This story is part of our Start. Build. Grow. series, a celebration of Black business.
These days, celebrities are better known for their business moves than the music, movies and shows they release, proving the importance of diversification. The most successful stars know that you need multiple options available. To that end, let’s examine some of the Black celebrities entrepreneurs who’ve made more from their side hustles than their day jobs.
We’re starting with someone who embodies the concept of the side hustle becoming the main hustle. Despite her unforgettable halftime performance at the 2023 Super Bowl, when was the last time Rihanna was more famous for her music than her popular lingerie line Savage x Fenty or its sister brand Fenty Beauty? Sure, we’d love to get new music from Rih, but we also know how excited everyone gets when she drops new beauty products.
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson recently toured the world celebrating the 20th anniversary of his album “Get Rich or Die Tryin,’” so music is still an essential part of his brand. However, he’s more well known as the executive producer of the popular “Power” franchise than as a rap star. He gained the freedom to enter Hollywood through his now legendary investment in Vitamin Water.
Comedian/actor Kevin Hart is a legit box office superstar. He’s parlayed that success into multiple media ventures, including reality and talk shows. His empire has continued to grow with the addition of VC firm HartBeat Ventures, which has received outside funding from J.P. Morgan and included several lifestyle and tech companies. Hart also recently signed a deal to make his Coramino the official luxury tequila of his beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
If you follow Johnson on social media, you’ll know he’s used his immense popularity to launch Teremana tequila and the energy drink ZOA. He also partnered with Under Armour on his “Project Rock” fitness line and merged his XFL with the USFL to create the United Football League (UFL). This is all in addition to his Seven Bucks Productions, which seems to have a hand in all his films.
No one has rebuilt their brand the way Snoop Dogg has: He went from gangsta rapper and murder suspect to Martha Stewart’s best friend. Now he’s in big game ads for Skechers and BIC while also making early investments in esports teams and leagues. He’s also launched various products through Broadus Foods, including Snoop Loopz cereal, Indigo gin and Snoop Dogg Cali Red wine. To the surprise of no one, he was ahead of the curve on the cannabis trend, investing in multiple companies and brands. Plus, if you put any of his hits on in a club, the crowd still goes wild.
Gabrielle Union has always used her platform for good. Her Flawless hair care line is for women with textured hair. And it’s affordable, which sets it apart from other celebrity beauty lines. She and Wade also have the baby care line Proudly available at Target, as well as her and young daughter Kaavia being investors in NWSL team Angel City FC. You can’t deny that all these moves are setting up their family for generational success.
How do you go from one of the greatest rappers of all time to a billionaire businessman? If you’re Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, you move from the studio to the boardroom. Like many of his peers, Jay has a very successful luxury spirits brand. However, it’s ROC Nation that’s really catapulted him into another league. It’s a management firm, production company and record company all in one. Basically, it’s a one-stop shop for the entertainment industry. Though there are artists from all genres on the roster, ROC Nation made its bones by catering to the Hip-Hop/R&B world — something other firms weren’t paying attention to.
Serena Williams is the greatest tennis player of all time. However, she didn’t stop there. She used her name and success to launch her own venture capital firm focused on helping women of color start their own businesses. Through Serena Ventures, she doesn’t just invest money...she also uses her expertise and connections to help startup founders. The $111 million firm has become among the most successful and high-profile in the industry. When Williams puts her mind on something, she doesn’t lose.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson has spent most of retirement investing in real estate development around L.A., specifically in Black communities. Of course, he can’t stay away from the sports world, acquiring stakes in MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, MLS’s Los Angeles FC and the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Following his acquisition, the Dodgers, Sparks and LAFC went on to win championships, which has Commanders fans excited for the next chapter. There are kids who don’t even know Magic played basketball.
Admittedly, we’re cheating a little with this one, as her long-running talk show made Oprah extremely influential in the media world. However, launching your own network and countless other successful properties through your production company, makes you a mogul, not just another personality. Despite the recent Weight Watchers controversy, there will always be people who consider Winfrey’s opinion and investment invaluable.
Ask yourself: Do you know Dr. Dre as a legendary rapper/producer or the Beats by Dre guy? Selling Beats Electronics to Apple made him unimaginably wealthy. He now donates a lot of that wealth to charity, a controversial move that some see as him trying to wash away his past sins. No matter what you think of Dr. Dre, his empire has moved well beyond his N.W.A. roots.
Shaq started planning for his post-NBA life long before his career was over, making bold investments to grow his wealth. He acts as a spokesman for multiple notable brands and has become famous for his hot sports takes, but he spends a lot of his time investing in fast food franchises like Papa John’s, Auntie Anne’s, Krispy Kreme and Five Guys.
“Black-ish” star Tracee Ellis Ross has grown her hair care line Pattern Beauty from the ground up, advancing from “seven products, and one retail partner” to over 50 products and 10 partners, per Fast Company. This may not be her main gig just yet, but it’s clear it won’t be long before her beauty empire is no longer just a side hustle.
Once again we’re cheating a little, as MBJ is still more focused on his acting/directing/producing career. But with his Outlier Society production company, it’s clear he’s planning his world takeover. He even launched Outlier Society Ventures so he can start investing in new businesses. If that wasn’t enough, he has a small stake in English football club AFC Bournemouth. Perhaps he’ll get his own charming reality series like Ryan Reynolds’ “Welcome to Wrexham?”
We’ll never get tired of hearing Ms. Patti sing, but we also love going to the store and buying her mac and cheese, pies, peach cobbler, bread pudding and other products. You might say she’s built a food empire “On Her Own.”
