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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...
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...
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...
30-year-old NFL athlete Jaylon Smith is investing his earnings to ensure long-term wealth. Smith is guided as a client by Michael Ledo’s RISE Family Office, formerly RISE Sports Advisors, a multi-family Dallas-based financial services firm with nearly $300 million in assets under management, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. RISE Family Office taps into its institutional investor network to source private company deals, creating more structured investment opportunities for athletes and high-net-worth entrepreneurs. For Smith, this led him to invest $100,000 in the Series C round of the health tech company Oura during his final run with the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. “The deal was brought to me by RISE,” Smith told AFROTECH™. “And it was a thing where I was very intrigued with the health and wellness space, particularly around different devices or tools to better help gather data. Oura was one of the deals that was brought to me, and I decided to invest.” Smith has since...
Unrivaled’s second season was a slam dunk. The 3-on-3 league was co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart in 2023 and has attracted talent, including Kelsey Mitchell, Erica Wheeler, Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, and Chelsea Gray, per the league’s website. In February, Gray won the league’s 2026 1-on-1 Tournament, which carried a coveted $200,000 cash prize, according to a press release. Unrivaled entered its second season on Jan. 5. The league has eight teams, and 56 regular-season games were played before the Unrivaled Playoffs, presented by Samsung Galaxy, began on Saturday, Feb. 28, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. Photo Credit: Unrivaled / Hannah Kevorkian The Unrivaled Championship was held Wednesday, March 4, and ended with a victory for the Mist BC team, which faced team Phantom BC, according to USA Today . Breanna Stewart was named MVP after scoring 32 points. The game drew 314,000 viewers on TNT, making it Unrivaled’s...
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...
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...
![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...
Jozy Altidore is expanding his sports portfolio. The former soccer player is now an investor in the Oklahoma City United Soccer League team, which will relaunch in 2028, according to Sportico. Altidore is investing in the team alongside his longtime business partner Alex Lee, who joins NBA player Russell Westbrook on a cap table led by financial firm Echo and its founding partner and CEO, Christian Kanady. “We are thrilled to welcome Jozy Altidore and Alex Lee to the OKC for Soccer family. Jozy brings something you cannot manufacture: world-class credibility, a player’s understanding of what it takes to develop talent, and the ability to inspire the next generation from the locker room to the boardroom. Alex brings a builder mindset that can translate expertise into repeatable results. Together, they represent the next generation of sports ownership: strategic, technical, and deeply operational,” said Christian Kanady, founding partner and CEO of Echo, according to a statement...
Nipsey Hussle’s spirit lives on not only in his music but in the business world. The late rapper passed away in 2019 at 33, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. His oldest brother, Blacc Sam, has played a pivotal role in ensuring “The Marathon Continues.” One example is The Marathon Clothing brand, which launched in 2009 and opened its flagship store in 2017 in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, according to a press release. Blacc Sam, as Nipsey Hussle’s business partner, revealed that his late brother’s children, Emani Asghedom and Kross Asghedom, would become owners of the clothing store. “When I say we own it, it’s in Hussle’s kids’ names, in their trust fund,” Blacc Sam told Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, hosts of the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast. “When they get older, this is something their father worked for, and that they own, and that’s important to me. Also, just having a brick-and-mortar once again reinforced what Hussle told us and taught us.” He continued, “Just through...
College athlete Jaden Rashada has settled a lawsuit surrounding a failed NIL deal. The former Georgia quarterback sued former University of Florida Gators coach Billy Napier and a top booster over a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal valued at $13.9 million, ESPN reported. Rashada was ranked No. 31 overall in the 2023 class and had first committed to the Miami Hurricanes. He was told he would receive a $9.5 million deal with the Hurricanes. However, he switched his commitment to the University of Florida Gators, with the intent of securing a four-year, $13.85 million NIL deal, notes the outlet. Signing the letter of intent was supposed to be accompanied by a $1 million payout. Before he could step foot on the field, the NIL agreement was severed, and Rashada was released from the letter of intent, per ESPN. A lawsuit was filed in May 2024 in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola against Napier and Hugh Hathcock, a booster and automotive technology businessman, that accused both...
NiJaree Canady has achieved a new feat, launching a player edition cleat with adidas. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the softball player transferred from Stanford University to play for Texas Tech. She r eportedly secured a one-year deal with Texas Tech’s collective Matador Club that was valued at $1.1 million. According to The Athletic, this was the highest NIL deal for a softball player at the time, the second-highest deal valued at nearly $175,000. What’s more, the following year, she received a $1.2 million renewal, according to Forbes. Photo Credit: IG/ nija.canady Today, Canady continues to make historic strides, becoming the first college softball player to launch a player edition cleat with adidas, On3 reported. She debuted the shoe during a team victory against Fresno State University on Feb. 19. Fans will be able to snag a pair of the cleats later this season, according to Front Office Sports. “Such a dream come true! So incredibly blessed and thankful to have the...
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...