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Showing 43 results for:

motown

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43
How $800 Berry Gordy Borrowed From Family At Age 29 Led Him To Eventually Sell Motown For $61M 'To Take The Legacy And Put It In Stronger Hands'

Berry Gordy became a music force thanks to an investment from his family. Before Becoming A Record Executive Before becoming a famed record executive, he pursued various other ventures, partly driven by his father’s influence as an entrepreneur. The Telegraph reports that Gordy’s father owned several businesses, involving his family in several endeavors, including a plastering and carpentry business, a general store, and a printing shop. As for Gordy, he would explore becoming an amateur boxer, which prompted his exit from high school to turn professional. However, this venture reached a dead end, per The Telegraph. He then switched gears and served in the U.S. Army in Korea but was discharged. Gordy managed to finance a record store with his earnings, but it would shut down after two years. His next move was working at a nearby Ford Motor Co. plant, earning $85 per week, according to the Orlando Sentinel. During this time, he also nurtured his love for songwriting. “I wanted to...

Feb 6, 2024

Lil Baby Launches Record Label, Glass Window Entertainment, In Partnership With Capitol Music Group And Motown Records

Lil Baby — Dominique Jones — has become known for his imprint, 4PF (4 Pockets Full), but now he’s embarking on new territory in the music industry.

Aug 11, 2023

Diddy Announces New R&B Music Label As Well As A Partnership With Motown Records

Diddy has become the living embodiment of his 1996 lyric, “I thought I told you that we don’t stop.” Over the past several years, the multimillionaire has been inundated with multiple business ventures outside his origins in music. However, with the announcement of a new R&B label, Sean Combs is making his return.

May 10, 2022

Motown Records Links Up With Google To Elevate Women Of Color Within The Music Industry

It’s been about 63 years and Motown Records continues to be the sound of America! The renowned record label that has birthed greats like The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and more has linked up with Google to provide young women of color with the resources that they need to thrive in the media landscape. “Motown has always been a destination where creators come to bring their dreams to life,” said Motown Records Chairwoman & CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam in an official press release shared with AfroTech. “This creative program, in partnership with Google, will provide opportunities for women creatives to elevate and even further develop their craft.  I’m looking forward to all of the diverse content from the selectees and partnering with a dynamic woman to create culturally driven innovations that connect globally. The Motown Records Creator Program Supported by Google will both find and fund the next legendary woman content creator, videographer, or creative producer/director.

Feb 9, 2022

Motown Records Names Ethiopia Habtemariam as Chairman & CEO

Ethiopia Habtemariam has elevated to new heights at Motown! In an announcement today (March 1), Universal Music Group named Habtemariam chairman & CEO of Motown. Since 2014, she has served as the label’s president and will now report directly to UMG Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge. Under Habtemariam’s leadership, Motown remains committed to its traditions of artist development and partnerships with creative and entrepreneurial entities which include Atlanta-based Quality Control Music (QC). The partnership with QC has created hits from Migos, Lil Yachty, City Girls, and more and the label is well on its way to becoming one of the leading hip-hop and R&B music and entertainment companies. “Motown is such an important voice, and just as when it was founded by Berry Gordy, its impact continues to be felt around the world,” said Grainge in a statement. “Motown’s resurgence and powerful partnership under Ethiopia’s leadership has advanced the label’s legacy as home to some of today’s...

Mar 1, 2021

Pink Friday Is More Than A Nicki Minaj Album: How To Celebrate Small This Season

Upon hearing “Pink Friday,” most people’s minds immediately jump to the Queen of Rap herself , Nicki Minaj. The Trinidadian femcee released her debut album on Nov. 22, 2010, via Cash Money Records, Universal Motown Records and Young Money Entertainment. Even as a newcomer, she nabbed impressive collaborations from names like Eminem, Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West, ultimately selling 375K copies in her first week out. This placed Minaj behind Lauryn Hill with the second-highest sales debut ever for a female rapper, and the mother of one has only continued to prove her power since. Over a decade later, she returned with “Pink Friday 2,” this time recruiting J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Future, Monica, 50 Cent and other icons to join her on the tracklist. Minaj’s 2023 LP debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making her the first female rapper with three albums to top the chart; she moved 228K album-equivalent albums at the time, 92,000 of which were pure sales. These statistics are all...

Nov 26, 2024

Big Sean Champions Detroit's Pensole Lewis College, The Only Design-Focused HBCU, And Reflects On The Importance Of Empowering The City’s Voice

Big Sean has never been one to shy away from showcasing the love he has for Detroit, MI. He knew very early on that he was called to not only put on for his city but also put on for others along the way. He isn’t the only one who sees something special in Detroit. Dubbed one of the Blackest cities in America, Detroit has a population that is 76% Black, according to the United States Census Bureau. Among its other attributes, the Motor City got its nickname for being the center of the U.S. auto industry for more than a century. Detroit is also home to Motown, one of the culture’s most revered musical styles and Black-owned music labels, founded by Barry Gordy in 1959. It served as the catalyst for Black music becoming some of the most popular music, not only in America but also across the globe. Throughout his music, Big Sean has always amplified his city’s stance in the world and its impact on culture. Now, he’s taking it a step further, partnering with Pensole Lewis College of...

Sep 26, 2024

Pheelz And Lord Afrixana Share How Using Tech Has Created Opportunities Such As Collaborating With Beyoncé

As technology continues to evolve, it creates new avenues for industries to grow along with it. While controversy surrounds tech being used in music, such as AI-generated songs, it also creates a positive impact for musicians. Among the panels at the 2023 AFROTECH ™ Conference was “From Beats to Bytes: The Convergence of Music and Tech,” moderated by Marc Byers, the former general manager of Motown Records and founder of Protect The Culture. During the panel discussion, Nigerian producer and singer Pheelz and Ghanaian-born songwriter and artist Lord Afrixana discussed the pros and cons of merging technology and music. Pheelz expressed how tech has made the world “small” but also put artists on a “global stage.” For him, this exposure allowed him to watch his hit record “Finesse” blow up in real time via the power of tech and social media , specifically. “I was just at home in a place called Gbagada in Lagos making the song in my room, and I just posted a video with my friend, and...

Sep 23, 2024

How Lionel Richie Made Music History And Stacked A $200 Million Net Worth

Lionel Richie is arguably one of the most iconic voices, faces, and mustaches in all of music history. The singer-songwriter rose to prominence in the 1970s as a leader of the Motown movement and fronted the platinum-selling funk soul group Commodores before eventually going solo. He has written numerous hit records for himself and other artists, including instantly recognizable tracks such as “Hello,” “All Night Long,” and “Endless Love.” Richie has taken home Grammy Awards , Golden Globes, and even the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress. In 2022, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, due to his unmatchable achievements in music and culture. Richie has developed a reputation as one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s, and sold hundreds of millions of records across the Earth over the course of more than 5 decades. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Lionel Richie touts a massive net worth of over $200 million,...

May 2, 2024

How Mark Cuban Propelled This Black-Led Tech Company He Invested In — 'Even When We Weren’t Able To Make Payroll, He Helped Us'

Felix Lloyd’s company is among the 13 Black businesses to catch the attention of billionaire Mark Cuban during his time as an investor on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” Lloyd is former dean of students at the SEED Public Charter School and was recognized as Washington D.C.’s Teacher of the Year. In 2013, he and his wife, Jordan Lloyd Bookey, Google’s head of K-12 education outreach at the time, were inspired to create Zoobean. Initially introduced as a “book-of-the-month business” to connect families, with a focus on “non-traditional genres and interests,” the platform has since transformed into software catered to libraries and educational settings, the company website reads. It now encompasses features such as summer reading programs, simplified reading records, progress tracking analytics, and the option for users to host fundraising events centered around reading. In 2014, the founders were featured on season five of “Shark Tank” with their original business model. The opportunity to...

Mar 5, 2024

Dr. D'Wayne Edwards And Detroit's Only HBCU Host Grand Opening Of The New Foot Locker Footwear Creation Stu/deo In The 'Blackest City In America'

As a visionary, Dr. D’Wayne Edwards is on a mission to immerse the Black community in more design spaces. Beyond just talking the talk, he has also walked the walk as a leader in the design arena, responsible for creating over 500 footwear styles for companies like Nike and entertainers such as Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Nas, and more. “When I started 35 and a half years ago, the technology wasn’t there. It wasn’t the Stone Age, but there was no Instagram and there was no Google,” Dr. Edwards said during an interview with AFROTECH™. “These things didn’t really exist, so we had to be much more resourceful. So, we were kind of almost creating in the dark… I think of that era as kind of the purity of creation and just raw talent because we didn’t have anything to compare it to.” In 2010, Edwards established the first U.S. academy solely dedicated to footwear design. Now, he’s sharing that same sentiment through the lens of students at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU).   View...

Mar 1, 2024

Tech Entrepreneur Andre Swanston Is Connecticut's First Black Majority Owner Of A Pro Sports Team

Andre Swanston is one of the few Black men to sell a tech company for nine figures. Swanston founded Tru Optik in 2013. He was driven to have a solid work ethic by his father, who ventured from the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United States and worked several jobs to support his family, according to Forbes. The younger Swanston obtained a finance degree from La Salle University and a business degree from the University of Connecticut between 1999 and 2004. He would then secure a job as a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial and later take on a post at JPMorgan Chase & Co. as vice president of investments between 2010 and 2012, per his LinkedIn. During the early 2000s, he owned nightclubs and restaurants, he shared in a Q&A with TransUnion. He also invested in local advertising to bring more exposure to his businesses. It was then that Swanston made a discovery that would prompt his pivot to the tech industry full time as the founder of Tru Optik. The system is “an...

Feb 28, 2024

At Age 31, Rohan Marley Received An Ultimatum From Brother Ziggy Marley To Enter Into Business — Today, He Has An Empire Of Hotels, A Coffee Brand, And More

The legacy of the late Bob Marley remains prevalent. Bob’s musical influence extends globally, with Rolling Stone recognizing “Exodus,” his ninth studio album with the Wailers, as No. 48 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” in December 2023. What’s more, his story is currently being told in a biopic across movie theaters. “Bob Marley: One Love” has earned $71.1 million domestically and $120.5 globally, according to Entertainment Weekly and Comscore (at the time of this writing). Though his life was cut short at 36, following a battle with malignant melanoma, t he Marley family continues to carry the torch of their father while also carving their own paths. At the time of his death, Bob did not have a will, and his inheritance was given to his wife, Rita, and 11 children. As AFROTECH previously told you, with that financial investment in each of his children, many have built on that foundation with net worths now reportedly set in the multi-millions. This includes...

Feb 28, 2024

How Dr. Ted Love Went From Studying Molecular Biology To Becoming The Former CEO Of A Company Acquired By Pfizer For $5.4B

Life often has an interesting way of leading us to moments that change our lives, which is the case for Dr. Ted Love.

Feb 7, 2024

How Victoria Monét Reclaimed Her Time: From Singing Outside Of In-N-Out Burger To Self-Investing In A Chart-Topping Career

If you want to know a part of Victoria Monét’s secret to success, look at her viral hit “On My Mama.” She credits “getting it from her mama,” but Monét has been trailblazing her own path in the music industry. The Atlanta-born, Sacramento-raised entertainer may have had her breakout moment due to the viral success of her “Jaguar II” album, but the mother to young Hazel is not new to the industry. In a profile by The Guardian, Victoria Monét had an early start as an entertainer performing with a dance camp as a pre-teen. During this time, she began writing music, prompting her to move to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams. To make the move possible, the 34-year-old was encouraged by her mother to put away at least $4,000 to survive in the big city. However, her big break would come before saving the total amount. Monét met with mega-producer Rodney Jerkins in 2008 to be a part of a group he was forming called Purple Reign. Originally meant to be on the Motown label, things took a...

Feb 7, 2024

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