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Hip-Hop artist Nas and Resorts World New York City have announced a combined $2 million donation to support the construction of The Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx, according to a press release. The announcement was made during the museum’s second annual benefit gala and reflects Resorts World’s 15-year record of supporting cultural institutions across New York City’s five boroughs. The contribution will support the museum’s ongoing capital campaign as it moves toward a 2026 opening. Located at 585 Exterior St. within the Bronx Point complex — a mixed-use building that includes affordable housing, public spaces, and cultural facilities, per the Bronx Times — The Hip Hop Museum is intended to serve as a center for community, education, and the preservation of hip-hop’s global legacy. “Hip Hop has always reflected the culture of New York City, from its emergence in the Bronx to Queens’ own, Nas,” said Kevin Jones, chief legal and chief strategy officer at Resorts World New York City, in...
Rodarius Marcell Green, better known as Rod Wave, revealed on “The Joe Budden Podcast” how taking charge of his merchandise business transformed a six-figure side hustle into a multi-million-dollar operation. According to his podcast appearance, the platinum-selling artist said he manages all aspects of his merchandise himself. “It all started when my uncle told me, ‘You can go buy your own clothes, and pay these folks to print it up, pay these folks to transport it, and we gon’ do that,’” Rod Wave said. That approach helped him grow his merchandise revenue from $200,000 to $14 million. “If you can make it in the street, you can make it anywhere. If you can make a million dollars on the street illegally, your brain can work,” he added. Rod Wave said that taking control of his merchandise allowed him to retain more of the revenue coming from his work. He added that artists often receive only a fraction of the money they help generate for music labels. He also described the business...
Lil Jon said he will forever be indebted to Too $hort for setting him free from a lifetime contract. Lil John was first a DJ, making waves in the Atlanta music scene, he explained in a podcast interview with “Bringing Down The Band.” He had become interested in DJing while throwing house parties in his home, carrying on the tradition of one of his high school friends who went away to the Navy. Lil John’s rise in the city then caught the attention of Jermaine Dupri, who enlisted him for A&R and street promotions at his label, So So Def Recordings. Lil Jon gained momentum in the area as a producer. He admitted his claim to fame was executive producing all three compilations of the “So So Def Bass All-Stars” albums, which featured one of today’s enduring classics, Ghost Town DJs’ “My Boo.” He also formed a group called the East Side Boyz during this period, with Big Sam and Lil Bo , according to Franchise Record Pool . Escaping Lifetime Deal Lil Jon worked with the label from 1993 to...
Meek Mill is looking to make his mark in tech, recently announcing on X (formerly Twitter) that he’s developing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool he believes could have a global impact. “Working on a ai tool that can change the world lol,” he wrote on Aug. 30, a post that racked up more than 8 million views. Just a few days later, on Sept. 2, he followed up by sharing that he isn’t going at it alone. “I have some genius tech guy that’s building a ai tool that everyone will be able to use! I have to get one off first you will see!” he tweeted. While details remain scarce about the project, Meek Mill has been vocal online about his vision beyond music. According to Complex, the Philadelphia native has posted a series of tweets in recent weeks signaling that he’s in a new chapter — one that blends business, technology, and personal growth. Just days before his AI reveal, Meek Mill posted, “I can’t wait to get a chance to show the world how smart I really am!” I have some genius tech...
Hit-Boy is officially a free man! As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Hit-Boy, born Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., secured a deal with Universal Music Group in 2007 that included a $50,000 check. Due to his upbringing, which included having a father who was in prison for most of his life and a teen mother who did not have steady financial means, the music opportunity appeared to be a redemption arc. “I never really had the sh-t I wanted. I always had what I needed, you know what I mean? Something to eat, place to stay, but I wanted more for myself,” Hit-Boy explained on “The Shop” podcast. “So, you know, just like, I took that opportunity and didn’t know, didn’t have the guidance, didn’t have those figures around me to tell me like, ‘Nah, they got you locked in this for a long time.’” The deal with Universal Music Group was “the worst publishing contract” that Hit-Boy’s lawyers had ever seen. However, it appears Hit-Boy can finally run his victory lap thanks to the help of Jay-Z and...
Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, a founding member of TLC, revealed that the group paid $1 million per letter to reclaim the rights to their name. The total of $3 million ensured Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas retained full ownership of the TLC brand following the death of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in 2002. In a Facebook video posted by DJ Envy of “The Breakfast Club,” Watkins revealed that the band paid $1 million per letter to own the rights to their band’s name. “A million dollars per letter, honey,” she said in the video. “To buy back the name TLC.” She did not disclose from whom they purchased the rights, adding only, “You know from whom. We ain’t gonna say.” As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the monumental success of their 1994 album, “CrazySexyCool,” produced hits like “Creep” and “Waterfalls” and earned the group two Grammys. While it made TLC the first girl group at the time to achieve diamond certification, the women faced severe financial hardship shortly after. In 1995, TLC...
The late Notorious B.I.G.’s estate has filed a lawsuit against Faith Evans. New York-born rapper Christopher George Latore Wallace, best known as The Notorious B.I.G. and for timeless hits like “Big Poppa” and “Mo Money Mo Problems,” was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997. His legacy continues to live on, thanks in large part to his mother, Voletta Wallace, who had played a key role in managing his estate before she recently passed away. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, she successfully secured rights to most of his catalog from Bad Boy Records, increasing her ownership of his music from 50% to 85%. The Notorious B.I.G. was originally signed to the label by founder Sean “Diddy” Combs. In 2020, Voletta acquired the remaining 15%, gaining full control of her son’s music catalog. “Securing control of my son’s publishing and masters was a hard-fought journey, one that was not easy to accomplish,” Voletta explained, according to The Wall Street Journal. Voletta died at 78 years old...
Snoop Dogg is on to his next venture in the NFT space. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he agreed to be compensated in Bitcoin back in 2013 when he released his album “Reincarnated.” In a separate article, AFROTECH™ shared Snoop Dogg had been revealed as the hidden figure behind Cozomo de’ Medici, a popular non-fungible (NFT) Twitter platform, which had 175 tokens worth millions of dollars by 2021. That same year, he also released an NFT collection, titled “A Journey with the Dogg,” to pay homage to his early years as an artist. Snoop Dogg x Telegram Now in his latest move, t he “Drop It Like It’s Hot” artist has partnered with Telegram, a messaging app founded by Pavel Durov that claims to be one of the most downloaded apps with over 1 billion users, its website mentions. Snoop Dogg can be shown in an Instagram post commemorating the partnership with a theme song, titled “Gifts.” He also currently has 212,218 subscribers on the platform (at the time of this writing). View this...
Kendrick Lamar and SZA have made history in the music industry. Grand National Tour The Grammy-award winning artists are frequent collaborators and performed together at the 2025 Super Bowl LIX performance in New Orleans. The pair later embarked on the “Grand National Tour,” which kicked into gear on April 19 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, according to USA Today. The tour, presented by Live Nation, pgLang (Lamar’s agency), and Top Dawg Entertainment, made its way to 19 stadiums in cities such as Los Angeles, Houston, Las Vegas, and Atlanta, mentions Seattle’s Lumen Field. Concluding the North American leg on June 18, the tour will continue throughout the U.K., Europe, and Australia. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) This has marked the first stadium tour for both artists. “There’s so many firsts happening back to back,” SZA said on the “Sherri” show . “I can’t express what it’s like to go through life for the first time but in front...
Pinky Cole, the visionary founder and CEO of Slutty Vegan, is taking her plant-based brand to Florida. After regaining full control of her company, as AFROTECH™ reported back in April, she’s officially announced her first new restaurant location. The Slutty Vegan Florida grand opening is set for Saturday, July 5, 2025, from noon to 6 p.m. at 2080 Badlands Drive in Brandon, Florida, just outside Tampa. The announcement was first made via Instagram on June 26. “One thing God don’t do is play about me 🙏🏾🥰💪🏾… WHATEVER YOU DO… KEEP GOING” she wrote. The post also featured a video by multi-platinum Hip-Hop artist Flo Rida, who welcomed the restaurant to his home state with enthusiasm and support. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pinky Cole Hayes (@pinkycole) “Hey, what up? What up? It’s your man—Flo Rida—and I’ve got a huge announcement to make. I had to snap this one myself because I’m proud to say it’s official… Slutty Vegan is touching down in the state of Flo Rida! It’s...
A legendary Hip-Hop artist, a force in the community, an entrepreneur , and a professor — it’s no secret that Bun B’s résumé runs deep. At AFROTECH™ 2024 , the Port Arthur, TX, native — born Bernard Freeman — joined Jeff Nelson , co-founder and chief operating officer of Blavity Inc. , for an insightful fireside chat that explored innovation, entrepreneurship, branding, and building wealth and success beyond the music industry . Highlighting his influence as an artist and how it carried over into his success in other business ventures, like his fast-food restaurant Trill Burgers, Bun B shared how he has leveraged his platform to create multiple streams of income and leave a lasting cultural imprint. Purchase your ticket to AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 now! View this post on Instagram A post shared by AFROTECH (@afro.tech) During their conversation, Bun B traced a pivotal turning point in his life back to 10th grade, when a simple journaling assignment revealed his love for writing....
David Banner is thanking T.I. for making it possible for him to have a lucrative career as a producer . On the “Club Shay Shay,” podcast, Banner reveals how important a tag in a song is for producers to ensure they receive full recognition. He also claims he is one of the first rappers to put his name before a beat in contemporary Rap and says the decision was inspired by Jay-Z, who would shout out producers on his songs. “I noticed Jay-Z would say ‘Kanye, you a fool fool fool. Just Blaze, you did it again,’ and every time he would say their name they could charge $10,000 extra right,” Banner told host Shannon Sharpe on the podcast. “Southern rappers hid their producers. It hurts me to this day. KLC from Beats By The Pound, as big as ‘No Limit’ was, don’t nobody know who they are. They’re some of my mentors… I really think Beats By The Pound is as big as Timbaland and Pharrell, because they changed music in the same way that those people do but we don’t know who they are.” He...
Kendrick Lamar’s impact will be studied. The songwriter and rapper, who broadly reps Compton, CA, had quite a year. The release of his rap diss “They Not Like Us” in 2024 led to five Grammy awards including “R ecord of The Year” in 2025. Lamar also was the headliner at the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show held in New Orleans. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NFL (@nfl) While this last year has been electric for the rapper, his talents and contributions to the world of Hip-Hop had been undeniable as a result of albums that include “To Pimp A Butterfly” (2015), “Mr Morale & The Big Steppers” (2022), and “DAMN” (2017), which earned him a Pulitzer Prize. “Throughout his career, Kendrick Lamar hasn’t met the cultural moment so much as he’s defined it,” Rachel Newman, Apple Music’s global head of content and editorial, said in a news release. He’s defined it so much so that it will now be taught in higher learning. According to WHYY News, Temple University...
Memphis Bleek’s trust in Jay-Z led him to turn down a five-figure signing bonus. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Memphis Bleek splashed onto the music scene by being featured on the “Coming of Age” track of Jay-Z’s “Reasonable Doubt” album. He later became the first artist signed to Jay-Z’s label, Roc-A-Fella Records. The pair had also grown up together in the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, NY. “He really grew up with me, on the third floor of the same building in the same project,” Jay-Z said recently on Power 105.1 with DJ Envy. During an interview with “The Breakfast Club,” Memphis Bleek was asked by co-host Jess Hilarious, born Jessica Robin Moore, about his dynamic with Jay-Z and if he believes his fate would have been different if he had signed with another label. Memphis Bleek eventually parted ways with Roc-A-Fella Records, and while Jay-Z went on to launch Roc Nation, Memphis Bleek admits he likely wouldn’t have become a bigger artist — or reached where he is today — even if...
New music from the late legendary rapper Eazy-E could be on the way, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). There are mixed reaction from artists regarding the use of AI. However, the technology has been embraced by some, including Timbaland. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the artist is an advocate for the music AI creation tool Suno. “You can put out great songs in minutes,” Timbaland told Rolling Stone. “I always wanted to do what Quincy Jones did with Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ when he was [almost] 50. So my ‘Thriller,’ to me, is this tool. God presented this tool to me.” Tag teaming in the appreciation for AI is Lil Eazy-E, born Eric Darnell Wright Jr. He is the son of Eazy-E, who passed away in 1995. According to TMZ, Lil Eazy-E has expressed interest in creating an AI-packaged biopic film about his father’s life and has teased a potential joint album in the future. “I actually just got a sample of him talking to me. It made my mind go another route with the possibilities...
