume you have the most in common with. This process is the power of culture and acknowledgment of community. According to Medical News Today, people desire to be in community. It is explained as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Despite how overt many people are in avoiding human interaction, Maslow’s theory suggests there’s an innate sense of belonging that people crave. At this intersection, many corporations create programming around these human needs through employee resource groups (ERGs).
The term “blerd” refers to the Black nerd. From anime culture to the infatuation with shows like “Game of Thrones,” the uptick of Black people being involved in and profoundly supporting what is considered “nerd culture” is growing. And because none of this is particularly new, many can pinpoint the fictional character “Dwayne Wayne” of “A Different World” as the 90s blerd of the decade. Kadeem Hardison is the man behind it all. From the flip-up glasses to the fascination with technology, Hardison’s character gave representation to those who may not have seen themselves on screen often. His ability to act out the range of nuances Hardison’s character represents made the opportunity to find a deeper community at an HBCU even more appealing. Another significant facet of “Dwayne Wayne” was his on-screen romance with “Whitely Gilbert,” portrayed by Jasmine Guy. Their love story is often termed as relationship goals, and no matter what you think about them in that regard, their on-air...
Solo Ceesay is the CEO & Co-Founder of Calaxy. — Since I was a boy, I wanted to be a successful businessman. I vividly remember trying on my father’s oversized pastel suits, donning the ubiquitous business look of any dapper-dressed African man of the ’90s. Even before I could form full sentences, I was primed and driven to work in business. With motivation and determination aplenty, my actions were encouraged by relentless sideline cheering from my mother yelling, “You’re a king, Solo!” Just over a year ago, I took a bet on myself. A bet that a then-26-year-old Black kid could make something out of nothing. And while you could call this journey just about everything but easy, the reality is that raising $26 million with Calaxy was the easy part. The sacrifices I’ve made, the friends I’ve lost, the lack of idols to look up to, and making the decision to take a nose dive into a world of uncertainty are all invariably more difficult for those who look like me. From having to...
Quavo Huncho is bringing the smoke to his hometown of Atlanta — literally. The rapper, born Quavious Keyate Marshall, has partnered with Smoke World Co. to disrupt the stigma associated with the industry. This is the first significant partnership for the company, which provides consumers with the best products, customer service, and build-outs, all while encouraging safe consumption. “Quavo is not only my brother but a leader and pinnacle in the community. We’ve been working on this partnership for a while and are glad to share it with the world,” said a spokesperson for Smoke World Co. in an official release of the news. “We’re acquiring ownership in the same communities we grew up in and educating the youth.”
Have you considered whether or not you would choose between a multi-million dollar payout or a few rounds of your favorite video game? Yeah, neither have we. Compton native rapper The Game admitted during an interview with Complex that he once turned a $7 million tour so that he could level up in NBA 2K.
At just 40 years old, Nigerian-American entrepreneur Tope Awotona has gone from overseeing a small startup to turning his company into a tech unicorn. The founder and CEO of Calendly — a scheduling app designed to streamline calendars — has been called “one of America’s wealthiest immigrants” by Forbes, and it’s a title he doesn’t take lightly. With a $200,000 investment — his life savings — Calendly made more than $100 million in revenue, driven in part by its spike in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And Forbes estimates that his revenue will double in 2022 and beyond — and that he’s potentially tapping into a $20 billion market. What’s more, he shows absolutely no signs of slowing down — and we love to see it, indeed. “In my life, I’ve benefited from not taking the conventional wisdom,” Tope Awotona said to the outlet. “It’s benefited me personally, and I think it has benefited the business.” Calendly has long been considered a Black-owned startup that is “killing the...