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An award winning, annual celebration of Black business aiming to empower and celebrate entrepreneurs everywhere, Black Entrepreneurs Day is a free livestream special at the intersection of business and entertainment!
Created by Daymond John in 2020, the show provides learnings, insights, and resources by combining wisdom from celebrity Black business leaders with performances from superstar musical artists.
This historic conversation series will feature Daymond John in one-on-one discussions with Black business leaders and cultural icons including Charlamagne tha God, Flavor Flav, Kelly Rowland, Rashad Bilal, and Troy Millings. Expect to learn, be inspired, and take actionable items away from these one-of-a-kind conversations.
CHARLAMANGE THA GOD
Lenard “Charlamagne Tha God” McKelvey is an entertainment mogul who has earned a reputation as one of the most authentic voices in media. As a Radio Hall of Fame inductee, best-selling author, in-demand TV personality, and producer, he is a singular shaper of culture.
An innovator and industry leader in audio, he is the co-host of iHeartMedia’s The Breakfast Club morning show, which drives millions of listeners and viewers daily on radio. Charlamagne expanded his collaboration with iHeart to create The Black Effect Podcast Network, home to multiple chart-topping podcasts and the first podcast network built explicitly for Black listeners. Alongside Kevin Hart, he is also the executive producer of scripted podcasts like Brokedown Prophets, Finding Tamika, Unleash for Love, and Summer of ‘85, which have won an Audie, Webby, and the prestigious duPont award. He is also the co-creator and host of the popular podcast The Brilliant Idiots with comedian Andrew Schulz. He recently launched the political podcast network Reasoned Choice Media alongside Angela Rye and Chris Morrow. The network’s debut show is the chart topping Native Land Podcast featuring Rye, Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillium.
Charlamagne is the author of The New York Times Best Seller Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It and the best-selling Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me, and his most recent best-selling book Get Honest or Die Lying. His tremendous success as an author led to a partnership with Simon & Schuster Publishing, now home to his imprint Black Privilege Publishing, which has curated best-selling books such as Invisible Generals, My Black Country, Shallow Waters, and many upcoming new releases for 2024 and 2025.
Charlamagne is an Emmy-winning producer through his production company, CThaGod World. He has hosted several network TV programs, including the Stephen Colbert executive-produced Hell of a Week on Comedy Central. He is also the host of his YouTube interview series Out OfContext with Charlamagne Tha God.
Acting on his passion for mental health awareness, Charlamagne founded the Mental Wealth Alliance. The foundation works to destigmatize mental health in the Black community by expanding the pool of professionals in the health and wellness space. Additionally, he is an Ambassador for the Food Bank for New York City.
FLAVOR FLAV
Flavor Flav is the most iconic hype man in history and one of the most recognizable legends in entertainment. He is a musical prodigy who is proficient in fifteen instruments. He first burst onto the scene in the late ’80s, where he emerged as a co-founder of the legendary hip-hop group, Public Enemy. Possessing the most sampled voice in the history of hip-hop, Flavor Flav (along with his group) was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2020. In addition to his culture-shifting career in hip-hop, Flavor Flav furthered his mark on the world with his foray into reality television, where he displayed an unparalleled penchant for breaking records. His reality television series, Flavor of Love, achieved a record-shattering 7.5 million viewers during its Season 2 Finale and was the highest-rated non-sports programming that year, and rated show for VH1 all-time. As he continues to perform with Public Enemy on the global stage, including the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, Flavor Flav has expanded his talents to the mediums of scripted television, feature films, narrative film, voice-over acting, podcaster, documentary production and book author.
KELLY ROWLAND
As a singer, actress, and television personality, Kelly’s eminence speaks for itself. Kelly’s rise to stardom began during her time as a member of Destiny’s Child , one of the best- selling girl groups of all time, which garnered countless awards, including three Grammys.
After the group disbanded, Rowland continued her success as a solo musician and won two additional Grammy Awards. She continued to make hits, including the 2002 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single “Dilemma” with Nelly, “When Love Takes Over” with David Guetta, and the solo hit “Commander.”
Kelly’s prowess goes beyond the microphone. As an actress, Kelly can most recently be seen as the star of Tyler Perry’s Netflix film, Mea Culpa, opposite Trevante Rhodes, and previously starred opposite Marsai Martin and Omari Hardwick in the Paramount feature, Fantasy Football . Prior to that, she starred opposite Marlon Wayans in the Netflix feature The Curse of Bridge Hallow, Bad Hair directed by Justin Simien, and the hit BET series American Soul. As a television personality, she was a judge on numerous competition shows, including The X Factor (both in the U.S. and U.K.) and The Voice.
RASHAD BILAL
Rashad Bilal grew up in the financial services industry, taking a summer internship with his family’s Wealth Management, The Bilal Group LLC in 2005. He learned at a young age the importance of financial literacy and realized that he wanted to translate his knowledge into actions. After graduating with honors from The University of Hawaii in 2007, Rashad became a full-time associate with The Bilal Group in May 2003, culminating in his advancement to Vice President in 2009 and Partner in 2014.
In 2018, Rashad Bilal partnered with his lifelong friend Troy Millings to start an educational platform called Earn Your Leisure
(EYL). EYL has grown into one of the top business platforms in the world, with a top business podcast under its umbrella, a podcast network, and an online educational platform.
EYL gives behind-the-scenes financial views into the entertainment and sports industries, as well as highlighting backstories of entrepreneurs. EYL also breaks down business models and examines the latest trends in finance. EYL is a college business class mixed with pop culture that blends the two together for a unique and exciting look into the world of business. EYL has a community of over 1,500,000 followers on social media, and 1,500,000 YouTube subscribers.
Earn Your Leisure also offers an interactive educational resource through EYL University which is an online educational platform. Earn Your Leisure University is an online interactive community that includes over 100+ archived webinars covering a range of business, finance, and entrepreneurial topics. Subscribers to the platform have direct access to exclusive weekly webinars hosted by leading experts from a variety of different financial industries. Membership also includes access to a Private Investment Facebook group which includes a community of over 12,000 members, a book and movie club, bi-weekly interactive sessions covering the stock market with Troy Millings, and a monthly group financial planning call with Rashad Bilal.
Troy and Rashad founded The Earn Your Leisure Network. The Earn Your Leisure Network is a revolutionary network which gives rise to emerging and established content creators from the world of business, finance and entrepreneurship whose perspective, expertise and in-depth insight have been undervalued and overlooked. At its core The Earn Your Leisure Network ultimate purpose is to build as we climb as a community, highlighting collaboration over competition.
Lastly, EYL hosts live events across the globe which includes the biggest financial literacy festival in the world “Invest Fest”. Invest Fest is a first of its kind, in-person experience to combine investing, entrepreneurship, pop culture, and entertainment in a 3-day festival setting. Invest Fest includes a vendor marketplace for small businesses and live podcast stages with interviews from top entrepreneurs and celebrities. There are also live performances from top musicians, a food truck caravan and investing panel discussions and interactive events. Invest Fest was founded in 2021 with over 4,000 attendees and has rapidly grown with over 20,000 attendees at Invest Fest 2023. Some of the headlines in the past years have included Steve Harvey, Tyler Perry, Dan Cathy and Robert F. Smith.
TROY MILLINGS
Troy Millings was born in the home of Hip Hop, the South Bronx. From an early age, music influenced his education. His keen memory and ability to memorize lyrics translated into memorizing historical facts, equations, and literature. Those two passions would later mold the educator he is today. He taught for 16 years, beginning his teaching career in NYC Dept. of Education to most recently the CSD of New Rochelle.
In the midst of teaching, Troy led Operations Crossroads as Program Director, a summer youth program designed for students at the secondary level of education. The purpose of the program is to introduce students to financial literacy through culturally responsive education while providing them with opportunities to gain work experience through summer internships in career fields of their choice.
Realizing there was a need to expand financial literacy education outside of the traditional classroom setting, Troy and life-long friend Rashad Bilal came together to start an educational platform called Earn Your Leisure. Today,
Earn Your Leisure has grown into one of the top media companies in the world with its own podcast network, a top
business podcast under its network, and an online educational platform.
The Earn Your Leisure platform provides listeners with behind-the-scenes financial knowledge across entertainment and sports industries, while highlighting entrepreneurs’ backstories, breaking down business models, and examining the latest trends in nance. The podcast blends insights from a typical college business class with current popular culture, offering listeners a unique and exciting look into the world of business in a fresh new way. Earn Your Leisure has a community of over 1,500,000 followers on social media, and 1,500,000 YouTube subscribers.
SPEAKER TBD
ANTHONY ANDERSON
Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian and game show host who is known for playing Louis Booker from Kangaroo Jack, Glen Whitmann from Transformers, Ray Ray from The Proud Family and Antwon Mitchell from The Shield. He also acted in Blackish, Hoodwinked, The Departed, Agent Cody Banks 2 and Scream 4.
RICK ROSS
With the levying stature of a goliath and the regal standing of a King, Rick Ross has lived up to his prophecy of being the “Biggest Boss.” The Miami Monster Mogul has evolved into not just hip-hop’s most respected and revered MC (in fact he was voted MTV’s “Hottest MC” of 2011), but as a label CEO and business entrepreneur, his resumé is as sterling as one of his platinum plaques.
God Forgives, I Don’t is Ross’ fifth solo album in six years, following in the recent success of five star acclaimed masterpieces Deeper Than Rap (2009), Teflon Don (2010) and classic team efforts with his Maybach Music Group, Self Made Vol. 1 and 2. By now, everyone that follows what Ross does, has been conditioned to expect nothing but a prolific output of the highest grade of music.
In a career that reaches new heights every year, God Forgives… is a milestone, the most anticipated rap project of all of 2012, as well as being the LP that will be the definitive work of art of the past decade.
“Without exaggeration, you just don’t hear this high of quality or precision of music,” Ross says about his opus. “I’ve mastered the art of devising classic albums, but this by far exceeds my prior excellence. I owe this to the fans and I owe it to myself to be the undeniable best.”
God Forgives… has a seamless blend of party hits and street certifiable bangers surrounded by Ross’ passionate reflections on life and articulation of his journey to be a billionaire. On one of the lead cuts, “So Sophisticated,” Ross hammers down heavy-handed statements with a delivery as graceful as Michael Jackson’s penny loafers lighting up the streets in “Billie Jean.” Meanwhile “Touch N You” features multi-time Grammy Award winner Usher and caters to the women who have crowned Ricky Rozay as one of the most yearned for sex symbols in all of entertainment.
“Three Kings” feels like Ross’ coronation into legend status as he is joined side by side by the man who has garnered the title of Greatest Rapper of All-Time, Jay-Z and the Greatest Producer of All-Time, Dr. Dre.
Like every up and coming MC, Ross — influenced by Golden Era b-boys that reigned supreme in the late 80s — just wanted to be heard during his introduction into hip-hop in the late 90s. While the desire and the artistry have been Ross hallmarks from career commencement, he had to learn the fine of art of structuring record contracts as well figure out a way to market and promote himself to the public when his former record labels couldn’t.
Ultimately, Rick Ross’ time didn’t come until over a decade after he started professionally. He only needed one song to break through. 2006’s “Hustlin” which went from being a relentless street anthem to a pop culture catch phrase still used today, earned Ross a record deal with Def Jam, and became the catalyst for his debut LP Port of Miami. That album debuted number one on the Billboard charts as did Trilla which came less than two years later.
And while his core fans already were familiar with the superlatives or Rick Ross the artist, in 2009, we got to know how strong of man the music Kingpin was. Highly publicized rap battles and controversy over his street cred that started at the end of 2008, none of it mattered by the spring of the next year when 2009’s Deeper Than Rap dropped. The few that ridiculed had no choice but to jump on the bandwagon, when Ross elevated himself with refined raps and musical soundscapes, all the while never worrying about public misperceptions about his past. While other albums may have sold slightly more, 2010’s Teflon Don overshadowed every LP from any genre that year. It was the album you heard coming out every car, the album that dominated DJ’s playlist and the album that catapulted Ross to international superstardom.
Building on the next level of his fame, Ross’ hunger wasn’t satiated. He knew it was his golden opportunity expand his Maybach Music Group. In late 2010 MMG went from boutique imprint to a full-fledged label, with the signings of Wale and Meek Mill as the cornerstones of the roster. Stalley and Omarion have since joined his core and have helped make MMG the most beloved brand since Jay-Z had Roc-A-Fella records 10 years ago. In early 2012, Ross released a free mixtape containing an album’s worth of new material called Rich Forever. The popularity from the body of work was so fervent, Ross toured in the U.S. and overseas in support of the new set of songs and Rich Forever has since went on to be the most downloaded mixtape ever. Now with God Forgives I Don’t, Ross has his sights set on a brand new goal: to be the biggest boss and artist of all-time.
“When my career is done, people will look back at everything I’ve contributed, and not just speak my name in high regard with the best of the best artists, but they’ll also compare my contributions with the greatest executives ever such as Russell Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Clive Davis and Jimmy Iovine.”
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL
4X NBA Champion, Sports Analyst, DJ, Philanthropist, and Investor
Born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 6, 1972, Shaquille O’Neal is considered to be one of the most dominant basketball players in NBA history. At 7 ft 1 in tall and weighing 325 pounds, Shaq’s larger-than-life personality and powerful athleticism have resulted in worldwide adulation and one of the most passionate fan bases in sports and entertainment.
Shaquille O’Neal’s off-court accolades rival his athletic accomplishments, having found success in acting, music, television, gaming and as an entrepreneur. Currently, Shaq is an analyst on Inside The NBA, on the board of Papa John’s Pizza in addition to being partner and investor in numerous other businesses.
Philanthropically, Shaquille’s relationship with the Boys & Girls Club of America dates back to his youth in New Jersey. As a national spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, he has been participating in campaigns with the non-profit company for the past 15 years.
