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Jay-Z is challenging the perspective on ownership. In an interview with GQ, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, who was crowned Hip-Hop’s first billionaire in 2019, said he has always felt inclined to go against the grain growing up in Brooklyn, NY, and “seeing everybody fight against everything that we were up against at that time.” “That defiance was just like: We going to do this on our own. We got to do this on our own. We’re by ourselves. So that defiance is what’s getting you through,” he explained to the magazine. Jay-Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt” (1996) was released under his own label, Roc-A-Fella Records, which he launched in 1994 alongside Damon “ Dame ” Dash and Kareem “ Biggs ” Burke, according to Vibe. It was also the first project to drop from the label and was distributed by Priority and Freeze Records, Burke told Genius. “When we first dropped Reasonable Doubt, we sold 43,000 records. The energy was like, ‘You’re new. You haven’t proven yourself.’ But in our mind, the fact...
Usher has sold his stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Usher had purchased a minority stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004. He was a part of an investor group led by Quicken Loans Founder Dan Gilbert, according to a press release. Usher reportedly made a $9 million investment for an estimated 1% stake in the team. At the time, he vowed to remain active with the organization, from enhancing the game experience to supporting its role in the community. As of October 2025, the team was valued at $4.8 billion, Forbes reports. In an interview with Forbes in March 2026, the artist confirmed he recently sold his stake in the team and acknowledged he is still great friends with Gilbert. Usher also shared what he considers when making the decision to invest, citing cultural connection and opportunities for mentorship in the business. “I am open and available for ideas that I think give people some sort of cultural connection and experience. I don’t like to...
Investing in tech is paying off for 2 Chainz. The rapper and businessman appeared on the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast and confirmed he was an early investor in SpaceX, a company that designs, manufactures, and launches reliable and reusable rockets and spacecraft, according to its website. It was founded by Elon Musk in 2002, and made history as the first private company to send humans to the International Space Station in 2020, according to TechCrunch. 2 Chainz’s gateway to investing in the tech company came from people working in private equity (PE). “I know some PE guys that, when it came across their desk, they would give me the opportunity. With investments, I gambled … You know, the whole thing is you’re just trying to come up with some multiples. I got in with SpaceX very early … It felt like I got in like early bitcoin… That’s a good one, but it hadn’t IPO’d yet,” he said. He told “Earn Your Leisure” hosts Troy Millings and Rashad Bilal that his SpaceX investment was one of...
Lil Wayne doesn’t believe AI can take his throne. Does the technology have the ability to produce a record such as “A Milli” on its own strength? He says, not at the moment, and while the rapper does appreciate AI, he also feels confident that the technology can’t surpass his talent. “I love it. I love that AI is what it is. I love to be able to stand right next to whoever AI is, he, she, they, whatever, or whatever AI is, stand right next to them and I’m still better,” Lil Wayne said on the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast. He also shared that he first became exposed to AI through a friend who had concerns about how it could generate a verse in the likeness of an artist. So, Lil Wayne tested it out himself and said he has tried it on different occasions. One of the examples he provided was Proto, which is the patented creator of hologram devices , according to a press release . It creates interactive experiences through its conversational AI avatars, which feature...
Sherrese Clark has attached herself to another acquisition of a legendary artist. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Clark, former CEO of Tempo Music, launched HarbourView Equity Partners to invest in “ evergreen intellectual property. ” In 2025, the firm received $500 million in debt financing from KKR to scale its portfolio of music, media, and sports-related intellectual property. To date, HarbourView Equity Partners’ portfolio includes more than 70 music catalogs and more than 35,000 songs, including master recordings and publishing income streams, Music Business Worldwide reports. The portfolio includes artists such as Wiz Khalifa, Nelly, and T-Pain. Now joining the list is the late Quincy Jones. HarbourView Equity Partners has acquired Jones’ “select music and non-music assets” from the Estate of Quincy Jones, per the outlet. The deal includes his participation in Michael Jackson’s albums “Off The Wall, “Thriller,” and “Bad,” which he produced, and also his stake in “The Fresh...
A portion of Tina Turner’s historic catalog has been acquired by Pophouse Entertainment. The late singer, who died in 2023 at 83, is widely recognized as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” according to Variety. She was also a 12-time Grammy winner and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. Two years before her passing, she decided to sell her recordings, music publishing, and name and likeness rights to BMG. The deal was reportedly valued at $50 million, according to Variety. BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch called the acquisition both an honor and a responsibility that he vowed to take seriously. “Tina Turner’s musical journey has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world and continues to reach new audiences … She is truly and simply the best,” he said at the time, according to Music Week. At the time of the deal, Turner commented: “Like any artist, the protection of my life’s work, my musical inheritance, is something personal. I am confident that with BMG and...
Artist Trevor Jackson is getting real about money. The Indianapolis native’s foray in the entertainment industry was inspired by Gregory Hines, an actor, singer, and dancer, he acknowledged on the “Can We Talk RNB” podcast . Jackson began tap dancing at age 3, and by the time he was 8 years old, he was touring as Young Simba in Broadway’s “The Lion King.” He continued in the role until he was 11 years old, performing in various cities across the country, he shared on the podcast. Then he moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to pursue acting, music, and dance. He auditioned for commercials and met with various music labels, including Epic Records, Interscope Records, and Motown Records. Today, he is currently signed with UnitedMasters, he shared on the podcast. Still taking inspiration from Hines’s career, Jackson incorporates dance into his music, with his most recent album being “I Love You, Goodbye.” He has also continued to pursue acting, earning roles in “Let It Shine,”...
The rappers of the Hip-Hop group, Mount Westmore, have filed a lawsuit over money they claim they’re owed. The Hip-Hop supergroup — which includes Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40, and Too $hort — formed in 2020 and released the album called “ Bad MFs. ” In 2022, the album was dropped as a non-fungible token, AFROTECH™ previously told you. Later that year, the “Snoop Cube 40 $hort” album also came out. The group toured in support of the project and had a licensing deal with Westside Merchandising, which later soured, prompting the rappers to file a lawsuit, TMZ reported. The musicians claim the partnership was supposed to generate significant revenue through retail stores in addition to concert sales, per the outlet. However, the group accuses the company of making promises it did not keep to prevent them from signing with a larger merch company. While the rappers allegedly did receive an advance, they claim they were still out hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to TMZ. Per the...
The estate of the late Isaac Hayes has settled a lawsuit regarding the song “Hold On, I’m Comin.'” USA Today reported that the 1966 song, written by Hayes and David Porter and performed by Sam & Dave (Sam Moore and Dave Prater), was used by Donald Trump during his presidential campaign at least 133 times without permission. A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against Trump in 2024, seeking $3 million in licensing fees, a ban on further use of the song in the campaign, and removal of campaign videos featuring it, according to a previous USA Today article . Isaac Hayes III, the son of the late musician and president of The Estate of Isaac Hayes, shared his distaste for the president and struck down his use of the song in a now-deleted Instagram post from 2024, per the outlet. “Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father’s music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist...
Entrepreneur Judith Cage received her first catering check from J. Cole, and today she is the proud founder of two restaurants. J. Cole is currently driving around several cities in a Honda Civic connecting directly with fans in light of his new album “The Fall-Off,” which was released on Friday, Feb. 6. Most recently, he picked up some fans who live in Silver Springs, MD, to ride along in the car with him and listen to different tracks on the album, according to a post on X. Photo Credit: X/ JColeNC Cage, who also goes by Chef Judy, is among the many fans who are praising the album. In a post on Facebook, she shared her excitement for “The Fall-Off” and her personal journey with J. Cole. “It’s me up at 7am listening to The Fall-Off. The thing is … J. Cole was my first $10,000 catering check. At a time it was needed. I bought my first catering truck which caused me to be able to secure larger opportunities with that money. He welcomed my daughter and I to his house just to feed him...
Cardi B is launching a science-backed haircare brand. Since 2016, fans have witnessed the artist’s natural hair journey. In a post shared on X in November 2021, she wrote about the importance of a consistent hair routine after the birth of her son. She admitted she was fearful she would lose hair after giving birth, and that prompted her to use hair masks and drink alkaline water. PC: X/ iamcardib In a follow-up post, Cardi B doubled down, insisting her growth wasn’t due to genetics but to “proper hair maintenance.” PC: X/ iamcardib The musician’s hair mask routine includes avocado, two eggs, mayonnaise, and black castor oil, according to a 2020 Instagram post by Cardi B. Coconut oil can also be used, though she admitted in a TikTok that she doesn’t apply it to her hair, but has used it on her daughter, Kulture. In the 2020 Instagram post, Cardi B shared instructions on how to apply the hair mask, including detangling dry hair before applying the mask. After applying the mask,...
Mariah Carey remains committed to a summer camp that provides middle school students with career support. The Grammy Award-winning artist from New York had a difficult upbringing, moving around frequently and navigating family challenges, according to People. Music became her focus, and she launched her singing career at the age of 12. At the time, she didn’t have a role model in her day-to-day life whom she could look up to. “I had to figure it out on my own. So I started working very young, I worked, I did background vocals … learned about the studio, really put the time in,” she explained, per People. The Fresh Air Fund As Carey’s career grew, she made it her mission to ensure that younger generations would have the representation she didn’t have in her career. So, she joined the board of The Fresh Air Fund, a New York-based nonprofit organization that helps low-income middle schoolers attend summer camp upstate and with host families, according to People . In 1994, Carey raised...
Rapper T.I. has opened his pocketbook to support a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Dr. Kevin James, who is the current president of Morris Brown College, as AFROTECH™ previously reported, made an announcement on Jan. 28 that the school has received more than $800,000 in new public and private funding as it continues to rebuild after regaining its accreditation in 2021. This follows recent uncertainty for the school, which saw James removed from his position in early January 2026 by the college’s Board of Trustees, according to AFROTECH™. At the time, he claimed the removal had been “without providing specific cause or substantive explanation” and that his presidential contract was effective through 2029, per the outlet. James was ultimately reinstated a week later after the school acknowledged that his exit had not been in compliance with the procedural and contractual requirements outlined in his employment agreement. In the latest funding announcement, James...
Universal Music Group is taking Anthropic to court again. Lawsuit Explained Universal Music Group is suing artificial intelligence (AI) firm Anthropic, alleging the company built its AI model Claude using “pirate libraries” of music, Billboard reported. The legal action comes amid judicial warnings that AI companies may be held accountable if their models are trained on data obtained unlawfully. Universal Music Group is arguing that Anthropic’s “multibillion-dollar business empire” has in fact been “built on piracy” in a lawsuit filed Jan. 28, per the outlet. Universal Music Group and other music publishers including Concord Music Group, and ABKCO, had previously filed a lawsuit against Anthropic over copyright claims in 2023, Billboard noted. UMG then attempted to update the lawsuit with new information, as a case against Anthropic by book authors last year had resulted in a judge ruling that the training materials must be “legally” acquired or the company would face “enormous...
Beyoncé Knowles may be a superstar, but she understands she’s not above losing. In a video on YouTube labeled “Self-Titled: Part 2. Imperfection,” the Houston-born singer admitted she didn’t have measured expectations around losing at the start of her career. Before Destiny’s Child, Knowles was part of Girl’s Tyme. When Knowles was nine years old, the group performed on a show called “Star Search.” She admitted in the video that, at the time, her dream was to win the show and land a record deal; losing was never an option. “At the time, you don’t realize that you can actually work super hard and give everything you have and lose. It was the best message for me,” she expressed in the video. “The reality is: sometimes you lose. And you’re never too good to lose. You’re never too big to lose. You’re never too smart to lose. It happens. And it happens when it needs to happen, and you have to embrace those things,” Beyoncé added. Beyoncé learned to become resilient, and is now the most...