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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...
Meghan Markle’s As Ever brand is now fully independent, according to Deadline. The Duchess of Sussex launched As Ever to reflect her passion for cooking, entertaining, and hosting, according to the brand’s website. She shared she had been making jams, preserves, and fruits spreads for loved ones, and the feedback inspired her to take her idea beyond her kitchen and into others’ homes. “I asked myself, ‘What would it take to scale my fruit spreads into something I could share more broadly? Could I adapt my recipe into something that could bring more people that feeling of joy? And what else could I add to this collection to spark a smile, to make your day a bit easier, to elevate your everyday,'” she expressed on the company website. As Ever sells jams in flavors such as raspberry, orange marmalade, and strawberry, as well as California-harvested honey, teas in various blends, and more. Its launch was on April 2, 2025, according to Marie Claire. The brand was supported by Netflix,...
For Justin Laboy, it’s all about ownership. Laboy was raised as the youngest of five siblings in Queens, NY, and his lived experience made him competitive and highly motivated, he shared in an interview with AFROTECH™. He admitted he didn’t have much growing up, but sports became his roadmap to opportunity. He played basketball at a private high school and later at ASA College during the 2011–2012 season before a brief stint with KK Pelister Bitola Basketball Club in Macedonia. When Laboy returned home from playing overseas, he began promoting parties at New York nightclubs that often sold out. He was making several thousand dollars a week and learning the ropes of marketing in the process, he told AFROTECH™. “To get people to an event is difficult … I was able to convince people to do that … I’m really good at gathering people and starting conversations,” he noted. Revolt Being a gatherer also translated into his online presence. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Laboy shared...
Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland are once again investing in Houston, TX, the city that shaped their careers. The duo has found continued success beyond their involvement in Destiny’s Child, originally named Girl’s Tyme. Beyoncé is a Houston native and spent most of her childhood in the city’s Third Ward, the Houston Chronicle reports. Rowland is an Atlanta, GA native, but has credited Houston as the city that changed her life both personally and professionally in a previous interview with AFROTECH™. “It was a city that grew me up. I always say Atlanta-born me. Houston raised me. Houston raised me with Southern values. Houston raised me to be proud of my Blackness as well,” Rowland said. Now the pair are giving back to the city by investing in an $8.4 million permanent housing project called the Knowles-Rowland House, BET reports. The 31-unit project will support those experiencing homelessness. Additionally, it will offer social services, including case management, mental health...
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,”...
A $5 billion entertainment district in Atlanta has received financial backing from powerhouses across sectors. Centennial Yards Years in the making, Centennial Yards is an ambitious project led by the Los Angeles-based CIM Group. The project is expected to cost at least $5 billion, and developers see it as an opportunity to revitalize the Atlanta area ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. In 2018, the city council greenlit a $1.9 billion incentive plan for the project, which put entertainment and high-end apartments and hotels at the forefront. The project plans reserved 20% of new residential units for affordable housing, though the developer could pay an in lieu fee of about $140,000 per unit to forgo this requirement. Per the outlet, CIM opted to pay the in lieu fee of approximately $8.5 million for its first apartment tower, The Mitchell. Still, the developer says they are “ dedicated to fulfilling our commitment to provide affordable...
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’](https://cdn.afrotech.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Iman-Shumpert.jpg "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...
The estate of the late Isaac Hayes has settled a lawsuit regarding the song “Hold On, I’m Comin.'” USA Today reported that the 1966 song, written by Hayes and David Porter and performed by Sam & Dave (Sam Moore and Dave Prater), was used by Donald Trump during his presidential campaign at least 133 times without permission. A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against Trump in 2024, seeking $3 million in licensing fees, a ban on further use of the song in the campaign, and removal of campaign videos featuring it, according to a previous USA Today article . Isaac Hayes III, the son of the late musician and president of The Estate of Isaac Hayes, shared his distaste for the president and struck down his use of the song in a now-deleted Instagram post from 2024, per the outlet. “Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father’s music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist...
Pinky Cole has never been one to shy away from the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. This will be no different when she appears on the 17th season of “ The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Cole’s Business Pursuits Before the show, Cole built her fast-food business, Slutty Vegan. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, she temporarily lost ownership when the company went through a global restructuring on Feb. 13, 2025. The company’s challenges included $10 million in corporate overhead and the closure of its Spelman College location. At the time, she described feeling every emotion possible from grief, sadness, fear, depression, and uncertainty. However, Cole didn’t let those feelings distract her from the bigger picture. In March 2025, she bought back the company under the name “Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis LLC.” Today, there are six Slutty Vegan locations, and Cole has expanded her footprint through a new venture called VOAGIES, a plant-based eatery selling 100% vegan hoagies,...
Comedian Katt Williams is partnering with Miles College to ensure students are ahead of the learning curve in technology. Complex reported that Williams and the Alabama historically Black college and university (HBCU) are launching a scholarship to support learners in AI and augmented reality (AR). The scholarship fund will provide students with opportunities to learn virtual production, CGI, and immersive storytelling. “There are a lot of jobs right now that in five years won’t be in existence because of AR and AI, and we want to make sure that our students are equipped with the tools they need to operate in that world,” Miles College President Bobbie Knights said, according to WVTM 13. In addition, Williams is opening a production hub in Anniston, AL, at the closed U.S. Army training base, Fort McClellan. The hub — launched under his production company Kemet Movie Works — takes inspiration from the region’s history, including the Chitlin’ Circuit, which supported the careers of...
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...
Ice-T considers himself a realist about AI. The rapper and actor took to X to share his thoughts on the technology, weighing both sides. Speaking from a musician’s perspective, he outlined several frustrations surrounding the cost and outcomes of creating visuals for songs, noting that production is expensive while compensation from platforms such as Spotify averages about $0.007 per stream. Meanwhile, he added that fans are paying little to nothing to consume the content, frequently streaming it for free, a point he used to argue for AI’s merit. “The days of the expensive videos are over. There isn’t an MTV. Ai is the only sensible way to add visuals to a song. You can hate it all you want. It’s the Future,” Ice-T wrote on X. PC: X/ @FINALLEVEL Ice-T added that concerns about the use of technology aren’t new to Hip Hop, noting that drum machines and synthesizers had also received criticism at their start. “Hip Hop would not exist without tech,” he said in a separate post. As the...
Hannah Bronfman is opening up about her experience as a first-time fund manager. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Bronfman became an angel investor in 2017. She is also a content creator who has been working in social media for over a decade, with 148.7 million followers and 6.6 million likes on TikTok alone. This also afforded her a unique opportunity to be gifted equity in companies in exchange for marketing, she noted at AFROTECH™ Conference 2024. She has invested in more than 70 companies, including Monte’s Fine Foods, Golde, and Topicals. Conteur Capital Now, Bronfman is entering new territory in the world of investing, becoming a first-time fund manager. She is a general partner at Conteur Capital, an investment firm focused on women’s health, technology, and health services. Bronfman offers a candid look at her journey in the new Amazon documentary series, “ The CEO Club” , where viewers get a front-row seat to her efforts to raise $40 million in capital for the venture...
Winnie Harlow is getting candid about her journey as an entrepreneur. Cay Skin The supermodel, who was raised in Jamaica , founded Cay Skin in 2022, an inclusive and affordable SPF skincare brand . After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and vitiligo, she set out to create sun care products that are effective for all complexions. “I have two skin tones, and it needs to work on me, and most SPFs don’t,” she told AFROTECH™ during a virtual press junket. Cay Skin offers SPF products, including lip balm, sunscreen, moisturizer, sun sticks, and lip masks. Raising VC Harlow envisions long-term staying power for the brand, and raised $4.1 million in a seed round ahead of Cay Skin’s official launch, bringing its total funding to $6.5 million at the time, according to Fortune. However, it wasn’t an easy victory, and Harlow admitted she heard enough ‘no’s that nearly made her question launching the business. “When it came to even fundraising, I still got a lot of no’s, and I was...