Rich Polk and Michael Tran
Fresh off the heels of the 65th Grammy Awards ceremony – the historic event where Beyoncé became the most awarded recipient in Grammy history – a group of pioneering women gathered together to examine the current state of Hip Hop music and discuss the importance of Black female empowerment.
The star-studded roster was formed by Heather Lowery and her groundbreaking Femme It Forward initiative, partnering with Mastercard for its inaugural “She Runs This” panel series. Taking place over the course of three-days in Los Angeles, the panels featured industry veterans including Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, Lil’ Kim, and fast-rising upstarts such as Coi Leray and Baby Tate.
Discussing the trials and triumphs of being a Hip Hop entrepreneur, Lil’ Kim exclaimed, “A boss can take a loss, but a boss can get it right back!” Other topics of conversation included challenges that Black female entrepreneurs face when starting a business (along with racism and bias), the importance of women artists being able to have equity and financial tools of success through Hip Hop, and having the freedom to follow one’s dreams.
Grammy-winning and Oscar-winning artist Jennifer Hudson was a featured host for one of the week’s panels, and spoke about being inspired as a business woman. “It wasn’t until my venture and partnership with Mastercard that I realized that I was being supported as a Black woman, and as an entrepreneur. We already know who we are [as Black women], but it’s important to know what we can do with a…
Read the full article here
