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Kountry Wayne didn’t originally plan to pursue comedy, but his gift led to an empire that brought him millions of dollars. The Georgia native admitted that when he entered the content and entertainment space, business was always his priority “from day one,” he said on the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast. He acknowledged comedy “was just a gift” that he knew “how to monetize.” Wayne began recording comedic videos as far back as 2014. He went viral in October 2014, and by March 2015, he had 1 million followers and was touring as a comedian. He claims he was making “like a million dollars a year at the time” on the podcast. He stopped sharing video content on social media by 2017. However, COVID-19 halted his live bookings, and he turned back to social media to share content. Facebook was one of the early platforms that paid him for uploading videos. His first video led to a $70 payment from the company. “When the pandemic came, I got back to it on Facebook cause I had built that Facebook...
Chris Rock reveals how much money he missed out on with the film “Shrek.” Rock is a South Carolina native raised in Brooklyn, New York. He dropped out of high school, earned a GED, studied broadcast journalism for a year at a community college, and worked various jobs to sustain himself, including as a busboy at Red Lobster, according to Oprah. He held on to his aspirations for a career in comedy. “By the time I was 7 or 8, I wanted to be a comedy writer. When I’d see the credits roll after a comedy show, I’d say to myself, ‘I’m going to write for one of these shows one day,'” he said, per Oprah. While in line for a ticket to comedian Eddie Murphy’s stand-up show at Radio City Music Hall in 1985, he stumbled upon a newspaper ad promoting an open-mic session at comedy club Catch a Rising Star. He auditioned and performed there as part of his entry into comedy. Rock credited Murphy as the first to inspire him “to be in front of the camera as a comedian” during a conversation with...
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is disputing claims surrounding the controversial “buy, borrow, die” tax strategy often associated with ultrawealthy investors and founders seeking to minimize taxes. During an interview on CNBC on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Bezos called the strategy a myth. “There’s no truth to this ‘buy, borrow, die’ thing,” Bezos said. “I don’t even know where this comes from.” What Is The ‘Buy, Borrow, Die’ Tax Strategy? A 2019 study by economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman found that, for the first time in modern history, the wealthiest Americans may be paying a lower effective tax rate than middle- and working-class households, AFROTECH™ previously reported. In 2018, the study noted the average effective tax rate paid by the top 400 richest U.S. families was reportedly 23%, compared with 24.2% paid by the bottom half of households. The strategy “Buy, borrow, die” refers to a wealth-preservation tactic that allows wealthy individuals to avoid triggering capital...
Canadian-born streamer Agent 00 has forged his own lane. At 12 years old, he begged his mother to buy him a Kodak camera, he said in a YouTube video. He started taking pictures of his loved ones, took part in video competitions, and even began editing Call of Duty montages. He also started uploading NFL videos to a clip channel. One video in particular of Marshawn Terrell Lynch racked up 70,000 views, he said. That avenue came to a halt due to a copyright strike, he said during a live interview at the University of California, Berkeley, for the Microsoft Windows Campus Creator Tour. “Then I had to find my own hustle,” he explained. He started editing videos for others, providing commentary, and then sharing gaming content on YouTube, with NBA 2K putting him on the map. “I played The Last of Us. I was really good at that. I had some good videos there. Anything from like Watch Dogs, Call of Duty, you know, and stuff like that. Eventually, I landed on NBA 2K,” he said during the live...
Social Security insolvency has become a growing concern among Americans, many of whom worry their benefits could be unavailable by the time they reach retirement age, Yahoo! Finance reports . The 2025 Social Security Board of Trustees report noted that “the fund’s reserves will become depleted,” with the program able to pay 100% of scheduled benefits only through 2033 — three calendar quarters earlier than projected in last year’s projection. After that time, the program would still be able to pay about 77% of the scheduled benefits through the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund, per the report. The Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund should be able to pay 100% of benefits through 2099. However, combined trust fund reserves are projected to become depleted in 2034 and will not be able to pay 100% after that. The programs two other funds, the Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund and the Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund, could also be affected. Still,...
Jeremiyah Love doesn’t intend to spend his massive rookie contract. The St. Louis native was the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals and signed a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $53.9 million, Larry Brown Sports reports. Love’s signing bonus was valued at $35 million, and he will receive $13.3 million annually. He is now the seventh-highest-paid running back in the NFL, according to a press release from the team. Love views his entry into the league as a “blessing” and has no intention of letting the money change who he is. “That amount of money would change anybody’s life,” Love said in the press release. “For me, it doesn’t change my mindset. I’m only getting that much because I was the third pick in the draft. I still haven’t done anything. I’m ready to earn what I have been given.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by J love (@jeremiyahlove) What’s more, Love has already revealed his plans for his rookie...
Reality television or not, entrepreneurship was always in the cards for Porsha Williams. Reality TV Before making her debut on “ The Real Housewives of Atlanta ” for its fifth season in 2012, Williams was already a business owner. In a conversation on “ Forbes Talks Shop, ” she revealed that her mother had owned child care centers since Williams was two. At 24, she began following in her mother’s footsteps . “Twenty-four is when I started my very first child care center myself. So I’ve always been in business,” she told Forbes. “I think that since I transitioned from being a child care center owner and then closed it to being a wife, then straight to reality TV, people don’t know the business side of me. But that’s what I lean on. That’s what I’ll do. Even when reality TV is gone. So for me, being an entrepreneur is very important. It’s something that when you have a dream or you have an idea, you build off of it. You work hard, and you stick to it.” “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”...
As the streaming industry continues to grow, many Black artists still struggle to own their music and capture its full value — a gap Connect Music aims to close. Founded in 2020, Connect Music is a Memphis-based independent music distribution, publishing, and rights management company that helps independent artists and labels monetize their work, secure funding, and retain 100% ownership. It operates as a curated, closed platform, meaning artists can’t simply sign up through a public portal. The company’s catalog success includes Dee Mula’s viral hit “Blow My High,” alongside collaborations with Grammy-nominated producers Mike & Keys and artists including Sauce Walka, Don Trip, Boosie Badazz , and BIG30. Scaling Connect Music At its helm are President and CEO George Monger and Chief Technology Officer Ivan Walker. Together, they lead a tech-driven company operating at the intersection of finance, data, analytics, and culture — where strategy guides every move. “When you recognize...
A federal judge has approved a $425 million settlement with Capital One , resolving a lawsuit that accused the bank of deceptive marketing practices. The case stems from claims that Capital One failed to raise interest rates on its 360 Savings accounts in line with rates offered on its newer 360 Performance Savings accounts, according to the settlement website. Plaintiffs also alleged that the bank continued to market the original 360 Savings account as a high-yield option while failing to clearly disclose the existence of the higher-rate alternative. Who Is Eligible For The Capital One Settlement? Customers who held a Capital One 360 Savings account at any point between September 18, 2019, and June 16, 2025, are eligible for compensation. How Will Capital One Send Settlement Payments? As part of the settlement , eligible customers will automatically receive a cash distribution via mailed check, notes the settlement website. The deadline to choose electronic payment instead of a...
Warner Bros. Discovery’s shareholders have approved a merger with Paramount Skydance Corp. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, a bidding war had been underway for Warner Bros. Discovery to merge with either Paramount or Netflix late last year. Initially, Netflix, which offered a deal with a total enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion (equity value of $72.0 billion), was the more favorable pathway for Warner Bros. Discovery at the time, and Netflix said it would pave the way for “the next century of storytelling.” However, Paramount presented a rival bid of $30.00 per share, for an overall enterprise value of $108.4 billion, per a separate AFROTECH™ article. That number now sits at $31 per share. CNN reports that Warner Bros. Discovery’s stock traded at nearly $8 per share in 2025. In February, Netflix announced that it would not raise its offer for Warner Bros, stating in a press release that the transaction it had negotiated would have delivered value to shareholders....
Jalen Rose reveals he missed out on investing in Uber. In a conversation with Forbes, the Detroit native who made over $102 million in career earnings in the NBA, reflected on missed opportunities. Zoom was one of them and even Uber. In particular, with the rideshare company, Rose said he actually aspired to create something similar. “I wish I would have got in for Uber early ’cause I’m as a Detroiter, we’re the Motor City, I have a chauffeurs license,” he said on “The Enterprise Zone” hosted by Forbes Senior Writer Jabari Young “I wanted to do a version of that. I literally did. And I was like, ‘Whoa, that was with the old school limos.’ You sit in the back seat, and I was like, ‘No, that’s not the new wave.’ So, I’m mad I missed out on that one.” During the show, Rose also shared his decision-making process when choosing to invest in companies. He noted that opportunities must be tangible, either already working and scalable, or unique enough to justify his support for their...
A deal has gone sour for Daymond John, who has now sued his business partners. According to The Independent, the entrepreneur and investor who appears on “Shark Tank” secured a deal at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to sell personal protective equipment (PPE) to state governments through his consulting venture, The Shark Group. At the time, PPE was in high demand. John onboarded product-sourcing experts Lisa Kornman Avila and Rashmi Budhram to supply N95 masks, goggles, and isolation gowns to the California Department of General Services, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the State of Michigan, and others, per The Independent. John had been in business with the pair since 2014 through their design, development, and product management company, Buko LLC, according to the outlet. Buko LLC was expected to obtain the PPE, and John received 20% of the total revenue and one-third of the net profits as a referral commission, according to The Independent. The...
Jay-Z is demystifying the perception of billionaires. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the rap mogul out of Brooklyn, NY, was crowned Hip-Hop’s first billionaire in 2019 by Forbes. His net worth has more than doubled since that year, through ventures that include his stake in the cognac brand D’Ussé. He sold 25% of that stake to Bacardi in 2023, according to GQ. He told the outlet that he received $750 million in cash as a result. “I took 750m CASH, for 25 percent of my D’Ussé stake. Meaning my half is 1.5b. And the full enterprise was valued at 3b (they told me it was [worth] considerably less. My reply was ‘I’ll buy your stake at that price,’” he mentioned. Jay-Z also sold 50% of his spirits brand, Armand de Brignac, to LVMH in 2021, per the BBC. His investment portfolio also includes TIDAL and stakes in Block and Uber, according to Forbes. He is also the co-founder and chairman of Roc Nation. This full-service entertainment company supports its clients with artist management,...
Allen Iverson could have been a Nike athlete, but signing with Reebok set him up for life. Born in Hampton, VA, Iverson was drafted into the NBA in 1996 as the No. 1 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Basketball Reference. He remained in the league for 14 seasons and is regarded as one of the league’s best, per the NBA. In fact, he was part of the NBA 75th anniversary, which recognized the top 75 players in the league’s history, the outlet noted. He joined a class that includes former players Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Tim Duncan, and the late Kobe Bryant, as well as active players such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and more. Iverson made $171.7 million in career earnings while in the league, according to Spotrac. However, he blew through even more than his career earnings, as AFROTECH™ previously told you , but he is still standing today as a result of strategic moves that include entering the cannabis world in partnership with Black-owned...
Ryan Coogler was swimming in student loan debt while pursuing filmmaking. Today, he has a multi-million-dollar net worth and a collection of coveted awards. Filmmaking initially was not on the table for the Oakland, CA native. As a child, he wanted to be an NFL player, with a backup plan to become a doctor, according to Sports Illustrated. He played football while at St. Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, CA. He then went on to attend St. Mary’s College of California for undergrad, where he earned a football scholarship. There , he took a creative writing course taught by Rosemary Graham, which planted a seed that would shift Coogler’s career expectations. “She read something that I wrote and told me I should write screenplays … She sat me down, ‘I think you should go to Hollywood and write screenplays.’ So I had that in the back of my head. Started thinking about it. Started writing on my own a little bit,” Coogler said on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast. When t he college’s...