EXCLUSIVE: Grasp P & Rap Snacks Companion James Lindsey Speak Massive Enterprise

Hip-Hop mogul-turned-food-titan Grasp P and his Rap Snacks associate James Lindsay lately conversed with AllHipHop‘s Nikki Duncan-Smith.

The dialogue centered across the significance of imparting invaluable information to the upcoming technology of Black meals firm house owners, simply forward of their 2nd Annual Disrupt Summit in 2024.

Through the interview, they delved into their profitable partnership and the significance of self-empowerment and revealed some insider suggestions for thriving within the aggressive meals business.

Moreover, the New Orleans and Philadelphia natives emphasised their dedication to collaboration inside their neighborhood and the shared perception that sharing info is a calling they’re devoted to fulfilling.

AllHipHop: We’ve been watching you throughout there at Rap Snacks and the way you guys have created an empire in an area that you simply historically don’t see Black and brown folks in. Speak to me somewhat bit about your ardour for increasing this area in meals and snacks and drinks for African-Individuals and other people of minority backgrounds.

James Lindsey: In case you undergo a standard grocery retailer, and I’ll ask the general public that query, you see Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s. You don’t see something that actually represents us as a tradition. And we really feel like Rap Snacks is the primary model that basically actually represents the tradition, before everything. After which along with that, we really feel like we are able to monetize our model in a large number of classes as a result of we’ve been that client that’s been consuming all people else’s product. And it hasn’t simply been snacks. It’s been snacks, it’s been noodles, it’s been lemonades, it’s been all the things that we devour every day however we haven’t had an opportunity to monetize something.

Simply make all people else wealthy and feed all people else’s communities and never monetize and provides again to your individual neighborhood. So right here at Rap Snacks, me and P, we’re altering that now and within the close to future.

Grasp P: And like James stated, I imply, it’s about to be Martin Luther King’s birthday. They at all times inform us about dreaming. While you take a look at these merchandise on the cabinets, you don’t see no one appear to be us that personal this. How will we construct financial empowerment with out possession? And what Rap Snacks stand for, we speak about disrupting the business.

We did within the music business, how come we are able to’t do it within the product recreation? And with me and James collectively, I really feel like we’re unstoppable as a result of we’re going to do what it takes, not only for us. We wish to open the doorways for different those that appear to be us, Black and Brown, that don’t get an opportunity, the mother and pop shops, to have the ability to excel, placing product that’s owned by us in these shops.

I grew up, like James stated, my grandmother despatched me to the shop to purchase Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s. And she or he died pondering that folks like us owned that, however we didn’t. So it was like mockery of us however we’re going to alter that as a result of we’re relentless. It’s going to get out right here and struggle for our folks and educate our folks and begin with schooling.

And in order that’s what Rap Snacks is doing. We’re altering the business as a result of all people take a look at us, they take a look at me and James, and other people assume the one means we might make it’s by sports activities, leisure. This can be a totally different recreation. That is the way in which we construct financial empowerment and we’re going to do what it takes to indicate our folks and educate our folks to go on this journey with us.

James Lindsey: And so they can’t idiot us both.

Grasp P: Yeah.

James Lindsey: They will’t idiot us. When you’ve got the knowledge, you understand what you understand, proper? So it’s going to be arduous for them to idiot us and to proceed to run our enterprise like our ancestors. We wish to transfer ahead and be much more progressive and provides the sport to folks which might be coming behind us.

AllHipHop: I’m glad that you simply stated that about doing enterprise like our ancestors. After we take a look at even earlier than segregation, our ancestors truly had their very own issues. And once we speak about self-empowerment and financial empowerment, I see that’s what you guys are doing with even some again of this model. It’s only a complete expansive degree of not simply getting a model, however getting the model on the entrance shelf. That shelf area is admittedly restricted. Look, P, I do know you make them say, “Uh,” proper?

Grasp P: Yeah.

AllHipHop: However James, you assume I don’t know you too. You from Philly identical to me. I’m from Philly.

James Lindsey: Oh, wow.

AllHipHop: And I’m saying, “Neglect Herrs. We received Rap Snacks.” You went to Cheyney, you went to Cheyney, HBCUs. So we’re about self-empowerment.

James Lindsey: Oh, completely.

AllHipHop: Speak to me somewhat bit about ensuring that you simply guys reached down so you may attain again up.

Grasp P: Sure.

James Lindsey: We have now a boss of nonprofit that we actually attain again in our communities and to show our youngsters beginning out at a younger age. I bear in mind with my first job out of Cheyney College, I labored for Mr. Johnson, which was a really profitable black haircare firm. And after I look again at my profession, I look again at what was crucial to me, understanding what I needed to do, is that I had a job mannequin with him. I noticed one other profitable black man working a hair care firm. And him, I stated, “Properly, I wish to be like him.”

So we’d like extra of the position fashions. We want extra of the examples of individuals profitable out right here. He was going in opposition to the grain. That’s actually vital.

Grasp P: Yeah. I wish to communicate on, we speak about, disrupting this business. We received to do that for the little previous girl on the nook that give you a product or the person up the road or the child that has a product. While you take a look at all these different cultures, they’re ready to do that at a youthful age. Their merchandise are into these shops. They at all times communicate variety about us or put us in a variety division.

What me and James is doing, they’re now not placing us within the variety aisle. We’re going into the mainstream shops and we’re going to struggle for what we’re imagined to have. And we all know we’ve got nice product, however that is going to be the yr that we disrupt the business to show our folks and educate them on how you can get their merchandise in these shops and to not be shortchanged on these cabinets.

James Lindsey: And one other factor, that is actually a Jim, as a result of I’m going to inform you guys. Again in COVID and also you had the Floyd scenario occur and also you had plenty of these corporations actually speak about how they wish to assist black companies.

However what occurs is that they’ll provide the alternative and so they know that you simply’re going to fail as a result of if you go right into a retailer and you’ve got a model that’s probably not identified, they’ll put you in these cabinets, proper?

Grasp P: Put you at the back of the shop.

James Lindsey: Proper, proper. They know that you’ve got a few points. You may need points with distribution and also you may need points with manufacturing. So in the event that they anticipate you to maneuver a certain quantity of product off the cabinets day by day, so that you’re competing with a nationwide model that’s spending billions of {dollars}.

AllHipHop: And we’ve identified it for years, and we’ve identified that model perpetually.

James Lindsey: Precisely.