They say family and business don’t mix. But that isn’t always the case when it comes to family matriarchs choosing to steer the ship of their children’s careers.
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, let’s look at some of Black Hollywood’s fiercest momagers who helped guide their famous children to successful careers while maintaining a strong family dynamic.
Sonja Norwood
Sonja Norwood has always taken great pride in her daughter and son, Brandy and Ray J, and the role she plays as their manager. Since 1993, Norwood has served as CEO of her Norwood & Norwood Inc. management firm, where she’s been instrumental in managing and guiding her two children, as well as 702, Silk, Mase, BeBe Winans, and more.
Deb Antney
Deb Antney, also known as “Aunt Deb,” is an entertainment manager and founder/CEO of her management company Mizay Entertainment. She gained acclaim while managing the careers of several high-profile artists, including Gucci Mane, French Montana, and Nicki Minaj. She had already found success as Gucci and Nicki’s manager when she started managing her son, rapper Waka Flocka Flame. With his mom by his side, Waka went on to dominate the Top 20 of the Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart in 2009 and 2010 with hits like “O Let’s Do It,” “Hard in da Paint,” and “No Hands.”
Stacia Mac
Stacia Mac wasted no time taking on the manager role for her son, rapper Polo G after he decided to pursue a career in music after graduating high school via Billboard.
“There was never a day off, because I understood how much was riding on this,” Mac says.
With his mom as his manager, Polo G garnered three top 10 albums and a Hot 100 No. 1 with his catchy 2019 Lil Tjay collaboration, “Pop Out,” which landed at No. 11 on the Hot 100.
Jonetta Patton
With Usher Raymond signing his first record deal at age 14, Patton took on the manager role to help guide her son’s career. According to OWN, she would call all of the shots up until the mother and son ended their business relationship for the first time in 2007 and again after she rejoined his team in 2008. Usher credited the split to his “attempting to grow as a man,” he said at the time. “I think
I’ve spent so many years focusing on being an artist and being recognized as this talent; it ain’t about that no more,” he told Oprah on her podcast. “Now, it’s about who I am as a man, and I need [my mother] to be as supportive of me as a man.”In 2016, Patton put her focus into her own entrepreneurial endeavors and opened J’s Kitchen Culinary Incubator (JKCI) in her hometown of Atlanta, Mind Money Media reports. The five shared kitchens are housed in a building Patton has owned and used for her music business for nearly three decades.
“My passion is to help others, and I can do this in any industry,” Patton said. “When I see others succeed, that’s how I measure success.”
Donda West
The late Donda West played a crucial role in the success of her son, Kanye West, before her untimely death in 2007. After raising Kanye to embrace the arts and his individuality during his childhood in Chicago, Donda would serve as Kanye’s manager and mentor during the early years of his flourishing career, as well as the chair of the Kanye West Foundation, which was later renamed the Donda West Foundation; and the CEO of Super Good, the parent company of Kanye West Enterprises, via Time.
Fans finally got an inside look at the close bond Kanye shared with his mother in the 2022 Netflix documentary Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy. In one scene, Kanye jokes on his mom for describing one of his songs as “good,” a term he later used to name his G.O.O.D. Music record label.
Tina Douglas
If you see Ashanti somewhere, her mother, Tina Douglas, is likely not far away. Since Ashanti’s debut on the music scene in 2001, Douglas has been right by her daughter’s side. The proud momager, who describes herself as “the original momager” on Instagram,” is the force behind her multiplatinum-selling singer/actress daughter Ashanti. CEO of her Momager company, Tina, has successfully juggled managing Ashanti’s career while remaining a present mother to her two daughters, Ashanti and Kenashia Douglas.
Holly Thomas
The late Holly Thomas was the mother and manager of Grammy Award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Holly was a rapper, too, and used the stage name “Holly-Wood” when her young daughter started expressing interest in following in her mother’s footsteps. Once Megan took up rapping, Holly eventually began managing her daughter’s career, according to Pop Buzz. Tragically, as Megan rose in success as a rapper, her mother passed away from a cancerous brain tumor in March 2019.
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