Black Men Winning: Top 4 Celebrity Boss Moves in Entertainment

Black Men Winning: Top 4 Celebrity Boss Moves in Entertainment


Comedian Kevin Hart's show the Real Househusbands of Hollywood, has been picked up for a second, 12-episode season. (Image: File)

This month, BlackEnterprise.com presents Month of the Man, where we bring you career features tailored just for male leaders of color all over the world. This week, we take a look at a snapshot of top celebrity boss moves in entertainment by powerful men of color:

—Reporting by Janelle Rucker

Jay-Z

Most know Jay-Z for his contributions to hip-hop, but now the rapper is making further strides in the sports industry.

This spring, Jay-Z announced the formation of Roc Nation Sports, an athlete management arm of his Roc Nation empire. A partnership with CAA Sports, the agency will help athletes with “marketing and endorsement deals, community outreach, charitable tie-ins, media relations and brand strategy.” Rumors of potential clients and the rapper’s potential impact on the industry continue to swirl, but the sports agency already has its first client, New York Yankees’ second baseman Robinson Cano and New York Giants’ wide receiver Victor Cruz, according to Forbes.

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry is no stranger to the big or silver screen, but a recent deal to bring two shows to Oprah Winfrey’s OWN cable channel exposes him to a larger audience.

The drama The Haves and Have Nots aired May 28 and chronicles the Cryer family and the hired help who maintains their Savannah, Ga. mansion. Occupying prime time the following night is sit-com Love Thy Neighbor. The show focuses on Hattie Mae Love and her family, “their daily joys, struggles, triumphs and fumbles.”

Each show premiered the last week in May, along with an episode of Winfrey’s Master Class that focused on Perry, his work and experiences in the entertainment industry.

Mike Tyson

In May, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson wrapped up his one-man theater show Mike Tyson: Undistributed Truth. Produced by famed filmmaker Spike Lee, the stage play is “a rare, personal look inside the life and mind of one of the most feared men ever to wear the heavyweight crown.” During the show, which spent a month on Broadway, Tyson reminisced about different aspects of his career and personal life that have long been fodder for the gossip mill, including his marriage to actress Robin Givens and 1992 rape charges. While the switch to a thespian is a long way from professional boxer, Tyson has had other acting roles, including cameos in The Hangover and The Hangover 2.

Kevin Hart

Comedian Kevin Hart has been all over the place lately. He’s been on stages across the country with his newest jokes for his “Let Me Explain” tour, which will hit the big screen in July. And this year he took to television, with his own show on BET.

Behind the scenes, Hart created Real Husbands of Hollywood with fellow comedian Chris Spencer and serves as the faux reality show’s executive producer. In front of the camera he lead the all-star cast in a successful first season and the show has been picked up for a 12-episode second season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.


×