Month: July 2024

Kanye West Says He Is Retiring From Music: ‘Not Sure What Else to Do’

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Kanye West Says He Asked About Threesome with Him, Nicki Minaj and Amber Rose

The last we heard from Kanye West on the music end, he was preparing for Vultures 2 with Ty Dolla $ign. With the album nowhere in sight, Ye gave Rich the Kid an update on his career.

“I am retiring from professional music,” Ye wrote. “Not sure what else to do.”

Rich responded with a message that echoed the sentiments of many rap fans: “Retire? Why? How? The people NEED you.”

You can see the full conversation between Ye and Rich below.

The post Kanye West Says He Is Retiring From Music: ‘Not Sure What Else to Do’ first appeared on The Source.

The post Kanye West Says He Is Retiring From Music: ‘Not Sure What Else to Do’ appeared first on The Source.

EXCLUSIVE: Ross Mac Talks ‘Maconomics’ Wealth Summit and Empowering Financial Literacy

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Ross Mac Talks 'Maconomics' Wealth Summit and Empowering Financial Literacy

Ross Mac, creator of the popular digital series Maconomics, continues to merge education and entertainment to empower his audience with financial knowledge. Featured on major outlets like Yahoo Finance, BET, and Bloomberg, Maconomics provides a fundamental understanding of economic freedom from an urban perspective.

The upcoming annual Maconomics Wealth Summit will take place from July 12th to July 14th. It will feature major speakers, including the Earn Your Leisure brand, The Master Investor, Rashaun Scott, Jasmine Hagan, and the Chicago Bears. The weekend will focus on financial empowerment, networking, and philanthropy.

Events begin with an all-white yacht party at Navy Pier on Friday, July 12th. They are followed by the Wealth Summit on Saturday, July 13th, which includes panel discussions and workshops themed “Transforming Your Financial Future.” The weekend concludes on Sunday, July 14th, with the Maconomics Foundation Celebrity Basketball Classic, which benefits the community and promotes financial education.

Ross Mac emphasizes the urgency of financial literacy, stating, “By the year 2053, the median net worth of Black Americans is expected to fall to ZERO. My life mission is to assure that never happens by educating my community on the power of investing and being financially literate.”

In an exclusive with The Source, Ross Mac details the Maconomics Wealth Summit and his journey to supporting financial literacy. For more information on the Maconomics Wealth Summit or Ross Mac, please visit maconomics.com.

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The SOURCE: What inspired you to want to teach the community about economics?

Ross Mac: Young Thug was interviewed by T.I. and talked about how he would want to be taught how to get the money if he met JAY-Z. One of my friends hit me up and asked me to show him. That was the same motivation for me being on Wall Street, rapping, and being a person from the inner city. Now I have time to come back and help. While living in New York and working for Morgan Stanley, everything was very fast-paced, and I didn’t have time to think about giving back. When I moved back to Chicago, I found my way to give back to people. I started with bite-sized content on Instagram and TikTok. The hybrid of Jim Cramer, Dave Ramsey, and a little Tyler Perry to educate and give life lessons.

What really sparked me was a hedge fund here in Chicago that had a portfolio of cash advance loan businesses. It’s a great investment on paper, but I realized they made their money off the backs of Black and Brown people who are traditionally underbanked. These are people who get paid Friday but need money on Thursday and are charged 200% in return on that loan. Our people were not educated, and I wanted a better way to educate our community.

You mentioned short-form content and the growth of this brand. How else have you seen Maconomics evolve?

It started with making content in my apartment. Me and my dog. But the audience developed, and I had a bigger responsibility to the people. What started as fun and educating became breaking down information. It was like a digital civil rights movement. One of the last steps to true quality is helping us get our money right. It evolved to now working with brands. I contribute to Yahoo! Finance. I have a Netflix doc. I have a bigger audience but was able to retain full autonomy. I’m still having a ball while educating.

We are just ahead of the second annual Maconomics Wealth Summit. Can you share details about the event and what attendees expect from the various activities and speakers?

We are expanding from one day. This is an entire weekend takeover. The idea is networking, learning, and service. I think that is important in the Black community. First, we network on Friday with an all-white yacht party, as there will be 400 young dope professionals willing to have libations and network across. People will always network up, but networking with someone in your peer group could become a big decision market that can help you. Day two is education and entertainment. We got Zach Boog from WGCI and Portia King hosting. We want to bring people into a fully immersive experience that will give actionable steps. We are discussing how to budget better, get out of debt, and develop an emergency fund. Over half of Americans don’t have a thousand dollars saved if an emergency happens. So, we are helping to shift a mindset and focus on what’s important. We also will talk about investing, the stock market, and what you need for your kids. 90% of the world’s millionaires got their start in real estate, so we detail that and the programs that could start with zero down or 3.5%. We also go into tax preparation, life insurance, estate, and retirement planning. Joining us will be Earn Your Leisure, Ian Dunlap, and corporations Groner Capital to Morgan Stanley. BMO, US Bank, and BET. We will end the day with a performance from Jeremih.

We will wrap on Sunday with service. The Maconomics Foundation develops funding for youth investment accounts. We will have a charity basketball game with celebrity players and pros like Javonte Green, Evan Turner, and Chicago Sky point guard Dana Evans coaching. And that goes into youth support.

How did you bring together such a diverse group of people to build and support Maconomics?

It always boils down to relationships. One thing money can’t buy is relationships. Relationships help open the doors, and now I can get sponsors because they understand what I’m doing. They know it’s coming from a good heart, and my goal is to educate.

What immediate actions would you recommend to those looking to become more financially fit today?

Budgeting. Everything starts with a budget. You have to spend less than what you make. An average person is living beyond their means. You want to look at it from 50, 30, 20 in terms of percent of your take-home pay. 50% should be for your necessities, 30% for things you want or want to do. The last 20% should be spent on saving, paying down debt, and investing.

There’s good debt and bad debt. On average, bad debt has over 20% interest rates, such as credit card debt. Good debt is owning an asset or borrowing money to make more money. Additionally, there needs to be a fully funded emergency fund of three to six months of necessary expenses.

Also, your parents always tell you to save. But let’s move that money out of a simple checking account into a high-yield savings account. By leaving it in checking, you are losing the value of your money due to inflation.

And most importantly, make sure you subscribe to Maconomics.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Ross Mac Talks ‘Maconomics’ Wealth Summit and Empowering Financial Literacy first appeared on The Source.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Ross Mac Talks ‘Maconomics’ Wealth Summit and Empowering Financial Literacy appeared first on The Source.

Angela Simmons’ “Angela’s Cakes” Partners With Slutty Vegan To Debut Deep Fried Oreos

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Pinky Cole-Hayes and Angela Simmons are collaborating again for the launch of a new menu item: Vegan Fried Oreos. The tasty addition, which will include Simmons’ Angela’s Cakes mix, will be available at select Slutty Vegan locations across the United States throughout the summer.

The launch, which is a limited menu item that will be available from July – September, is the second initiative between both powerhouses (with the first being Angela’s Cakes, a versatile and vegan pancake and waffle mix). That same mix, combined with oat milk, will serve as the foundation for the Oreos. The initial rollout will begin in Slutty Vegan’s New York locations. In the middle of July, the dessert will roll out to Atlanta and the rest of Slutty Vegan’s locations.

“With me being a major vegan foodie with a sweet tooth, I’m always looking to satisfy my cravings, especially when I’m traveling,” says Angela Simmons, who launched Pastry Footwear (which went on to achieve $75 million in sales). “Working with Pinky and Slutty Vegan has been amazing because she shares that same vision of bringing the tastiest vegan options to the masses.”

With names such as Ménage à Trois™ and Hollywood Hooker™, Cole-Hayes’ Slutty Vegan restaurant has had vegans and meat lovers alike standing in line for hours to experience the juicy goodness of plant-based burgers since 2019. To date, the brand is valued at over $100 million.

“We [Slutty Vegan] are so excited about the rollout of this limited menu item. I mean, who doesn’t love fried Oreos?”, asks Pinky Cole-Hayes, owner of Slutty Vegan. “The initial rollout will start in New York and Atlanta, but don’t be surprised if you see it coming in other markets, especially with our food truck currently trekking across the country.”

Cole-Hayes is also the author of: “Eat Plants, B*tch,” a cookbook of 91 recipes (consisting of: Avocado Egg Rolls, Black Pea Cauliflower Po’​Boy, Oyster Mushroom Parm and everything in between). The book was nominated for an NAACP Award for “Outstanding Literary Work” and topped Amazon’s Best Seller list!)

The post Angela Simmons’ “Angela’s Cakes” Partners With Slutty Vegan To Debut Deep Fried Oreos first appeared on The Source.

The post Angela Simmons’ “Angela’s Cakes” Partners With Slutty Vegan To Debut Deep Fried Oreos appeared first on The Source.

Eminem’s New Album ‘The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)’: Everything You Need To Know About Slim Shady’s Final Act

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eminem
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Four years ago, Eminem released his last album,

Music To Be Murdered By

, as well as its supersized deluxe version,

Side B

. Since then, he’s performed at the Super Bowl, joined Fortnite, finally embraced his role as an elder statesman of rap, and announced a new film, but fans have been waiting ravenously for a new album.

They’ll get their wish soon with The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), Em’s upcoming twelfth studio album. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Release Date:

The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is due 7/12 via Shady Records/Aftermath/Interscope. You can find more info here.

Tracklist:

Eminem has not released the tracklist for The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), but we’ll update when he does.

Features:

So far, the only features that have been revealed include Eminem’s fellow Detroiters, BabyTron and Big Sean, who both appear on “Tobey.”

Singles:

Two singles have been released so far: the comedic “Houdini” and the wordplay-riddled “Tobey.”

Artwork:

Eminem revealed the artwork for The Death Of Slim Shady on July 9. You can see it below.

Tour:

Eminem hasn’t announced any plans for a Death Of Slim Shady tour as yet, but we’ll update if or when he does.

JT Is Royalty On The Road For Her Upcoming ‘City Cinderella Tour’

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jt from city girls
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Miami’s mercenary ratchet rap duo City Girls may be defunct, but the show apparently goes on. JT, one-half of City Girls along with partner-in-rhyme Yung Miami, is proceeding as a solo artist, with a new album, City Cinderella, in the works, led by singles like “Sideways” and “Okay.” It’s slated for release on July 19, and just in time to capitalize, she’s revealed the dates for her upcoming City Cinderella tour, which kicks off a month later in Kansas City, Missouri.

Tickets for the tour go on sale on Friday, July 12, at 10 AM local time. Venue/promoter pre-sales start on Wednesday, July 10, at 10 AM and Spotify pre-sale launches Thursday, July 11 at 10 AM. You can find more info at CityCinderella.com.

JT 2024 Tour Dates

08/20 — Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
08/21 — Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre
08/23 — Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall
08/24 — Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
08/25 — Hartford, CT @ The Webster – Main Room
08/28 — Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre
08/29 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
08/30 — New York, NY @ Palladium Times Square
09/01 — Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
09/03 — Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
09/05 — Richmond, VA @ The National
09/06 — Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
09/08 — Columbia, SC @ The Senate
09/10 — Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
09/11 — Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
09/13 — Little Rock, AR @ The Hall
09/14 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion
09/15 — Dallas, TX @ Gilley’s – South Side Music Hall
09/16 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall – Downstairs
09/20 — Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
09/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo

City Cinderella is out on 7/19 via Quality Control. Find more information here.