News — Rapper

An 18-year-old Atlanta rapper, Metro Marrs, was arrested after he threw $10,000 on stage during his high school graduation ceremony on Friday. According to Rap-Up, the incident occurred at the Langston Hughes High School and the rapper showered the stage with the money to celebrate their graduation.

In the video of the incident, the rapper, who is wearing a graduation gown, can be seen walking on the stage throwing the money while the other graduates cheer him on and scramble for the cash. The school authorities were, however, not too pleased with his actions. And in the aftermath of the incident, he was arrested by the police.

The Bye Felicia rapper later posted an Instagram video of him being whisked away from the premises by officers. He was charged with attempting to start a riot and disorderly conduct and slapped with a ticket.

Explaining the motive behind his actions in an interview with The Shade Room, the Quality Control signee said he was trying to be generous to some of his fellow grads who may have been tight on finances. He also added the COVID-19 pandemic had prevented him from meeting his classmates over a long period.

“I was creating a moment that would be memorable,” he said. “I had to do that for the last time. Everybody was lit! We graduating high school!”

The rapper’s action was met with mixed reactions, with people saying it was unnecessary while others commended him. “Mahhh man this is trash! At the Graduation?!,” a user replied to his Instagram post.

“I wish somebody did this at my graduation,” another user commented on the post on The Shade Room. A user also wrote: “That ain’t no reason to detain somebody like huh.”

Nevertheless, Metro Marrs said the school authorities weren’t too mad about what he did and they actually root for him. “They root for me, they’re on my side,” he said. “They’ve seen me develop (as an artist) while I was in school. I’ve been doing music since 9th grade.”

Kanye West is arguably one of the best musicians in the world. The rapper became a certified billion last April following the impressive success of his businesses. The 22 Grammy winner has a booming sneaker and apparel business, making him one of the most successful celebrities in the world.

The rapper turned entrepreneur is not just a billionaire but a multibillionaire following the latest estimate of his business deals. West is officially worth $6.6 billion, according to Bloomberg, making him the richest Black man in U.S. history.

This latest information about the worth of West comes following valuations prepared by investment bank UBS Group AG. Yeezy, West’s sneaker/apparel partnership with Adidas is worth between $3.2 billion and $4.7 billion, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg.

The African-American rapper owns a 100% stake in Yeezy and also has a partnership with The Gap which is valued at $1 billion. West also has additional income coming from his $110 million music catalog, $122 million in cash and stocks and business investments with his estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS underwear brand.

Bloomberg reports that Gap expects its Yeezy line to break $150 million in sales in its first full year in 2022 and envisions it becoming a billion-dollar revenue brand in 2023.

The documents also showed that sales for Yeezy’s Adidas sneakers survived the effect of the pandemic by posting a growth of 31% and making nearly $1.7 billion in revenue while netting $191 million in royalties.

West had previously claimed he was worth $3 billion although Forbes published that his net worth was lower than he claimed. Displeased with Forbes’s valuation of his worth, Kanye, according to the People, texted Forbes, “It’s not a billion. It’s $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.”

With his current net worth of $6.6 billion, West has surpassed Oprah Winfrey’s $3.5 billion net worth, David Steward’s $3.9 billion net worth, and Robert F. Smith’s $6.5 billion, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Also, West’s current net worth makes him the third richest celebrity in the world, behind only Steven Spielberg ($7 billion) and George Lucas ($10 billion), according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Recently, West revealed his plan to build a ‘city of the future’ on an island in Haiti.

Touching on the subject during an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in October, the 43-year-old explained how the project would benefit locals on the island.

“We go to Haiti and the president gives us this island to develop; to make it a city of the future,” West said. “We’re gonna have the farmers and the people that live there take ownership of the land they have right now so when it raises in value, they all eat.”

West’s announcement of the partnership with Haitian president Jovenel Moïse and his government, however, did not sit down well with some people on social media, prompting him to clarify the details of the agreement on his Twitter page on October 27, GQ reported.

“Just to be CLEAR: WE ARE IN ENGAGED WITH HAITI’s GOVERNMENT to make a transformational INVESTMENT to bring JOBS, DEVELOPMENT, HELP SUPPORT LOCAL FARMERS and FISHERMEN and Build a new « CITY OF THE FUTURE » in a very beautiful country,” he tweeted.

There so many sectors of the U.S. economy that lacks diversity. One of such sectors is the culinary industry. Black founders are scarce in the industry, which is estimated to be 5.4 billion, according to this market report.

PreMadonna Thomas has taken a giant step into the cookware industry to not only bring diversity in the sector but to also open doors for other Black women. The television personality and rapper is venturing into an industry where many of the founders are whites and can easily access capital to expand their operations.

Thomas founded the cookware brand, Premadonna’s Cookware. She was inspired to create spices and cookware lines because of the lack of products in the industry that are available at affordable prices and in great quality. 

She tells Forbes in an interview that her products also seek to improve on existing cooking appliances on the market. What makes Premadonna’s Cookware unique is its diverse product lines as many of the existing culinary brands focus on cookware, appliances, cookbooks, or seasonings.

Aside from the pressure cooker, her multi-million-dollar cookware and seasoning empire has other products such as air fryers, deep fryers, and blenders. She also offers a best-selling cookbook and seasonings which have been endorsed by celebrities like Rihanna and the Kardashians. The wife and businesswoman tells BET Style that business is doing well that on a slow day, she can expect to ship over 500 packages.

Thomas loves cooking. She comes from a cooking family and knows a lot about pots and pans. However, she did not always have time to get into the kitchen to prepare a meal. “There was nothing in the industry for me…All the pressure cookers were older and traditional. So, I came up with a digital model. I knew that people would adapt to something that was vibrant, unique, and resourceful for all types of working people,” Thomas tells Forbes.

The entrepreneur and mom says her business has thrived owing to the passion she has for what she is doing. She goes the extra mile to ensure her customers get the best. Also, she ensures rigorous testing of every product in her kitchen before launching. This has helped her detect product defects and other minor challenges that could affect trust in her products and her brand in general.

“I think that a lot of businesses make mistakes because they’re so anxious to start, and they go with the first sample they get. With my pressure cooker and air fryer, the process took almost six months, and I tested six different models before I chose which one I wanted to go with. It was more costly, but I’m here to provide the best quality,” she explains. 

Thomas grew up in poverty. She was raised by her single mother and supported by her community through childcare programs and food banks. Thus, she wants to give back to her community using her business. She is planning a free coaching and training program for Black girls interested in the culinary industry. It will feature workshops, webinars, and guest speakers from across the industry.