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In light of Black Music Month, we are spotlighting pioneers in the entertainment industry making waves. First up is Clark University alumna Rachel Jackson, who now serves on YouTube Music’s Artist Partnerships Team. Jackson’s journey started at an early age while dancing in the performance arts as a ballerina. The Atlanta native later developed a greater appreciation for music and continued to blossom while living in the Black Mecca. Jackson became immersed in its entertainment landscape, making her first splash while working as an intern at Ludacris’ Disturbing The Peace Records. Her resume only evolved after working as the director of A&R at Roc Nation Label before obtaining her current position as artist relations manager on YouTube Music’s Artist Partnerships Team.
Jun 10, 2022
Gunna has made it clear that you’re always going to catch him being iced out. Complex reported in March that the rapper dropped $100,000 for a “P” diamond tooth — relating to his infamous phrase “Pushin P”. “P don’t just mean player. P means paper, too. You can be pushing this P with paper,” he explained, according to Complex. “If you’re in this shit and it’s rented, then you’re kicking P. But if you buy this shit and you own it, then you’re really pushing P. You’re spending your hard-earned money. Like, you’re pushing it. You’re standing on this shit. You’re spending millions on it. You’re pushing it.” The teal-colored stone was provided by Angel City Jewelers’ Isaac Bokhoor and installed by Thomas Connelly. Now, he has linked up with a platform to add on to his bling.
May 3, 2022
Bored Ape Yacht Club non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have become popular in the Hip-Hop community. Throughout 2021, AfroTech shared reports on Timbaland, Lil Baby, and Future being fans of the collection. Recently, a few artists have invested in Yuga Labs — the Web3 firm behind Bored Ape. Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, and Gunna were a part of a $450 million seed funding round — led by a16z crypto — according to Music Business Worldwide. Other investors included Animoca Brands, The Sandbox, LionTree, Sound Ventures, Thrive Capital, FTX, MoonPay, Samsung, and more. The funding reportedly brought Yuga Labs’ valuation to $4 billion. “Yuga Labs has quickly become a web3 culture, gaming, and entertainment empire,” said Chris Lyons, general partner at a16z crypto, in a press release. “Mainstream adoption in web3 is accelerating at lightning speed, and Yuga is at the forefront of merging culture and innovation for everyone to enter the metaverse. We’re thrilled to invest in this brilliant team and...
Mar 23, 2022
Another day, another rap artist taps into Bitcoin. On March 11, rap artist Lil Durk dropped his “7220” album which featured 17 tracks and features from heavy hitters including Gunna, Future, and Summer Walker. To coincide with the drop, Durk announced on Twitter he was giving away $7,220 in bitcoin. “7220 the album at midnight. Drop your #cashapp and #lildurk and imma give away $7,220 in #Bitcoin,” Durk wrote on the app. 7220 the album at midnight. Drop your #cashapp and #lildurk and imma give away $7,220 in #Bitcoin 🥶💰 — THE VOICE (@lildurk) March 10, 2022
Mar 11, 2022
Another day, another announcement of rappers dominating in the metaverse. On Feb. 10, Nas, Lil Baby, Gunna, and Baby Keem were participants in a $60 million Series A financing round for Everyrealm — a metaverse real estate company, Music Business Worldwide reports. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and included investors such as Coinbase Ventures, NGC Ventures, Dragonfly Capital, Hashed, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and more. The investments from the leading firms “marks one of the largest Series A rounds for a company led by a female CEO,” according to the company. Everyrealm’s CEO is Janine Yorio and is co-founded by TJ Kawamura, Julia Schwartz, Jesse Stein, and Kostas Ketikidis. Since its inception in 2021, the company has been a force in virtual real estate with holdings in 25 metaverse platforms, over 100 developed projects, and over 3,000 non-fungible tokens (NFTs). “Everyrealm creates innovative and addictive social spaces that are futuristic and interactive like video...
Feb 14, 2022
Following an announcement that he’d be launching his own cryptocurrency, social media users are accusing rapper Gunna of being involved in a crypto scam , according to new reports from XXL. “Ay @pushinpeth making a crypto metaverse for us,” wrote the Atlanta rapper on Twitter. “@shanemooncharts backing the project, I know this is gonna fly. IM TAKING THIS TO THE MOON JOIN THE TELEGRAM HERE.” It’s alleged that Gunna is involved in what is referred to as a “rug pull.” This is a financial term that coins what happens when an asset’s initial price (in this case, a cryptocurrency) is driven up prior to going live, and then the investments are quickly pulled out. From there, the price of the crypto heads toward zero which in turn makes the asset worthless. Self-proclaimed “on-chain sleuth” and Twitter user @zachxbt shed light on the incident Wednesday (February 3). “Nice scam @1GunnaGunna didn’t even last 8 hrs,” read the user’s tweet. The message also included a screenshot of PushinP...
Feb 4, 2022
Gunna recently went on the nationally syndicated The Breakfast Club to talk about his investiture in a Bored Ape NFT. And during the conversation, he teased that he may be creating his own non-fungible token (NFT) line in the near future. As AfroTech previously reported, Gunna is the latest rapper getting into the business of NFTs (non-fungible tokens). In December 2021, after reuniting with Crowe to do a $100,000 giveaway, it was revealed that the rapper purchased a Bored Ape NFT. The NFT, which is named “Butta,” is worth about $300,000. The Atlanta rapper also celebrated his newest collectible by getting a tattoo of the NFT and hosting a performance. And according to his statements to The Breakfast Club, he knew he had to do it in order to make a wise investment into his future. “Something just telling me like, man, just dip into this world,” he told the hosts of the New York-based radio show. “Just get into this metaverse world. You know, the future is coming. I’ve been kind of...
Jan 24, 2022
Though Gunna is currently making headlines for a “beef” (which is more like a healthy debate) with rap legend Freddie Gibbs, he made even bigger headlines when he unveiled “Drip Season 4,” which dropped on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. Billboard revealed that the College Park, GA native teamed up with superstar artist Daniel Arsham of New York City to create the album cover. The cover, which features a bust of Gunna, also comes complete with the rapper’s signature chain and sunglasses. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ❕WUNNA❕🥷🏻✝️ (@gunna) “I’ve been a fan of Gunna’s music for quite some time and was pleased when he reached out to me a number of months ago through DM with questions about my work,” Arsham said to the outlet. “He was very curious about how some of the pieces that I create are made. He was intrigued about the crystal materials I use and the idea of time travel and the future, present within the works. We connected in person a few times and at some point, he asked if I...
Jan 7, 2022
Kevin Liles continues to make money moves in the music industry. In a recent press release, it was revealed that the independent label 300 Entertainment — which Liles heads up — has just been sold to Warner Music Group in a deal that’s reportedly worth $400 million. As part of the deal, Kevin Liles will be appointed Chairman & CEO across 300 and Elektra Music Group. And while the day-to-day operations of Elektra — which distributes Fueled By Ramen, Roadrunner Records, Low Country Sound, DTA Records, and Public Consumption — will continue to be run by Co-Presidents Mike Easterlin and Gregg Nadel. “At 300, we’re all about freedom – the freedom to create, the freedom to be intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs, the freedom to make music that changes the world,” he said in a statement provided in the press release. “Independence is in our DNA and the team at Warner is like family, which makes this a natural evolution for us to do bigger family business. It’s the perfect home for 300 artists...
Dec 16, 2021
When working toward tackling a national epidemic, the status quo has to be turned upside down and Goodr — an Atlanta-based food waste startup — thrives on creating tech innovations that disrupts the traditional way of solving hunger. Last month, CEO Jasmine Crowe and her team opened their first-ever free in-school grocery and clothing store at McNair Middle School in College Park, GA. As previously reported by AfroTech, Goodr teamed up with Gunna, Foot Locker and Reebok for Gunna’s Drip Closet — free of charge for students — for the Atlanta rapper’s childhood school. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jasmine Crowe-Houston (@jasminecrowe) The founder isn’t letting up this year just yet when it comes to battling food insecurity. With hopes to pass her mission on to today’s generation and ones to follow, Crowe decided to create and self-publish her first children’s book, “Everybody Eats,” to teach the youth about reducing food waste and fighting hunger. “I decided to...
Oct 12, 2021
It was not a typical school day for the students attending McNair Middle School Thursday afternoon as Atlanta rapper Gunna made a surprise appearance to share exciting news. Thanks to him and Goodr founder Jasmine Crowe, over 900 students at his childhood school will now have access to an exclusive grocery and clothing store, Gunna’s Drip Closet, in which every item will be available free of charge. “He’s providing a way of life for these families and this is something that is legendary,” Crowe said to CBS46. “I don’t think anything like this has been done before in the city of Atlanta.” In addition to support from heavy hitter Gunna, the closet was built in three days thanks to additional help from Footlocker and Reebok, and of course, Goodr. As AfroTech previously reported, the food waste startup reroutes meals from cafeterias and restaurants to provide meals to those in need. Families can select food, clothing, and hygiene products through Goodr’s application and website. Plus,...
Sep 17, 2021
Hip-hop artists are taking no days off when it comes to tapping into their entrepreneurial bags. Fans of Hip-Hop — both the old and new generations — are in for a treat as the South’s very own Ludacris and Gunna have partnered with Jif peanut butter’s The Lil Jif Project . And while Ludacris is no stranger to making business moves, Gunna’s collaboration with Jif is a major win for the Atlanta native as well. Courtesy of Jif The Lil Jif Project aims to bring viewers into the new flows of Hip-Hop which makes it the perfect choice of the rap veteran and new age favorite coming together as a dynamic duo for the genre (Ludacris even collaborated with jeweler Icebox for two limited-edition diamond and ruby Jif jars, one for him and one for special use, which is pictured above ). The film is directed by music video and film director, Dave Meyers, and tells the story of how Ludacris’ sound has progressed (with thanks to his love for Jif peanut butter) and how artists such as Gunna have...
Aug 16, 2021