50 Cent Has 50-11 Ways To Get Rich Without Trying, Strikes Partnership Deal With NHL
Curtis Jackson has expanded his liquor empire onto the ice!
The prominent television producer and hip-hop entrepreneur has signed his first multi-year partnership with an NHL team. Jackson, known professionally as 50 Cent, has agreed to bring his Sire Spirits to the Vegas Golden Knights. 50 already has partnership deals with NBA teams, the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves for his liquor products. He also has one with an NFL team, the Houston Texans.
“I’m excited for Sire Spirits to close its first NHL partnership deal with the Vegas Golden Knights,” said 50 in a written statement. “Branson Cognac and Le Chemin du Roi Champagne are championship brands for winning teams. Bill Foley and his entire team know how to win and are the perfect partners for my brands and for me to extend my charitable efforts in the Las Vegas community through the G-Unity Foundation. Hockey is an exciting sport and Las Vegas is a top market for entertainment. I look forward to working closely with the entire Golden Knights Organization.”
Branson Cognac and Le Chemin du Roi Champagne will be sold at the arena for this year’s Stanley Cup champions for the next several seasons. The two spirits will be labeled as The Official Champagne and The Official Cognac of the Vegas Golden Knights.
“We are excited to welcome Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Sire Spirits into the VGK Family,” said Kerry Bubolz, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Golden Knights. “Our hope is that through this partnership we continue to diversify the hockey fan base in efforts to grow the game for everyone.”
As is customary with similar deals by 50, his G-Unity Foundation plans to team with the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation to serve the Las Vegas community.
This news comes right after the announcement of 50 and Rémy Martin agreeing to an undisclosed settlement between Branson Cognac and the French cognac brand. There was a dispute regarding the bottle design brought by E. Rémy Martin & Co., citing copyright infringement.
Morgan State’s ‘Magnificent Marching Machine’ Was Tapped To Perform At The White House’s Juneteenth Event
Morgan State University’s marching band performed at the White House in Washington D.C. for a Juneteenth concert on June 13.
According to WMAR Baltimore, Morgan State University’s Magnificent Marching Machine was among several HBCU bands, and some notable other performers, at President Biden’s Juneteenth Concert. The event was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Pernod Ricard USA, STARZ #TaketheLead Initiative, and The Recording Academy.
Included on the list of people and bands that participated were Audra McDonald, Broadway Inspirational Voices, Colman Domingo, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Hampton University Concert Choir, Jennifer Hudson, Ledisi, Maverick City Music, Method Man, Nicco Annan, Patina Miller, Step Afrika!, Tennessee State University Marching Band – Aristocrat of Bands, and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.
The celebration comes after President Biden signed Juneteenth as a federal holiday into law in 2021.
“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the band and to showcase Morgan State’s talent,” Travis Jones, a drum major for the band, expressed to The Baltimore Banner. “Before all this attention, HBCUs weren’t getting the light they deserve until bad things happened,” Jones said. “But now, we can reflect and look at all the good things that have happened.”
The band also announced it will have the distinction of being the first HBCU marching band to showcase their talents at the D-Day 80 Normandy Parade, taking place on June 6, 2024, in Normandy, France.
“When we think of the historic events that have shaped the 20th century and the decades thereafter, the courageous moments that took place on the beaches of Normandy, France nearly 80 years ago, are among them. The opportunity to have our students not only represent our University but also our nation on such a grand world stage in recognition of such a monumental occasion is truly an honor,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University, in a written statement.
“Our thanks to the event organizers for their recognition of the talented student performers we have at Morgan, and for providing them with this lifetime experience allowing them to touch history,” he continued in a statement.
The Magnificent Marching Machine plans on performing “America the Beautiful” while marching between the two historic towns, Vierville-sur-Mer and Saint Laurent-sur-Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach. Band members will pay their respects by placing a wreath at the Normandy American Cemetery, where more than 9,300 soldiers are laid to rest. While at the cemetery, the band will perform a rendition of “Tribute to (Fallen) Americans.”
Samuel L. Jackson Won’t Be Using His $250M Fortune To Fund A Restaurant, Here’s Why
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most bankable names in Hollywood. With an estimated $250 million net worth, the 74-year-old movie star is still humble enough to heed good advice from his accountant; including a decision to forego opening his own restaurant.
In an interview with Sway In The Morning, the Avengers star shared some key advice from his financial advisor on why the business of food isn’t always sustainable for the bank account.
“The one time I almost got involved in a restaurant, my accountant was like, ‘You know, that’s like a two-year-at-best kinda deal,” he said. “You might make some money for two years, but eventually you gonna lose money and go outta business. So let’s not do that.’ So I didn’t.”
Though putting off plans to add his own restaurant to his booming portfolio, Jackson is still an investor in the popular fast-food chain Dave’s Hot Chicken, according to AfroTech. The actor has a minority stake in what Insider calls, the fasting-growing chain in the United States. “That’s working out,” he said of the business venture. Jackson isn’t the only big name betting on the chicken joint. Rapper Drake also owns a stake in Dave’s, alongside former First Lady of California Maria Shriver, athlete and TV personalityMichael Strahan, and Boston Red Sox owner Tom Werne. “I tried the food and it was amazing. After meeting the founders and hearing their story, I jumped at the opportunity to invest,” Drake said in a statement, as reported by AfroTech.
The fast-casual restaurant had humble beginnings as a simple food stand in Los Angeles in 2017, before a feature on the food blog Eater Los Angeles catapulted them into one of the city’s most popular eateries. In less than a year, the first location for Dave’s was opened and now there are over 130 locations nationwide, with one brick-and-mortar in Toronto, Canada.
The Asheville Cake Lady Is Baking Artwork Into Every Bite
Shana McDowell has had an entrepreneurial spirit for as long as she can remember. In her pre-teen years growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, McDowell says she sold various cosmetic and beauty brands and cleaned the homes of her mother’s friends for just $25 each.
“I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” McDowell says. “My mother was a single mom, and I never wanted her to struggle. Whatever I could do to alleviate some of that stress, I did.”
Now, as the owner and one-woman baker of Asheville Cake Lady, she works seven days a week at her shop on New Leicester Highway as a most sought-after cake designer. Around town, she’s affectionately known as “The Cake Lady,” thus, inspiring the name of her business. From her famed banana pudding and carrot cake to flavored cookies and colorful cupcakes, McDowell is proud of the aesthetics as well as the taste she offers.
“My cakes not only look good, but they taste good,” said 43-year-old McDowell, who has masterfully designed cakes in the shapes of cartoon characters, sporting goods, and trendy sneakers.
“I am able to create what customers are looking for.”
When celebrating a major life event for customers, they send McDowell a photo of their vision; she then carefully weaves artistry into her baking expertise to create a personalized touch for each order.
LaVie Montgomery has known McDowell for several years and has ordered a range of sweet treats, including birthday cakes for her and friends, three-and four-tiered cakes, assorted flavors of cookies, and even 1,000 cupcakes with logos for a recent company event.
“Her treats are simply amazing,” beams Montgomery, also an Asheville native.
Always seeking ways to strengthen local Black businesses, Montgomery says she often refers the baker to a diverse group of colleagues and frequently supports other Black owners of food services businesses.
“If there’s an opportunity to put a Black name out there, that is exactly what I do. She’s the go-to person,” Montgomery said of the Asheville Cake Lady.
From side hustle to full-time business
An at-home mom and blogger for a couple of years, McDowell launched her business by decorating shortbread cookies. She wanted to step up her game and took a local decorating class, which required her to design cakes instead of cookies. Quickly mastering her new talent, she began baking cakes and initially gave them to customers. Around this time, she returned to work full-time at a warehouse while baking cakes on the weekends.
“I was definitely a full-time employee on someone else’s clock, and I was making more on the weekends than I was at my job,” said McDowell, who was easily earning upward of $800 by producing a half-dozen cakes each weekend.
Realizing how lucrative her side hustle had become, McDowell left her warehouse job to become her own boss, completing her LLC in the spring of 2018, securing a storefront space in November of that year, and officially opening for business in March 2019.
In just a few years, Asheville Cake Lady has quickly expanded. McDowell opened a second brick-and-mortar location in 2021, run by her father. Her daughter, Lizzy, became her business partner during the pandemic while finishing high school and today, the younger McDowell makes vegan treats upon request and for special events. Although the second location closed earlier this year, Asheville Cake Lady is still whipping up lots of orders thanks to DoorDash in the Asheville area, an active social media presence, word of mouth, and shipping select treats across the United States. Each month, she sells roughly 20 custom cakes and 1,000 cupcakes.
Melanie Hartles’ first visit to McDowell’s shop in early March was in search of the cake lady’s banana pudding “that I hear is out of this world” as a treat for her husband’s birthday.
“I was intentionally researching Black-owned businesses, and the Asheville Cake Lady was on that website,” Hartles explains. “I just think that we’re in a day and age where we need to be making historical wrongs right, and I think the Black community in Asheville is large but may be sometimes hidden and separated, and I feel like I want to be part of bridging that gap.”
A “walking statistic” changing the narrative
A self-described “walking statistic,” McDowell says she’s a Black woman without a college degree and five children and lives in public housing. “There is no way that I should own a business,” McDowell maintains. “There are locals here that know that. They walk in, and they are like, ‘If she did it, I can do it.” And that is what pushes me. That’s a win for me.”
She’s proud to run her own business in the city where she was born and raised. McDowell is hopeful for the future of area Black businesses.
“Asheville is a beautiful city if you come here…it’s a fun culture,” she says. “As a business owner, I would hope that Asheville could continue to grow with minority-owned businesses—with businesses that look like us.”
From the plus-sized clothing consignment shop More to Love, to handmade wearable art by Black women at Dope Divas Accessories or It’s Amira M, these are just a few of the many ways visitors can discover the unique Appalachian culture while supporting Black-owned businesses in Asheville. Plan your next visit by visiting ExploreAsheville.com.
As for McDowell’s advice to folks who look like her, particularly single moms and Black women who want to launch their own business: “Yes, you can, and I’m proof,” she says. “Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do.”
NFL Secures $78M In Loans From Black- and Minority-Owned Banks To Boost Support And Business Opportunities
The National Football League (NFL) is supporting Black- and minority-owned banks by borrowing $78 million from a number of them.
The NFL recently announced it borrowed from 16 Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and minority- and women-focused banks. This initiative is being done to support and expand business opportunities with diverse businesses across the country. This was done in conjunction with Bank of America, which helped identify which banks would provide vital investments to diverse individuals, businesses, and communities.
“The NFL is thoroughly committed to improving diversity across all aspects of the League, and that includes doing business with diverse suppliers and partners,” said Joe Siclare, Executive Vice President of Finance and League Policy at the NFL in a written statement. “We are excited that this program will help enhance the reach of these institutions while investing in the local communities that they serve.”
The NFL connected with Bank of America to help structure a three-year term loan, but is also giving these institutions access to the league in hopes that a relationship can be formed for future business.
CNBC reported that this type of deal was done before with an NBA team and Major League Soccer. Those were facilitated by National Black Bank Foundation. A syndicate of Black-owned banks lent $35 million to the Atlanta Hawks for a practice facility in 2020. Then, last year, a $25 million loan was taken out by Major League Soccer.
The NFL and Bank of America contacted the National Black Bank Foundation to complete this initiative. The following banks were included in the initiative.
Adelphi Bank – Columbus, OH
Agility Bank, N.A. – Houston, TX
Asian Bank – Philadelphia, PA
Central Bank of Kansas City – Kansas City, MO
Citizens Savings Bank and Trust Company – Nashville, TN
Citizens Trust Bank – Atlanta, GA
City First Bank, National Association – Washington D.C.
Lamar Odom Sued Former Manager For Allegedly Forging Documents To Steal His Home
Lamar Odom is after a manager he fired last year for allegedly forging his signature to steal a home his aunt still lives in.
In a lawsuit unveiled on Wednesday, June 14, Odom accuses his former manager Tonita Bybee of forging a deed on a home he owned in Brooklyn, NY, and selling it to a third party, Page Six reports. The NBA champion is accusing Bybee of “identity theft,” “conversion,” “embezzlement,” “misappropriation” and “various other iterations of fraud.”
He claims she “acted with malice, wanton dishonesty and a high degree of immoral turpitude.”
Odom says the home has been in his family for “nearly three decades” and his aunt Carol Janean Mercer has been living there since his uncle Michael Mercer passed in August 2022. Now Aunt Carol is facing eviction thanks to Bybee’s “fraudulent transfer.”
The former Los Angeles Lakers player believes Bybee used his name, signature, likeness, social security number, one of his employer identification numbers, verified social media accounts, and email addresses “to defraud people and businesses by accepting speaking and appearance engagements,” the suit states.
In addition to Bybee, Odom is also suing the notary who “improperly notarized” the alleged forged deed since they allegedly “attested” to his “presence and signature, despite the fact that [he] never appeared before [the public notary] either in person or remotely to execute the forged deed.”
Odom also claims Bybee owes him the money he earned from appearances on “Celebrity Big Brother,” “College Hill: Celebrity Edition” and “Celebrity Boxing,” and an NFT deal that used his name and he heavily promoted on social media.
Odom is seeking over $1 million in damages from Bybee in the suit his lawyer believes he will be vindicated in.
“We greatly look forward to vindicating Lamar’s right in this matter,” attorney Zachary G. Meyer said.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s XFL League Gets A ‘Smackdown,’ Suffers $60M In Losses
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may be one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men but his latest venture into sports by way of the XFL League is costing him major dividends. Forbes reports that the losses could total $60 million.
Johnson, along with his business partner, and ex-wife, Dany Garcia, Disney, and RedBird Capital Partners purchased the bankrupted league for $25.3 million in 2020. The former football-player-turned-wrestler felt the league needed to exist for guys like him who had the talent and skill but failed to make the leap to the NFL, according to Forbes. “Football was my dream,” Johnson said. “The NFL was my thing. I was going to buy my parents their first house. Football didn’t end on my terms. I wish I’d had the XFL when I was coming out.”
Though the XFL has already helped to make 27 players’ dreams come true by getting them to the NFL, the alternative league has lost an estimated $60 million in 2023 alone, according to Forbes.
I’ve tried to tell him his whole life but he’s never listened to me 😜
I play the long game in business and XFL is no exception. We saw some nice successes and took some L’s in our first season that we learn from.
75-100 XFL players will be competing in NFL camps this fall.… https://t.co/ByVdMnVqXb
Still, Johnson is fully committed to riding the wave of his investment and is expecting to see big results come next year. In a tweet, the 51-year-old doubled down on his belief in the XFL. “I play the long game in business and XFL is no exception. We saw some nice successes and took some L’s in our first season that we learn from. 75-100 XFL players will be competing in NFL camps this fall,” he said. “That’s a big number that will continue to grow season over season. We’re in it for the long haul. Step by step building the league of opportunity. Like with any venture, success takes time. Thanks to XFL fans for the love & support.” And it seems like Johnson may be right. According to The Sun, the XFL is projected to bring in $100 million in 2024, including significant support from the leading sports network ESPN.
Dr. Steven Williams Makes The Cut As First Black President The American Society Of Plastic Surgeons
Dr. Stevens Williams is making history after being elected the first Black president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, AfroTech reported.
Williams is the first African-American physician to hold this position in the organization’s 92-year history. Dr. Williams posted on Instagram explaining how “passionate” he is about his career and how he helps his “patients achieve their aesthetic goals and enhance their confidence.”
“As president-elect of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, I’m deeply committed to making information about plastic surgery more accessible,” the caption read. “By educating more patients, I believe that we can work together to make safe, informed decisions and achieve the best possible results for everyone.”
The Ivy League-educated surgeon is the founder of Tri Valley Plastic Surgery in Dublin, California. As president of the largest plastic surgery specialty organization in the world, Williams said sitting in this role brings on an “incredible sense of honor, duty and pride.”
“For me personally, it’s an achievement to be the first African American person to be president at ASPS,” the surgeon said, according to a press release. “I’m really standing on the shoulders of people who came before me.”
Dr. Williams sat on the ASPS board for 15 years, most recently serving as the Vice President of Membership. Within that role, he assisted with growing patient safety practices, expanded international membership, and headed the diversity and inclusion committee.
As President, the Dartmouth grad hopes to expand on the use of technological advances, uplift DEI initiatives, and educate his patients about making smart decisions before being influenced by outside voices, referring to the growing conversations on social media.
“Social media has accelerated the acceptance of plastic surgery,” Williams said to AfroTech. “While the benefits of connecting and being able to find information about plastic surgery is incredibly powerful, it must be balanced with the understanding that social media often presents an unrealistic picture about what life is and what we all are individually.”
Floyd Mayweather Gets Juneteenth Championship Belt Ahead Of The Holiday
The one thing that wasn’t reported about Floyd Mayweather’s recent exhibition fight that turned into a spectacle was that the retired boxer received a Juneteenth belt.
According to TMZ Sports, after Mayweather and John Gotti III “brawled” and the referee stopped the fight during the June, 11 matchup, the undefeated boxer received a custom Juneteenth belt. The presentation was supposed to take place in the boxing ring but due to Gotti going after Mayweather, the fracas caused it to be held in another part of the venue.
The commemorative World Boxing Council Championship Freedom Belt was presented to Mayweather by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, who also gave one to Limitless X CEO Jas Mathur. The WBC stated that Mathur’s belt acknowledged “the remarkable achievements and visionary leadership demonstrated by Mr. Mathur and Limitless X for their contributions to the sporting and business community.”Billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith, a friend of Mayweather’s, also received the Freedom Belt, which features broken chains, hands shaking, and the usual “WBC World Champion” etched on the front with “Juneteenth” underneath.“Thank you to Mauricio and the WBC for creating and presenting me and my partners with this unique freedom belt to commemorate Juneteenth,” Mayweather told TMZ Sports. “The WBC has always led by example. I am honored to receive the belt along with Robert Smith, who is the largest civil rights activist in our history, and Jas Mathur my dear friend and partner.”During the exhibition match between Mayweather and the grandson of crime boss John Gotti, the referee stopped the match, giving the victory to the undefeated boxer. When that took place, Gotti exploded and tried to attack Mayweather, and both corners came in to try to control the chaos that erupted. Mayweather stayed in the ring and protected himself while fighting off Gotti. Due to Gotti’s behavior, the Florida Athletic Commission placed him on a six-month suspension.
Kandi Burruss Criticized For ‘Weird’ Interview With Sukihana After YK Osiris Apologizes For Forced Kiss
YK Osiris is doing damage control after facing backlash online for his alleged sexual assault of reality star Sukihana.
The Love & Hip Hop star has been trending across social media after a now-viral video shows Osiris attempting to force a kiss on Suki during a basketball competition. Suki has since responded to the exchange saying she was “hurt” by the experience.
“I am hurt and I am scared to stand up for myself,” Sukihana tweeted on Wednesday.
Sukihana says she’s hurt and scared to stand up for herself following incident with Yk Osiris pic.twitter.com/HICjAxEoL7
“I drink to hide that I’m very sensitive. I feel things more then the average person. I stopped drinking yesterday but today I’ve been crying all day,” she wrote in a follow-up tweet before deactivating her account.
“I asked God to strengthen me and use me to help others and to order my steps in his word. I just want to go away for awhile.”
Amid the backlash, YK Osiris took to his Instagram Story to issue a public apology to Suki and all who he offended with his actions. According to the singer, he was trying to be “playful” with Suki and wasn’t aware that he “violated” her “boundaries.”
But Osiris didn’t face criticism from everyone. While Amber Rose called him out to defend Sukihana, rapper Meek Mill hopped on Twitter to defend the singer.
“Don’t do this to him please he a good kid …. Just slap him and he gotta let you something,” Meek tweeted.
“We don’t need our young bulls tore down for mistakes in this hyper sexual era…. I support suki … hold that sh*t down on some street sh*t.”
Don’t do this to him please he a good kid …. Just slap him and he gotta let you something … we don’t need our young bulls tore down for mistakes in this hyper sexual era…. I support suki … hold that shit down on some street shit https://t.co/f31iLgiN8r
Elsewhere, singer and reality star Kandi Burruss has also come under fire for how seemingly nonchalant she was when her co-host got a little too “aggressive” with his advances toward Sukihana when she appeared on “Kandi Koated Live” in February.
During the “Sex and Relationships” episode, Kandi’s co-host DJ Aone made a few vulgar statements to Suki. The comments were so extreme, Kandi even told Aone he was being too “aggressive” with Suki.
But Kandi’s laughing during the exchange is rubbing spectators wrong months later. Amid debates over Suki’s recent exchange with Osiris, social media revisited her appearance on Kandi’s podcast and is calling out the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star and her co-host.
