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If you don’t hear from 50 Cent, just know he’s likely closing in on a business deal. His latest venture is an entertainment hub. Curtis “ 50 Cent ” Jackson has inked a $100 million deal alongside Planet Hollywood Founder and CEO Robert Earl to launch PH Live, according to a press release. The hub will be located at Planet Hollywood Times Square in New York City and will feature LED technology, live music, film and television premiere parties, private events, live sporting event simulcasts, VIP experiences, and corporate gatherings, among other offerings. “When I get quiet I’m working, I’m working on it 😆💰PH live baby! @50centaction @phlivenyc ,” 50 Cent wrote on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) The partnership also marks 50 Cent’s first major restaurant-entertainment partnership, the press release notes. Guests can expect to dine at the location, with menu items including sweet chili shrimp with mashed potatoes, sliced steak paired with...
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...
Michael B. Jordan’s marketing agency, Obsidianworks, is now fully independent after buying back its stake from marketing agency 160over90. Obsidianworks In 2020, Jordan launched Black-owned and led marketing agency Obsidianworks, alongside former Nike executive Chad Easterling, according to Variety. The venture is a continuation of Jordan’s mission for equity in Hollywood . As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Jordan was named to Time 100’s list for being “ a rising force for equity in Hollywood. ” His push for equity has led him to contractually require specific diversity benchmarks for a film’s cast and crew. “You know what you get when you’re dealing with myself and when it comes to [the] workplace, you have an environment that’s reflective of the world that we all live in,” Jordan told AFROTECH™. One of Obsidianworks’ projects is the “Legacy Classic,” an HBCU men’s basketball showcase televised in Newark, NJ, that has featured a startup competition for Black founders, per...
Dr. Dre is officially a billionaire. Forbes released its World’s Billionaires List for 2026, which includes 3,428 entrepreneurs, investors, and heirs. This is 400 more than in 2025, setting a new record. In total, the net worths of those listed reached $20.1 trillion, $4 trillion more than in 2025, setting another record. Forbes attributed AI as a factor for the increase in billionaires. “It’s the year of the billionaire,” said Chase Peterson-Withorn, a senior editor at Forbes, according to Variety. “The planet added more than one billionaire per day over the past twelve months as the AI-powered stock market boom boosted fortunes to previously unimaginable heights.” Additionally, the U.S. had the most billionaires, with a record 989, notes the outlet. Among those listed are Jay-Z and Rihanna. Newcomers to the list include Beyoncé — named a billionaire in December 2025, as AFROTECH™ previously reported — and Dr. Dre , a founding member of the Hip-Hop group N.W.A. He previously...
Meghan Markle’s As Ever brand is now fully independent, according to Deadline. The Duchess of Sussex launched As Ever to reflect her passion for cooking, entertaining, and hosting, according to the brand’s website. She shared she had been making jams, preserves, and fruits spreads for loved ones, and the feedback inspired her to take her idea beyond her kitchen and into others’ homes. “I asked myself, ‘What would it take to scale my fruit spreads into something I could share more broadly? Could I adapt my recipe into something that could bring more people that feeling of joy? And what else could I add to this collection to spark a smile, to make your day a bit easier, to elevate your everyday,'” she expressed on the company website. As Ever sells jams in flavors such as raspberry, orange marmalade, and strawberry, as well as California-harvested honey, teas in various blends, and more. Its launch was on April 2, 2025, according to Marie Claire. The brand was supported by Netflix,...
For Justin Laboy, it’s all about ownership. Laboy was raised as the youngest of five siblings in Queens, NY, and his lived experience made him competitive and highly motivated, he shared in an interview with AFROTECH™. He admitted he didn’t have much growing up, but sports became his roadmap to opportunity. He played basketball at a private high school and later at ASA College during the 2011–2012 season before a brief stint with KK Pelister Bitola Basketball Club in Macedonia. When Laboy returned home from playing overseas, he began promoting parties at New York nightclubs that often sold out. He was making several thousand dollars a week and learning the ropes of marketing in the process, he told AFROTECH™. “To get people to an event is difficult … I was able to convince people to do that … I’m really good at gathering people and starting conversations,” he noted. Revolt Being a gatherer also translated into his online presence. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Laboy shared...
Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland are once again investing in Houston, TX, the city that shaped their careers. The duo has found continued success beyond their involvement in Destiny’s Child, originally named Girl’s Tyme. Beyoncé is a Houston native and spent most of her childhood in the city’s Third Ward, the Houston Chronicle reports. Rowland is an Atlanta, GA native, but has credited Houston as the city that changed her life both personally and professionally in a previous interview with AFROTECH™. “It was a city that grew me up. I always say Atlanta-born me. Houston raised me. Houston raised me with Southern values. Houston raised me to be proud of my Blackness as well,” Rowland said. Now the pair are giving back to the city by investing in an $8.4 million permanent housing project called the Knowles-Rowland House, BET reports. The 31-unit project will support those experiencing homelessness. Additionally, it will offer social services, including case management, mental health...
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,”...
A $5 billion entertainment district in Atlanta has received financial backing from powerhouses across sectors. Centennial Yards Years in the making, Centennial Yards is an ambitious project led by the Los Angeles-based CIM Group. The project is expected to cost at least $5 billion, and developers see it as an opportunity to revitalize the Atlanta area ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. In 2018, the city council greenlit a $1.9 billion incentive plan for the project, which put entertainment and high-end apartments and hotels at the forefront. The project plans reserved 20% of new residential units for affordable housing, though the developer could pay an in lieu fee of about $140,000 per unit to forgo this requirement. Per the outlet, CIM opted to pay the in lieu fee of approximately $8.5 million for its first apartment tower, The Mitchell. Still, the developer says they are “ dedicated to fulfilling our commitment to provide affordable...
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...
![Former NBA Player Iman Shumpert Says He Was An Early Investor In Uber And The Investment ‘Flipped About 2 [Or] 3 Times’](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.afrotech.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F02%2FIman-Shumpert.jpg&w=3840&q=75 "Former NBA Player Iman Shumpert Says He Was An Early Investor In Uber And The Investment ‘Flipped About 2 [Or] 3 Times’")
Iman Shumpert’s early investment in Uber was a home run. Decision To Invest In Uber The former NBA player appeared on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast and revealed he had a chance to invest in Uber at a time when he was making little money. When he learned about the opportunity, Shumpert shared that the concept sounded familiar, felt familiar to him, reminding him of the luxury cab service featured in the 1997 comedy-action film “B.A.P.S.” called Page-A-Cab Luxury Cab Co. “Somebody said something about that Uber sounded like, you remember rent a cab. In B.A.P.S., they basically was talking about Uber. What if you could have a private driver whenever you want… And when I heard of Uber, I’m like, ‘That’s kind of like’… And I’m like, ‘But wait a second, let me put a little money in there,'” Shumpert recalled on the podcast. Why He Sold His Shares In Uber Shumpert invested in Uber early. It is unclear how much his stake in the company was, but he went on to sell those shares because he...
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...
Pinky Cole has never been one to shy away from the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. This will be no different when she appears on the 17th season of “ The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Cole’s Business Pursuits Before the show, Cole built her fast-food business, Slutty Vegan. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, she temporarily lost ownership when the company went through a global restructuring on Feb. 13, 2025. The company’s challenges included $10 million in corporate overhead and the closure of its Spelman College location. At the time, she described feeling every emotion possible from grief, sadness, fear, depression, and uncertainty. However, Cole didn’t let those feelings distract her from the bigger picture. In March 2025, she bought back the company under the name “Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis LLC.” Today, there are six Slutty Vegan locations, and Cole has expanded her footprint through a new venture called VOAGIES, a plant-based eatery selling 100% vegan hoagies,...
Comedian Katt Williams is partnering with Miles College to ensure students are ahead of the learning curve in technology. Complex reported that Williams and the Alabama historically Black college and university (HBCU) are launching a scholarship to support learners in AI and augmented reality (AR). The scholarship fund will provide students with opportunities to learn virtual production, CGI, and immersive storytelling. “There are a lot of jobs right now that in five years won’t be in existence because of AR and AI, and we want to make sure that our students are equipped with the tools they need to operate in that world,” Miles College President Bobbie Knights said, according to WVTM 13. In addition, Williams is opening a production hub in Anniston, AL, at the closed U.S. Army training base, Fort McClellan. The hub — launched under his production company Kemet Movie Works — takes inspiration from the region’s history, including the Chitlin’ Circuit, which supported the careers of...